Australian Good Birding Guide: Southern & Central Queensland. Ted Wnorowski

described in this book include South-East QLD, Wide Bay, Darling Downs and Southwest as well as Central QLD. As most of the population is concentrated in the South East QLD, this region receives most attention from the birdwatchers. However, many sought-after birds can only be found in the arid landscape of the Outback.

      The vast country this book is about is blessed with balmy weather along the coast and crisp and wet climate along the Great Dividing Range. Arid, harsh climatic conditions prevail in the interior where in summer temperatures soar to 40^oC and above during the day, dropping to perhaps 30^oC at night, while in winter day temperatures are still high but at night the gauge may easily drop to single digits and even frost. Winter is the dry season in Southern and Central Queensland.

      For the National Park alerts, park and road closures as well as the fire hazards, check the webpage http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/park-alerts/index.php and the individual Parks’ websites. If you enter a closed road, get bogged up and require towing, you’ll pay a hefty fine for that on top of your towing fees. If you lit a fire (even in a portable butane gas stove) when a total fire ban is imposed, you’ll risk causing a bushfire and face significant fines. The fire ban warnings are NOT displayed in the National Parks, you do need to check the website.

      Day-visitor entry to the National Parks in Queensland is free but if you wish to stay overnight, advanced bookings online or by phone are absolutely essential. Camping fees are nominal but have to be paid in advance. This can be a bother if you don’t have a strict itinerary and are unsure about the exact dates of your visit. However, some camping sites would fill very fast and you may be disappointed if trying to book late. When travelling in remote areas, expect no internet and no mobile reception to even make the bookings, so do it early. Certain Parks also require a vehicle permit. The booking website address is as follows: https://qpws.usedirect.com/qpws/.

      Nomenclature used in this book follows Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds by Les Christidis and Walter E. Boles, CSIRO Publishing, 2008, unless newer changes to taxonomy have been introduced (such as Birdlife’s Working List of Australian Birds v.2.1, October 2016). Nomenclature of seabirds follows the Field Guide to New Zealand Seabirds by Brian Parkinson, New Holland Publishers, 2000.

      The Southern and Central Queensland Guide has been divided in our book into separate chapters. The approximate geographical locations of these areas are indicated on the State map below, with hyperlinks to the detailed birding information available in the ebook edition.

      Southern and Central Queensland chapters

      1 North Brisbane

      2 West Brisbane

      3 South Brisbane

      4 Gold Coast

      5 Sunshine Coast

      6 Inland South East QLD

      7 Fraser Coast & Bundaberg

      8 Capricorn Coast

      9 Central Queensland

      10 Outback Queensland

North Brisbane

      1 Bribie Island

      2 Toorbul Wader Roost

      3 Sheep Station Creek Conservation Park

      4 North Lakes Wetlands

      5 Deception Bay

      6 Nathan Road Wetlands Reserve

      7 John Oxley Reserve

      8 Black Duck Reserve

      9 Osprey House Environmental Centre

      10 Tinchi Tamba Wetlands Reserve

      11 Redcliffe Peninsula

      12 Seventh Brigade Reserve, Chermside

      13 Chermside Hills Reserves

      14 Bunyaville Conservation Park

      15 Dowse Lagoon

      16 Third Lagoon Reserve

      17 Boondall Wetlands Reserve

      18 Nudgee Beach Reserve

      19 Nudgee Waterhole Reserve

      20 Kedron Brook Wetlands Reserve

Bribie Island

      Bribie Island, located 65km north of Brisbane CBD, is the smallest and most northward of the three sand islands of the northern Moreton Bay. It is separated from the mainland by the Pumicestone Passage but remains connected to the mainland by means of a long bridge. Most of the island is an uninhabited National Park with the forest plantation in the middle. This site is very productive, offering a good variety of bird species thanks to a wide range of habitats such as mangroves, beaches, mudflats, freshwater lagoons, open forests and coastal scrub. All are in a walking distance from each other.

      The good birding areas on the island include Kakadu Beach Wader Roost, Banksia Beach, Buckleys Hole Regional Park and Bribie Island National Park.

      To get there, exit Bruce Hwy (M1) towards Bribie Island past Caboolture and drive east on Bribie Island Rd (85), crossing over the long bridge. Facilities on the island can be found mostly along the western side of the island on the beaches and coastal parks. A useful map of tourist areas can be downloaded from here: https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/bribie-island/pdf/bribie-isl-rec-area.pdf.

      Over 220 bird species have been recorded on Bribie Island. Key species are Beach Stone-curlew, other waders, Little Tern, Common Tern and Lesser Crested Tern. Other birds of interest include crakes, Buff-banded Rail, Comb-crested Jacana, Collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Gerygone, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Black-faced Monarch, Spectacled Monarch, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Large-billed Scrubwren and Osprey. Among the rarities are Laughing Gull, Pacific Gull, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern and