Day 1: Our tour begins midday, with the arrival of those participating in the preceding tour. After lunch, we’ll head a bit to the west of Sydney, to spend the remainder of the afternoon birding around some of the parklands in the western suburbs of the city. Our actual route will change from year to year to optimize our birding potential, but the afternoon will give an excellent introduction to the common birds of the region, with species such as Laughing Kookaburra, Galah, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Superb Fairywren being among the expected highlights. Night in Sydney.

Day 2: For our first full day we will spend our time birding around the vast Royal National Park. We shall start with a search for Superb Lyrebird, one of the world’s most accomplished mimics along the pretty and very diverse Lady Carrington Drive. A trip out to the stunning coastal heathlands may well reveal New South Wales’s only endemic bird, Rockwarbler, as well as heathland specialties such as Southern Emu-wren, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater and perhaps even Chestnut-rumped Heathwren. We’ll look as well for a wide cross-section of more southerly Australian species, such as the glorious Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Superb Lyrebird, Little and Red Wattlebirds, and New Holland Honeyeater. A short seawatch on the handsome bluffs of Royal National Park could reveal numbers of Wedge-tailed, Short-tailed and perhaps Fluttering Shearwaters, and with the right conditions may also provide our first views of Black-browed or White-capped Albatrosses. In the late afternoon we should be able to track down a roosting Powerful Owl, perhaps the most impressive of the suite of Australian owls, near the park boundary. Night in Sydney.

Day 3: We’ll take a pelagic trip into deep water beyond the continental shelf. We’ll cruise out through Sydney Harbor and have a view of the famous bridge with a glimpse of the opera house below. During our day-long trip we should see many Southern Hemisphere seabirds that, depending on sea temperatures, may include Little Penguin, Australasian Gannet, Antipodean, White-capped, and Black-browed Albatrosses, Gray-faced and Providence Petrels, up to six species of shearwater, and diminutive Wilson’s Storm-petrels. We’ll feed the birds behind the boat and can usually draw in a selection of great seabirds to watch at arm’s length. Photographic opportunities are outstanding and binoculars are hardly needed. We won’t soon forget the fabulous experience of tossing bits of fish to White-capped Albatrosses bobbing about behind the boat. Cetaceans may also be a feature of the trip, and though none is guaranteed, in previous years we have seen Humpback and Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales, and Common and Bottlenose Dolphins. With the vagaries of the Southern Ocean in play, it is worth mentioning that should conditions not allow us to go out to sea, we’ll spend this day to the south of Sydney around Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, where we could see heathland birds such as Southern Emu-wren, Eastern Bristlebird, Beautiful Firetail, Pilotbird, and with some extreme luck perhaps even Eastern Ground-Parrot or Gang-gang Cockatoo. Night in Sydney.

Day 4: On the last morning in Sydney we will likely return to the coastline at Royal National Park where we’ll look for any of the species missed on our previous visit or visit another section of the park where the brightly colored Eastern Rosella and well-marked Yellow-tufted Honeyeater reside. We may also elect to investigate some of the many city parks near the hotel, where we might encounter birds such as Red-rumped Parrot, Red-whiskered Bulbul, White-plumed Honeyeater, or Yellow Thornbill. A midday flight up to Brisbane will allow us to look for Mangrove Honeyeater and Mangrove Gerygone close to the airport before we make the drive inland to Lamington National Park, an area of montane rainforest with a delightful climate. We’ll pass through open farmland and eucalyptus woods broken occasionally by marshes and streams, and we should see Gray Butcherbird, Little Friarbird, and perhaps Glossy Black Cockatoo or Pretty-faced (Whiptail) Wallaby. By late afternoon we’ll enter the subtropical rainforest of the Lamington Plateau, a change of environment marked by flocks of Crimson Rosellas. We’ll arrive at O’Reilly’s Guesthouse in time for some late afternoon birding. If we’re lucky we may be able to watch a Satin Bowerbird decorating its bower or hand-feed the many semi-tame Regent Bowerbirds, Australian King Parrots, or Crimson Rosellas that decorate the lodge grounds. In the evening Red-necked Pademelons graze on the lawns, and during dinner Short-eared Brushtail Possums often come to the dining room feeders. Night at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse.

Day 5: O’Reilly’s Guesthouse is celebrated by birdwatchers worldwide for its amazing shows of multicolored tropical species, many of which are hand-tame and present fantastic photographic opportunities. Species that frequent the guesthouse feeders include bizarre Australian Brush-Turkeys, stunning Regent Bowerbirds (the guesthouse emblem)—the male being arguably the most beautiful Australian bird—more subtle but equally attractive Satin Bowerbirds, chunky Wonga Pigeons, cheeky Lewin’s Honeyeaters, and ragged flocks of Crimson Rosellas and Australian King Parrots. But the feeding frenzies around the guesthouse are by no means the only ornithological attractions at O’Reilly’s. Set in the heart of Lamington National Park, the guesthouse has lengthy trails that take off in various directions through superb montane rainforest containing a wealth of specialties that will be new for us. These include Paradise Riflebird (our first species of bird of paradise), curious Green Catbirds, entertaining Australian Logrunners, both Bassian and Russet-tailed Thrushes, remarkably confiding Eastern Whipbirds, three species of scrub-wren all so tame they will feed within feet of us, and many, many more. Perhaps the ultimate prize though, is the Albert’s Lyrebird, a species with a tiny world range but also a very shy bird, usually heard singing but not always seen—and even then often just a large dark shape bounding away through the undergrowth.  After dinner we’ll make a serious attempt to find Marbled Frogmouth, a seldom-seen denizen of the high rainforest canopy. Night at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse.

Day 6: After an early morning at O’Reilly’s searching for any species still missing and enjoying the superb ambience of the location and its many very approachable birds, we’ll drive back down the mountain and on to Brisbane, where we will catch a flight to Hervey Bay. Depending upon flight times we’ll spend some time birding along the coast here, where wader roosts can be quite impressive in both diversity and numbers. Wetlands in the region might hold numbers of Wandering or Plumed Whistling-Ducks or perhaps a hulking Black-necked Stork or dainty Green Pygmy-Goose. Night in Maryborough.

Day 7: Today will be a total contrast to the previous week, dominated as it was by forest birding (albeit fairly easy stuff with lots of showy birds). We’ll depart the small airstrip near Hervey Bay for the 40-minute flight out to Lady Elliot Island. This postcard-perfect coralline island sits near the southern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef, and although fully protected as part of the Great Barrier Reef Green Zone, it is serviced by a small airstrip and has excellent infrastructure for tourists. At 45 hectares in size, the island supports an amazingly rich variety of sea life, including resident Manta Rays and large numbers of nesting Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtles. The island also has the highest diversity of breeding seabirds along the reef. Thousands of Black Noddies and Sooty Terns breed in the shrubs around the island periphery, and we’ll look among them for smaller numbers of Brown Noddies and Bridled Terns. Other breeding seabirds here include the stunningly beautiful Red-tailed Tropicbird, Brown Booby, Roseate, Black-naped, and Greater Crested Terns, and Great Frigatebird. The island further supports a nice array of waders, including both Sooty and Pied Oystercatchers, Pacific Golden-Plovers, and both Gray-tailed and Wandering Tattlers. Landbirding here is also excellent, with Buff-banded Rails and the local Capricornia subspecies of Silvereye common sights around the island. For those who wish, there will be opportunities to inspect the corals and fish from a guided glass-bottom boat cruise, go snorkeling or swimming in the azure-colored from the beach —or even, for anyone already suitably qualified, go diving. In the late afternoon we’ll fly back to Hervey Bay, and then head back to Maryborough for the night. 

Day 8:  Today will largely be a travel day, as we will fly back down to Brisbane and then on to Cairns.  Our schedule will wholly be dependent upon the flight availability, but rest assured that we will spend whatever time we have free birding, either in the morning around Maryborough or the afternoon around Cairns. Night in Cairns.

Day 9: We’ll awake in the tropics, and after breakfast will spend a bit of time around the Cairns Esplanade, where Varied Honeyeaters, Torresian Imperial-Pigeons, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Australian Swiftlets should be in the parks, and a host of wading birds (tide permitting) will be out on the shoreline. We’ll then move to the south, to visit a small beachhead that often hosts a family group of Southern Cassowaries that have become somewhat habituated to the beachgoers. Seeing the birds always involves a bit of luck, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. After lunch we’ll then drive inland to Yungaburra, arriving in time to do some birding near town. A short walk along a nearby natural area where we should find our first Spectacled or Pied Monarchs, little groups of Large-billed Scrubwrens and perhaps a pair of brightly marked Yellow-breaster Boatbills. A few Tooth-billed Bowerbirds typically are on territory along the trail, and we’ll try to see one singing as it sits just a few feet above its bower of carefully arranged leaves, all turned pale side up. We might even encounter our first bird of paradise in the form of a displaying male Victoria’s Riflebird. In the evening we’ll wander down to a nearby creek to look for one of the tablelands most famous mammalian inhabitants; the incredible Duck-billed Platypus. Night near Yungaburra.

Day 10: The remnant patches of rainforests that dot the Atherton Tablelands are rich in birds, many of which are virtually restricted to this tiny corner of the world. Our day will be broken into sections, providing all-day birding for those who wish or a chance to opt out occasionally to relax and perhaps explore the picturesque town of Yungaburra. Before breakfast we’ll visit one of the local patches of rainforest, itself a fully designated national park, where the fruiting trees around the parking lot attract a wealth of forest species that are likely to include bulky Spotted Catbirds, the elusive Double-eyed Fig Parrot, and highly localized Queensland endemics such as Gray-headed Robin and Bower’s Shrike-Thrush. After breakfast back in town we’ll visit a higher-elevation national park to search for species that don’t occur around Yungaburra, including Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, Bridled Honeyeater, and Mountain Thornbill. We’ll have a nice lunch in the idyllic town of Atherton and then spend the afternoon exploring the agricultural fields around the region, where numerous raptors and both Brolgas and Sarus Cranes are likely. After dinner we will offer an extended nocturnal outing into the higher reaches of the tablelands, where we may encounter  Sooty Owl or several beautiful species of possum, including Lemuroid, Green, and Herbert River. Night near Yungaburra.

Day 11: Our pre-breakfast excursion will be to a nearby local reservoir, and if there has been rain or heavy dew overnight, we’ll watch the shoulders of the road for Buff-banded Rail and Brown Quail. The jaunty song of White-throated Gerygone may reveal its presence in one of the well-wooded gardens, and Tawny Grassbird, Red-backed Fairy-Wren, and Golden-headed Cisticola should be singing in the rank vegetation along the water’s edge. With luck they may perch high enough for telescope views. We may bird a bit in the area after breakfast as well if we are still on the lookout for some of the species, but by the afternoon we’ll be driving north across the tablelands to reach the wetlands around Lake Mitchell, which should hold a good cross-section of the area’s waterbirds, including Green Pygmy-Geese, Australian Pelicans, some migrant waders, and possibly both Brolgas and Sarus Cranes. Around the lake we often spot Pale-headed Rosellas, Chestnut-rumped Munia, and Double-barred Finch. With luck we might encounter the distinctive local race of Brown Treecreeper on the trunks of the trees, and we should have an opportunity to look at some of the impressively large termite mounds that liberally dot the landscape. In the late afternoon we’ll drive north to Kingfisher Park, where we’ll spend two nights. We’ll arrive in time to do some local birding in the afternoon, including at the lodge’s feeders, which attract Blue-faced, Yellow-spotted, and Cryptic Honeyeaters as well as delightful little Red-browed Finches and Chestnut-breasted Munia. After an early dinner there will be an optional spotlighting trip. With luck we might find an owl or a frogmouth, and we are sure to see some nocturnal mammals. Night at Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge.

Day 12: We’ll spend the morning birding the excellent grounds of the lodge and the  slopes of nearby Mount Lewis. Several pairs of Noisy Pittas are typically on territory around the grounds, and a small creek attracts a wide array of birds during the heat of the day. We should encounter Spectacled and Black-faced Monarchs, the odd and perky Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Gray Whistler, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, and the improbably coiffed Topknot Pigeon as we walk around the well-forested paths. Up on Mount Lewis we’ll seek out Fernwren and Chowchilla, two skulky but very vocal species that are extremely range-restricted. We’ll also head a bit inland to the drier eucalypt forests north of Mount Malloy, which support populations of Red-winged Parrot, Apostlebird, and the imposing Australian Bustard, and we should see the impressive bower of Great Bowerbird, which are quite common in the area. An early evening vigil at the lodge’s water features may reveal, with a bit of luck, one of the resident Red-necked Crakes. Night at Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge. 

