I'm going to try for Dugongs in Sarawak; supposedly they are easily seen from boat tours in the mangroves around Kuching. (Hopefully a bit cheaper even than 50 AUD)
Yes but then I realised how uninteresting you are as a stalking subject... Actually I thought it just showed that we are both connoisseurs of classy wildlife viewing locations.
DAY THIRTY-ONE - the one with the falcon-nightjar hybrid Finally I found a proper birdy place in Brisbane! I got to Oxley Creek Common at 7.30am and there were birds everywhere. By the time I left I had seen 45 species. Some people I met said that they came here regularly and today was a quiet morning! The problem with Brisbane (when I was there) is that it was getting light at 5am, so being anywhere at dawn would require a ridiculous start-time. Nevertheless I decided that I would do just that and come back here the next morning as early as possible to see how many more birds I could see. I just wish I'd come here on my first day though so that I'd have had more time to plan around it - tomorrow would be my last day before I headed down to the Gold Coast where my flight left from. Oxley Creek Common is an easy place to reach from the central city. Just catch the train to Sherwood Station (about a twenty minute ride from Central Station), then turn left and walk for about two kilometres along Sherwood Road, crossing a second set of train tracks and then Oxley Creek, and the entrance is on your right about 100m past the creek. The Sherwood Arboretum (which I visited a couple of days before) is in the area as well, except you turn right from the station. The layout of the Common is pretty simple. When you first arrive there is a carpark and the "red barn complex" from which the track leads off parallel to the creek. It is paved for a short distance then becomes a dirt track. On your left are fields and on your right a strip of forest along the creek. The track runs for a couple of kilometres, ending at a Hoop Pine plantation. The first half of the track has a lot of birds in it because of the diversity of habitat. For example, the stretch of long grass which runs between the track and the paddocks is home to Tawny Grassbirds and Golden-headed Cisticolas (I didn't see the latter until the next morning though); the fields beyond had open-country birds like Black-shouldered and Black Kites; and the forest along the creek had Brown and Lewin's Honeyeaters, Superb Blue and Red-backed Fairy Wrens, and Brown Quail. The second half of the track isn't very interesting - it is mostly too open - although this is where I saw the first Red-browed Firetails of the trip. Something I found particularly interesting was that all the corvids at Oxley Creek Common were Australian Ravens. The default corvid in Brisbane is the Torresian Crow, so that was what I assumed the ones here were too, until I heard them calling and took a closer look at them. Male Red-backed Fairy-Wren Female Red-backed Fairy-Wren The best part of the Common is a side-track which branches off about halfway along and leads to two small "lagoons". This track is basically a straight road through open fields but seemed much birdier than the open fields which the second half of the main track leads through. I saw my first ever Pallid Cuckoo along here, just a fantastic bird which confused me as to what it even was, looking like some mixed-up hybrid between a falcon and a nightjar. Also my first ever Double-barred Finches - also known as Owl Finches - which are brilliant little birds. Pallid Cuckoo Double-barred Finches Of the lagoons, one was half-empty but was hosting flocks of Glossy Ibis as well as a pair of Black-fronted Dotterels and some more common birds (White-eyed Ducks, Pacific Black Ducks, Purple Swamphens, Pied Stilts, etc), and I got my first ID-able looks at a martin for the trip. I was seeing a lot of martins while in Brisbane but always in situations where I can't ID them - I'm on a train, or they are too high in the air, or whatever. Here I could say with certainty that I was looking at Fairy Martins. The walk back to the train station seemed to take longer than going in the other direction - it is uphill somewhat - but when I passed a doctors which had a temperature-clock outside I realised the problem was that it was 34 degrees already! I had half-heartedly being tossing about whether I should go back to the Arboretum, seeing it was so close, but given that I had seen very little on the other afternoon when I'd visited and that today was even hotter, I decided to leave any further birding activities until tomorrow morning. Animals seen today: BIRDS: Feral Pigeon Columba livia Grey Butcherbird Craciticus torquatus Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis Australian Brush Turkey Alectura lathami Australian Raven Corvus coronoides Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Australian Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris Willy Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Black Kite Milvus migrans Tawny Grassbird Cincloramphus timoriensis Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus Red-backed Fairy Wren Malurus melanocephalus Galah Cacatua roseicapilla Superb Blue Wren Malurus cyaneus Pallid Cuckoo Cacomantis pallidus Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio White-eyed Duck Aythya australis Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Little Black Shag Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Brown Falcon Falco berigora Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops White-headed (Pied) Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel Double-barred (Owl) Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae MAMMALS: None REPTILES: Eastern Water Dragon Physignathus lesueurii
