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Tuesday 12 July 2022

Chamber's Lodge, Hasties Swamp Bird Hide, Atherton, Bromfield Swamp Viewing Platform, Mount Hypipamee National Park, Atherton, Hasties Swamp Bird Hide and Yungaburra Platypus Viewing Platform, Queensland.

More Rain Forest, Wetlands and More Rain Forests.
Australia, Day Twenty Seven.
 
Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus).
First part of  the morning we spent some time around the Forest at Chamber's seeing several Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) feeding on a fruit tree in the parking area, Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus maculosus), Atherton Scrubwren (Sericornis keri), Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) which we eventually got a view of, Black Butcherbird (Cracticus quoyi), Pale-yellow (Tregellasia capito) and Grey-headed Robin (Heteromyias cinereifrons) and a few Australian Bush-turkey's (Alectura lathami).
Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus).
Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus maculosus).
Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus maculosus).
Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus maculosus).
Our first stop of the day was going to be at Hasties Swamp, on the drive there we saw Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt), Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus coromandus), Black-faced Cuckooshrike (Coracina novaehollandiae), Magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca), Bush Thick-knee (Burhinus grallarius), Pacific Baza (Aviceda subcristata), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), Willie-wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys), Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii), Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Bar-shouldered Dove (Geopelia humeralis) and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita).
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita).
Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus coromandus).
On the track into the hide at Hasties Swamp we picked up Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus), Plumed Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni), Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) and from the hide Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris), Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra), Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea) and Hardhead (Aythya australis) x5.
Plumed Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna eytoni).
Plumed Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna eytoni).
Plumed Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna eytoni).
Hardheads (Aythya australis) and Plumed Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna eytoni).
We returned to the track behind the hide and checked out the trees and scrub, as usual there were Honeyeaters and they included Yellow-faced (Caligavis chrysops), White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger) and Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii).
Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis).
Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis).
White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone olivacea).
As we searched the bushes we found a very smart Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis), Grey Fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa), Spectacled Monarch (Symposiachrus trivirgatus), Western (Gerygone fusca) and White-throated Gerygone (Gerygone olivacea), Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena), Fairy Martin (Petrochelidon ariel), Rufous Whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris), Little Shrikethrush (Colluricincla megarhyncha) and higher up and over head we saw Torresian Crow (Corvus orru), Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus) and both Black (Milvus migrans) and Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus).
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus).
White-cheeked Honeyeater (Phylidonyris niger).
It was now time for some food and a coffee so we went into Atherton where we made one of the best none wildlife discoveries of the trip the Slotted Spoon Cafe where we had some good food and nice hot coffee's.
Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus).
Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus).
Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus).
On the way we picked up Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) and two of my main targets for the trip up north, a family party of four Sarus Crane's (Antigone antigone) and right in the town a hunting Square-tailed Kite (Lophoictinia isura).
Sarus Cranes (Antigone antigone).
Sarus Cranes (Antigone antigone).
We had a very good break before heading for Bromfield Swamp, we found the viewing platform which was a long way out from the swamp but there was very little to see anyway.
Species there were Spotted Harrier (Circus assimilis), Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis), White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica), Eastern Cattle Egret, Australasian Swamphen and a single Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone).
Square-tailed Kite (Lophoictinia isura).
Next we visited a crater / big hole in the ground in Mount Hypipamee National Park, We walked out along a trail to a viewing platform on the edge of quite a spectacular hole in the ground, at the spot and on the walk there and back we had Northern Fantail (Rhipidura rufiventris), Atherton Scrubwren, Mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum), Lewin's Honeyeater and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).
Atherton Scrubwren (Sericornis keri).
Mountain Thornbill (Acanthiza katherin) 300th species for the trip.
Just down the road from the last site as we were returning to The Slotted Spoon we made another stop where we had White-browed Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis), a couple of Mountain Thornbill (Acanthiza katherin) which was my 300th species for the trip but less pleasant were several Leeches which we found climbing up our legs.
Lewin's Honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii).
Scarlet Myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta).
We had a very nice second visit to The Slotted Spoon, then decided to return to Hasties Swamp, on the way we had a fly passed Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis), a Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) and in a roadside garden our only Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis) of the trip.
Saw the signs but didn't expect to see the actual beast.
We parked by the hide and soon found one of Deb's targets, the Yellow-breasted Boatbill (Machaerirhynchus flaviventer) as well as Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus), White-bellied Cuckooshrike (Coracina papuensis), Scarlet Myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta), Silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) and Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida).
Bennett's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus).
Bennett's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus).
Bennett's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus).
We started to make our way back towards Chamber's but stopped off at the Yungaburra Platypus Viewing Platform as Deb had been told to look along the river rather than at the actual Platform, so we crossed the bridge and dropped down to the path heading down stream where we bumped into a couple of people who told us about the spot where they had just seen them and that there was a Bennett's Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus bennettianus) showing as well. 
Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus).
We reached the spot where there were a few people watching the Tree Kangaroo and had a quick look before pushing on to the bends in the river where we hoped for the Duck-billed Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), quickly we saw the air bubbles we wanted and then a brilliantly odd looking Platypus surfaced giving us great views before heading off down river where a second joined it.
Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps).
We returned to the Tree Kangaroo and watched it climb around in a tree before returning to the ground and hop away like any standard Roo until it again took to the branches again and was very quickly and agilely several meters high again.
Back at the Platform we saw three more Platypus before returning to Chamber's where we went down to the watch platform and saw the Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata), Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) again but only the Gliders stayed in view tonight.

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