Day 13: After a final early morning around Kingfisher Park, we will spend a bit of time visiting some local wetlands, where we might find White-browed or Spotless Crake, or perhaps even Cotton Pygmy-Goose. The area around Julatten can be excellent for a few often harder to find species such as the well-named Lovely Fairywren, an early arriving Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher (with great luck), or perhaps “wintering” Blue-faced Parrotfinches.The afternoon plan will be flexible, allowing for some time off to explore the grounds or to seek out any local species that we may still be missing. Night at Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge.

Day 14: We’ll depart Kingfisher early, heading north and off the tablelands for morning boat trip on the Daintree River, which is likely to be one of the highlights of the trip for some, especially avid photographers. Waterbirds are numerous and tame and should include Australasian Darter, Rufous Night-Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Shining Flycatcher, and Azure Kingfisher. We’ll also be hoping to glimpse some of the scarcer birds, such as Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, and Little Kingfisher. After we pack up, we’ll head back to Cairns, where we’ll explore the varied birds that call this tropical city home. A visit to the botanical gardens should reveal Rajah Shelducks swimming among the water hyacinths, Bush Thick-knees tucked under the shade, Rainbow Bee-eaters flycatching from exposed perches, Australian Swiftlets coursing overhead, and a variety of honeyeaters including Yellow and Brown-backed. Depending on tide conditions, we’ll also visit the world-famous Cairns Esplanade, where extensive mudflats host hordes of migrant waders, including Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Terek Sandpiper, Gray-tailed Tattler, Eastern Curlew, and Great Knot.  We’ll also visit a bustling colony of Metallic Starlings, which build large communal nests reminiscent of weaver colonies in Africa. Their blood-red eyes have to be seen to be believed. Night in Cairns.

2026 Narrative

IN BRIEF: Our 2026 tour of Queensland and New South Wales delivered a phenomenal mix of habitats, birds and other wildlife. Around Sydney, a rare day of storms on arrival gave way to a pair of Rockwarblers in the Blue Mountains, a confiding Superb Lyrebird in Royal National Park, and close Black-browed Albatross on our pelagic. At O’Reilly’s in Lamington National Park we enjoyed bowerbirds, parrots and an obliging male Albert’s Lyrebird. We then flew from Hervey Bay to Lady Elliot Island, near the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, where thousands of Black Noddies, Red-tailed Tropicbirds and a wealth of marine life awaited. 

The last week took us through the lowlands around Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands, Kingfisher Park near Julatten and the drier country around Mount Carbine. Highlights included Golden Bowerbird, Platypus, Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo, displaying Australian Bustards and a Daintree River cruise. The tour ended with a flourish: four Southern Cassowaries in a single afternoon at Etty Bay, including a male with two stripey chicks. 

Our final tally was 304 species of birds and nearly 30 mammals, plus dozens of fish, amphibians and reptiles. Southern Cassowary was bird of the trip, with the displaying Australian Bustards at Mount Carbine and the experience of Lady Elliot Island sharing a close second. 

IN FULL 

For the 2026 Eastern Australia tour we began by meeting up in the afternoon of day 1 for what was planned to be an introductory tour of some of the common birds of the region. Our normal plans however were shelved when Ben discovered the location of a visiting Regent Honeyeater that had been coming into a suburban yard near the base of the Blue Mountains. This is a critically endangered and spectacularly colourful species that was once widespread in the extensive drier forests found just inland of the Great Dividing Range. The existing forest cover that supports box-ironwood trees is a scant 10% of the original cover, and much of the remaining forest is highly fragmented and/or degraded. Despite intensive efforts the wild population is below 500 birds, with most of the remaining individuals in New South Wales. The bird that showed up in suburban Sydney was unringed, which is remarkable as virtually all of the remaining individuals are ringed and known to researchers. Since we were bound for the western suburbs anyway, we decided to go a bit up into the Blue Mountains in search of the only endemic species in New South Wales, the cute and highly specialized Rockwarbler. This attractive and charismatic little bird is an aberrant thornbill that is endemic to sandstone escarpments around the Blue Mountains and adjacent coast of New South Wales. With a long bill that they use to pry into cliff cavities, and a preference for ledges and rock rubble they seem an ecological equivalent to our Rock or Canyon Wrens. We used to regularly encounter this species along the coastal cliffs of Royal National Park, but over the last few years the birds have become difficult there, even eluding us completely last year. Our chosen spot to look was along a scenic creek in a small sandstone ravine near the eastern edge of the mountains. We found a pair in short order, and despite the rather boisterous Australian families that were enjoying the cool water and scenery found the birds to be quite cooperative. Less cooperative though was the weather, as soon after we found the birds heavy rolling clouds came over the ridge, and we could hear incoming thunder and wind. We headed back up to the vans, arriving just in time to avoid what turned into a serious storm. Driving down to our suburban neighborhood to look for the honeyeater proved interesting, with lashing rain and strong wind gusts making our quest seem like utter folly. The weather improved a bit when we arrived, allowing us to bird a bit near the property while Ben checked on the preferred bush that the honeyeater had been frequenting. While we awaited his report we found a family group of Grey Butcherbirds, some Noisy Miners, perched Rainbow Lorikeets, a couple of quick views of male Satin Bowerbirds and a very bedraggled Crested Pigeon. Ben discovered that BirdLife had banded the bird the previous day, and that the homeowner hadn’t seen it since. With the weather deteriorating again we elected to abandon ship, heading to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Although the drive over was short, it was memorable, with some of the heaviest rains many of us had even seen pouring down on the vans. Over dinner the clouds cleared, revealing a quite impressive double rainbow and a couple of fast flying flocks of White-headed Pigeons that were likely heading to an early roost in advance of yet another band of showers. Generally the weather in Sydney is consistently sunny and warm in October, with little to trouble a visiting birding group except windy conditions on the coast. This was actually the first time in over a decades worth of tours that we were directly impacted by storms on land around Sydney. Thankfully though, our subsequent two full days around the city were calm, with little sign of the tempests of the first afternoon. 

We spent the first full day exploring the large and wild Royal National Park, just a little south of metropolitan Sydney. The first National Park created in Australia (and second designated in the world), Royal encompasses 15000 hectares of coastal heath, dry forest, and patches of temperate rainforest in the valleys and boasts an amazing diversity of bird (and plant) life. We spent the morning walking down Lady Carrington Drive, an old roadbed that follows a meandering stream and passes through patches of more humid forest. Our primary goal for the walk was to locate a Superb Lyrebird, and this goal was achieved spectacularly (eventually). Generally wary and hard to see in the field the birds in Royal National Park are somewhat used to people and allow a closer approach, and our bird spent several calm minutes scratching around in the trailside leaf litter as we watched from just a few meters away. Golden Whistlers seemed to be almost everywhere, giving a musical counterpart to the errant and raucous yarks from passing Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and the maniacal cackling of distant Kookaburra. As this was effectively our first real day of birding our progress was slow. Some of the particularly attractive or noteworthy finds as we made our way out to a small picnic area lined with huge creekside figs included perky Grey and Australian Rufous Fantails bouncing about in the understory, fantastically tame Lewin’s Honeyeaters down at eye level, busy little groups or pairs of Brown Thornbill or Brown Gerygone, perched Fan-tailed and Shining Bronze Cuckoos, and, of course, a family group of uncommonly cooperative Variegated Fairywren including a lovely fully-coloured male. 

Once out at the fruiting figs we rather quickly connected with two additional excellent rainforest species in quick succession. The first, Green Catbird is often quite hard to see well, as they sound off with their grating calls from high up in the canopy while remaining stubbornly hidden in tangles well overhead. Once again, our birds proved more tractable, with two birds sitting right out on the trail apparently seeking out recently fallen fig fruits. Also here was a lovely Yellow-throated Scrubwren, and, for some participants, a very close Bassian Thrush that scuttled away through the undergrowth, only to reappear a while later as it flashed across the adjacent creek. While admiring the Lyrebird we could hear some calling Olive-backed Orioles, and White-throated Treecreepers calling from around the picnic table clearing. Luckily for us both birds lingered, and after the Lyrebird melted back into the bush, we tracked down both birds in quick succession. This same clearing also hosted an actually visible Eastern Whipbird that was bouncing around in a brushy patch of the forest floor! On the walk back we were treated to quick flight views of a pair of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos, some foraging Eastern Spinebills, a stunning and responsive Black-faced Monarch replete in its hues of pumpkin and silver, a perched Topknot Pigeon and a real surprise in the form of a circling Square-tailed Kite! This is a scarce raptor across its wide range, and one we had not previously recorded in Royal National Park 

The open lawns along the creek back near the carpark kept us entertained as well, with noisy groups of Little Corella, Rainbow Lorikeet and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo prospecting for nesting cavities, a pair of Sacred Kingfisher sitting quietly near a possible nest cavity in a huge spreading gum tree, noisy and very bold Laughing Kookaburras keeping an eye out for unattended picnic supplies, and a cute family group of Maned Ducks with five adorable fuzzy chicks in tow. Perhaps the most impressive sighting though was of the nearly 5-foot-long Lace Monitor that was stalking the edge of the creek. The Maned Ducks were swimming along with it, making sure that it didn’t quietly enter the water, and several Cockatoos including one particularly bold Corella were perching above it and screaming out warnings to all around. 

Leaving the trailhead area, we stopped in at the park café, where in addition to an excellent lunch were able to watch the local wildlife interacting with the outdoor diners. The birds here have always had a somewhat unhealthy relationship with the dining area, but during the covid years they seem to have grown even more attentive to the arrival of food. The long suffering waitstaff have to bring baskets to cover the food. I suppose dining outside in Australia always carries a bit of risk that one will end up sharing a meal with the local wildlife. As our visit coincided with a holiday long weekend, we found the park to be heaving with day visitors. Our usual parking area out on the coast was jam-packed so we elected to head out of the park rather than fight for the last remaining parking spots out on the coastal heaths. We headed a bit to the north to visit a small city park that has hosted a pair of Powerful Owls for many years. We had heard that the pair had two quite old chicks and had begun to move around from their traditional haunts, often appearing at an even smaller (but much less busy) park nearby. We first tried this smaller park, finding a simply obscene number of Bogong Moths in the woods (this is an endangered species that for whatever reason in 2026 has reached near plague proportions in the largest flight in decades), but no snoozing owls. It took a little bit of time to track them down back in their normal park, with one of the adults and the two chicks perched high in a remarkably open tree about 200m from their “normal” location. These huge owls (the largest species in Australia) seem to enjoy the suburban/forest interface, where they can feast on possums, and perhaps the occasional cat which thrive in the fire-suppressed and flowering-plant rich gardens. The birds’ massive talons and baleful stare certainly made us believe that it is a well named species! The more open lawns around the park were well stocked with birds too, and we were able to study Noisy Miners, Australian Magpies, Pied Currawongs and lots of incredibly loud Sulphur-crested Cockatoos on our way back up to the vans. 

Our next stop for the day was at a nearby public garden where we stopped to look at a large colony of Grey-headed Flying-Foxes that were hanging by the dozens in the trees around the carpark, like oversized paper Halloween ornaments. Below the bat roost we enjoyed close views of a handsome pair of Chestnut Teal, some close Pacific Black Duck, tottering Crested Pigeons, our first Australasian Figbirds and a very tame Grey Butcherbird that was perched right next to a sign depicting the “naughty” birds (with Grey Butcherbird featured prominently). Here too were some quite impressive Eastern Water Dragons and a sunning Eastern Water Skink along the little creek, with one of the male dragons sporting his dominant black and orange colours. 

Our last stop for the day was at a small wetland quite close to our hotel. Here we were able to acquaint ourselves with a nice selection of the more common birds in Sydney at a relaxed pace. Over about an hour and a half we found nearly forty species. Around the open lawns we familiarized ourselves with a suite of black and white birds that would soon become familiar companions for the tour; Willie Wagtail (actually a large species of fantail), Australian Magpie (not actually a true corvid), and Magpie-Lark (which is supposedly a terrestrial monarch flycatcher). A flock of delicately pink and silver Galahs were feeding out on the lawn and some Rainbow Parakeets were perched in an isolated nearby tree too, adding a touch of flair to the proceedings. The little trail that meanders through the woodland had several large fruiting mulberry bushes at its start, which were attracting a lot of birds. Most were exotic species (much like the mulberry itself), with a few European Starling, several striking Red-whiskered Bulbuls, and a couple of Spotted Doves and Common Myna. But a few native species were about as well, including a wonderfully engaging and particularly approachable family of Superb Fairywren and a chattering flock of Yellow Thornbills, a handsome bright yellow species with an almost orange face and throat. They were hard to spot given their size, but eventually gave good looks as they dropped down to eye level. 

