Photo Gallery
Photos by David Fisher, Jim Bangma, David Stevens and Trevor Quested
Our Northern Australia tour starts in the hot and humid tropics of the “Top End’ — the Northern Territories around Darwin — where multicolored birds such as the Blue-faced Honeyeater are commonplace in almost every garden.
In local nature reserves, gorgeous Rainbow Pittas via for our attention with…
…the likes of bizarre Tawny Frogmouths and…
…enormous Rufous Owls.
Local wetlands hold vast numbers of waterbirds, with Magpie Geese being perhaps the most numerous…
…but not necessarily the most beautiful black-and-white bird, as this Pied Heron suggests.
From Darwin we visit Kakadu National Park — a vast World Heritage Site famous for both its wildlife and its Aboriginal cultural sites. Perhaps the highlight is our boat trip on the Yellow Water billabong—
…where the giant Saltwater Crocodiles that are the main attraction for most tourists…
…play second fiddle for us, due to the abundant bird life including White-breasted Sea-eagles…
…Australasian Darters…
…and Buff-banded Rails…
…and to experience the cultural side of things we visit Nourlangie Rock, part of an impressive sandstone escarpment…
…where many rock paintings tell tales of dreamtime and other aboriginal beliefs…
…although even here there are birds to look for, such as this Great Bowerbird.
Next we fly east across the top of Australia to northern Queensland where we spend three days on the Atherton Tablelands, a patchwork of rainforest reserves, agricultural fields and attractive small towns.
Giant fig trees in the rainforest are home to many new species of bird, whose calls echo all around us. Some are easy to see and to photograph…
…such as this Australian Brush-Turkey, another species of megapode or mound builder…
…and this gorgeous Superb Fruit-Dove, but many stay concealed and require patience to see well.
In the more open habitats on the tablelands Brolga Cranes are common, and…
…the curious Apostlebird is a local speciality.
We then drive down to Cairns, a holiday resort town on the coast that is an access point for the Great Barrier Reef.
We travel out there in a luxurious catamaran, watching for seabirds on the voyage, and…
…we’ll spend the day on Michaelmas Cay, a sandy atoll covered in nesting seabirds, including…
…up to ten species of tern, two frigatebirds, and two boobies…
Many of the birds are very approachable…
…allowing excellent photographs to be taken with just a standard lens — as was this Common Noddy.
The cay is surrounded by coral reefs and those who wish can go snorkelling from the beach. Those who prefer to stay dry can still view the reef extremely well from the semi-submersible boat that does regular cruises out from the Ocean Spirit…
…and many wonderful reef creatures, such as this giant clam, can be seen that way.
In contrast our next stop is the famous O’Reilly’s Guest House in southern Queensland. Here the tameness of the birds is as famous as the quantity and quality of the food…
….and both can be enjoyed at the same time, as the dining room is built around the feeding station! Regent Bowerbirds are the O’Reilly’s emblem and stunning males visit the bird tables.
Away from the guesthouse there are miles of trails through pristine rainforest to be explored, and…
…even here the birds are tame — this is a friendly Eastern Yellow Robin.
Our tour finishes in Sydney, where we depart from the harbour for a pelagic trip out to the continental shelf.
The highlight of the trip is usually Wandering Albatross, but we also see many other seabirds including…
…Pterodromas such as Great-winged Petrel, and….
…and if we’ve not seen it up to this point, once back on dry land this day often ends with a trip to see a Powerful Owl.
Our final morning is spent in Sydney Royal National Park in search of the world’s greatest mimic — the Superb Lyrebird….
…New South Wales’s only endemic bird — the Rock Warbler, and…
…sometimes there are surprises, such as during the 2004 tour when we saw this Echidna sniffing the early morning air, and….
…shortly afterwards these Sulphur-crested Cockatoos mobbing a massive Lace Monitor Lizard. You just never know what wonderful creatures are awaiting you around the next corner in Australia.