Al Sweet | Group Coordinator
The Atherton Tablelands Bird Photography Group (ATBPG) has now been in existence for 18 months. The stated aim of the Group is:
To become better bird photographers by bringing together those interested in birds and those interested in photography so that we may all benefit from their combined knowledge.
Our current Facebook membership stands at 228. Of these, around 60 are resident on the Tablelands; around 60 are from North Queensland; and the remainder from elsewhere. As is typical of Facebook groups, active participants make up between 10 and 20 per cent of the membership.
We meet each month to share information and to learn from each other. Although these meetings are poorly attended, everyone agrees that they are beneficial. To boost attendance, we distributed a request for suggestions for a change to the time and venue. for the monthly meeting that would be more acceptable for those Tablelands residents. We received NOT ONE response!
Similarly, a monthly photographic excursion was arranged. This, too, was singularly unsuccessful! There are several photographic and birding events occurring on the Tablelands each month so it was unsurprising that another activity, in already busy lives, would be poorly received.
On the other side of the ledger, the monthly “Photographic Challenge” has been very successful. The purpose of the Challenge is to obtain photographs and information about birds on the Tablelands.
Knowledge obtained from posts on the web page, and responses to the Challenge, provide some insights into birds and their activities on the Tablelands.
Of the 272 listed resident and regular birds on the Tablelands, in 2024, the Group received reports and/or photographs of 231 species. This doesn’t mean that the remaining 41 species were absent, simply that we did not receive reports of them.
For instance: one of the species not recorded in 2024 was the Horsfield’s or Singing Bushlark (Mirafra javanica [javanica Group]). However, it has already been reported in 2025 at Mareeba.
There is no doubt, however, that the numbers of individuals within some species were much lower in 2024 compared with those in 2023. This was especially true of the raptors.
In October 2024, I recorded three Black-shouldered Kites compared with 19 in October 2023.
Similarly, with owls: in 2023 a drive around the East Barron area would invariably result in the sighting of up to a dozen Barn Owls. In 2024, many drives through the area resulted in no sightings and on one occasion, just three.
The figures from the Crane Count, 2024, also indicated fewer birds compared with previous years.
We did, however, have some unexpected visitors! The Painted Snipe was cause for excitement. Unusually, too, we had Black Swans on Hastie’s Swamp and a colony of Australian Pelicans.
During the year, a Golden Bowerbird was recorded at Hastie’s along with the Tooth-billed Bowerbird.
Hatchings seem to have been very successful for the start of 2025. Sacred Kingfisher, Willie Wagtail, Red-browed Finch, Large-billed and White-browed Scrub-wrens, Black-faced Monarch, Eastern Yellow Robin, Rufous Shrike-thrush and Yellow-breasted Boatbill were all feeding young at Hastie’s in February 2025.
I gave several presentations during the year to Photographic and Natural History Groups on the tablelands and in Cairns. I shall also be holding some workshops on Digital Photography and Post Processing for a Cairns birding group.
Alan Sweet
Coordinator, ATBPG