A Word For Our Birders For September

Howdy Fellow Twitchers,
With spring well and truly here, the resort is a-flutter with nest building and courtship displays as our local feathered friends get set for another productive season.

The reception complex is filled with spring melodies as a pair of local Grey Shrike Thrushes (pictured left) have started nesting across from the main reception desk. We've watched with amazement as the adults have let themselves in and out of the building with nesting material. By identifying where the automatic door sensor is located, it only takes these cheeky locals three swift flights underneath before the doors open and welcomes them inside.

By the end of the month, we were watching a similar pattern but this time with food being brought in to feed three very hungry and quickly-growing chicks!

With the poolside Bottlebrush trees in full bloom for month, a large number of Honeyeaters were spotted on regular occasions tucking into the delicious and plentiful nectar. White-cheeked and Lewins Honeyeater certainly dominated the group with the less common Dusky Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeaters and Brown Honeyeaters also making regular appearances. In between, a pair of Blue-faced Honeyeaters could be seen swooping down from their nest in a Pandanus palm to enjoy the sweet treats.

The resort's lakes produced consistent sighting of Azure Kingfishers on most morning - darting across the surface to move from one feeding sight to the next. The Azure's close relative, the Sacred Kingfishers, were also seen regularly - particularly as we discovered their nest site along the main resort road... they don't call it Kingfisher Bay for nothing!

Whistling Kites continued to dominate the western beach front with regular sighting of a nesting pair just south of the resort jetty. Being true to their name, the skies above the resort were filled with their stunning whistle as they circled high in the air currents chasing the plentiful schooling fish available in the waters below. The occasional Osprey and Brahminy Kite also added to our tally of raptor sightings for the month.

With spring all around us at Kingfisher and our local feathered friends busy feeding, nesting and courting; October should bring some fantastic sightings of new arrivals. Stay tuned for the next generation of our fantastic feathered friends - coming soon!

This is Ranger Bec sighing off.

September Night Walkin' At Kingfisher Bay

With warmer weather and consistent light showers, the resort's nocturnal wildlife sightings have certainly shifted from our local furry winter critters to our scaly summer time friends.

The occasional Lace Monitor was spotted along hollow logs attempting to absorb the last remnants of heat to get them through the night. These beautiful reptiles truly are a great sight to see by day and even more magical in the shine of the spotlight by night - and our guests just love to take holiday snaps of them.

Even some of our local reptilian species made appearances throughout the month the Carpet Python, Children's Python, Green Tree Snakes and Small Eyed Snakes amongst the most common species - giving our night walkers the opportunity to learn about these animals from a safe distance and to gain a better understanding and appreciation of these beautiful animals for them in their own environment.

The jetty bought about many delights with regular sightings of Dingoes on the late low tides. These iconic Fraser Island locals delighted guests with their casual behaviour as they wandered along the beachfront in search of food. With plenty of Bandicoots, native Bush Rats and loads of marine animals to choose from - the Dingoes certainly had a smorgasbord at their reach.

On the western side, the marine environment didn't disappoint with several species of sting rays spotted each night. Estuary Rays, Blue Spotted Sting Rays and the occasional Shovel-nosed Rays were often spotted demonstrating their unique feeding techniques. This natural behaviour provided night walk guests with a first hand look at how the saucer-shaped depressions on the beach front are formed.

Despite their reputation, Sting Rays are one of the gentle giants of our oceans and a remarkable sight to see gliding gracefully through the shallow, clear waters of the Great Sandy Straits.

All in all, September produced fantastic sightings of some of our local nocturnal wildlife here at Kingfisher Bay Resort and we are all anticipating an exciting October to come.

Until next time, Ranger Bec.