7 September 2011

Old Wallangarra Road is a box-ironbark dry sclerophyll forest remnant along a dirt road to the south of Girraween National Park, in the Granite Belt country of south-eastern Queensland.  The site is best for a variety of woodland and open grassland birds that are otherwise difficult to find in the region, including White-browed Babbler, Diamond Firetail, Turquoise Parrot, Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Southern Whiteface, Hooded Robin, Scarlet Robin, Crested Shrike-tit and many more.

The site comprises different habitat than that in the nearby Girraween National Park, and is in fact more similar to Sundown National Park to the west.  The habitat components of the site are the dry box-ironbark remnant along the road between the highway and the green arrow marked on the mud-map (inset), the open fields on either side of the remnant but particularly in the corner near the green arrow, and the dense streamside vegetation along the road to the north of the green arrow, towards the National Park.  These three sections each have different suites of bird.

To get to the site, follow the Cunningham Highway south from Brisbane to Warwick, and then take the New England Highway south past Stanthorpe until just before the QLD-NSW border at Wallangarra.  The road is a small, sharp left hand turn at a spot where the rail line is close to the road.  It is signposted but there is no warning sign leading up to the turn so pay close attention.  Drive up Old Wallangarra Rd and park on the roadside where the green arrow is on the mud-map, where the right hand turn goes past the vineyard.

The roadside remnant is the place to look for Diamond Firetails, Brown Treecreepers, White-browed Babblers, Crested Shrike-tit, and Yellow-tufted Honeyeater.  The firetails are often moving between foraging in the rocks of the open fields, perching on the fencelines, and seeking shelter in the denser parts of the roadside woodland remnants.  In winter a different suite of birds move into the area, and Scarlet Robin becomes a possibility.

The open fields are the place to look for Diamond Firetails, Plum-headed Finches, Southern Whiteface and Hooded Robin.  It is also possible that Turquoise Parrots may be picked up feeding at the edges of the woodland, however I have not observed this in the last couple of years.  Birds tend to perch up on anything raised in the grassy areas, so scan for birds perched on rocks, stumps or even tufts of grass.

The dense, more intact vegetation to the north of the site is the place to look for Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, Yellow Thornbill, Striated Thornbill and Turquoise Parrot.  In 2011 Swift Parrots were recorded here, and there are generally flocks of Little Lorikeet and Musk Lorikeet in the area.