Waterfowl

One of the features of local birding as the dry season progresses is the increase in both number and diversity of waterfowl. As the interior continues to dry out the ducks get pushed towards the coast and concentrated in areas of open water.
The resident species such as....
Pacific Black Duck

Green Pygmy Goose (picture by Patrick de Geest)

Gray Teal

Hardhead (picture by Patrick De Geest)

 Australian Wood Duck or Maned Duck

Radjah Shelduck - a recent colonist to the Cairns area

...are joined by several species that only occur here when water starts to become scarce inland.
There are three species that occur in good numbers each year
Magpie Goose

Plumed Whistling-Duck

Wandering Whistling-Duck

Another annual visitor usually in small numbers is the Pink-eared Duck

This year small numbers have turned up at a range of sites from March onwards with larger numbers at a couple of bigger wetland sites such as Hasties Swamp where well over 100 can be found feeding.
However the undoubted highlight this year has been the number of Freckled Duck that have arrived at Hasties Swamp. This is Australia's most threatened duck and there are only a handful of records from North Queensland, the first birds arrived back in March and there are now 14 birds there

There have also been a couple of records of Australian Shoveler in the region.
All in all an excellent winter for ducks and the dry is not over yet.....