DAY THIRTY-TWO - the one with all the birds Yesterday I had discovered that the Oxley Creek Common was not only an excellent birding spot but that the morning I was there was, apparently, "pretty quiet". As I had seen 45 species that morning I wanted to go back and see what it was like if I got there early enough for it not to be "quiet". Taking the earliest train I could, I arrived at the reserve at 5.30am, just half an hour after sunrise and two hours earlier yesterday's arrival time. This did indeed seem to make a big difference. Not only did were there a lot more birds in general but the number of species I saw was also considerably higher, with sixty species ticked off by the time I left. The day as a whole was the most successful of the trip in terms of numbers, with 72 bird species seen in total. There was a bit of a surprise right at the start with a young Brushtail Possum sitting by the "red barn". I have no idea what it was doing out in the daytime, and its presence was certainly not appreciated by the Grey Butcherbird who kept dive-bombing it. Just afterwards I came across another nocturnal animal, although this one was a Tawny Frogmouth sitting in a tree pretending to be a branch as they are wont to do. Common Brushtail Possum Tawny Frogmouth The first half of the track was even better than yesterday, with Brown Quail being vastly more apparent than the day before and there just being more of all the birds in general. I saw a number of cisticolas which I had missed the previous day. Other birds which I hadn't seen yesterday and which were new for the trip-list included Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Olive-backed Oriole, White-winged Triller and Golden Whistler. The Pallid Cuckoo was still in the same area as before. In the weedy lagoon I spotted a lifer Latham's Snipe (apparently commonly seen here) and the larger lagoon had Australian Pelicans, Darters and Great Cormorants amongst the usual ducks. I was really pleased with how the morning turned out. Brown Quail Golden-headed Cisticola Despite not having seen much at the Sherwood Arboretum when I'd been on one of the previous afternoons, I had been going to return there briefly today anyway; and then I was going to go to Mt. Coot-Tha where there was supposed to be a chance of seeing Powerful Owls roosting. But while at Oxley Creek Common I had a chat to two ladies who were wandering through, and they mentioned that Crested Bellbirds were common at a place called Enoggera Reservoir. I have never seen Crested Bellbirds - and I wanted to. Should I go for a slim chance of Powerful Owls at Mt. Coot-Tha, or a high chance of Crested Bellbirds at the Enoggera Reservoir? I went with the bellbirds. Now, the Slater field-guide cuts out the eastern coast on their distribution map for the Crested Bellbird but their maps can't always be trusted (cough... Brown Honeyeater!) and the two ladies were very specific on these being Crested Bellbirds and how they were common at the lake. I decided to skip the arboretum and head directly back to the city so that I could find out how to get to this lake. The info centre in the city was most helpful - it turns out that the Enoggera Reservoir is well-known and not some obscure location as I had thought it might be, and there is a bus (the #385) which goes straight there from town. The lake is quite large with a track running right around it through forest. I think it would likely be an exceptionally good birding spot in the early morning - probably not as good as Oxley Creek Common because there is less of a range in the habitats, but there would be a lot of proper forest birds there. Because I was there in the middle of the day I only saw a few birds, the best of which were Large-billed Scrubwren and White-throated Treecreeper. An extra bird bonus were the Comb-crested Jacanas strutting around on the rafts of floating vegetation. And what of the Crested Bellbirds? Well, soon after I arrived I started hearing the distinctive metallic chiming of Bell Miners and knew immediately that there had been a fatal error in the ladies' use of bird names... Still, it wasn't a waste of time going there because I did see some other nice birds, even if nothing "new", and I happily discovered that this was where the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre was located. I wrote a little review and species list here: Walkabout Creek species list, October 2019 [Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre] Also extremely noteworthy was a lifer snake! While walking back to the bus stop I came across this beautiful Carpet Python crossing the path. My day was not yet done. I had failed to find a Greater Glider the night before last and this was my last chance. The writer of the trip report I mentioned in that post had found the gliders easily, or so they had implied. And thus I found myself back on a train to