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Contact Call
The Graham Harrington Student Research Scholarship
Applications are now open for the 2026 Graham Harrington Student Research Scholarship, supporting field-based bird research in northern Australia and helping develop the next generation of conservation scientists.
Renée Jean Cassels
14 hours ago3 min read
Cairns and the new National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat
In March 2026, BirdLife Australia released the most comprehensive update yet to the National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat – commonly known as “the Directory”. For birders in the Cairns region, the Directory confirms what many local wader watchers have long known: Cairns is one of Australia’s most important areas for migratory shorebirds.
Sally Sheldon
2 days ago6 min read
A weekend with the Golden-shouldered Parrots
A personal reflection on revisiting Artemis Station and the conservation success of the endangered Golden-shouldered Parrot, exploring predator management, fire regimes and the remarkable ecological relationships surrounding this iconic Cape York species.
Stella Martin
May 274 min read
Ospreys and our shared coastline
Residents of Mission Beach may recently have seen reports about upgrades to Telstra communication towers being delayed after nesting ospreys were discovered on the structures.
Renée Jean Cassels
May 213 min read
What the Crane Counts tell us – and what it doesn’t
BirdLife Northern Queensland’s annual Crane Count tracks Sarus Cranes and Brolgas across the Atherton Tablelands, revealing long-term population trends, habitat use, and the importance of community-driven conservation science.
Ed Bell
May 155 min read
Cliff Frith shares the latest Tooth-billed Bowerbird amazing story
Renowned ornithologist Cliff Frith presents new research on the Tooth-billed Bowerbird – a Wet Tropics endemic with extraordinary courtship behaviour – to a captivated audience at Malanda, Far North Queensland.
Peter Valentine
May 116 min read
Warrina Lakes monthly birding outing: April 2026
Nine birders, 36 species, and more than 65 squabbling Rainbow Lorikeets – Sunday morning at Warrina Lakes delivered a feathered spectacle that was equal parts chaos, colour, and pure joy.
Ceri Pearce
May 112 min read
2026 Annual General Meeting
Birdlife Northern Queensland (BLNQ)’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held in Yungaburra on the Atherton Tablelands at the Community Hall, which proved to be an excellent venue with great facilities.
Lindsay Fisher
Apr 284 min read
Hasties Swamp monthly bird survey: April 2026
Monthly bird survey at Hasties Swamp records 49 species despite wet weather, highlighting strong volunteer participation, diverse Tablelands birdlife, and notable sightings including Grey Goshawk and Superb Fruit-dove.
Peter Valentine
Apr 135 min read
Amazing wet season visit to Iron Range National Park
Cape York and in particular, Iron Range (Kutini-Payamu) National Park (NP), has long been a bucket-list destination for me to see and photograph the iconic birds, and other wildlife, that are found nowhere else in Australia. So let me take you on a nine-day journey with a very enthusiastic first-timer!
Grant Batterham
Apr 15 min read
Conservation Matters: March 2026
Critics say the federal government is weakening environmental protections – allowing unlawful land clearing, mining exemptions, and habitat destruction – prioritising industry over biodiversity, despite known risks, inadequate regulation, and growing concern from conservation groups.
Peter Valentine
Mar 317 min read
Bird numbers in Cairns Botanic Gardens
A popular tourist attraction in Cairns is the Cairns Botanic Gardens (CBG) Precinct, and every Tuesday morning through the year, a birdwatching walk is led by volunteer local bird experts from Cairns Birders. More than 50 visitors have been recorded for some of the tours, and the average on any given day is 14. Many visitors are from overseas and represent almost every continent.
Barry Muir
Mar 176 min read
Warrina Lakes monthly birding outing: February 2026
The Warrina Lakes birding outing is held on the second Sunday of each month starting promptly at 7 am. Each outing is also advertised on BirdLife Northern Queensland’s Facebook page. We’d love you to join us – rain or shine.
Ceri Pearce
Mar 93 min read
News from Mount Isa
It's been very wet in the Mount Isa region this year. But, at time of writing (mid-February 2026), this was nothing like what was received further east of us. They had some serious flooding. In Mount Isa we had 425 mm rain from the start of December 2025 to 10 February 2026: and, it looked like there would be more to come [Editor’s note: this proved to be very true – see below]. Lake Moondarra’s water level rose to the extent that it covered all the mud flats
Rex Whitehead
Mar 33 min read
Tracking change in the Wet Tropics: what long-term bowerbird monitoring is revealing
In the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, BirdLife Northern Queensland has been undertaking exactly this kind of work through long-term monitoring of bowerbirds and other rainforest specialists – species that are difficult to survey, but potentially sensitive indicators of environmental change.
Dominic Chaplin
Feb 264 min read
Emergency conservation action for owl survival
Recently in Perth, Western Australia (WA) many dead Masked Owls were tested, and all were found to have these SGAR chemicals in their bodies. Other countries banned these chemicals long ago, but Australia has a pathetic excuse for a pesticide control system: the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA), the members of which represent the commercial interests of the manufacturers and sellers of these deadly chemicals.
Peter Valentine
Feb 254 min read
From boardwalks to bush tracks: Discover our new Wet Tropics Birding Guide
BirdLife Northern Queensland is delighted to launch a new Birds With Altitude (BWA) Project Guide to Birding Locations in the Wet Tropics Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA). From smooth, wheelchair-accessible boardwalks to rugged rainforest tracks, this Guide opens the door to birding opportunities for everyone.
Ceri Pearce
Feb 102 min read
Despatches from across the ditch 4: A New Zealand Dotterel
I have been working on an article on the recent survey in New Zealand of the Australasian Bittern. However, the final data from the survey has not been forthcoming and in the interim I am presenting a review of an interesting endemic New Zealand species.
Gary & Robyn Wilson
Feb 64 min read
Hasties-a-go-go!
On Friday, 6 June 2025, BirdLife Northern Queensland (BLNQ) members undertook their regular monthly bird survey, usually held on the first Friday of each month, at Hasties Swamp National Park on the Atherton Tablelands. The survey report by Lesley Deacon was published in Contact Call in July 2025.
Denis Walls
Jan 303 min read
Wet season! Restless binoculars: going troppo?
Why not take part in the Summer 2026 Birds in Backyards survey right where you live? Each survey takes just 20 minutes and there is a clear, easy-to-follow instruction video on the BIBY website to get you started.
Ceri Pearce
Jan 263 min read
Contact Call archive
Contact Call has been our quarterly newsletter full of great articles about birds, birding, conservation, and opportunities to get involved since 1994. Even though Contact Call is 'going digital', you can still access a full archive of past editions here:
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