In the small wetland pond in the center of the park we found Pied Stilts, Australian Ibis, a flyby Royal Spoonbill and several White-faced Herons hunting in the shallows, and Dusky Moorhen and Chestnut Teal paddling around in the more open sections of marsh. Flowering Banksias here were attracting a few New Holland Honeyeaters and Red Wattlebirds and a single Brown Honeyeater vying for space at the flowers. Here too was a very responsive Golden-headed Cisticola which sat up in a short tree for a very un-cisticola-like length of time. Out on the greens of a sports oval we were treated to excellent looks at a foraging Eastern Rosella, a striking species that looks like it might have been coloured in by a third-grade class with a heady supply of primary color crayons. We barely get into this species range on the tour, missing it completely nearly half the years, so this was a nice find to finish up our first birding day with. 

The next day of the tour this year was reserved for our all-day pelagic out of the Sydney Harbour. Our trusty 45-foot commercial sport fishing boat left from the Rose Bay Ferry terminal early in the morning, with great views of the magnificent Sydney Harbour, Opera House and Harbour Bridge as we left port. Even while still at the dock we had a few sightings of note, as the crystal-clear waters around the pier allowed us to spot a school of Eastern Hulafish and a small Stingray! We motored out of the harbour, watching the odd Pied, Little Pied or Little Black Cormorant pass by under clear skies and sunshine which made for a scenic ride out past the dramatic headlands. A trail of Silver Gulls followed along as we began to hit the heavier seas of the open ocean. Soon we were seeing our first Wedge-tailed Shearwaters as they passed by the boat. Using their languid flight style as a base we soon worked out the quite different flight styles of the few Short-tailed (oddly uncommon this year) and Fluttering Shearwaters as they circled around the boat. While watching the first groups of birds at leisure a flurry of excitement was created by our first Black-browed Albatross that glided up our wake and circled the boat several times, making the shearwaters look like toys under its outspread wings. We continued to motor out to deeper water, heading towards the continental shelf about 25 miles offshore. A bit further out the first Shy Albatrosses appeared. It’s always amazing how fast these birds actually are; one second you spot one on the horizon angling towards the boat and seemingly in the next second they are scrabbling around the stern for scraps. After we took in our first few Black-browed and Shy Albatrosses we were treated to a third species when a subadult Buller’s Albatross swept past. These striking birds are regular in the area in winter but by the dates of our tour are generally well south of Sydney Waters. Also on our way out to the seamount we were treated to passes by a Brown Skua which made multiple passes of the boat, showing off its hulking dark body and prominent white wing panels to good effect. Pressing on about another hour we reached the Brown Seamount area, pleased to find that the sea conditions even out that far (about 27 miles offshore) were very benign. We could tell that no one was affected by mal de mer as our stock of lunch sandwiches and treats was well attacked as we sat over the mount, waiting to see what birds might be attracted to the chum and fish oil that was being flung off the stern. It didn’t take long until the first Wilson’s Storm-Petrels and Providence Petrels appeared, as well as a few more Black-browed and White-capped Albatrosses and a second Buller’s Albatross, this time a well coloured adult with a bright yellow bill frame. As is often the case the trip back was a bit quieter, perhaps due a lot of birds electing to just rest on the water rather than fly in the mostly windless conditions. A few sea mammals appeared though, with some breaching Humpback Whales, a large pod of Short-beaked Common Dolphins and a pair (or perhaps a trio) of Risso’s Dolphins being admired in turn. Once back near the heads we stopped to admire a few loafing New Zealand (Long-nosed) Sea Lions that were hauled out at the base of the rather stunning sandstone cliffs that form the headlands of the harbour mouth. After the rather less tranquil sea conditions of our prior two pelagics in 2024 and 2025 it was nice to not have to fight the urge to kiss the ground once we had docked, and to have a reminder of how pleasant and birdy these waters can be in October. We headed back to our hotel out by the airport, passing through a part of downtown Sydney along the way. 

The following morning, we had an earlier than usual flight time up to Brisbane, which precluded us from undertaking any birding around Sydney before heading to the airport. It also meant that we would have more of the day around Brisbane available for birding, so as soon as we gathered up our luggage and secured our new chariots, we headed south of the airport to look at the mangroves around the Port of Brisbane. We timed the visit perfectly from a tidal perspective, with decent numbers of waders (including our first Far Eastern Curlews, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel, Royal Spoonbills and a flock of Australian Terns out on the mudflats. The sandier shoreline held our first Australasian Darters, Little and Great Egrets and a few gigantic Australian Pelicans paddling around in the shallower water. Overhead we were thrilled to spot a couple of striking Brahminy Kites; a lovely raptor clad in chestnut and white that often occurs around tropical coastal forests. Our principal reason for the visit though, was to catch up with a trio of mangrove-based birds in the denser mangrove forest on the edge of the carpark. Our run of excellent form continued, as it didn’t take long to track down a Torresian Kingfisher perched on a bare mangrove branch. This husky kingfisher was split from part of the old Mangrove/Collared complex, with a range that encompasses coastal north and northeast Australia and a bit of the adjacent New Guinea coast. It can be a hard species to see well, as it generally prefers to remain buried within the mangroves, calling loudly but staying in inaccessible haunts. We walked to the edge of the mangroves and were able to also locate (with a bit of patience) a Mangrove Gerygone that was occasionally singing as it foraged in the crowns of some mangroves just a bit in from the edge. The third member of the trio performed quite well too, with a pair of Mangrove Honeyeaters perching up in some isolated mangroves and uttering their rollicking staccato calls. Leaving the coast behind we headed a touch inland for an earlyish lunch at a little local café, accompanied by our first Blue-faced Honeyeaters, Pale-headed Rosellas and several Australian Figbirds and Rainbow Lorikeets. We still had some time after lunch before we had to head up to O’Reilly’s, so we set out for the nearby wetlands along Sandy Camp Road. This small “pocket park” protects several vegetated freshwater impoundments lined with tall paperbark forest, patches of open swamp and weedy thickets and a few manicured sports fields. It’s a diverse area, crisscrossed by well-maintained walking paths and a couple of viewing platforms. Here we wandered slowly around the first few ponds, taking in nesting Australian Darters with ungainly fuzzy white young still in the nests, and Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants. The ponds held our first Comb-crested Jacanas and Wandering Whistling-Ducks as well as Maned Duck and both Chestnut and Grey Teal and a smattering of Moorhens, Swamphens and Coots and a few dozen Pacific Black Ducks. Along the central path we located a nesting pair of White-breasted Woodswallows, with one of the birds perched on the nest at close to eye level, offering excellent views of its silvery grey bill and silky plumage. The thicker grasses along the path were hosting bubbling Australian Reed Warblers, and, with some patience both Variegated and Red-backed Fairywrens, with dazzling males of each showing off well in the midday sun. As we neared the vans we stopped to admire our first Grey Shrikethrush and Little Friarbird of the trip, and picked out a few Tree Martins that were circling over the pond mixed in with the more abundant Welcome Swallows. 

We made one more stop in Greater Brisbane before heading for the mountains, this time at a large park and conservation reserve along Bulimba Creek. Our main reason for the visit here was that there was significant interest in seeing a Koala this year, and see one we did, with a large male that was snoozing away (adult Koalas can sleep over 21 hours of the day) in a high tree above the blackwater creek. We watched him for a bit, and then decided to see if there might be any Pale-vented Bush-hens about as the habitat looked decent for this retiring species. We tried a bit of tape, and the harsh grating song actually aroused the Koala, who woke up to give us a rather bleary-eyed stare; and a perfect pose for a minute or so before he went back to sleep. Our walk around the park also provided us with some excellent bird sightings including a closely perched Dollarbird, several dozen Rainbow Bee-eaters hawking emerging flying ants out in one of the fields, and our first Australian Brushturkeys stalking the forest floor. 

By this time in the afternoon, it was time to start the roughly two-hour drive up from the coast and into another world; the rainforests along the upper ridges of the Border Ranges and our base for the next two nights at the incomparable O’Reilly’s Eco-Lodge. About an hour into the drive, we arrived at the beginning of the ascent into the park, stopping at the small public park in Canungra for a comfort stop before starting the drive uphill on the narrow and windy road that snakes its way up into Lamington National Park. The drive up was punctuated by patches of road construction and by roadside macropods including our first Red-necked and Pretty-faced Wallabies. As we neared the lodge a sudden shift from the dry and grassy Eucalypt forest to a temperate rainforest full of cycads, moss, a few Nothofagus and ferns was a surprise to many after the many kilometers of more open woodland. We arrived just at dusk, with enough light remaining that we could get the sense of the sweeping scenic views we would awake to on the morrow. The dinner buffet was well received, and we closed our wildlife account for the day when a nearly black Short-eared Brushtail Possum came down into an enclosure just outside the main dining hall window to gobble up a bit of fruit put there by the staff. 

We began our full day around Lamington National Park with a pre-breakfast walk around the lodge grounds where we caught everyone up on the common birds that frequent the clearings around the lodge. Quite a few of the participants mentioned that when they awoke and opened the curtains, they were instantly tallying lifers from (and on) their balconies! It’s certainly nice when the common birds include such absolutely stunning species as Regent and Satin Bowerbird, Australian King Parrot and Crimson Rosella, Wonga Pigeon and Red-browed Firetail! It’s not just the species list here that make an impact, but the tameness and approachability that a visiting birder can revel in. Instead of quietly lurking in the underbrush and hoping for a quick part-view of a calling Eastern Whipbird here one just scans the lawn or holds out some walnuts and one waltzes in without a care. It is, simply put, an amazing experience, akin to the Galapagos Islands in some respects. After spending the requisite amount of time taking in the colour show and getting selfies of King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas perched on various heads and shoulders we enjoyed breakfast at the lodge buffet. After breakfast we set off down one of the more forested trails that snake out into the National Park from the lodge. Here, Large-billed, Yellow-throated and White-browed Scrubwrens hopped around us at incredibly close range, while pairs of Australian Logrunners scratched hopefully in the leaf litter just a few feet away. Eastern Yellow Robins were plentiful, often perching within touching range and looking at us inquisitively. Even normally retiring species like Eastern Whip-bird are tame here, boldly hopping by in the open, or (in the case of one bird) even climbing up to an eye-level perch and checking out the contents of our outstretched hand. We walked about a mile through the rainforest, finding pairs of Brown Gerygones, a few Brown Thornbills and a near constant background din from Lewin’s Honeyeaters and Golden Whistlers. Near the back part of our walk, we were treated to views of several flashy Australian Rufous Fantails; a lovely and charismatic species clad in rust, black and grey which actively moves around in the understory and mid-canopy like an oversized butterfly. A male Rose Robin led us on a merry chase as it stubbornly remained high up in the canopy, but with some patience I think nearly everyone was able to see its hot-pink breast glowing against the green canopy. 

Another species which was certainly memorable was the lovely male Satin Bowerbird that was attending quite an opulently decorated bower virtually right off the trail. Generally, when birders think of bowerbirds or birds of paradise they think of New Guinea, but both bird families are represented in Australia as well. Rather than advertising their fitness through intricate song or flashy plumage (though the purplish-black males with their impossibly violet eyes have flashy plumage in spades) male Bowerbirds are the architects of the avian world. Carefully constructing a short runway bordered by walls of small sticks and ending in a wide flat mat lined with dried grass and straw these portly birds then decorate the mat with all manner of blue objects. Naturally a rare colour, blue used to be restricted to certain fruits or ephemeral flowers, and amassing and curating those hard-to-find objects would have made a Satin Bowerbirds job as an interior decorator difficult. These days however people have introduced all sorts of perennially blue objects that the male birds can collect to set their potential mates hearts aflutter. Bottle tops, pen caps, drinking straws, bits of plastic bags and the odd bright blue zip were carefully festooned around this bower, and the bird seemed completely nonplussed by the near continual visitations by curious humans. 