Cleveland. Dusk had already fallen when I got to the Greater Glider Conservation Area. On the walk to the reserve I saw Black Flying Foxes flapping overhead, with enough light still to see which species they were (on my previous visit I had only seen them after dark). In contrast to the last visit, on this evening I saw three Common Ringtail Possums (none last time), and it wasn't until I was three-quarters of the way around the loop track that I encountered the first Common Brushtail and I only saw one other after that. Also there were Cane Toads all around the track whereas last time I hadn't seen any at all (their absence was something I had specifically noticed because they had been so common at the Deagon Wetlands in Sandgate). Finally, when my time was almost up, I got some eye-shine in the top of a massive eucalyptus and saw a huge possum staring down at me. That had to be a Greater Glider just from size alone. I hi-fived myself mentally (not physically because that would be weird). The possum didn't move. I kept looking at it. Greater Glider - had to be. Honestly I wasn't convinced. I moved around the tree, trying to get a side view without the branch it was on obscuring the body. No good. I went back to the front. It just looked wrong. The ears were wrong. I could see the end of the tail poking out behind the branch, and it looked wrong. But it was far too big to be a Brushtail Possum. I spent twenty minutes staring at the damn thing through binoculars but because it wasn't moving the view wasn't changing anything. I was pretty sure it had to be a Brushtail, but it was a monster. Eventually I had to leave because if I missed the bus there was no way to get back to the city after the last train. Final assessment: not a Greater Glider. Or if it was I don't want to know. I checked some photos online afterwards to reassure myself and I'm positive it had to have been a ginormous Brushtail Possum. I made it back to the bus stop with ten minutes to spare. The reserve does seem like it would be a "reliable" place to try and see Greater Gliders. If I were to go back to Brisbane (which is likely if Air Asia retains the Bangkok-to-Brisbane route) then I will go back there. In fact I'd see if I could find a hostel in Cleveland or closer, so that I could stay in the reserve for longer without having to worry about missing the last train back to the city. Animals seen today: BIRDS: Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita Australian Brush Turkey Alectura lathami Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides Grey Butcherbird Craciticus torquatus Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus Tawny Grassbird Cincloramphus timoriensis Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta Superb Blue Wren Malurus cyaneus Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora Pied Currawong Strepera graculina Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis Pallid Cuckoo Cacomantis pallidus Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae Willy Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii Australian Raven Corvus coronoides Galah Cacatua roseicapilla Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Red-backed Fairy Wren Malurus melanocephalus Double-barred (Owl) Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena White-headed (Pied) Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Latham's Snipe Gallinago hardwickii White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus Australian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Little Black Shag Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa White-eyed Duck Aythya australis Grey Teal Anas gracilis Australian Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor Grey Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla harmonica Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes Australian King Parrot Alisterus scapularis Common Coot Fulica atra Australian Little Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae Comb-crested Jacana Jacana gallinacea Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis Large-billed Scrubwren Sericornis magnirostris Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaeus Brown Falcon Falco berigora Torresian Crow Corvus orru Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus MAMMALS: Common Brush-tailed Possum Trichosurus vulpecula Black Flying Fox Pteropus alecto Red-necked Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus REPTILES: Eastern Water Dragon Physignathus lesueurii Carpet Python Morelia spilota AMPHIBIANS: Cane Toad Rhinella marinus
