Easter Campout - Tandora March 21 -24

A very enjoyable 4 days over the Easter break was spent at Lindsay and Noela Titmarsh's 4,400ha cattle property Tandora, which is nestled in the junction of the Mary and Susan Rivers, south of Hervey Bay. Tandora has been in the Titmarsh family since 1907 and after registration with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service's Land for Wildlife program a few years ago, a section of the property was subsequently declared as a nature refuge.

Almost half of Tandora is covered by retained bushland representing various regional ecosystems including the endangered swamp she-oak Casuarina glauca open forest on the margins of marine clay plains. There are also mangrove shrublands, grassy saltpans and large areas of eucalypt and melaleuca woodlands including 12 kilometres of melaleuca swamps, tidal flats and a fresh water wetland area.

We were joined at our picturesque camp site at the wetlands by Bob and June Gleeson and Tom and Jeanette Donnelly from the Harvey Bay Bird Watchers Group.

A total of twelve 2 hectare, 20 minute Atlas surveys along with two 500 metre surveys were carried out on the property. A total of 99 species of birds were seen on Tandora - 73 of these were seen in the wetlands 500 metre survey area (see table below). Perhaps the major bird sighting for most of the party was the Black Bittern that was seen at two sites on Tandora.

Bob led the party on Sunday firstly to Garnett's Lagoons (on private property near River Heads) where we were joined by another local "birdo" in John Knight who spent a couple of hours with us here. Garnett's Lagoons produced a total of 38 species with the highlight being able to get quite reasonable sightings of the secretive Little Grassbird which some of us had heard numerous times before but never seen. We also spent a couple of hours at Mathieson's Bird Hide on the foreshore of River Heads, where we saw 14 species of waders, terns and gulls in what for most of us was quite large numbers.

A trip total of 119 species was seen over the campout. While the birding was not spectacular at Tandora, the wonderful hospitality of hosts Lindsay and Noela who allowed us to camp on such a well managed and lovely property made up for the lack of a few birds. Lindsay took the time to mow the camping area, collect firewood as well as dig and supply our toilets. He and Noela also lent each of us an detailed aerial-photo map of the property, which proved invaluable.

birding in the Nature Refuge

the campsite in the Wetland Refuge

after a hards day's birding

Black Bittern found here
Photos by Ross Smith and Grahame Rogers

An excellent book written by Lindsay Titmarsh - Tandora A Pioneer's Dream - is available at Tandora for $60, or on line.

Ross Smith

Tandora Wetlands Bird List 20/3/08 to 23/3/08
500 metre area search over 4 days centred at 25° 26' 07" S, 152° 50' 22" E