Once back at the lodge we headed over to the café where, in addition to our meals and some shopping at the adjacent lodge gift shop, we spotted a Grey Goshawk being harassed by some of the (many) local Pied Currawongs and picked out a passing Wedge-tailed Eagle that was soaring along a distant ridgeline well below our lofty vantage point. After a bit of down time we met up in the mid-afternoon and hopped in the cars to explore a side road that leads down to Duck Creek. We were a bit delayed though, as just before our prescribed meeting time Ben located a male Albert’s Lyrebird right behind our rooms. The bird was buried beneath a huge fallen tree, but from our vantage point on the elevated walkway we found some angles to view it as he scratched around on the forest floor. After a bit he walked over towards the adjacent trail and when we went down to get a closer look he rather uncharacteristically stayed put, giving us an amazing show of his filamentous tail feathers, and rich brown toned body. Albert’s (and the closely related Superb) Lyrebirds are the world’s largest (and among the world’s oldest) passerines. Accomplished mimics, they are perhaps best known for their starring role in many a nature documentary concerning Australian wildlife. We were further delayed at arriving down Duck Creek Road (though I’m sure no one minded) because right at the intersection of the road with the main park road we heard the unmistakable growl of a Paradise Riflebird emanating from the canopy. It took a bit of time to track the bird down, but when we did it put on a show as it crawled around in some loose vines up in the midstory. Inky black, with glossy reflective feathers that shine bronze in the belly and bright iridescent blue in the throat and uppertail the male Riflebird can really be stunning in good light, and we enjoyed excellent light as it repeatedly shifted positions and flared its bold colours. Recent research has shown that the Birds-of-Paradise likely initially evolved in Australia, retreating uphill and into the humid montane forests of New Guinea as the lowlands began to dry out and Australian rainforest patches shrank. Although the Paradise Riflebird is now the most southerly-distributed species of BoP it is quite probable that a hundred thousand years ago there were many species present in the mountains of southern Queensland. Eventually the bird flew off into the canopy, and we piled back into the buses, now the owners of memories of a bird of paradise. Duck Creek road has been closed (past our destination) since a large storm struck the area in early 2025 and is currently a matter of some political discourse. Apparently, the road is owned by the local council, but they do not have the money or will to reopen it. In the past O’Reilly’s ran off-road tours down the route, and they apparently do have the ability to get the road fixed, but the council will not approve a private entity repairing the public road. At any rate, we turned down the track and bumped along for a few kilometers, dropping down from the main road until we came to a patch of open Eucalyptus forest with an understory of grasses, grass trees, and thickets of lantana. In this generally drier habitat, we were soon able to track down several parties of White-naped Honeyeaters, some close enough that we could discern the red arc over their eyes. Our hoped-for Red-browed Treecreepers did not appear, but we did enjoy great views of another Spotted Pardalote attending its nest hole in a bank along the road edge, a male Variegated Fairywren, a vocalizing Grey Fantail and several Brown Thornbills in a busy little party down at eye level and tracked down an eventually cooperative Yellow-faced Honeyeater. The drive back up the road was also productive, as while scanning a patch of open fields below the ridge we picked up a family of Dingos that were busily devouring the remains of what appeared to be a dead kangaroo. They were distant, but our scope views were good, with the half-grown puppy being particularly well-received by the participants. Generally, when one thinks of Dingos one thinks about the western and interior deserts or open habitats, but here in the eastern part of the country these dogs persist in low numbers in more heavily forested habitats. Dingos are the descendants of semi-domesticated dogs that were brought over by aborigines around 55,000 years ago and there is quite a fierce debate these days whether they should be protected as a now-native mammal or controlled like feral dogs. No matter which side of the debate you come down on it is certain that the species is quite successful in many parts of the country, and is now an integral part of the ecology of the country. 

After dinner we set out for a short drive to look for some of the areas nocturnal life. The conditions for night birding were a little less than ideal, with very strong winds coming off a storm that was blowing right across the Tasman Sea from the southern reaches of New Zealand. Luckily though once we had dropped down a bit from the lodge the forests seemed calm, with a relatively clear sky, and cool but not outright cold temperatures. We checked a few spots along the main road, finding a cooperative Australian Boobook, several calling but invisible Australian Owlet-Nightjars and a quietly sitting Common Brush-tailed Possum that Ben picked up in his thermal. 

The following morning started much like our first at the lodge; with a bit of time enjoying the bowerbirds, parrots and allies around the buildings. We did have one more target bird to look for though, so before heading to breakfast we took a short walk into the woods before the masses of people that would be descending on the trails in an hour or so. We were hoping to encounter one of the two species of extremely similar thrushes in the mountains around O’Reilly’s. Bassian Thrushes tend to prefer the higher reaches of the montane ridges, dominating in the sections of forest with thick undergrowth, tree ferns and cycads while Russet-tailed Thrushes are the more common species on the lower slopes in drier and more open forests. As lodge sits right between these two zones, and there is considerable overlap between the two species on the trails near the lodge. It didn’t take long to spot a thrush that was quietly working in the leaf litter just a few meters off the edge of the trail. When they are not calling, or the views are brief separating the two species can be tricky, but thankfully this individual was hopping about in the open and at close range. We could clearly make out the brighter rufous tinge to the uppertail, white tail corners and pale tipped coverts lacking any shaft streaks that made this bird a Russet-tailed Thrush (the more common of the two species) rather than the larger and more uniformly scaled Bassian. 

After breakfast, we packed up and started the drive back down the park road, sad to leave such a special area, but looking forward to our impending time up around Hervey Bay and the Great Barrier Reef. Just a few kilometers down from the lodge we stopped in an area of more open forest and this time were successful in locating a group of the generally scarce Red-browed Treecreeper. Initially the birds appeared far away from our position, but thankfully they came quite a bit closer and lingered for a while, clambering about on a selection of nearby trunks before eventually disappearing downslope, and showing off their rusty faces and dark crowns and white spotted chests and flanks to nice effect. Our flight over to Hervey Bay was scheduled for the mid-afternoon this year, which allowed us to take our time getting back up to the Brisbane airport. Once we reached the bottom of the hill in Canungra we visited the nearby Canungra Conservation Reserve a bit to the East of town to check out a long-standing colony of Bell Miners. We parked and as soon as we exited the vans we could hear their ringing tones emanating from the nearby forest. We walked in along a dirt road and were soon standing underneath the birds. As is often the case, it took a few minutes to actually lay eyes on them, but soon enough we were looking at several Miners in the trees above us. These olive-green honeyeaters, with bright orange legs and bill, and loud pinging calls are often extremely frustrating to see well as they call from the mid to upper canopy. A colonial, cooperatively breeding species that specializes on feeding on the concentrated and sugar rich waste of Scale Insects called Lerps, Bell Miners are aggressive towards competitive species, chasing other species out of their large colony sites. This makes the Bell Miner society effectively an agrarian one, with the birds tending their lerp colony and preventing unwanted pests. The forest walk also gave us views of several yelping Noisy Miners (being chased by the Bell Miners), a busy flock of Little Lorikeets that eventually perched above us in poor light and several Scarlet Myzomelas which bounced around in the canopy, showing off their dazzling red tones to some but not all of the participants. Also in Canungra we stopped to admire a large mixed colony of flying foxes roosting over Canungra Creek. Most were Grey-headed Flying-Foxes (the same species that we had found in Sydney), but in the higher fig trees we found several hundred Black Flying Foxes tucked into the canopy. 

Leaving Canungra we took a winding route out to the west passing through a rather idyllic series of wide valleys with private ranches, patches of open forest and an array of ponds and lakes. Here, in the amazingly named town of Biddadabba we found a large loafing flock of Plumed Whistling Ducks that were standing along a small roadside lake. This is a really attractive duck, sporting almost comically elongated pale buff feathers on its flanks. Here to we were treated to a Brown Falcon being chased by a gang of Blue-faced Honeyeaters, our first close views of Australian Pelicans, several brightly-marked Black-fronted Dotterels, a single Straw-necked Ibis and, perhaps best of all, a hulking Pheasant Coucal that was lumbering around in the grasses adjacent to the pond. Another pond a bit further on held a foraging Yellow-billed Spoonbill, lots of nesting Little Pied Cormorants and Australian Ibis and a perched Sacred Kingfisher. 

We had a picnic lunch in a small park in Tamborine, accompanied by a parade of Little and Noisy Friarbirds, Australasian Figbirds, Blue-faced Honeyeaters and Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets visiting some flowering Grevillea robusta trees near the picnic tables. Our meal was closely watched by the resident Magpies and Pied Butcherbirds, one of whom managed to get away with half a sandwich, whereupon it promptly devoured all the cheese but left the rest! By this point in the day, we had to head for the Brisbane airport, where we arrived in plenty of time for our mid-afternoon flight up to Hervey Bay. It’s only a short 35-minute flight up to the small Hervey Bay airport on the Fraser Coast but the drive from Brisbane takes almost four hours. The flight also permitted us to see just why this south Queensland coastline is among the fastest developing parts of the country. With sparkling blue water, a complicated geography with many bays and inlets and bright white beaches it’s pretty much a developers dream. Thankfully for the local wildlife though large tracts of this area are protected in national parks, and a lot of the coast is inaccessible except by boat due to the paucity of roads. Once we landed, we picked up our new vans and headed down to our base in Maryborough for the night. 

The following day dawned clear with blue skies and only a few scattered clouds, in short, a perfect day to visit the sparkling waters of the Great Barrier Reef. In previous years we had accessed breeding seabirds and the Great Barrier Reef via a catamaran from Cairns. With the recent and significant bleaching events that have severely affected the overall coral health of the northern sections of the reef we decided a few years ago to shift our reef day from Cairns to this new location offshore from Hervey Bay; accessing the area via a short flight out to Lady Elliot Island, a small coral atoll surrounded by a vibrant and healthy fringing reef and liberally covered with trees and shrubs which support a wealth of breeding seabirds. The island supports continentally important numbers of several species, and has the second highest diversity of breeding seabirds of any site on the Great Barrier Reef. We drove up to the tiny airport at Hervey Bay and were soon ushered into a small waiting room that was covered in large photos of swimming Sea Turtles, Manta Rays and an array of colourful fish. Our 12-seater Cessna aircraft took off as scheduled, passing along the shores of the incredibly beautiful Fraser Island (the largest sandy barrier island in the world), covered with a seemingly endless expanse of native forest, small lakes and hills and a miles long bright white sandy shoreline. As the plane neared the atoll we circled around a few times as we dropped towards the grassy airstrip that neatly bisects the small round island. It took only a second of looking out of the airplane windows for everyone to realize that this was indeed a special place. Everywhere we looked Black Noddies were perched on trees and bushes or flying overhead as they performed their tandem display flights. We were greeted at the airplane by a host from the on-island lodge who was soon trying to give us the run-down of our day on the island; though he had to compete with the nearly hand-tamed Buff-banded Rails, and dozens of Bridled Terns and Black Noddies that were simply everywhere that we looked and completely untroubled by our presence. 

Once properly oriented, we set out on a small loop walk around the island, where we started off by locating a few Red-tailed Tropicbirds that were tucked in the deep shade of some large pandanus palms. These are the largest and most pelagic of the world’s three species of Tropicbird, with a very buoyant flight, ethereally white body plumage and bright red tail streamers, and although we kept the prescribed 2m distance from the nest sight our views were superlative, with a couple of mostly grown chicks. Later we spotted a couple of adults gracefully flying overhead, one of which was low enough to discern its namesake streaming tail feathers. After the tropicbirds we moved over to a lower and shrub-covered section of the island and were quickly successful at tracking down a perched Tawny Grassbird that sat up in some bare branches for what seemed like an eternity, showing its streaked back and spiked rusty tail off in the scope. Moving over to the end of the runway we found our first Pacific Golden-Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones, as well as yet more Buff-banded Rails and Black Noddies. Most seabird colonies around the tropics are largely unvegetated, and the visiting birder has to search through Sooty Terns and Brown Noddies in the hopes of finding just one Bridled or Black. Here we found the experience reversed, and with some careful searching we noted good numbers of Brown Noddies tucked into the low shrubs along the beach. Along the coralline coastline were several Pacific Reef-Egrets feeding in the shallows. Over the course of the day, we found eight or nine of these long-billed herons. The island possesses an endemic subspecies of Silvereye, and we were able to see several of these large and distinctively coloured birds as we walked along the edge of the forested half of the island. Dubbed the “Capricorn” Silvereye, this form is endemic to only a handful of islands along the Great Barrier Reef, and given the propensity for island-based endemism of white-eyes may well deserve full species status. In previous years we have tried experimenting with playback on these birds, finding that they generally ignore calls from mainland birds but respond vigorously to calls from the form of Silvereye from Lord Howe Island. Along the north beach we were happy to find several Roseate Terns huddled under the trees and dotting the shoreline. This elegant species breeds here in small numbers, and several of the birds were nicely blushing pink. At the same section of beach, we also picked out a couple of perched Brown Boobies, our first Grey-tailed and Wandering Tattlers, a lone Bar-tailed Godwit and a huge flock of Great Crested Terns. During the entire morning walk a few Frigatebirds were soaring up over the island, and at one point we found a tree with almost 20 perched in trees along the shoreline. Most were Great Frigatebirds, but we enjoyed multiple views of flying and perched Lesser Frigates as well; it was easily the best showing of Frigatebirds we have had out on the island. As we walked around the island the tide was dropping rapidly through the morning, and just after lunch was at a peak low, exposing a significant amount of coralline shelf around the island. We had a few birds remaining to look for after lunch, so we made another pass around the island, finding our hoped-for Sooty Oystercatchers (and a surprising pair of Pied Oystercatchers as well) and a lovely pair of striking Black-naped Terns that were sitting out on another exposed bit of coral. 

