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Contact Call
News from Mount Isa: December 2025
As the Blue-winged Parrot is basically a southern species, I thought “I'm not going to get them any closer to here”. So, after not much deliberation, I set off on a solo trip (which was just on 3,000 km return), to see what I could find.
Rex Whitehead
1 day ago2 min read
Conservation Matters
Our Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is doomed and there is nothing we can now do to save it. This conclusion has been on the board for a long time, and leading coral reef biologists such as Charlie Veron have been pointing this out for more than a decade, particularly following the impacts of increasing acidity in GBR waters.
Peter Valentine
2 days ago7 min read
How the East Trinity wetlands were saved
Birding now plays a crucial role in East Trinity's ongoing protection with Denis reporting on bird numbers and sightings to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to emphasise the recovery that has taken place.
Denis Walls
Nov 274 min read
Annual birding visit to East Trinity Reserve: August 2025
Our Convenor, Denis Walls, tells the story below of Cairns’ Bird Week’s very successful trip to East Trinity Reserve wetlands across Trinity Inlet from the Cairns Business District. The trip took place on Saturday, 23 August 2025 from 6:30am to 11:00am.
Denis Walls
Nov 273 min read
Full house at Malanda Hotel for bird presentation by Scott Ritchie
Tableland Coordinator Peter Valentine introduced Scott to the full house, ready and enthusiastic for the talk. Soon Scott was delving into the private lives of many bird species from northern Queensland, North and South America, and even Europe. It seemed no details were safe from the wizard photographer’s snoopy focus.
Peter Valentine
Nov 254 min read
Warrina Lakes parkland, Innisfail, birding outing: October 2025
A total of 285 individual birds from 44 species were recorded over the morning: not bad considering the fickle weather.
Geoff Stapley
Oct 314 min read
Bornean banter and birds: Part 5 – Danum Valley, Sabah
Danum Valley is certainly a posh way to end a birding trip. I reckon half the cost of the trip was spent in four nights’ accommodation and food in Borneo Rainforest Lodge, the only place to stay in this magnificent protected area of Sabah (apart from the Research Station, if you are fortunate enough to be a scientist or research student).
Denis Walls
Oct 303 min read
The Birds With Altitude Project: Citizen science monitoring in the Wet Tropics
In June 2022, BirdLife Northern Queensland, with the support of BirdLife Australia, secured a $10,747 Queensland Government Sustainability Action Grant to initiate bird monitoring activities in Wooroonooran National Park, which spans 114,900 hectares of pristine rainforest.
Ceri Pearce
Oct 305 min read
Hasties Swamp monthly bird survey: October 2025
A bright spring morning brought record numbers of birders to Hasties Swamp for October’s survey, with lively sightings despite receding water levels. Highlights included Wandering Whistling-Duck, Australasian Grebe, and returning migrants like the Channel-billed Cuckoo and Sacred Kingfisher. Sixty species were tallied amid nesting activity and cheerful camaraderie.
Lesley Deacon
Oct 223 min read
Recent literature about north Queensland birds: October 2025
New research insights from North Queensland – From cassowaries and kookaburras to hornbills and squatter pigeons, Don Franklin’s latest roundup highlights rare discoveries, new species records, and fascinating bird behaviour across northern Australia.
Don Franklin
Oct 177 min read
Bornean banter and birds: Part 4 – Kinabatangan River, Sabah
Denis Walls | Convenor Editor’s note: This is the fourth article in a series being published in Contact Call with permission of the...
Denis Walls
Oct 134 min read
The mighty miniature of the Wet Tropics – Meet the Mountain Thornbill
If ever a bird proves great things come in small packages, it’s the Mountain Thornbill. Endemic to Queensland’s Wet Tropics, this little bundle of feathers tips the scales at just 5-8 grams – about the same as one or two teaspoons of sugar – and measures only 10–10.5 cm from bill to tail.
Ceri Pearce
Oct 76 min read
Hasties Swamp Monthly bird survey: September 2025
Our first spring outing for the year presented us with a dreary overcast morning. The water was perfectly still and reflective and the grey skies with their background of glare gave bird silhouettes rather than distinct viewings.
Lesley Deacon
Oct 13 min read
Conservation Matters
Concerns for Australia’s migratory Swifts: For many years the observations of citizen scientists and birders have been compiled by Michael Tarburton, who would generously produce annual reports on each species, and occasionally write updates and other information summaries. This year Michael announced that he is no longer going to compile the data as the evidence he was seeking is now clear: both species are in serious decline.
Peter Valentine
Oct 17 min read
Warrina Lakes parkland, Innisfail, birding outing: September 2025
Warrina Lakes equals a mere 0.0000019% of Australia’s landmass – yet it hosts an astonishing slice of our national birdlife: truly a case of “punching above its weight” in the birds-per-hectare stakes!
Guest Contributor
Sep 173 min read
Old friends and new places - Our Grasswrens in May 2025
In late October–November 2023, extensive wildfires swept through the core areas for Carpentarian Grasswrens, north-west of Mount Isa in outback Queensland. BirdLife Northern Queensland has been monitoring both Carpentarian and Kalkadoon Grasswrens in that area for several years now, so we have a good baseline of just where we can find groups of both species.
Kath Shurcliff
Sep 14 min read
Birding for Beginners Workshop brings new eyes to the skies
On Saturday, 9 August 2025, the Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation (C4) Environment Centre in Mission Beach buzzed with anticipation as 33 curious participants gathered for Birding for Beginners – a free two-hour workshop hosted by BirdLife Northern Queensland (BLNQ) and designed to open the door to the fascinating world of birdwatching.
Ceri Pearce
Aug 192 min read
Hasties Swamp Monthly bird survey: August 2025
On the 1st of August I suspect most of us wanted to stay home dry and warm: but instead, five of the faithful gathered at Hasties at 7:00 am to the sound of rain on the roof of the bird hide. There was a lovely misty feel to the day as well as rain. Photography was difficult because of the prevailing conditions at the time of our survey.
Peter Valentine
Aug 65 min read
Bornean Banter and Birds: Part 3 - Kinabalu National Park
Stella and I climbed Mt Kinabalu back in 1982, when Stella was three months pregnant with our son Liam who, fortunately, doesn’t seem to have suffered any lasting effects from oxygen deprivation! He never stops talking.
Denis Walls
Aug 64 min read
Where are our Cranes?
The Crane Count is one of the longest running citizen science projects in Australia, now entering its 27th year. The Atherton Tablelands has hosted both species of Australia’s cranes with records dating back to around the 1920’s for Brolga and 1967 for Sarus.
Ed Bell
Aug 54 min read
Contact Call archive
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