Birds Queensland

22/10/2026

The recent outing to Priors Pocket was a big one! 10 birders, 4 ½ hours and 75 bird species! Thanks to Rod G for leading the walk. Species seen included seasonal favourites: Pacific Koel, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Dollarbird.

Photos from BQ media library © Angela Farnsworth, Ron Burgin, Norm Clayton

19/10/2026

Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus philippensis)

Rails and crakes are in the family Rallidae. There are 26 sub-species of Buff-banded Rail. Its distribution ranges from the Philippines, Palau Is, New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia (andrewsi on Cocos (Keeling) Is and melliori on the mainland). While they are more often in coastal wetlands their distribution extends further inland along the east coast. Buff-banded Rails have colonised off-shore islands, occurring on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands but are vagrant to Tasmania. They have become abundant on coral islands in the Great Barrier Reef such as on Lady Elliot Is.

Buff-banded Rails are moderately common but are hard to see in their habitat of dense vegetation near wetlands. Buff-banded rails are distinguished from other rails by their head pattern and buff breastband and a striking spotted and barred body. They are a reasonable size, male (mean 185g) and female (mean 172g).

Learn more on Birds Queensland website: https://birdsqueensland.org.au/bird/buff-banded-rail/

Text and Images © Sandra Harding

16/10/2026

The Lockyer Toowoomba Birds on Farms Project is looking for more volunteers to assist with seasonal bird surveys. The project has been running for a year and half now and needs more volunteers to service the large number of properties waiting to come on board. Volunteers will need to be available at the start of each season for early morning surveys and would survey plots on a small number of properties each season. Volunteers will need to have reasonable bird identification skills, no mobility issues and will need to be able to use the Birdata app. Volunteers will preferably have mid-week availability. Training will be provided. If interested, please *email* Scot McPhie [email protected]

📷 Scot McPhie

14/10/2026

The September camp was a fun trip to Lake Coolmunda and surrounds. Thanks to camp leader Wendy P for a delightful weekend with birds many of us don’t see regularly. 125 species with highlights such as Spotted Bowerbird, Black Falcon, Red-capped Robin, Eastern Bluebonnet and Yellow-tufted Honeyeater.

Image credit: Maggie Overend

12/10/2026

🎉 Twitchathon 2026 birdwatching has wrapped up!

Thank you to all the teams who hit the field. The birdwatching window is closed, but fundraising is open until 25 October.

Donate now: https://twitch.birdsqueensland.org.au/

Stay tuned for the final tallies and winner announcements!

11/10/2026

2026 Annual General Meeting - Notice is given that the Annual General Meeting of Queensland Ornithological Society Incorporated (Birds Queensland) will be held on Thursday, 3 December 2026 at the Warner Hall, Merthyr Road Uniting Church, 52 Merthyr Road, New Farm. The meeting will start at 7.30 p.m.

The election of the Management Committee for 2027 will take place at this meeting including for the positions of President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer and up to 10 Committee Members. Nominations are sought from financial members for the above position.

The management committee report and the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2026 will be presented at the meeting.

Following the formalities, there will be a Photo Show compiled from photos taken by BQ Photogroup members over the past 12 months. This has become a highlight of the AGM and we can again expect to see some very interesting photos.

The meeting will conclude with supper and Christmas goodies to share. It will be an opportunity to talk over another successful year.

09/10/2026

🎃 Spooky Season Alert: Make It Bird-Friendly!

As you prepare for Halloween, be sure your yard is a treat for birds! 👻

Did you know around 30% of bird nests contain human-made materials? This year, swap out those hazardous decorations for eco-friendly alternatives that won't ruffle any feathers! 🍃

h/t BirdLife Australia

05/10/2026

Don’t miss Noosa Parks Association Friday Environment Forum

"There are no Wrens in Australia! Taxonomy of Queensland’s birds" with Professor Nikolas Haass.

🗓 Friday, October 9th, 2026
⏰ 10am morning tea, 10:30am -12pm forum
📍 NPA Environment Centre, 5 Wallace Drive, Noosaville
🎟 $5 by ‘tap & go’ at the door includes morning tea/coffee.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19wZQvTTjd/

Our next Friday Environment Forum is on October 9th. It's titled "There are no Wrens in Australia! Taxonomy of Queensland’s birds" with Professor Nikolas Haass.
At the age of 6, Nikolas Haass started birding/wildlifing and soon started to travel to all continents of the world in the quest of finding birds and other wildlife. He has been an active member in the Rare Birds Committees of Hessen (Germany), Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), New Jersey (USA) and is currently a member of BirdLife Australia Rarities Committee (BARC) and Birds Queensland Records Appraisal Committee (BQRAC).
Nikolas, a Professor for Cutaneous Oncology runs a research lab at the Frazer Institute University of Queensland. Nature is his secondary speciality and at the next Friday Forum, Nikolas will discuss the taxonomy of Queensland’s birds based on AviList, a unified global checklist of the world’s birds. AviList is a global collaborative initiative to create a single, up-to-date consensus taxonomy for the world’s birds, including essential information on taxonomy and nomenclature.

Come along to the forum on the October 9th where Nikolas will discuss recent and potential future taxonomic changes of Queensland’s birds. Everyone is welcome!
🗓️ Friday, October 9th, 2026
⏰ 10am morning tea, 10:30am -12pm forum
📍 NPA Environment Centre, 5 Wallace Drive, Noosaville
🎟️ $5 by ‘tap & go’ at the door includes morning tea/coffee. Current NPA members are FREE!
Join the bird observers at 8.30am in the carpark for interpretive birding.
More info: https://noosaparks.org.au/friday-environment-forum/
📸 THAT'S not a wren, THIS is a wren. A design inspired by Nikolas Haass and Crocodile Dundee, created by Daniel Terrington.

02/10/2026

There’s lots happening in October!

• Twitchathon (14 Sept – 11 Oct)
• Monthly Meeting with guest speakers (1 Oct)
• Toondah: The Art of Conservation (3-4 Oct)
• Twitchathon Registration closes (4 Oct)
• QWSG Count Day (10-11 Oct) by registration only
• Outing to Prior’s Pocket (14 Oct)
• Camp at Running Creek (16-18 Oct)
• Outing to Bribie Island (17 Oct)

To see what’s on, check our page (events section) or the BQ website https://birdsqueensland.org.au/activities/

01/10/2026

Toondah: The Art of Conservation is happening this weekend - celebrating the successful campaign to save Toondah Harbour from environmentally destructive development plans.

Saturday 3 October the program runs from 12noon-5pm with a community sausage sizzle, art exhibition, live music, and discussions about the Toondah campaign.

Sunday 4 October from 9:00am to 3:30pm, have some artistic fun painting life sized wooden shorebirds and making postcards. There will be opportunities to explore the artworks and stories behind the campaign. And more sausages will be sizzled.

More information: https://redlands2030.net/toondah-the-art0of-conservation/