DAY THIRTY-THREE - the one with the end of the trip The last full day of the trip! Early tomorrow morning I would be flying back to New Zealand from the Gold Coast Airport (it is much cheaper to fly from Gold Coast than from Brisbane itself), so I had to make my way down there today and stay overnight. The travel between the two cities is easy enough - there is a train direct from Central Station in Brisbane to Varsity Lakes Station at the Gold Coast, which takes 1.5 hours and costs AU$14, and then you just take a bus from the station to where-ever you're going. On this morning the train took two hours due to "congestion" and also a truck accident on a bridge; not sure why a road accident would delay the train but it did. I saw quite a lot of birds from the train - on the list below everything up to Dollarbird was seen on the way. I had booked at the Coolongatta YHA. This is literally right next to the airport - it takes about five minutes to walk from the hostel to the airport entrance. I'd got a single room here for NZ$46 which is more than I'd normally like to pay but it was only $20 more than a bed in an eight-person dorm, and it was only for one night, so I considered it a better price in relative terms. Of the four pre-booked accommodations of the trip (in Sydney, Singapore, Brisbane, and Gold Coast) this was the only one I liked and the only one which I'd recommend staying at. Also it is obviously very convenient if you are flying in or out through this airport. There isn't much in the general vicinity apart for the airport though. There's a cafe directly across the road, if you are happy paying AU$16 for a fancy sandwich, but there are various cheaper places for food outside the airport entrance. My plan for the day had initially been to go birding at Schuster Park and then walk a few kilometres from there to the David Fleay Wildlife Park. The #760 bus was a convenient route on this day - it runs from the train station all the way to the YHA and airport, it passes close to Schuster Park, and I also discovered that it runs directly past Currumbin Sanctuary (i.e. you could visit Currumbin easily as a day-trip from Brisbane, by taking the train to Varsity Lakes and then the #760 bus direct to Currumbin). In the end I only visited Schuster Park. Firstly, I didn't get checked in at the YHA until long after I had anticipated - the confirmation email had said that check-in was from 11am, which apparently was not the case, but the manager wasn't there anyway so I had to wait over an hour for her return, meaning that I couldn't get out of there until after midday. Secondly I had to get the unused money from my Go-Card refunded which couldn't be done at the airport (you can buy a Go-Card at the Gold Coast Airport but not get a refund there, which is really inconvenient), so I had to go across town to the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre in Broadbeach but this had to be done at the end of the day yet not so late that the shop there would be closed. It all meant I only had time for one thing - birding, or one of the two zoos. I went with the birding, because I was still hoping to find a Mangrove Honeyeater. Schuster Park had sounded like a fantastic birding spot on one document I'd seen - "a large park comprising mature native trees, mangroves, paperbark and water-lilies" - but I found it disappointing. It seemed more like a dog park and picnic area. There were also some police in there arresting someone. Just after arrival I saw my first female Australian Koel (I have only seen males before - the females are dramatically different to the females of Asian Koels). I followed the paths heading to my right where there should have been swampy areas - not present due to drought conditions - and eventually found a track leading into a mangrove reserve. A sign at the entrance had a photo of a Mangrove Honeyeater on it! I spent the rest of my day wandering around in this area. No honeyeaters were seen. I ran into a local birder who said he had never seen one in this park. He was there to try and find a pair of Powerful Owls which had been reported - they couldn't be found either. I did see a Shining Cuckoo to add to the list. Much better was a male Cicadabird, which was a lifer - it's kind of like a much more elegant-looking cuckoo-shrike, and I felt I'd rather have seen that than the Mangrove Honeyeater because it is more singular than just another honeyeater. As I left the park I spotted a Whistling Kite gliding about high in the sky. It is probably a fitting Zoochat ending to have the last Brisbane bird of the trip be a Whistling Kite. The Pacific Fair Shopping Centre is about half an hour by bus from the YHA. There are only a couple of places on the Gold Coast which do refunds on Go-Cards, and this was the easiest for me to reach. It was dusk by now, so of course there were flying foxes flapping through the sky over the mall. I got AU$40 back on the refund (including the AU$10 initial cost of buying the card), meaning I had spent about AU$60 on transport over six days. I guess this is okay considering I took quite a few long train trips. Probably not really okay if you were living there and having to spend that amount every week to get around though. Animals seen today: BIRDS: Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen Pied Butcherbird Craciticus nigrogularis Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus Torresian Crow Corvus orru Australian Raven Corvus coronoides Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala Feral Pigeon Columba livia Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae Pied Currawong Strepera graculina Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio Australian Brush Turkey Alectura lathami Australian Koel Eudynamys orientalis Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus Shining Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus Superb Blue Wren Malurus cyaneus Cicadabird Coracina [Edolisoma] tenuirostris Australian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus MAMMALS: Flying Fox Pteropus sp.