In the mid-afternoon the group split up to enjoy the leisure activities of the island, with many people opting for a short snorkel trip out on the reef, or a wander around with bins or cameras in hand. The snorkelers and reef walkers had tales of reef fishes, sea cucumbers, Black-tipped Reef Sharks, Sea Turtles and Octopi to share, and talk was animated when we reconvened for the outbound flight, with virtually everyone mentioning that the day had been outstanding. For the participants that had been lucky enough to be selected to sit in the co-pilots seat there was talk of honorable mention for bird of the day being the incredibly chatty and friendly captain Phil. Once our planes touched back down at Hervey Bay we were ready for showers and a bit of down time before dinner back at the now familiar pub in Maryborough next door. 

We awoke the next day and were treated to a special buffet breakfast that the old owners of the hotel have been putting on for us since we started visiting the area. Although the original owner had since passed on her daughter was continuing the tradition for us, as a nod to her mum. Once we had devoured the last crumbs of mince pies, pastries and fresh fruit we made a brief visit downtown, taking in the famous corner of town where the author of the Mary Poppins books was born. The town takes great pride as the birthplace of P.L. Travers, marking her birthplace with a brass statue, Mary Poppins shaped (umbrella clad) pedestrian crossing lights, an annual Mary Poppins festival in July and a small museum dedicated to the author and the movie. We took our requisite selfies and then continued out of town, bound for some shorebird high tide roosts in the nearby towns of Boonooroo and Maaroom. 

The Ramsar-designated high tide roost along the shore of Boonooroo was well worth a visit, as among the more familiar shorebirds (including several hundred Bar-tailed Godwits) picked out a small flock of Siberian Sandplovers, several Red-capped Plovers, a few Black-bellied Plovers and a couple of dozen Great Knot. In addition, those participants that were out snorkeling in the early afternoon were able to catch up on our Pied Oystercatcher sighting and we enjoyed close views of a circling Whistling Kite and brief views of an oddly skittish Forest Kingfisher that was perched up on roadside wires. 

We then moved over to the nearby town of Maaroom, a small but well-kept collection of houses and a sprawling caravan park and boat ramp that always has lots of parked cars but remarkably few (to no) visible people. With a significant number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos foraging out on the lawns and hopping along the driveways it could easily be seen as a set for some post-apocalyptic movie in which kangaroos have risen to be the preeminent form of sentient life. Our final total in the counting contest between town residents and kangaroos was an unusual one with humans just edging out the macropods by 11-8 this year! The high tide roost here was full of Bar-tailed Godwits and Far Eastern Curlews, and with a little scanning we picked out our only Red Knots of the trip quietly foraging in with their larger flockmates. The open fields nearby held our first Australian Pipits, several quite large male Eastern Grey Kangaroos that seemed disinterested in our presence as they lay about in their sideways propped up positions under some small shade trees. Also in the town, we located our first Bar-shouldered Doves, a perched White-bellied Sea-Eagle, and yet more Mangrove Honeyeaters which seemed to be particularly vocal and obvious this year.  

Our next stop was back up in Hervey Bay, at a small pond near the coast where we noticed a lot of waterfowl sitting around the grassy margins. Here we enjoyed close views of prehistoric looking Magpie Geese which showed off their unwebbed feet as they trundled across the lawns. A large flock of Plumed Whistling-Ducks were snoozing in the shade around the lagoon, and the photographers in the group took a bit of time as a couple of Comb-crested Jacanas and a pair of Black Swans were posing nicely. The shoreline of the lake was hosting Royal Spoonbills, a Plumed Egret and a few Dusky Moorhen and Australasian Swamphen. Our reason for visiting the area was to check a small coastal reserve for any recent sign of Black-breasted Buttonquail activity. To date we have not managed to locate this scarce species during our visits around the area, and this year the trend continued, though we did see some very fresh platelets (shallow scrapes in the forest floor where the birds have been recently rummaging through the leaf litter). The visit was still worthwhile though, as apart from the stunning scenery along the coast we located our first Little Shrikethrushes, ogled several impressively large nesting mounds made by the local Australian Brushturkeys and watched an Osprey swoop down and grab a small fish just a bit offshore. As we left, we found a perched Dollarbird and several calling Lewin’s Honeyeaters, as well as quite a few Rainbow Bee-eaters perched on the roadside wires. 

Just a bit before we reached the airport we passed by some recently plowed fields and made a sudden stop when a long-winged raptor was spotted flying low over the fields. As we had hoped the bird proved to be a Spotted Harrier, a species that we generally do not see on the tour, as it tends to frequent more arid and open habitats. An adjacent field was being harvested, with several hundred Eastern Cattle Egrets, a Brown Falcon and lots of Black and Whistling Kites following behind the thresher looking for the helpless prey left behind. We reached the airport in time to check in and have lunch, and then flew down to Brisbane and (after a nearly two-hour layover) on to Cairns where we arrived a bit after 7pm. For a travel day we were quite pleased with the days’ birding, and the checklist took some time to review when we eventually did it the following evening. 

We awoke the next morning eager to explore the Australian tropics. A quick check out of our balcony windows revealed that we had certainly entered a new world. Starch white Torresian Imperial Pigeons were perched atop palm trees around the hotel grounds, and Australian Swiftlets and White-breasted Woodswallows were flying overhead. After breakfast we visited a nearby park and were almost instantly successful at locating a roosting Rufous Owl that was perched high up in a fairly open tree. This is an impressively large owl, with particularly large feet that help it take prey items such as Possums and Flying Foxes. It has a limited and patchy range in Australia, largely confined to the tropical forests of the top end and northern Queensland. It had been some years since we had managed to locate this species around Cairns, making our views of this even more sweet. Feeling like we were on a roll we drove over to the nearby esplanade, where we spent an enjoyable half-hour or so birding in the lightly wooded coastal greenspace. The tides were not conducive to shorebirding as we arrived at virtually peak high tide, but we did spot our first Common Greenshank and a few Whimbrel snoozing on a small section of still exposed beach near the northern end of the beach. Out on the bay we picked up a few foraging Little Terns, our 10th species of tern for the trip! Our main focus though was the open fields and scattered small fig trees that form the public park along the coast. Here we rather quickly connected with our main target of the area, with a pair of quite approachable Varied Honeyeaters (a more colourful and tropical version of Mangrove Honeyeater) that came down to the ground in front of us in an uncharacteristically good showing. Here too was a lovely pair of Torresian Kingfishers, our first diminutive Peaceful Doves, several buzzing flybys from Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and heaps of Masked Lapwing, here of the remarkably different northern subspecies which differs from the southern birds by their longer legs, paler mantles, all white underparts and extensive yellow facial wattles. 

Leaving the esplanade behind we moved over to the Cairns Botanic Gardens for a visit around the Freshwater and Saltwater Lakes. The botanic gardens here are vast, and the area is often excellent for general birding. On this occasion we found the lakes to be relatively quiet for waterbirds, although we did appreciate our first Sahul Sunbirds bouncing around the lake margins and strutting Orange-footed Megapodes and Australian Brushturkeys that were tending to their large mound nests in the surrounding gardens. Here too was a furtive but joyfully vocalizing pair of Black Butcherbirds, and some low-flying Australian Swiftlets coming in to drink from the pond. We then walked around the freshwater lake, where, with some sustained effort we tracked down a singing Sahul Cicadabird (a thin and dark-bodied Cuckooshrike with a very repetitive insect-like call), and were surprised to find a local rarity in the form of a migrant male Satin Flycatcher. This is a scarce wet season migrant that winters in New Guinea and migrates mostly down the coast to its breeding grounds in Eastern Australia, passing through coastal and wet forest areas over a rather narrow migration window in October and early November. We also heard the third bird with Sahul in it’s name – the Sahul Brush Cuckoo, but weren’t able to spot it in the dense forest past the boardwalk, preventing us from achieving the Sahul trifecta. The new moniker Sahul (used in these species only recently after taxonomic splits) refers to the paleocontinent with the same name, which roughly encompassed mainland Australia, the Island of New Guinea, Tasmania and the Aru Islands. 

After the botanic gardens we left the Cairns area, with a quick stop for water and snacks at a local mall (providing a nice slice of life bit of Australiana at the same time) bound eventually for the picturesque Etty Bay with a goal of looking for Southern Cassowaries around the beach. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Cairns, and roughly a third of the way in we diverted to a small turf farm just a few kilometers off the highway to look for a pair of reported Little Curlews that had been found about a week prior to our arrival. These small curlews are a wet season migrant to Australia, principally in the top end and northern Western Australia. Only a few individuals get as far east as coastal Queensland each year, and generally those birds don’t appear until the true onset of the wet season (sometime in late November/early December). It took us a bit of scanning to locate them, but happily the birds were still present, marking only our third sighting ever of this declining and elegant wader. Here too we were thrilled to find a couple of Eastern Yellow Wagtails that were bouncing around some high piles of dirt and compost. This is another wet season migrant which is quite scarce this far east in Queensland, and the sighting was a write in for our cumulative list! Perhaps better still we located two Australian Pratincoles, an elegant long-legged and long-winged wader that sports a lovely cherry-red bill, and burgundy waistcoat. This was a third rarity for us, (only the second sighting of the species that we have had in 16 years of tours), and again is generally a species found further to the west. We looked in vain for a recently reported Oriental Plover, but it seemed like we would have to settle for just the three rare birds… Other birds were around too though, and our visit stretched out a bit as we ogled point blank views of Black-fronted Dotterels, a mixed flock of Black and Whistling Kites, a low-flying Wedge-tailed Eagle that gave a remarkably close pass overhead, several dozing Bush Thick-Knees, and a few Australian Pipits. On the way out we stopped at a recently ploughed field and among the masses of Masked Lapwing and Black Kite we found a third Little Curlew. We decided to check the sod farm again as it was on the way, and on this second visit almost instantly connected with a Pacific Golden-Plover and the Oriental Plover! This buffy dry-land wader is (to be a stuck record here) another wet season migrant that is typically found far inland rather than virtually on the east coast. It was a long-awaited lifer for Ben and capped off a truly remarkable set of rarities at this seemingly unassuming sod farm. 

About a half an hour further south we stopped in at a delicious café in Babinda for lunch, before completing the drive through Innisfail. As we neared the coastal forested hills we passed through a suburban area with huge open lots and small paddocks. Here we stopped to admire a few nesting colonies of Metallic Starlings as the birds busily went about finishing their huge colonial nests. The light angle was perfect for us, with the normally black-looking birds appearing shimmering bronze and green with flashing fiery-red eyes. As we neared the coast, we had started to see some helpful signs that heightened our expectations. Every 100m or so there would be a placard proclaiming Cassowary Crossing, slow down for our Cassowaries, no-dog Zone, we love our birds etc. We arrived in the late afternoon, with high hopes that the local birds would perform on cue with a dusk visit out to the beach. The parking lot was much busier than normal, with tons of people enjoying the fine Sunday weather. During our hour or so long vigil we sadly no sign of our hoped-for quarry, but did enjoy a selection of ice creams. We met camper after camper who share comments like “It was right here about an hour ago” but for us there was nary a whiff of Cassowaries. We sent one of the vans back to patrol the more forested entrance road (a strategy that had worked the previous two years) but this time our strategy failed to bear fruit. By four pm we had to head up to our lodge on the Tablelands, but as we left the area our progress was arrested by the arrival of a pair of elegant looking Pacific Baza along the road. We were able to watch them for quite some time as they moved around in the roadside trees, occasionally flying out only to be harassed by the local honeyeaters. The nearby homeowner came out and chatted with us for a while about his birds, revealing that his mum had been a well-known local birder and that he often saw Cassowaries in the afternoon on a different nearby road. We thanked him and gave his suggested site a quick once-over, but then made tracks up to the Southern Tablelands and our wonderful lodge that sits inside Lake Eacham National Park. We arrived just a bit before six, and after checking in and having a bit of time off enjoyed dinner at the nearby historic hotel in Yungaburra. A short jaunt out near the nearby Lake Tinaroo revealed a very cooperative Barking Owl at our second stop, bookending our day with owls! 

Most of the participants were eager to see a bit of the local non-bird fauna, so after dinner we set off to the nearby Curtain Fig National Park where a bit of spotlighting (and thermalling with a couple of thermal scopes in the group) produced a wealth of critters. Several sedate Green Ringtail Possums and a few Giant White-tailed Rats were around the carpark, and our views of the stunningly large curtain fig by torchlight were truly memorable. Once back at the lodge we wandered down to a special area where the lodge has set up an excellent viewing platform for nocturnal mammals, with floodlights along the edge of the forest illuminating a nice patch of tree trunks. Here we quickly found a Krefft’s Glider lapping up sap from a close trunk. This silvery-grey marsupial resembles an overly fluffy flying squirrel, and like those animals it has a thin furred membranes along its flanks and limbs which allows it to glide long distances to escape potential rivals or predators. We were able to watch the animal at length, and at a ridiculously close range (thanks to their near daily exposure to human paparazzi). Here too was a dozing Boyd’s Forest Dragon that also seemed interested in the provided sugar solution as it clung to the side of the trunk just a few inches away from the nectar. 

