Warrina Lakes Parkland, Innisfail Monthly Bird Survey: July 2025
- Guest Contributor
- Jul 21
- 2 min read
Geoff Stapley | Guest Contributor
When you’re a birder – or a bird photographer – you inevitably check the weather before heading out. Sunday 6 July’s forecast wasn’t promising, and it sent me digging into the stats: on average, Innisfail gets rain on 196 days a year. That’s more than every second day – no wonder our group outings often battle gloomy skies!
So, it was under heavy cloud cover that I pulled into the Warrina Lakes carpark. Quiet and still. We soon set off towards the northern drain. I adjusted my camera, grateful for an obliging Magpie Lark nearby – our first subject of the day, though the light was far from ideal.
Not long after, sharp eyes in the group spotted an Azure Kingfisher – a vivid splash of colour against the grey. It was very obliging, but while the keen-eyed birders had great views, it was unfortunately perched in shade, and despite efforts to tweak camera settings, the photos were disappointing. Still, it was a thrill to see such a bright bird on a dull day.
We were greeted by a Radjah Shelduck, and as we crossed the bridge over the drain, we caught glimpses of a pair of Shining Flycatchers, though they didn’t stay still long enough for photos. Then a flash of blue and white revealed a Forest Kingfisher, followed by some Metallic Starlings in the shadows. Even without sunlight, the red eyes of the starlings shone through.
Although the skies threatened rain, only a few light drops fell, and only briefly - it was barely enough for us to bother putting up an umbrella. Further along our walk, we observed Australasian Figbirds, Yellow Orioles, Mistletoebirds, and a mix of doves: Peaceful, Spotted, and Bar-shouldered. A Large-billed Gerygone and the always entertaining Orange-footed Scrubfowl made appearances before we looped back to the bridge, where a pair of Masked Lapwings greeted us.
By the lake, an Australian White Ibis showed clear signs of breeding, with pink skin on the back of its head, and breast plumes.
A Pacific Black Duck flew by, followed by several more. We encountered small groups of them as we criss-crossed the property.
We also saw Comb-crested Jacanas, a Little Pied Cormorant, two Little Black Cormorants, and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. There were no Wandering Whistling Ducks this time, the lake’s shifting water levels continue to influence which species appear. We then added Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike and Little Bronze Cuckoo to our growing list.
Near a flowering tree, a Rainbow Lorikeet brought a final burst of colour, capping off the day on a high note.
Despite tricky conditions for photography, it was a rewarding outing. We tallied 42 species and 204 individual birds, bringing our yearly total for Warrina Lakes to 72 species so far.
Calling all birders and photographers – are you up for the challenge? Join us on our next visit. There’s always something new to see. Keep an eye on the schedule: our August outing may be earlier than usual (Sunday, 3 August).
