Check the powerlines in the township; Red-backed Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Rainbow Bee-eater, Spangled Drongo, White-breasted Woodswallow, Black-faced Woodswallow and Nankeen Kestrel can be found there.
The areas behind the Bowling Club and along railway tracks are good for finches, which find plenty of tall seeding grasses there. We observed a giant flock of Nutmeg Mannikins on the grass stalks. In smaller numbers were Plum-headed Finches, Black-bellied Crimson Finches, Double-barred Finches, Chestnut-breasted Mannikins and House Sparrows. Flowering bottlebrushes near the swimming pool were fantastic for Rufous-throated Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeater, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Little Friarbird and Helmeted Friarbird.
The camping area is ruled by Bush Stone-curlews. We also got Channel-billed Cuckoo, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Pheasant Coucal, Torresian Imperial-Pigeon and Collared Sparrowhawk.
Channel-billed Cuckoos
Our main fascination was observing raptors catching Rainbow Lorikeets. A water tower near the Police Station is used by raptors as a landing pad after hunting lorikeets that flock to the sugar mill to gorge on the sweet product. They emerge from the feast so heavy that Peregrine Falcons, Australian Hobbies and Barn Owls have no problems catching them.
Cromarty Creek Boat Ramp
In Giru, turn into Walton St (driving over the railway tracks), next turn left into Donaghue St then right into Cromarty Creek Boat Ramp Rd; look for a small directional sign at the turnoff.
On your way, check a shallow lagoon on the left of Cromarty Creek Boat Ramp Rd – this is a good site for the waders. Site coordinates here are 19o29’40’’S and 147o05’45’’E. We found a large flock of Red-necked Avocets and also Pied Stilts, Common Greenshanks and a pair of Black-necked Storks. Otherwise, the lagoon was filled with Australian Pelicans, Pacific Black Ducks and Black Swans. About 100 Whiskered Terns were feeding over a wet paddock nearby. Other species in the lagoon included Glossy Ibis, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Great Egret, White-necked Heron and Magpie Goose. Grassy paddocks surrounding the lagoon yielded Golden-headed Cisticola, Horsfield’s Bushlark, Zebra Finch and Australian Bustard.
Further down the road we reached the second creek crossing, then saltpans and saltmarshes. Zitting Cisticola was recorded in the saltmarshes several times but it did not make an appearance for us.
In the mangroves at the end of the road we had an excellent find of Mangrove Robin. Also, Mangrove Gerygones and Mangrove Honeyeaters were singing loudly. A female Shining Flycatcher was on the ground by the boat ramp.
Occasionally, Great-billed Herons are sighted in this area.
Bowling Green Bay National Park
Bowling Green Bay National Park covers 57,900ha of coastal and mountainous country and is located approximately 25km south of Townsville. The Park is divided into three separate sections: Mount Elliot, Cape Cleveland and Bowling Green Bay. The importance of the Park lies in the diversity of its habitats, from the mangroves at the coast to the rainforest at the altitude of 1,200m on Mt Elliot. The wetlands of Bowling Green Bay are so valuable that they have been recognised as a Ramsar site. They are famous for their mass congregations of waterbirds, in particular Brolgas and Magpie Geese.
There are separate entry routes to separate sections of the Park. See map of Bowling Green Bay National Park, downloadable here: https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/bowling-green-bay/pdf/bowling-green-bay-locality.pdf. Most of tourists and birders go to the Mt Elliot section which has easy access and good facilities. In that section, you’ll find the Alligator Creek camping and day-use areas, a boardwalk leading to a fantastic waterhole and a network of short walking tracks. Other sections have only very basic camping sites with no facilities; these are Barratta Creek camping site in the Bowling Green Bay section and Cocoa Creek and Salmon Creek campsites in the Cape Cleveland section. These are utilised mostly by anglers, a 4WD vehicle with good clearance is a must there.
Mount Elliot Section
To get there, from Bruce Hwy (A1) turn west into Alligator Creek Rd about 20km south of Townsville. Drive 6km along the creek to the picnic area and the campsite in the Park. A boardwalk lined with bottlebrushes and figs starts at the far end of the campsite. It will take you to the waterhole.
Waterhole at the end of the boardwalk, lined with flowering bottlebrushes
Birding in this section is largely done at the base of Mt Elliot because the mountain is practically not accessible. The vine scrub along Alligator Creek is the best option. The rainforest species migrate down to this area in winter, frequenting the fruiting figs. Short walking tracks leading from the camping area to the forest may produce both the dry forest and rainforest species.
Over 150 bird species have been recorded in the Mt Elliot section. Key species are White-browed Robin, White-eared Monarch, Noisy Pitta, Northern Fantail and Large-tailed Nightjar. Other birds of interest include Spectacled Monarch, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Rufous Fantail, Great Bowerbird, Large-billed Gerygone, Azure Kingfisher, Brush Cuckoo, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove and Australian Owlet-nightjar. Among the rarities are Oriental Cuckoo, Little Kingfisher, Superb Fruit-Dove, Metallic Starling and White-throated Needletail.
Seventeen honeyeater species can be found in the area including Brown-backed Honeyeater, White-gaped Honeyeater, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater and Yellow Honeyeater.
Before getting to the Park, birding can start in the Alligator Creek village. Azure Kingfisher is often seen hunting along the creek. Look also for Pheasant Coucal, Forest Kingfisher, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Golden Whistler, White-breasted Woodswallow and Northern Fantail. Nankeen Night-Herons roost by the creek. Bush Stone-curlews are resident in the village. Wedge-tailed Eagles are often observed flying over the area.
In the Park, we had the best birding at the start of the boardwalk. White-browed Robins and Noisy Pittas were very visible. Along the boardwalk, we found plenty of honeyeaters in the flowering bottlebrushes. Dusky Honeyeaters were dominant, but we also ticked off Scarlet Honeyeater, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Lewin’s Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeater and Little Friarbird. In the fruiting figs nearby, we found Australasian Figbirds, Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, Torresian Imperial-Pigeons, Brown-capped Emerald-Doves and a single White-headed Pigeon. Two Nankeen Night-Herons were roosting by the boardwalk.
Northern Fantail, Spectacled Monarch and Lemon-bellied Flycatcher were among our finds in the camping area. Brown-backed Honeyeaters were nesting near the picnic area. A mixed flock of Australian Swiftlets and White-throated Needletails was flying over the trees. Brush Cuckoo and Little Bronze-cuckoo were calling. During the night, we listened to Large-tailed Nightjar and Australian Owlet-nightjar and watched Bush Stone-curlews walking among the tents.
Cape Cleveland Section
To get there, 33km south of Townsville turn east from Bruce Hwy (A1) into Cape Cleveland Rd. The road is signposted at the turnoff to the Australian Institute of Marine Science. The access road is sealed but tough 4WD tracks await you in the Park. After 12km from the turnoff head left to the Cocoa Creek camping area. The Salmon Creek camping area is situated
