West Again - Toowoomba Region – 14th June 2025:
Target Species: Plum-headed Finch, Black Falcon, Australian Boobook
Yesterday I went around the Toowoomba region mainly ticking off various species I sought to find out west. The main species I wanted to see around Oakey, two hours west of Brisbane, was the Plum-headed Finch,
Emblema modesta, a striking little species that is very nomadic and moves through dry grasslands which includes farmland of which there is plenty of in this region. It can be a difficult species to track and access its habitat as it’s largely restricted to western Queensland and New South Wales. Cory Street Park in Oakey is currently recording flocks of 100+ finches so I knew it was time to pursue these records before the finches moved elsewhere, most likely, private farmland away from this accessible park. There had also been a few good records of Black Falcon around Oakey; a species I needed as well so I kept a keen eye on all of the raptors circling ahead. I started at the park in Oakey around 8am and it was a chilly 1 degree. It’s not often I bird in such cold conditions in Queensland but I found a sunny patch initially and waited to see what was around before I went to the area among the denser trees where the smaller birds tend to frequent near the water. The first highlight was a single
Australian Hobby perched on an exposed tree stump. A beautiful little falcon to start the day with its rufous markings. The hobby was already gone by the time I had returned to this tree to find
Galahs and
Cockatiels had moved in and were perched there in its place. Good parrot diversity at Oakey is almost expected, and along with Galahs, Cockatiels and
Little Corellas, I was surrounded with dozens and dozens of
Red-rumped Parrots that were feeding among the frosted grasses alongside
Crested Pigeon which are the staple pigeon here. Once the parrots realised I wasn’t going to eat them, they were pretty confiding if you don’t move and would wander past my shoes to get to the next patch of grass. Eventually a pair of timid
Pale-headed Rosellas joined them as well making for a colourful display as they all fed in the morning light. A pair of flashy
Crimson-winged Parrots even zipped past and while the male didn’t stick around, the female parrot perched in a nearby tree for a few seconds.
Scaly-breasted Lorikeets were another species that were present in the trees as well despite no flowering blooms to be seen.
Australian Hobby
Red-rumped Parrots
The trees were filled with song and the first species I have never missed here –
Weebills were hopping around the branches including some at eye view allowing me to appreciate them up close which was fantastic to see. There were also some
Yellow-rumped Thornbills as always interchanging between the ground and the trees. The development of parks and gardens, roadside verges, farming country and the like have all been advantageous to Yellow-rumped Thornbills. The thornbills were close to large flocks of
Double-barred Finches which are a close relative of the Zebra Finches. I didn’t spot any zebs among them this time but their calls are pretty similar I must admit. A pair of
Striped Honeyeaters were an excellent find as well. Their calls are pretty recognisable but seeing them can sometimes be more difficult. They are medium-sized honeyeaters with streaky markings that are the sole members of their genus.
Weebill
Striped Honeyeater
Towards the centre of the park was a congregation of about a dozen
Apostlebirds. Although I had seen this species on a few occasions in both northern and southern Queensland this was my best view yet of them. They were pretty fearless and walked around feeding and a few went down to drink at a small pool of water. Among the apostlebirds I saw a large flock of sparrow-sounding birds. They swarmed into a tree with the Double-barred Finches. These were quickly confirmed as
Plum-headed Finches with the males deep purply-maroon cap that is slightly iridescent with a little glint, contrasting their barred-brown body plumage. The large flock of about 200 birds were chattering away all morning and left them to it after I got a few photos. An excellent start to the day.
Apostlebird
Plum-headed Finch - lifer
I then headed to Arthur Shooter Memorial Park which is nearby. I later realised that you can start at Cory Street Park and walk to this park as it’s all connected via a trail into the town centre. This park is good for commoner species but can often have a few surprises. There were some visiting waterbirds including a single
Royal Spoonbill that did laps of the town and returned every so often, an
Australian Pelican which whilst can be an inland bird felt out of place and a
White-faced Heron chasing several
Great Egrets. The parrot hotel tree; a gnarly looking gum tree that would have been chopped down years ago if it was in a Brisbane park was home to large flocks of
Rainbow and
Scaly-breasted Lorikeets along with Galahs and Little Corellas. When in flower it’s a magnet for Musk Lorikeets which can be more challenging to find reliably in Queensland. There was also a flock of Apostlebirds which were everywhere in Oakey and an
Australasian Darter was seen as well.
Little Corellas
Australian Pelican
Peacehaven Botanic Gardens was the next spot on my way back east and it’s a lovely little site to the north of Toowoomba. I was visiting to see the local habituated population of
Common Bronzewing which are residents and live in the native garden. Today I spotted a pair that eventually went out into the open and were sunning themselves on the cool winter day. They are among my favourite pigeons. As common as they are down south, I don’t tire of seeing them. A neat surprise was a
Square-tailed Kite that soared over the grounds. It was being mobbed by
Australian Magpie as it headed towards open country.
Common Bronzewing
Square-tailed Kite
Now at Gatton, Lake Apex was quiet with the only highlight here being a
Great Crested Grebe among 20+
Australasian Grebes and lots of
Plumed Whistling Ducks to keep things interesting at least. At Lake Galetty (UQ Gatton) the activity was better with large flocks of
Magpie Geese, Straw-necked Ibis and Red-rumped Parrots in the open pastures. While I didn’t track down the recent Yellow-billed Spoonbill nor Australasian Shoveler sightings seen here, I was pleased with great views of a pair of
Pink-eared Ducks out of the water preening in the afternoon sun. A
Grey Fantail and
Restless Flycatcher darted among the thicket along the water.
Pink-eared Ducks
Finally, after a surprisingly traffic-free commute back to Brisbane, I finished my day at Mount Gravatt Lookout which technically connects to Toohey Forest, forming a green island in the heart of Brisbane’s southern suburbs. The lookout is impressive with a winding bushland road with suburbia always in view. I only completed a single 20-minute track to track down an owl. Along my way I spotted a single
Koala as this is very reliable territory for this species. There were a few bushbirds including
Variegated Fairywren, Rufous Whistler and
Grey Fantail until I reached a known roost site for a single
Australian Boobook; one of the more common owl species in south-east Queensland. I’d never manage to track one down and was thrilled to finally get a decent look at this species as it slept among a trunk that matched its reddish plumage. All in all, an exhausting yet successful day.
Australian Boobook – joining only Powerful and Lesser Sooty on the wild owl list
, the seabirds within Hay's Inlet were beyond insane today haha.
