Ground Cuckoo-shrikes and Bell Miners

Sightings within the local survey area for the period 1 Mar 2008 - 31 May 2008. The local survey area is a rectangular area extending from Kingsthorpe NW of Toowoomba to the Mt Whitestone/Fordsdale area SE of Helidon.

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Rod Hobson
Posts: 509
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:03 am

Ground Cuckoo-shrikes and Bell Miners

Post by Rod Hobson »

Folks,

Yesterday I saw a couple of new species for this season's local list. On a hike up Gorman's Gap at 56J - E 400740, N 6943299 I saw a pair of Ground Cuckoo-shrikes peched high in the extremities of a dead eucalypt. They were being bothered by a mob of Noisy Miners at the time. Just a bit further on, as I slogged on up the range, I encountered another four of these cuckoo-shrikes calling and flying overhead to the north. This was at 56J - E 400033, N 6942795. On Gorman's Gap this morning I also recorded Glossy Black-cockatoos and a pair of Painted Button-quail.

On my return walk, just over the lip of the range on the Upper Flagstone Creek Road the Bell Miners were going 'hammer and tongs' in the damp gullies to the north of the road, and up towards Echo Valley. This was at 56J - E 396448, N 6943631.

Other animals of note seen during my walk were Grey-crowned Babblers at Sutcliffe's Road, Flagstone Creek and Nass Road, Preston. On the Preston Road, near its junction with the Toowoomba-Warwick highway I also found a road-kill White-crowned Snake (Cacophis harriettae).

After arriving back at my vehicle parked on Sutcliffe's Road I drove home via Helidon recording a lone Common Bronzewing at Mt. Campbell and Zebra Finch near Murphy Bridge en route.

All in all, a great walk with some good natural history and I hadn't even bothered with carrying binoculars!

Regards,
Rod Hobson
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