END - the one where it ends My flight home was with Jetstar, at 6.15am. This was why I chose the Coolongatta YHA to stay my final night! The Gold Coast Airport doesn't open until 4.30am, which tied in well with the checking-in time. I actually got to the terminal at 4.20am and everything was already open and full of people so ... I guess the airport website is wrong? No birds were seen today, although I heard Noisy Miners and Noisy Friarbirds calling in the dark as I walked to the terminal. Both of them are Noisy. I found out something interesting about airport body-scanners today. They only show a stylised body shape on the monitor (i.e. they aren't showing an actual image of the person going through the scanner) and "anomalies" show as yellow blocks on the body-shape. The machine has one button for male and one for female, so that the machine can ignore features which are common to one sex (e.g. beards in men). In my case I got an anomaly alert for my entire back because the machine didn't recognise my hair (in a plait) as a male feature. From the in-flight magazine I learned a couple of other interesting things. I take no responsibility if these are not true. One: the shortest scheduled passenger flight is ninety seconds long, in the Orkney Islands. Two: Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay for the 1967 James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. I also read this nice quote by Gustave Flaubert: "Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world". Normally in my trip threads I will wrap everything up in a neat little package, with how much money I spent and average spends per day and per country, etc etc. However on this trip I was just bouncing about between countries, a few days here and a few days there, so the averages will be pretty meaningless. Instead I will simply give - in the next post - a full list of all the birds and other animals I saw, and then that will be the end.
SPECIES LISTS! These are the full lists for all the animals I saw (not including fish and invertebrates because I don't keep tallies of those). Lifers are in bold - there were nine new mammals (out of 41 species seen) and ten new birds (out of 284 species seen). They are listed in the order I saw them, by country. I have duplicated the species between the countries (e.g. Common Mynah is listed under all the countries), but each species is only numbered once. The numbers are the totals for this trip - they do not correspond to my year-list (because a lot of the Australian birds I had already seen in New Zealand before the trip). BIRDS SYDNEY 1) Feral Pigeon Columba livia 2) Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae 3) Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca 4) Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala 5) Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus 6) Australian Magpie Gymorhina tibicen 7) Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae 8) Common Coot Fulica atra 9) Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa 10) Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa 11) Purple Swamphen Porphrio porphyrio 12) Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis 13) Galah Cacatua roseicapilla 14) Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita 15) Little Wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera 16) Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena 17) Spur-winged (Masked) Plover Vanellus miles 18) Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 19) Brown Falcon Falco berigora 20) Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus 21) Superb Blue Wren Malurus cyaneus 22) Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapa 23) Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris 24) Willy Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys 25) Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis 26) Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia 27) Australian Little Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae 28) Little Black Shag Phalacrocorax sulcirostris 29) White-cheeked Honeyeater Phylidonyris nigra 30) Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata 31) Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys 32) Little Pied Shag Phalacrocorax melanoleucos 33) Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii 34) Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus 35) Australian Brush Turkey Alectura lathami 36) Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris 37) White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis 38) Brown Gerygone Gerygone mouki 39) Australian King Parrot Alisterus scapularis 40) Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus 41) Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata 42) Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes 43) Pied Currawong Strepera graculina 44) Australian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae 45) Black Swan Cygnus atratus 46) Grey Teal Anas gracilis 47) Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 48) Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus 49) White-eyed Duck Aythya australis 50) Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca SINGAPORE 51) Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 52) Striated Heron Butorides striatus 53) Germain's Swiftlet Collocalia germani 54) Monk (Quaker) Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus 55) Feral Chicken ["Red Junglefowl"] Gallus gallus (this is only numbered here because it is a list of birds seen - I don't count feral chickens on my year-lists etc) 56) Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans 57) Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris 58) Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis 59) Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea 60) Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosa 61) Sunda Pigmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos moluccensis 62) White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus 63) Olive-backed Sunbird Nectarinia jugularis 64) Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 65) Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis 66) Javan Mynah Acridotheres javanicus Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 67) House Crow Corvus splendens Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis 68) Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus 69) Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea 70) Moustached Parakeet Psittacula alexandri 71) Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 72) Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica 73) Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 74) Indian Ringneck Parakeet Psittacula krameri 75) Little Egret Egretta garzetta 76) Stork-billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis Feral Pigeon Columba livia 77) Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 78) Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 79) Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus 80) Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala 81) Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 82) Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica 83) Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax MALAYSIA 84) White-bellied Sea Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis Javan Mynah Acridotheres javanicus Feral Pigeon Columba livia House Crow Corvus splendens Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Germain's Swiftlet Collocalia germani 85) Asian Glossy Starling Aplonis panayensis 86) Greater Green Leafbird Chloropsis sonnerati 87) Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma 88) Cream-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus simplex 89) Hairy-backed Bulbul Tricholestes criniger 90) Greater Hill Mynah Gracula religiosa 91) Orange-backed Woodpecker Reinwardtipicus validus 92) Purple-naped Sunbird Hypogramma hypogrammicum 93) Blue-winged Leafbird Chloropsis moluccensis 94) Striped Tit-Babbler Macronous gularis 95) Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Phoenicophaeus curvirostris 96) Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica 97) Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus brunneus 98) Tiger Shrike Lanius tigrinus 99) Buff-vented Bulbul Iole olivacea 100) Raffles' Malkoha Phoenicophaeus chlorophaeus 101) Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius 102) Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica 103) Asian House Swift Apus nipalensis 104) White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus 105) Olive-winged Bulbul Pycnonotus plumosus 106) Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus 107) Little Spiderhunter Arachnothera longirostra 108) Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher Rhinomyias umbratilis 109) Yellow-bellied Bulbul Alophoixus phaeocephalus 110) Checquer-throated Woodpecker Picus mentalis 111) Spectacled Bulbul Pycnonotus erythrophthalmus Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala 112) White-vented Mynah Acridotheres grandis Little Egret Egretta garzetta 113) White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 114) Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata 115) Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 116) Nutmeg Finch (Scaly-breasted Munia) Lonchura punctulata 117) Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia 118) Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 119) Black-thighed Falconet Microhierax fringillarius Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis Striated Heron Butorides striatus 120) Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus 121) White-bellied Yuhina Erpornis zantholeuca 122) Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus 123) Dark-necked Tailorbird Orthotomus atrogularis 124) Red-billed Malkoha Phoenicophaeus javanicus 125) Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella 126) Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor 127) Mountain Fulvetta Alcippe peracensis 128) Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis 129) White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis 130) Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna 131) Glossy (White-bellied) Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta 132) Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 133) Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus flaviventris 134) Everett's White-eye Zosterops everetti 135) Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus 136) Mountain Tailorbird Phyllergates cucullatus 137) Golden Babbler Stachyridopsis chrysaea 138) Orange-breasted Trogon Harpactes oreskios 139) Black and Yellow Broadbill Eurylaimus ochromalus 140) Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia 141) Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica 142) Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 143) Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus 144) Long-tailed Sibia Heterophasia picaoides 145) Black and Crimson Oriole Oriolus cruentus 146) Black-browed Barbet Megalaima oorti 147) Chestnut-capped Laughing Thrush Garrulax mitratus 148) Black-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus diardi 149) Fire-tufted Barbet Psilopogon pyrolophus 150) Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris 151) Black-throated Sunbird Aethopyga saturata 152) Rufous-browed Flycatcher Ficedula solitaris 153) Lesser Racquet-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer 154) Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus 155) Grey-throated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps 156) Slender-billed Crow Corvus enca 157) Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea 158) Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes macclellandii 159) Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus 160) Rufescent Prinia Prinia rufescens 161) Little Cuckoo-Dove Macropygia ruficeps 162) Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni 163) Greater Yellownape Woodpecker Picus flavinucha 164) Silver-eared Mesia Leiothrix argentauris 165) Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps 166) Blue-winged Minla Siva cyanouroptera 167) Large Niltava Niltava grandis 168) Blue Nuthatch Sitta azurea 169) Ochraceous Bulbul Alophoixus ochraceus 170) Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus 171) Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia 172) Purple-backed (Daurian) Starling Agropsar (Sturnus) sturninus THAILAND Asian House Swift Apus nipalensis Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis White-vented Mynah Acridotheres grandis Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus Nutmeg Finch (Scaly-breasted Munia) Lonchura punctulata 173) Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 174) Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus 175) House Sparrow Passer domesticus Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Feral Pigeon Columba livia Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala Zebra Dove Geopelia striata 176) Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 177) Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 178) Crested Tree-Swift Hemiprocne coronata 179) Asian Openbill Stork Anastomus oscitans 180) Asian Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica 181) Streak-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus blanfordi 182) Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum 183) Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis Little Egret Egretta garzetta 184) Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris LAOS House Sparrow Passer domesticus Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Zebra Dove Geopelia striata Feral Pigeon Columba livia White-vented Mynah Acridotheres grandis Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 185) Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna 186) Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodei 187) Puff-throated Bulbul Alophoixus pallidus 188) Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus THAILAND again White-vented Mynah Acridotheres grandis Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis Zebra Dove Geopelia striata House Sparrow Passer domesticus Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Feral Pigeon Columba livia Asian Openbill Stork Anastomus oscitans Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Little Egret Egretta garzetta Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia 189) Great Egret Egretta alba 190) Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis 191) Asian Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger 192) Crow-billed Drongo Dicrurus annectens Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 193) Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus 194) Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala 195) Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis Asian Koel Eudynamis scolopacea 196) Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra Asian Pied Fantail Rhipidura javanica Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus Streak-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus blanfordi 197)Black-collared Starling Sturnus nigricollis 198) Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker Dicaeum cruentatum Scaly-breasted Munia (Nutmeg Finch) Lonchura punctulata 199) Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis 200) Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina melaschistos Yellow-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier 201) Javan Pond Heron Ardeola speciosa 202) Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris 203) Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 204) White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 205) Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus 206) Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus 207) Common Redshank Tringa totanus 208) Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 209) Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica 210) Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 211) Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva 212) Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis 213) Hill Blue Flycatcher Cyornis banyumas 214) Golden-bellied Gerygone Gerygone sulphurea 215) Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius Striated Heron Butorides stiatus Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus Pink-necked Green Pigeon Treron vernans Olive-backed Sunbird Nectarinia jugularis 216) Hainan Blue Flycatcher Cyornis hainanus 217) Large Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina macei Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis Dark-necked Tailorbird Orthotomus atrogularis Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 218) Plain Prinia Prinia inornata 219) Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus 220) Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 221) Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis 222) Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 223) Yellow Wagtail Motacilla thunbergi (or the Eastern M. tschutschensis if split) 224) Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus 225) Stejneger's Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri 226) Richard's Pipit Anthus richardi 227) Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii BRISBANE 228) Australian Figbird Sphecotheres vieilloti Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles 229) Torresian Crow Corvus orru Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Magpie-Lark Grallina cyanoleuca Feral Pigeon Columba livia 230) Grey Butcherbird Craciticus torquatus 231) Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 232) Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis 233) Banded Rail Gallirallus philippensis Common Kookaburra Dacelo novaeguineae Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes 234) Pied Butcherbird Cracticus nigrogularis Willy Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys 235) Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta 236) Grey Shrike-Thrush Colluricincla harmonica 237) Rainbow Bee-eater Merops ornatus Little Pied Shag Phalacrocorax melanoleucos 238) Blue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotis 239) White-headed (Pied) Stilt Himantopus leucocephalus Dusky Moorhen Gallinula tenebrosa Grey Teal Anas gracilis Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis White-eyed Duck Aythya australis Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita 240) Red-backed Fairy-Wren Malurus melanocephalus 241) Pale-headed Rosella Platycercus adscitus 242) Long-billed Corella Cacatua tenuirostris 243) Magpie Goose Anseranas semipalmata 244) Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae Spangled Drongo Dicrurus bracteatus Pied Currawong Strepera graculina 245) Bush Stone-Curlew Burhinus grallarius Common Coot Fulica atra Little Black Shag Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata Australian Brush Turkey Alectura lathami Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis 246) Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta 247) Little Friarbird Philemon citreogularis Galah Cacatua roseicapilla 248) Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 