Saturday, December 21st--Bustards are the star of (my) day

Kingfisher Lodge

Kingfisher lodge is always a great stop on our birding trail.  Steve can walk right out the door and bird, there's a big veranda for relaxing, a full kitchen, and laundry facilities. It's well known habitat, especially for the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher, and absolutely gorgeous bird.  Upon arrival we are told that there are about six nesting on the property.

My lazy morning

Steve heads out the door early to bird, and I take my time drinking tea on the veranda.  I head out to start the laundry and Steve comes to get me to take a look at double-eyed fig parrots.  Such cool parrots.

As I am hanging out the first load, a kingfisher buzzes my head.  How's that for a first sighting?

So, I spend my morning on laundry, trying to catch up on this blog, and at the same time writing in my journal.  I do this all from the table in front of our room and still see Black-spectacled Monarch, some red-brow finches, and tons of butteflies...Clearwing, blue triangle, orchard swallowtail, and red-banded jezebel.

Time for Bustards!

I love Bustards, they are the coolest birds.  They sort of strut, with their heads pointed upwards.  Steve comes after me mid-afternoon to take me out looking for them.  We saw two out at Undara, but there is a place near the lodge where you can pretty much always spot some so we head there.  The area paid off, and we saw 14 total.  One time we had a family of mom, dad, and baby.  The largest group of them froze when we stopped, and slowly settled down into the grass, with their heads pointed up.  Eventually they all rose, turned their backs on us, and strutted away.

And now, time for the Great Bowerbird

There used to be a bower along the public footpath in Mt. Molloy so we headed there next to see what we could see.

We headed down the path and there were a bunch of yappy dogs.  One little dog was particularly friendly, and then got friendlier, humping my leg.  Um, welcome to Australia?

The bower looks pretty abandoned so we walk back to the front of the church on the mainstreet, and just as we are about to go two fly in...and the fuchsia on their heads is in full display.  It is so cool.  We watch them for a bit, and trace their routes trying to find their bower, but no luck.

The day wrapped up with stops on Big Mitchell Creek, back to Mt. Molloy and Bicentary Park (Nice Forest Kingfisher) then back to the lodge and Steve birds while I make dinner.   For some reason I thought I needed to make Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes.  In the rainforest.  In summer.  No AC.  Let's just say it got steamy.

Steve was sitting out front catching up on the birds he had seen when an older woman stopped to chat with him.  He called me out there to answer a question, and then she asked what we were doing the next day.  Steve said going to Mt. Lewis, and she excitedly asked if she could go.  We said yes, so we had a guest for the next day.