Birthday and Birds

Weds Sep 28

We woke too late to go out birding before the celebration started. Late to bed after watching the movie 'Up' and then a hysterical-laughter time with we three women trying to catch the enormous moth we had been trying to transfer to a box for overnight refrigeratio and allowed to escape in our bedroom. It was a beauty, apart from the chunk missing from a probable bird attack.

Soon after 8, we were gathered in Sara's bedroom to watch card and present opening. We gave her money for 4 Plymouth Rock ready to lay chooks - what she wanted - and a couple of chairs for her balcony. The boys had bought her charms for her bracelet. Mike had done a good job with many items which included a ring, earrings and a massage voucher. He was all set to get her an IPad and then she decided she didn't want one after all. She does have a 3G IPhone......

We encouraged Sara to take the family to a Surrealist Painters exhibition on the South Bank, too much walking for us. We went to Samford.

First call was an area named Greenmount Court which we thought would be in Samford itself. Glossy-black Cockatoos were reported there a week or so ago. More in hope than expectation, we drove 9.5 k out of Samford and up the old Mount Glorious Road and Fogg's Road, through very promising looking woodland, to... a dead end. At the mini roundabout there were two grand gated entrances to superb looking houses, one named Shangri-La. The latter had an enormous statue of a Gorilla outside the gates. Astonishing.

No sign of the Cockatoos but our first Long-billed Corellas of the trip.

We made our way back to the road without using Martina and went the pretty way! Good job too, three Dollarbirds on overhead wires - they're  Roller family and migrants from the north.

Not a long diversion, we were soon at our fav. cemetery Samsonvale. Loitering along the entry Gold Scrubs Lane, added Variegated Fairywren, Brown Honeyeater and Silvereye.

After checking on the Friarbird nest - still being built - we lunched with the attendant scavengers looking on. They're all frightened of the Brush Turkeys.

Australian Magpie

Bar-shouldered Doves are a feature here but we've only seen them at one other site.

A Pair of Bar-shouldered Doves

No sight nor sound of the Rainbow Bee-eaters to-day, we must have caught them on their initial visit.

A Moreton Bay Regional Council vehicle drew up and John came over to talk to us. A dapper little man with a broad Edinburgh accent - after 33 years in Australia. He's in charge of 13 cemeteries and Samsonvale is his favourite - he has slot No 1 reserved in the Ashes wall.

We were not home until 5 after a liquor store (bottle of fizz)  and petrol stop, just time to have a cuppa and change clothing before Mike drove us all out for the birthday meal. It was a long way and riverside in central Brisbane. We'd been warned that we were sitting outside and I was very pleased that I'd donned a vest and cardigan. It's been overcast and only low 20s all day. As we got out of the car, Josh did one of his mad dashes and ran into the towbar. Very painful. Sara ended up mopping his wound with a panty liner which he soon disposed of.

After a G and T and a pleasant meal watching the CityCats (catamaran river buses) go by, we drove home and enjoyed Sara's Puffer Fish (!!) birthday cake with a glass of N Z Sauvignon Blanc fizz.

Much too late to write my Blog, I'm writing this on Thursday morning.