249) White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae 250) Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus 251) Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus puffinus Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae 252) Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii 253) Little Corella Cacatua sanguinea 254) White-breasted Woodswallow Artamus leucorynchus Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus 255) Osprey Pandion haliaetus 256) Leaden Flycatcher Myiagra rubecula Eastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australis 257) Bar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis Rufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventris Australian Raven Corvus coronoides 258) Australian Black-shouldered Kite Elanus axillaris 259) Black Kite Milvus migrans 260) Tawny Grassbird Cincloramphus timoriensis Superb Blue Wren Malurus cyaneus 261) Pallid Cuckoo Cacomantis pallidus Lewin's Honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii 262) Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Brown Falcon Falco berigora 263) Black-fronted Dotterel Elseyornis melanops 264) Fairy Martin Hirundo ariel 265) Double-barred (Owl) Finch Taeniopygia bichenovii 266) Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora 267) Red-browed Firetail Neochmia temporalis 268) Tawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoides 269) Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis 270) Olive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatus 271) Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis 272) Latham's Snipe Gallinago hardwickii Australian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiae 273) Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Eastern Whipbird Psophodes olivaceus 274) White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor 275) Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis 276) Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Australian King Parrot Alisterus scapularis 277) Comb-crested Jacana Jacana gallinacea 278) Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla White-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalis 279) Large-billed Scrubwren Sericornis magnirostris Bell Miner Manorina melanophrys 280) White-throated Treecreeper Cormobates leucophaeus Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis 281) Australian Koel Eudynamys orientalis 282) Shining Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus 283) Cicadabird Coracina [Edolisoma] tenuirostris 284) Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus ....................................................................... MAMMALS SYDNEY 1) Grey-headed Flying Fox Pteropus poliocephalus 2) Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps 3) Swamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolor 4) Common Brush-tailed Possum Trichosurus vulpecula 5) Brown Antechinus Antechinus stuartii SINGAPORE 6) Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata 7) Plantain squirrel Callosciurus notatus 8) Wild Pig Sus scrofa (vittatus) 9) Colugo Cynocephalus variegatus 10) Common Tree Shrew Tupaia glis 11) Slender Squirrel Sundasciurus tenuis 12) Sunda Pangolin Manis javanica MALAYSIA 13) Crab-eating Macaque Macaca fascicularis Slender Squirrel Sundasciurus tenuis 14) Banded Leaf Monkey Presbytis femoralis 15) White-handed (Lar) Gibbon Hylobates lar Common Tree Shrew Tupaia glis 16) Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel Ratufa affinis Plantain Squirrel Callosciurus notatus 17) Dusky Langur Trachypithecus obscurus 18) Malaysian Upland Squirrel Sundasciurus tahan 19) Agile Gibbon Hylobates agilis 20) Grey-bellied Squirrel Callosciurus caniceps 21) Himalayan Striped Squirrel Tamiops macclellandi 22) Red-bellied (Pallas') Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus 23) White-thighed Langur Presbytis siamensis 24) Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista elegans 25) Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis 26) Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus THAILAND 27) Assamese Macaque Macaca assamensis Himalayan Striped Squirrel Tamiops macclellandii 28) Indochinese Grey Langur Trachypithecus crepusculus 29) Variable Squirrel Callosciurus finlaysonii 30) Northern Tree Shrew Tupaia belangeri 31) Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx 32) Berdmore's (Indochinese) Ground Squirrel Menetes berdmorei 33) Lyle's Flying Fox Pteropus lylei Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus Red-bellied (Pallas') Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus BRISBANE 34) Black Flying Fox Pteropus alecto 35) Little Red Flying Fox Pteropus scapulatus Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula Grey-headed Flying Fox Pteropus poliocephalus 36) Eastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteus 37) Koala Phascolarctos cinereus 38) Australian Humpback Dolphin Sousa sahulensis 39) Red-necked Wallaby Macropus rufogriseus 40) Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps 41) Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus ....................................................................... REPTILES SYDNEY 1) Eastern Water Dragon Physignathus lesueurii SINGAPORE 2) Asian Water Monitor Varanus salvator 3) Red-eared Terrapin Trachemys scripta elegans 4) Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor MALAYSIA Asian Water Monitor Varanus salvator 5) Green Crested Lizard Bronchocela cristatella 6 and 7) Two reed snakes which I still haven't got round to IDing yet... THAILAND Asian Water Monitor Varanus salvator Red-eared Terrapin Trachemys scripta elegans BRISBANE Eastern Water Dragon Physignathus lesueurii 8) Brisbane River Turtle Emydura krefftii signata 9) Carpet Python Morelia spilota ....................................................................... AMPHIBIANS SINGAPORE 1) Black-spined Toad Bufo melanostictus BRISBANE 2) Cane Toad Rhinella marinus
Thanks for taking us with you on another interesting rollick through Asia. In this journey I learned what a powerful owl is and that as a ratophobe, I never want to go near alleys behind restaurants at night.
Looking at a map, the Kong Lor caves are only about 40km from where I was in Ban Na Hin! I think the viewing point he mentions for Laos Langur (where he says a zip-line has now been installed) is the one I passed on the bus where they were building a new platform. Le sigh