Mid-October 2018 our party of 3 bird-watchers-photographers revisited Cairns and surrounds for the first time in several years. Our journey included a beach-front stay at Ellis Beach, then up to the Daintree for in particular an early morning birding boat trip along the river with Ian “Sauce” Worcester as our guide.

We then journeyed up the range via Julatten and Mt Lewis (both very disappointing bird-wise…too dry…) through to Mt Carbine caravan park where at least their watering fostered the presence of a good deal of bird life.

Mareeba Wetlands was going to be next but we discovered that much to the anger of locals and visiting birders, the new owners had closed the park!! So we travelled further to Emerald Creek falls and Hasties Swamp near Atherton which was also a bit disappointing. Next stay was near Lake Barrine which did have some interesting birdlife in very nice surroundings.

Finally we returned to Cairns, visited Cattana Wetlands where a jacana made a welcome appearance, and spent an hour in the last morning at the foreshore which was jumping with birdlife!

We did meet and chat with a number of interesting people, with interest in birds as well as reminiscing on Peter’s times at the Mt Carbine wolfram mine in the early 1980’s. An enjoyable and relatively economic week away from Melbourne!

As with all the photos on this blog, the names (and sometimes the locations) can be seen under the photos by hovering the mouse on the particular image. Likewise, clicking opens full size image.

Varied Honeyeater, Cairns Foreshore

Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Cairns Foreshore

Striated Heron, Cairns Foreshore

Forest Kingfisher, Cairns Foreshore

Mistletoebird, Cattana Wetlands

Comb-crested Jacana, Cattana Wetlands

Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Lake Barrine

Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Lake Barrine

Chestnut-breasted Mannakins, Hasties Swamp

Redback Fairy-wren, Emerald Creek Falls

Wedgetail Eagle, Emerald Creek Falls

Blue-winged Kookaburra, Mt Carbine

Blue-faced Honeyeater, Mt Carbine

Great Bowerbird, Mt Carbine

Pale-headed Rosella, Mt Carbine

Red-winged Parrot, Mt Carbine

Darter, Daintree River

Papuan Frogmouth, Daintree River

Beach Stone Curlew, Ellis Beach

Figbirds, Ellis Beach

Pied Imperial Pidgeon, Ellis Beach

Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Cattana Wetlands