Queensland

Well we did manage to make it up to Queensland for a week in late January to visit Emily's brother and family and remarkably we also remain Covid-free. Sadly though it seems that we're still trapped in lockdown habits and apart from that one trip north there's not been much going on.

Koala

I didn't have high hopes of adding to my list around Brisbane but I gave it a good go. At least for two days anyway. I spent a first day tramping kilometres through woodland and forest hoping for a glimpse of the White-eared Monarch. No joy but some small consolation in the more exotic locals such as Red-backed Fairy-wren, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove and a Koala.

A hot day in the mangroves

A change of tack on the second day saw me head to the coast in search of mangrove specialities. I'm not normally a big fan of mangrove boardwalks but the one at Nudgee Beach is pretty special winding for a couple of kilometres through some really nice mangrove forest and getting out into fairly deep water. This meant that the fish-spotting was almost as good as the bird-watching.

Short-eared Brushtail Possum

Still no ticks though. I probably had the Mangrove Honeyeater but probably isn't definitely and so that one remains off the list for now. I was surprised to stumble across a possum out in the water but apparently the Short-eared Brushtail Possum doesn't mind getting it's feet wet. Despite being covered head-to-toe in insect repellent, the mosquitoes and extreme heat had the final say in my birding adventures. I awoke on the third day covered in a terrible rash and that was that.

Coff's Harbour jetty

On the way back south we stopped for a couple of nights at Coff's Harbour where the turtles were swarming around the pier as usual. This time I also had my fishing gear and so we had a great evening session fishing into the night. Emily kicked things off with a nice Pufferfish before we had a couple of Stout Whiting and a Flathead before I hooked a Shovelnose Ray. A bizarre half-ray-half-shark this thing was pushing a metre long which is a problem when you're standing on top of a pier with light gear. Emily started hauling it up hand over hand as a crowd gathered but about two thirds of the way up it gave a kick and my 12lb line broke to the disappointment of all. I rounded out the night with a solid Estuary Catfish which did make it up to the top of the pier. Sadly no pictures as it was too dark but a top evening and the best part of the trip!

A good Cane Toad is a flattened one!