There can be few experiences dearer to a traveling birder than that precious first morning in a brand-new area. The stream of unfamiliar calls emanating from the forest and the flutter of colour and motion in the canopy, all signal that long-awaited birds heretofore seen only in the pages of field guides have now arrived as living creatures. We met for a pre-breakfast walk around the carpark of the lodge; a walk that basically became an impromptu big sit as a few of the trees around the margins of the small clearing were in fruit and attracting a heady mix of birds. We started off with repeated and close-range views of both Rufous and Bower’s (a Tableland endemic) Shrikethrushes that were foraging right along the edge of the carpark. Lewin’s Honeyeaters were seemingly everywhere around us, uttering their piercing machine-gun-like trills at regular intervals. Brown Cuckoo-Doves were chasing each other around in the canopy, and the grating growls of a couple of Spotted Catbirds allowed us to track down these often frustratingly elusive birds as they came into a bird feeding station and posed for us. We found Double-eyed Fig-Parrots to be uncharacteristically prevalent, with several individuals even perching out on sunny limbs above the lodge. Even more exciting was the presence of a large number of Victoria’s Riflebirds; it’s not every day that one starts a daily bird list with a bird of paradise! We were able to watch several females at length as they came into fruit. Less boldly coloured than the males these females are still a very attractive study in brown and white, with an impressively strong and curved bill. We also found a displaying male just outside one of the sets of cabins, and watched him at length as he occasionally lifted up its head, flashing its skirt of breast feathers and opening its bill revealing the electric-yellow mouth linings. Many participants lingered long enough to see it raise its wings to form an impressive black semicircle when a female bird passed through the clearing. A big fruiting fig tree above the lodge was attracting a steady stream of visitors, from huge multi-coloured Wompoo Fruit-Doves to flashy Barred Cuckooshrikes, staid Dusky Myzomelas and chattering groups of Silvereye. The skies were active as well, with small flocks of Topknot Pigeons, a couple of passing White-throated Needletail and the odd group of Spangled Drongos heading southwards on their annual migration out of New Guinea. 

After our catered breakfast, we set off for our principal location for the morning; the higher elevation forest in Mount Hypipamee National Park. More commonly known as ‘The Crater’ this park supports a large tract of forest at over 700m in elevation, and still has the full complement of the Atherton Highlands endemics, although a few are no longer regularly findable on the short nature trail. Our first bird upon leaving the buses (with the exception of the ridiculously tame and even pushy Brushturkeys) was a sprightly little Grey Fantail, here of the local Atherton race, flashing its tail around like a proud father showing off a newborn baby. In the same tree we were happy to see our first Macleay’s Honeyeaters (a particularly well-patterned species, and one that is confined to a quite small range around the tablelands. Nearby we found several cooperative Bridled Honeyeaters (a flashy highland species with a lovely bicoloured bill) and several Bower’s Shrikethrushes (yet another Atherton tableland endemic). 

After a comfort break and some time looking at our first official Grey-headed Robin (a high elevation endemic on the tablelands) we walked back along the entrance road, which offers a nice access point for forest-edge birding. Our main goal here was to spend a bit of time looking for Golden Bowerbird bowers. These paired maypole-style constructions are impressive, topping out at nearly three feet in height and often with horizontal display perches built in. I dare say that most humans would struggle trying to replicate one. Two years ago, a large tree had fallen on the active bower, but we had found a new construction a bit further uphill. Happily for us, this site was still active, and within minutes of arriving we were looking at the male in attendance. It takes at least six years for the males to reach their full golden potential, and individual birds’ (we have been following this male now for about five years) transition from brown to gold is at this point finally complete. The bird spent some time just sitting a bit above the bower, inspecting his handiwork with the impressive amount of pale gray-green lichens that he had placed around the display area. Elated with this truly special experience (we have missed this species completely in past years) we quietly came back down the road, stopping for some high-fives and a bit of a short lecture when we were closer to the carpark. Because Golden Bowerbirds require large tracts of high elevation forest and occur only in the mountains around the tablelands, they are generally scarce, with populations largely isolated by intervening land clearing. With the current shifting of the weather, impending climate change issues, habitat fragmentation and a small and declining population the future for this species is somewhat bleak. Hopefully its charisma will be enough to mount a recovery and support plan. After a quick snack and bathroom break, and some time spent looking at some Tooth-billed and Satin Bowerbirds that were coming into a nearby fruiting tree we walked down to the actual crater, an impressive collapsed lava tube with a small but likely very deep lake at the bottom. It resembles in some ways the cenotes in the Yucatan, minus (one hopes) the many human sacrifices. The trail into the crater held a few birds of interest for us, with the chief prizes likely being a few very approachable Pale-yellow Robins, a beautiful perched Sacred Kingfisher that was sitting just below the craters viewing platform, and a Grey-headed Robin that was putting the finishing touches on its trailside nest. 

As we had flown in both directions between Hervey Bay and Brisbane this year, we missed out on visiting the drier forest that occurs in the intervening area. Last year we had this same issue, and had found a spot a bit to the southwest that offered a few of our missed species, so we decided to repeat the experience once we left the Hypipamee area. A bit off the road to Heberton, we stopped at a small dam, where among more familiar species we found Straw-necked Ibis, several close Whistling Kites and a foraging Comb-crested Jacana. It wasn’t until we reached a little creek crossing back in the forest that the birding really heated up though. Here we spent a very entertaining hour or so, with a steady trickle of new birds turning up every few minutes, amid a constant backdrop of bird activity and the occasionally annoying construction vehicle using a nearby spot as a location to turn-around. Honeyeaters were particularly well represented, with several attractive White-cheeked and White-throated, a few Fuscous (here of the odd yellow-faced variety that may well prove to be a distinct species someday). Here too were our first Rufous Whistlers and Dusky Woodswallows, as well as a confiding pair of Eastern Yellow Robins. Perhaps the best sighting though was the busy group of Varied Sittella up in the canopy; here of the black hooded and heavily streaked Queensland race. Although widespread in Australia, Sittellas occur at relatively low densities and are generally infrequently encountered. They strongly resemble social Nuthatches in form and behavior, but belong to their own tiny family, restricted to Australia and New Guinea. The birds were wonderfully cooperative, coming in quite close on several occasions. 

By this point in the morning our thoughts were starting to turn towards lunch, so we headed northwards to Atherton, skirting the edge of what appeared to be a large forest fire one valley west of the road. On our way back to the lodge for a short siesta we stopped at the shores of Lake Eacham in order to scope a couple of the resident Great Crested Grebes that frequent the deep and fish-rich waters of the crater lake. 

In the later afternoon we met up and set off for Hasties Swamp. Just after passing by the Curtain Fig Park we noticed a field full of cranes, and finding a reasonable spot to pull over (which can be tricky in this country due to a general lack of road shoulders) were soon looking at dozens of elegant Sarus Cranes. Many were close, clearly showing the fully red hood and upper neck that helps differentiate them from the (slightly) smaller Brolga. It took a bit of searching through the family groups but eventually we did spot a trio of Brolga out in the same field, providing an excellent comparison, and two life cranes at once for many of this year’s participants. 

Hasties Swamp has a nice two-story blind overlooking the lake that in the latter stages of the dry season is often generously stuffed with birds from the surrounding arid country out to the west. This year the banks of the lake were relatively devoid of waterfowl, but there were still about a dozen Wandering Whistling Ducks amid the Pacific Black Ducks and Hardheads (Australia’s answer to the northern hemisphere scaup or pochards), and a nice array of birds such as Comb-crested Jacana, Australasian Swamphen, Great, Little and Plumed Egrets and various cormorants and shorebirds. By scoping the grassy verges of the lake we also picked up a few large Agile Wallabies that were quietly nibbling on the greener patches of grass, and a little group of migrant waders that proved to be Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. While watching this flock we noticed a much smaller wader nearby, and training the scopes on it were amazed to see that it was a Long-toed Stint! This elegant little “peep” winters in Australia but is generally found far westwards in the country (echoing a familiar pattern for many birds this year). It was another write-in for the cumulative list, quite the feat for a list that now stretches back 16 years. Just before leaving the blind, we were treated to very good views of a perched Forest Kingfisher sitting in some blind-side trees, and another “goodie” with a coal-black Spotless Crake that was slowly meandering near the water’s edge under the blind. Bird activity was also very high around the carpark with an unusually cooperative Scarlet Myzomelas actually coming down from the canopy and showing off their bright red heads and backs. Here too we enjoyed a family group of Red-backed Fairywrens, a party of White-naped Honeyeater and several dozen Chestnut-breasted Munia that were feeding in some seeding grasses along the lake shore. 

Our final stop for the day was along Peterson Creek in Yungaburra. On the walk down from the cars we were treated to views of a Pacific Emerald Dove tottering along on the forest floor with its gleaming namesake mantle and plum-toned chest showing particularly well. Once down along the creekline it took us a bit of time to track down a couple of Platypus that were paddling around on the surface of the muddy creek and occasionally diving down in search of dinner (they prefer freshwater crayfish and shrimp, and locate their prey using specialized sensors in their bills that can detect the minute electric fields given off by their quarry). Most Australians have never had an encounter with a wild Platypus, so our timing was incredibly fortuitous. We were able to watch one of the animals for quite some time as it slowly moved along just underneath our vantage point on the creek bank. The views were superlative, and the group was elated by the experience, so much so that few even deigned to look at the Buff-banded Rail that was crying out for attention on the far bank! While watching one of the Platypuses we noticed some movement in the thicket across the creek from our position, and with a bit of shuffling around for the right angle were amazed to see a pair of Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroos that was near the ground, stripping leaves off a small vine. These largely nocturnal and arboreal Kangaroos are truly odd creatures, looking quite ill designed for their chosen haunts, but are actually quite adept at clambering around high up in the trees. In many ways these tree kangaroos seem the ecological analog of a central or south American Tamandua (tree anteater) though admittedly faster and perhaps more agile. They spend much of the daylight hours fast asleep high in the canopy, and despite their size are often very hard to find. I suspect that few, if any, people before us have had the pleasure of viewing Platypus and Tree Kangaroo in the same binocular field! Leaving the mammals to their business we enjoyed our own dinner back at our Yungaburra hotel and then headed southwards for a more serious and lengthy nocturnal outing, with the aim of checking a spot that Ben had heard about for the very rarely encountered Australian Masked-Owl, and revisiting the Hypipamee area in search for mammals that prefer the slightly higher and larger forest found there. It was a bit of a drive (almost an hour) to get to the area, but rather incredibly as soon as we played some Masked Owl recordings we heard a response from close by, and only a minute or so later we had an adult pinned down in our torchlight! This was quite a coup, as the species had eluded all WINGS Australia tours for decades, and was a lifer for Ben and a long-awaited lifer for Gavin! The Masked Owls in this part of Australia tend to be quite pale, and this bird certainly was; a silvery white with a solid black-bordered facial disk, fully feathered long legs and huge talons. The sighting represented one of just a few dozen ever in the region! The trip to Hypipamee became almost an afterthought, but some spotlighting and thermalling around the carpark and driveway did reveal a dark-morph Lemuroid Ringtail Possum sitting sedately up in the canopy, as well as a few roosting honeyeaters an as yet unidentified rodent, and a Coppery Brushtail Possum. 

For our second morning at Chambers, we again met up a bit before breakfast to bird around the lodge buildings. In addition to the species that we had encountered on the first day we were treated to views of an immature male Victoria’s Riflebird practicing his displays on one of the lodge-provided tall stumps. The fruiting fig tree was again quite productive, with some participants getting views of a lovely Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (a particularly bright member of this often-gaudy group of birds, sporting a bright rose crown, silvery cheeks and neck and a tequila sunrise toned belly) before it unfortunately dropped into thick leaves never to reappear. A tooth-billed Bowerbird feeding in the fruits was much more accommodating, and we were also finally able to get good views of a male Varied Triller out in the open (a usually common species that was strangely thin on the ground this year). After breakfast, we packed up and headed out to explore some of the extensive forests that still lie on the north and east sides of Lake Tinaroo just a few miles out of town. Our chief goal once we entered the forest here was to try to encounter a few species of skulky understory birds; Fernwren, Chowchilla and Atherton Scrubwren. We slowly walked around the short loop trail that drops down to Mobo Creek, finding the area pleasantly crowd free and lush, with a dense understory of Electric Ferns and a clear flowing rock creek with small pools. Along our loop walk we spent quite some time pinning down a pair of vocalizing Yellow-breasted Boatbills above the creek. This tiny, brightly colored and huge billed species can be tricky to see well as they prefer to remain high in the forest canopy. One of only two species in the world (the other occurring in New Guinea) Boatbills resemble somewhat oversized Tody Tyrants with an optimistic view of the world. At one of the pools we were treated to a quietly sitting Azure Kingfisher that zipped off along the creek in a flash of royal blue and rust. A pair of Fernwrens appeared right underfoot but somehow skipped through the leaf litter and managed to avoid over half the group as they dematerialized into the vegetation. We had much better luck with Chowchilla however, as once back at the vans Ben rechecked the beginning of the trail acting on a tip from a passing pair of birders. Luckily the birds were still present, and we hustled down and were soon studying a family group of these odd but undeniably charismatic birds (somewhat closely related to the Logrunners) as they rummaged through the leaf litter in search of brunch. Chowchilla, with their tufted crests, colored throat patches and bright eye-rings are often skulky birds, though are generally loud and easy to hear. Chowchilas are a species of great conservation concern, as they are poor dispersers and need a decent amount of good forest to forage in. Just during the past decade populations have winked out in many of the smaller tableland parks, with good populations persisting only in the largest blocks of forest. 

Happy with our views we backtracked through Yungaburra, making a quick stop at the local park to avail ourselves of the restroom before continuing on to visit a small patch of dry forest along a quiet road a bit out of town. Here we quickly located a pair of vigorously responsive White-throated Gerygones, which somewhat stubbornly remained a little higher in the trees than we would have liked. Their bubbling and exuberantly cheerful song was highly memorable though, and eventually everyone managed to see their bright yellow underparts and white throats as they bounced around the branches over the road. Here too was a quite cooperative male Rufous Whistler, who posed nicely for our cameras before dropping back down into the thick palmetto and grass understory. 

By this point in the morning, it was time to start heading across the Tablelands to the north, and after about a 45-minute drive we found ourselves on the outskirts of Mareeba, the commercial hub of the region. We went directly to a spot that had been excellent for us on the 2025 tour, and were similarly rewarded this year. Around the clearing near the carpark we enjoyed views of a half-dozen Blue-faced Honeyeaters, our first Yellow Honeyeater and perched Spangled Drongo and a Pheasant Coucal that was rather unusually perched up above eye-level in a small tree. Our main quarry performed amazingly well too, as a short walk down towards the Barron River revealed a pair of responsive White-browed Robins lurking in the thick riverine vegetation. This is a generally scarce and often fairly secretive species that we normally do not target on the tour. It’s a much flashier species than field guides tend to show, well-marked in bold grey, black and white and often with a dramatically cocked-up tail, and this bird showed all of those fieldmarks off well as they came up into a eye-level position and sang for several minutes before dropping back down into the undergrowth. 

After lunch at a little European-themed deli restaurant in town we drove a bit out to the west to visit the Granite Gorge Caravan and Nature Park. It’s an odd spot; part caravan park, part zoo, but as the hosts here regularly water the ground and the property abuts a stretch of permanently flowing creek it is often an excellent site for birds. Some flowering trees around the grounds here held a nice selection of honeyeaters, including Noisy and Little Friarbirds, several more Blue-faced and Yellow Honeyeaters, and a couple of Sahul Sunbirds. The tree was also hosting Spangled Drongos, a small family group of Grey-crowned Babbler and several Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, making for quite a busy scene. Once we paid our modest entrance fee we wandered down the trail to look at the small and undeniably cute semi-tame Mareeba Rock Wallabies that were hopping about in amongst the huge rounded boulders in the gorge. Used to being fed these animals are ridiculously approachable, with some participants even venturing a brief touch. It’s probably not the healthiest habit or diet for the wallabies, but the experience for visiting tourists really does leave an indelible memory. We also walked along a short stretch of creekline in the back of the property, where we were treated to our first Leaden Flycatchers, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin, Brown-backed Honeyeaters, and Large-billed Gerygone as well as very close views of a pair of foraging Pale-headed Rosella and a busy tree filled with Brown and White-throated Honeyeater, Olive-backed Oriole and a lovely male Mistletoebird. Perhaps the two most impressive species here though were Channel-billed Cuckoo (a huge cuckoo with an almost toucan-like bill and raucous call) and Great Bowerbird (of which we saw a half-dozen or so around the grounds, though none at particularly close range). Oddly we failed to find any Squatter Pigeons, a species which is generally quite easy at this location, but on the way out of the area we caught up with the species when we spotted a group of eight sitting in a roadside paddock. Generally, Squatter Pigeons are a tricky species to locate as they are wary and inhabit the grassy understory of rather open forest, but these ones were happily sitting out in the open near a small running tap! 

As we continued north, we made a quick stop in along the shore of Lake Mitchell where we found our first (distant) Green Pygmy-Geese, Radjah Shelduck and Glossy Ibis, as well as impressive numbers of Comb-crested Jacana and Magpie Geese and a few migrant shorebirds including Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Bar-tailed Godwit. We arrived at our base for the next three nights in good time and were soon greeted by our gracious hosts, Carol and Andrew, who are excellent birders and naturalists, and in addition to showing us to our rooms they also introduced us to some of their local Orange-footed Megapodes, the Red-browed Firetails and Chestnut-breasted Munias at the lodge feeders and a busy flock of Metallic Starlings that seemed intent on instantaneously denuding one of the carpark-side fig trees of fruit. Since we arrived at Kingfisher Park just before six, we managed to have a bit of time to settle into our rooms before we headed to a nearby country pub for dinner. The pub proved excellent for more than just dinner, as we found a huge Hercules Moth fluttering around the bar area. 

Our comfortable hotel in Kingfisher Park is situated in a protected track of rainforest adjacent to a small shallow creek, just a kilometer or so from the extensive forests of Mount Lewis; a perfect and relaxing spot where we could just walk out of our doors and begin birding. The next morning, we did exactly that, meeting for a short walk around the grounds before breakfast beginning by walking the outer edge of the property where the first sun hits the trees. Some flowering bottlebrushes along the path were hosting Cryptic and Yellow-spotted Honeyeaters, which allowed us to spend a bit of time teasing apart the identification issues that surround Meliphaga honeyeaters. We then passed along the edge of a large paddock, stopping to admire some flyover Topknot Pigeons, a lovely pair of displaying Forest Kingfishers and a pair of Yellow-faced Honeyeater. A large fig tree over the road was heaving with ripe figs, and a lot of birds including a handsome Wompoo Fruit-Dove, a little flock of Barred Cuckooshrikes, squabbling Australasian Figbirds and Rainbow Lorikeets and a seemingly inexhaustible number of Metallic Starlings were all vying for the best sections of tree. We could hear a few Superb Fruit-Doves in the mix too, but sadly these jewel-like small rotund doves deigned to stay well hidden in the dense canopy. At the little bridge over Bushy Creek, we turned up our first Grey Whistler, a small and rather understated species with a ringing jaunty song. Here too was a lovely Fairy Gerygone, our fifth and final species of Gerygone for the tour. Once back at the lodge, we enjoyed an excellent breakfast, accompanied by George and Matilda, the local pair of Orange-footed Megapodes and a wary Pacific Emerald Dove roaming the edges of the breakfast area hoping for falling table scraps. The feeders were also attracting a busy mixed flock of Chestnut-breasted Munia and Red-browed Finch, several Macleay’s Honeyeaters and a little group of Bar-shouldered Doves that were picking up the seeds that the finches were dropping to the ground. 

After breakfast, we took a short drive to the south to check out a marshy pond near the end of McDougall Road where in previous years we had been variably successful at finding White-browed Crakes lurking in the vegetation. Happily, this year was no different, and we were rather quickly victorious, finding a single crake walking along the near edge of the pond before disappearing, only to fly out to another stretch of shoreline a couple of minutes later. We also enjoyed a little creche of gangly immature Royal Spoonbill, some quite close Magpie Geese, a perched White-bellied Cuckooshrike and a lovely little male Mistletoebird. Our next stop was Abattoir Swamp. Here a short, elevated boardwalk leads through a small paperbark swamp and out to an overgrown marsh ringed with flowering bottlebrush trees. Local volunteers have been working hard here in recent years, with new signage, a repaired boardwalk, some habitat restoration work (mainly an attempt at removing the introduced grasses that are choking the wetland and slowly turning the area into a field rather than a swamp. In the carpark we quickly tracked down a family group of Lovely Fairywrens that were, amazingly, bouncing around directly from where we parked, and fully visible before we even got out of the car! This is a generally scarce species, occurring in coastal forests around the Cape York Peninsula down to about Townsville. Although the male resembles many of the other red-shouldered and blue-headed species across Australia the female is unique, with a full blue hood and white lores. Once on the boardwalk we found that the paperbarks and bottlebrushes were in good flower, and abuzz with honeyeaters. By far the most common species was the understated Brown-backed, clad in a dull brown and white, but possessing red legs and bill. A few White-cheeked, Dusky and Brown Honeyeaters were around as well, and from our elevated vantage point we had fun with some photography of the birds and also several species of brightly coloured dragonflies including the striking Painted Grasshawk and Palemouth. 

Before lunch we decided to make one more stop, this time to the Mount Molloy state school before heading back to Kingfisher for an early afternoon break. Our chief reason for the visit was to acquaint ourselves with the locally famous Great Bowerbird bower in one of the school garden beds. We succeeded in that task quite easily, with views of a bowerbird before we even reached the carpark, and a truly opulent bower. Great Bowerbirds build an intricate and large runway of sticks, decorated with a mat of white objects (in this case bits of plastic and snail shells) and green fruits. This year the bower was in a slightly different location, and was decorated with a full mat of green glass shards and large white snail shells. Some of the highlight decorations included various bright pink plastic bits, some shiny pieces of reflective pink foil, a few fuzzy pipe cleaners and, the coup de grace, a quarter sized bright green soccer ball! Surely no visiting female bowerbird would be able to resist such artistry! Around the school we also picked up a perched Dollarbird and a few more Blue-faced Honeyeaters and Pale-headed Rosellas. 

In the late afternoon we set off again, this time bound for the western side of Mount Lewis and the town of Mount Carbine. This small ex-mining town sits in the rainshadow of the coastal range, nestled in a wide tropical grassland plain. Small creeks with riparian vegetation and lightly timbered patches give the region a vastly different feel to the much wetter and lusher coastal side of the range. We started by birding the Mount Carbine Caravan Park, a sprawling RV park with well-watered lawns and several residents who regularly feed the local birds. Right at the entrance to the park, we ground to a halt when a wheeling flock of at least 50 silver and pink Galahs descended upon the front yard of one of the houses. Along with the cockatoos we noted a few pairs of Pale-headed Rosellas (which were surprisingly common this year in several locations), roughly twenty Apostlebirds, and several Great Bowerbirds all in the same yard. The antics and vocalizations of the Apostlebirds were a special treat as they hopped around the ground squabbling over particularly choice morsels. When we checked into the office to pay our entrance fee the caravan park owner chose to walk us over to a nesting Tawny Frogmouth, whose camouflaged appearance so perfectly matched the tree bark that it took many of us quite some time to spot. A productive stroll around the grounds here produced a beautiful pair of Blue-winged Kookaburra, our first dazzlingly bright Red-winged Parrots frequenting the fruiting mango trees just behind the office, lots of close views of Rainbow Lorikeets coming in to drink from dripping taps and a larger group of busy Grey-crowned Babblers. The area was awash with Agile Wallabies as well, with several dozen visible at once along the entrance road. Just before leaving we spotted a few Squatter Pigeons that were walking along the edge of a recent forest fire burn. Happily, they stayed put, allowing us to creep up on them in the vans for a much closer range view than our first birds on the prior day. 

We then discovered that the long defunct petrol station in Mount Carbine was open for business, so after using their facilities and purchasing some cold drinks we headed a bit back to the south to bird along the West Maryfarms Road. Here we quickly located a number of Australian Bustards that were striding around in the paddocks along the road, with several birds out in full view. These large bustards can be incredibly good at hiding in the tall grassy areas that they prefer. A few individuals were actually right along the roadside, providing excellent views. Soon after we began to watch them, we realized that some of the males were in active display, parading around the lekking grounds, with pendulous wattles dangling from their chins. The nearby females seemed quite unimpressed, preferring to remain across the field in better foraging habitat. One of the males was actually displaying right on the road, and allowed us unparalleled views as we navigated slowly closer to it, awed and a bit off-put by his rather ungainly yet impressive display. The area was supporting good numbers of elegant Black-shouldered Kites as well, and before we departed, we were thrilled to find several small groups of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos languidly flying (at a quite deceptive pace) against the peach-orange early evening sun.

