Birds Australia North Queensland

Welcome to the home page of the North Queensland Group of Birds Australia!

The Golden Bowerbird - logo of the Congress & Campout

BIRDS AUSTRALIA CONGRESS AND CAMPOUT 2010 Townsville is hosting the Birds Australia Congress and Campout in August 2010. See the details on this website and on the Birds Australia website. This is an ideal opportunity to experience what North Queensland has to offer in the balmy tropical winter and you can take advantage of discounts being offered for accommodation and tours during August 2010 to members of Birds Australia attending the Congress. We urge you to register now. Don't miss the earlybird registration date. The following documents are now available for download: Revised Program for the Congress (23 July 2010). Draft Program for the Campout (23 July 2010). Bulletin for Campout participants (23 July 2010).

CONTENTS About Birds Australia North Queensland (BANQ) Newsletter News (latest 28 July 2010) Coming Events (updated 28 July 2010) ABOUT BANQ Birds Australia North Queensland (BANQ) is a regional group of the national organisation Birds Australia. The BANQ region covers a large area of Northern Queensland - from Ayr north to the Torres Strait Islands and west to the Northern Territory border. Regional contacts are based in Townsville, Mount Isa, Cairns, Atherton Tablelands, Mossman/Daintree, Cooktown and Weipa. You can contact us by email or write to: Birds Australia North Queensland, PO Box 37, Belgian Gardens, Qld 4810. For more about Birds Australia visit the national website». NEWSLETTER Members receive our quarterly newletter Contact Call to keep them up to date with our activities. Return to Contents

Area of Northern Queensland covered by BANQ

NEWS

 

News Items:	Pied Imperial or Torres Strait Pigeon, Icon of BANQ (Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway)
People who expressed interest in birding surveys at Yourka Station near Ravenshoe should check the item in August-September in Coming Events below. (28 July 2010)
Volunteers are needed for surveys in Mungkan Kandju National Park on Cape York. See Details and items in September and November in Coming Events below. (28 July 2010)
Plan a tour of Northeastern Queensland in conjunction with the Congress and take advantage of discounts being offered to members of Birds Australia attending the Congress.
The provisional program for the Campout has been posted (23 July 2010).
The a bulletin for participants in the Campout has been posted (23 July 2010).
The revised program for the Congress has been posted (23 July 2010).
New versions - with minor changes - of the Cardwell and Townsville District brochures have been posted (5 July 2010).
The Townsville and District and Lake Barrine brochures have been updated to include frequency data (common, uncommon, rare) and Pictorella Mannikin has been added to the Charters Towers and District brochure (posted 8 May 2010).
Links to organisations supporting the Congress and Campout have been posted to the Congress & Campout page.
Read the report on the Easter 2010 Campout at Cooktown and download the bird-list.
Revision dates have been added to the brochures page so that you can check whether you've got the latest versions.
Minor updates to the following brochures have been made: Redden Island, Yorkey's Knob, Birding in Cairns and Cairns Foreshore (posted 10 April 2010)
New brochure for Karumba-Normanton added to the Brochures page.
New brochures for Georgetown and the Tip of Cape York added to the Brochures page.
Map added to Brochures page to show main districts referred to in the brochures.
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COMING EVENTS

August-September 2010

Friday 13 - Sunday 15 August, Birds Australia Congress, Townsville: details.

Monday 16 - Friday 20 August: Birds Australia Campout at Crystal Creek: details.

Monday 30 August - Friday 3 September: Bird Surveys of the Yourka Bush Heritage Reserve near Ravenshoe.

People who have already expressed an interest in this activity need to confirm their intention to participate.

Participants will arrive at the property on Monday morning and spend a couple of days familarising themselves with Yourka, the birds and their calls. On Wednesday they will be instructed in the survey methodology. We will then attempt to survey as many of the permanent survey sites as possible.

BANQ are undertaking to survey the birds on Yourka annually. This activity is restricted to people who have a reasonable hope that they can participate in the future. It is not a suitable activity for beginners. There is a kitchen and dining room at Yourka but you will provide your own tent. You will need a GPS.

Please contact Graham Harrington for details of how to get there and what you need to bring at riflebird@activ8.net.au.

Saturday 4 September: Annual Crane Count, Atherton Tablelands.

The Crane Count is now the first Saturday in September (4th) to count the cranes as they fly into their night roosts. We meet at Hasties Swamp bird hide at 3pm to divide into groups and make our way to the selected sites. After that we gather at Malanda Hotel for a buffet dinner and tally of the evenings count and to hear an address by Matt Bradford of CSIRO about the effectiveness of Cassowaries as seed dispersers . For further information and registration contact the Crane Count Coordinator, Virginia Simmons, by phone 4095 8302 or email. To book for the dinner ring the Malanda Hotel on 4096 5101.

Monday 13 - Friday 17 September: Bird Surveys at Mungkan Kandju National Park, near Coen, Cape York Peninsula.

See call for volunteers. Contact project manager Greg Bortolussi: 4057 3031 (phone) 0419 714 091 (mobile) or greg.bortolussi@derm.qld.gov.au

November 2010

Saturday 13 November: Pied Imperial-Pigeon Count and BANQ Committee Meeting: Mission Beach.

Coordinator for the Pied Imperial-Pigeon Count is Trish Pontynen: 4772 0439 (home) 0417 735 410 (mobile) or trishpontynen@yahoo.com.au

Monday 29 November - Friday 3 December: Bird Surveys at Mungkan Kandju National Park, near Coen, Cape York Peninsula.

See call for volunteers. Contact project manager Greg Bortolussi: 4057 3031 (phone) 0419 714 091 (mobile) or greg.bortolussi@derm.qld.gov.au

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PAST EVENTS

BANQ Pied Imperial-Pigeon Survey at Mission Beach on 21 November 2009»

Report on AGM 2009 Weekend in Paluma, 2 - 4 May 2009

Report on Easter 2009 Campout at Mount Surprise

Report on Shorebirds 2020 Workshop and Wave the Waders Goodbye, Cairns 21 March 2009

BANQ Australia Day Long Weekend at Kingfisher Park 23rd - 26th January 2009»

BANQ took part in the latest Crane Count on 4 October 2008»

Birding report from Cardwell, 13 - 14 September 2008»

Birding and AGM reports from Innisfail, June 21-22 2008»

BANQ May Long Weekend at Mt Surprise, 3-5 May 2008»

BANQ and visitors "Waved the Waders Goodbye" on Cairns Esplanade, March 30th 2008»

BANQ Australia Day Long Weekend at Kingfisher Park 25th - 28th January 2008»

BANQ Southern Christmas Party at Hidden Valley on 17 November 2007»

BANQ Pied Imperial-Pigeon Survey at Mission Beach on 10 November 2007»

BANQ outing Cardwell to Kennedy on 9 September 2007»

BANQ Outing to the Southern Atherton Tablelands on 29 July 2007»

BANQ was at the opening of new Tyto Wetlands Interpretive Centre in Ingham»

BANQ was present at the David Suzuki Presentation in Townsville»

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