Our next full day around Kingfisher started off much like the first, with a short walk around the grounds before breakfast. The prior day one of the participants had managed to snap a few photos of the local pair of Noisy Pittas near the crake pond, so we elected to head down that way for a bit of a look around. The pittas weren’t there, though we head one of them repeatedly calling from a dense and trailless section of the property a bit later in the morning. Out on the edge of the park, we were elated to spot two flying Black Bitterns that were crossing the open fields on their way to a forested section of Brushy Creek. This sighting represented only the second in sixteen years of tours here. Bitterns are (mostly) a wet-season migrant that comes in from New Guinea after the onset of the summer rainy period. Typically, such weather arrives in mid to late November, but there seems to be less and less typical weather globally in this day and age, and in 2026 Andrew informed us that it had been steadily raining throughout the traditional dry season, perhaps leading to these two bitterns arriving a tad earlier than usual. Just before breakfast we had one other new species, with a male Pied Monarch just behind the reception building. He came in quickly to our imitations of his call, but didn’t linger long. 

In the winter of 2024, an epically bad typhoon hit the northern tablelands. An incredible 1.8m of rain (that’s roughly 6 feet) fell in just four days, causing huge amounts of damage to infrastructure and the landscape in general. At Kingfisher Park the orchard was flooded with more than 6 feet of water, and although the lodge itself suffered no direct damage the effects of the intense rain and flooding were still very evident. The road that winds up to near the summit of Mount Lewis was hard-hit, with the bridge over Bushy Creek (at the base of the mountain road) completely washed away and an unknown number of landslides and downed trees ruining the lower sections of road. In the subsequent years the bottom bridge had been fully replaced and by 2025 the first kilometer or so of the road was again open to vehicular traffic. This year we had been informed that the road was again fully open, though with the caveat that some sections might be too rough for non four-wheel drive cars. We decided to head up and check on conditions ourselves, hoping that we could reach the upper stretch of road in order to look for Mountain Thornbills, checking for Atherton Scrubwrens, Fernbird and whatever else might interest us on the way up. We succeeded on most fronts, though the smaller vehicle required some careful positioning through one short stretch of road. Near the base of the mountain we stopped when we heard the unmistakable calls of a Noisy Pitta quite close to the road. Despite hearing three birds at this location, we couldn’t coax any of them out of the woods. While waiting for the Pittas though we did spot a pair of courting Brown Cuckoo-Doves, another Barred Cuckooshrike and a flock of Red-browed Firetails that were foraging in a dense thicket of seeding grasses. About halfway up the road we found a nice open slope below the road with a calling Fernwren in it. We positioned ourselves and were able to watch the bird as it worked back and forth in the largely open understory, even perching up on some low exposed branches at one point. This aberrant thornbill is largely terrestrial and is restricted to the higher elevation forest on the Tablelands. It is often extremely shy, staying far enough back in the thick understory that getting a clear view can be difficult, so we felt fortunate with our rather excellent views. A little further on we stopped when we could hear a calling Yellow-breasted Boatbill, but our attentions were quickly diverted by a pair of rather furtive scrubwren that were staying low on the forest floor. With some jockeying around we soon had diagnostic views of the chestnut-toned rumps and overall darker brown plumage that confirmed that we had found our hoped-for Atherton Scrubwrens. Once we reached the clearing near the top of the road the Mountain Thornbills performed well as they chattered away in some bare shrubs along the edge of the road. Other than these targets though we found the forest to be oddly quiet, and after some snack time we started the drive back downslope, electing to leave the Tablelands for the rest of the day in a bid to locate a Cassowary somewhere over on the north bank of the Daintree River. We had a remarkably good and fast lunch in Mossman, and a quick half-hour drive later were boarding the cable pulled ferry across the Daintree River. The extensive and largely protected rainforest on the north bank of the river stretches from the coast up into the peaks of the coastal mountains from the Daintree right up to (and a bit past) Cape Tribulation, some 75km to the north. The forests here are tall, and diverse, and according to current understanding are likely the oldest continuously extant rainforest on Earth. The region supports a healthy population of Southern Cassowary, and a day prior to our visit also provided the first publicized sighting of a Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher for the year (this stunning long-tailed kingfisher typically arrives a few weeks after our tour dates in early November). Our plan to spend the afternoon poking around the road network and exploring the trail that had recently been producing sightings of both species was a good one, if ultimately unsuccessful. The trail meandered through some impressive forest cover, but we found the entire region to be just as quiet for birdlife as the slopes of Mount Lewis had been. Sometimes there are days like these, with the local wildlife laying low due to subtle shifts in local conditions that us less observant humans miss. Just seeing the forest, and the simply stunning beach at Cow Bay was worth our time though, and we did turn up a few things, like the vocalizing Black Butcherbirds, nesting Wompoo Fruit-Dove, a less-than-a-day-old Southern Cassowary poop in the road, and a curled up Brown Treesnake in the men’s room near the boardwalk. On the way back up to dinner and our lodge we stopped in at the Wonga Beach Barramundi Farm, where in addition to the many colourfully clad hopeful fisherfolk that were lining the edges of one of the ponds we found some close-up Radjah Shelduck, a perched Spotted Dove, and a nice selection of more common migrant waders. 

Our last full day of the trip was reserved for a special cruise along the Daintree River. We departed Kingfisher Park early, and an hour later met up with our river guides for the morning; Murray Hunt and Alex. After a brief introduction we took to the water, pointing out some of the effects of the gigantic floods of January 2019 and December 2023, where the river reached an incredible 15m above average, flooding the town and washing away buildings, cars, and virtually all the cattle in the adjacent fields. This flood had changed the character of the river, with many of the larger trees broken, higher sand banks along the edges and still visible debris hanging high in the trees. On the way upstream the group enjoyed views of a large Estuarine Crocodile lurking underneath some overhanging trees. Dubbed Barratt by the locals, the roughly 4m reptile made some in the group eye up the height of the boat railings… Murray explained that the territory of this male covers nearly 4KM of the river, and that much of his time is spent patrolling his stretch and keeping out rival large males. Given how difficult this animal was to spot from just a few meters away we quickly realized why swimming in the river was not recommended! On a short side tributary, we were thrilled to pull up right next to a male Azure Kingfisher who repeatedly dove into the water before landing back on a perch just out of our reach and proceeding to preen. Here too was a female Little Bronze-Cuckoo, oddly our only one of the tour. With no sign of the local Great-billed Heron that frequents this particular spot we headed downstream, taking our first Shining Flycatchers, a passing Little Heron, sitting Australian Darters and even a single Black-fronted Dotterel that was running along with the boat for a while on the shores of a large sandbank. The air was filled with aerial predators, with Tree Martins and Australian Swiftlets joining White-breasted Woodswallows and Welcome Swallows in hawking for food over the still waters of the river. Less interested in the flying insect bounty were the little pulses of migrating Spangled Drongo and passing flocks of Torresian Imperial Pigeons that were winging over the creekside forest. We picked our way downstream on the main river, stopping to look at perched Pacific Koel, Helmeted Friarbirds (here of the distinctive Hornbill subspecies which is almost certainly best regarded as its own species), a quietly sitting bright yellow and grey Common Treesnake that was sunning on a large Sea Hibiscus shrub and a pair of fairly approachable Green Pygmy-Geese that were paddling along the bank. We started to explore a narrow tributary creek which sits in more brackish waters we found dozens of species of mangroves, many with epiphytic orchids lining the banks. This area was excellent for birds, as the generally shadier conditions seemed to bring more species to the edge of the water. We had only just begun to explore the area though when Murray received a call from the other boat that they had just located a young Great-billed Heron a bit downstream on the main river. We turned around quickly, and after accidentally finding a large submerged log that seemed a bit grumpy about being attacked by our outboard engine were soon on site, watching the heron as it stood proudly atop a tall riverside snag. These large herons are quite scarce in Australia (and indeed across their entire range which encompasses most of coastal Indonesia and New Guinea), and often are frustratingly wary. Murray regards them as the signature species of his birding cruises, even designing his company logo with the species. Elated with our find we returned to the smaller Barratt Creek and motored up to a particular tree that had a lot of active nesting Australasian Figbirds, Helmeted Friarbirds and even a Shining Flycatcher pair (with the copper, black, and white female and glossy all-black male both in attendance). Murray put the boat in just the right spot and announced a contest to see who could spot the nearby nesting Papuan Frogmouth. It didn’t take long for some of the sharp-eyed participants to pick out the bird as it sat on a horizontal limb, in plain sight but so closely resembling a broken branch that it would have been invisible had the group not been specifically looking for it. By this point in the morning, it was time to head back towards the dock, but we took our time, enjoying views of a pair of Large-billed Gerygones adding to their already impressively long nest, picked out a snoozing pair of Bush Thick-Knees tucked in underneath some overhanging trees, and enjoyed better views of several Green Orioles as they burbled away from the canopy. 

Once back in the village, we ate breakfast at the local coffee shop, and fortified for the rest of the morning we used the balance of the day to make the long drive back to the south of Cairns in search of perhaps the marquee bird of the trip, the incredible Southern Cassowary. We broke the drive up with a few short stops north of Cairns. At Newell Beach we found a cooperative dark-morph Pacific Reef-Heron that was hunting near the boat ramp, and were amazingly successful at connecting with a trio of Beach Thick-Knees. This hulking species is an impressive birds up close, much larger and more imposing than their Bushy cousins, and more striking and colourful than the field guides suggest. We were even treated to views of two of the birds flying past us at close range, allowing us to really understand their true size. After spending a bit of time with this undisputed king of Australian waders we pushed further south, hoping that the beach head at the mouth of the Barron River would produce a nice selection of migrant waders (as the tides had so far been poor each time we came through Cairns). We were certainly not disappointed, as even before reaching the beach we stopped to admire a few Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos that were feeding on the ground right alongside the road. This view far surpassed our atmospheric views of flying birds out on Mount Carbine or the views of birds perched on light poles outside multiple different Woolworth’s Grocery Stores. At last the participants were able to see the yellow-flecked spotting on the female and young birds and the difference in tail patterns (yellow grading through orange on immature birds and females and crimson and black for the adult males). Once at the beach we were not disappointed either, as despite the quite high tide there was a small point of beach crowded with a huge flock of terns and shorebirds. Surprisingly the most numerous species was Lesser Crested Tern (a new one for our trip), and we picked through the flock finding our first few Common Terns, Greater Sandplovers and a single Terek Sandpiper. It was an instructive session, with lots of Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Knot, Red-necked Stint and Red-capped Plover to look at as well, and I think even those who find these groups difficult at home got something out of the experience. 

We reached Cairns in the early afternoon, calling in to the food court near the night market on the Esplanade, where we had lunch from a myriad of food options, had some ice creams from Baskin Robbins, and were treated to a ridiculously tame Nankeen Night-Heron that was standing on the tables outside of the McDonald’s, likely looking for errant or cast-off chips (no one can resist a French fry after all)…  

Pushing on further south we were in place around the roads that lead to Etty Bay just before four pm. Ben took his van up towards the Etty Bay Beach, and I took the other towards the nearby Mourilyan Harbour. No sooner had we passed the first “Beware of Cassowary crossing the road signs” than we found a large female Southern Cassowary walking along the forested edge of a field just a 100m off the road. The van erupted with shouts of Cassowary, Cassowary, Cassowary!! and we quickly pulled off, enabling us to follow the bird as it slowly walked further along the edge. Ben hurried over but unfortunately couldn’t share in our elation as just minutes before he arrived the female took two steps into the woods and simply vanished like a huge black, blue and red mirage. A bit sedated we elected to keep searching and once back on the road to Etty Bay it took less than five minutes before Pam shouted from the back seat that lovely word again ~ Cassowary! This time the bird was an adult male with two roughly month-old stripey chicks in tow. We all pulled over and watched as the three birds made their way along a fence and then calmly crossed the road right through our group! The male and one chick stood for a few minutes on a lawn, waiting for the second chick to trundle across and then all three walked past a house and disappeared. After missing the species completely on our first visit it was a bit of a shock to see four birds all within about a half-hour. It’s never a great idea to leave such an important species to the last afternoon, but when you can end a trip with such a proverbial bang it sure feels good. Over dinner that night in Cairns we reminisced about the tour, with dozens of highlights mentioned by the participants from among our 304 species of bird (and nearly 30 mammals) recorded. Although there couldn’t be much doubt as to which species was crowned bird of the trip (Southern Cassowary) a close second was shared by the displaying Australian Bustards at Mount Carbine and the experience of Lady Elliot Island. 

-          Gavin Bieber

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