AUSTRALIA: Uluru, Queensland, New South Wales & Tasmania
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Australia’s avifauna is unique. With over 370 endemic birds, 8 endemic bird families and a total of over 800 species found, it’s no wonder Australia is ranked so highly as a birding destination. With very little north/south migration—apart from shorebirds and a handful of New Guinea migrants—most Australian land birds can be seen nowhere else on Earth. Because few birders have unlimited time for exploration, we have developed this year’s itinerary to maximize the variety of habitats to be visited, thus the number of birds and animals to be seen, within a manageable geographic area. No small feat with a country this expansive— we’ll cover a distance more than 800 miles greater than that from Maine to Florida!
With 372 species of birds found nowhere else on Earth, Australia has more endemic birds than any other country, and nearly all of Australia’s remaining 500 regular species are likely to be new for first time visitors to Australasia. Taking place during Australia’s vibrant spring season, we cover the absolute best of Eastern Australia from top to bottom during our travels. We’ll follow spring’s southward journey across the “Island Continent” experiencing all that the Land of Oz has to offer during a singularly magical odyssey.
Red Center Region Overview – Visiting Alice Springs, Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Central Australia is a huge outback region in the Northern Territory, centered by the town of Alice Springs. Also known as the Red Center, this vast terrain spans dusty red desert, mountain ranges and gorges home to an interesting variety of birds and mammals. The region is best known, perhaps, for the massive rock monolith Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock), a sacred Aboriginal site. Close by is Kata Tjuta, or The Olgas, a group of 36 immense ochre rock domes.
Northeastern Region Overview – Our travels take us to Australia’s far northeast corner, visiting
Cairns, Cassowary House, Daintree, Kingfishers Park, Mareeba, Yungaburra and the Atherton
Tablelands. Various areas within the Tropical North Queensland region have their own special birding attractions. Upon arriving in Cairns, visiting birders have a selection of prime birding locations to enjoy within close proximity of town. Examples include: Cairns Esplanade and its world renowned waders, Cairns Botanical Gardens, Catana Wetlands and Centenary Lakes. We’ll visit them all.
The Coastal Lowland Rainforest areas from Mission Beach to Cooktown, including Daintree National Park host a number key species for the avid birdwatcher. These include the Southern Cassowary, Victoria’s Riflebird, Beach Stone-Curlew. Taking an early morning AND sunset cruise on the Daintree River, the visiting birdwatcher should be able to spot Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Shining Flycatcher and Black Bittern. Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher is a highlight throughout the region from October through early April.
The Tablelands Region from upland rainforests around Atherton and Yungaburra to Mareeba’s dry savannas and Julatten’s mid-level and gallery forest habitats host species such as Blue-faced Parrot Finch, three varieties of Fruit Dove, Red-necked Crake, Sarus Crane, Australian Bustard, Black-necked Stork and a host of regional specialties. The tropical forests here are part of “The Wet Tropics” bioregion and house 13 endemic birds within their shadowed halls: Lesser Sooty Owl, Tooth-billed and Golden Bowerbirds, Bridled and Maclean’s Honeyeaters, Fern Wren, Atherton Scrubwren, Mountain Thornbill, Grey-headed Robin, Northern Logrunner (Chowchilla), Bower’s Shrike-Thrush, Pied Monarch and Victoria’s Riflebird. Repeating last year’s success, we expect to find them all.
East central Region Overview – We’ll travel to Brisbane, both north and south of the city to cover the
area’s highlights. Visiting Hervey Bay, Lady Elliot Island and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
From the small airstrip near Hervey Bay, a short 40-minute flight to Lady Elliot Island transports you to an azure wonderland. 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. Of particular interest to birders, Lady Elliot Island holds the highest diversity of breeding seabirds along the Great Barrier Reef.
Planned Itinerary
Oct 24 – Group members arrive in Sydney. Our Australian birding & wildlife adventure begins!Depending upon individual arrival times, some group activities will be planned. Night Sydney.
Oct 25 – Morning flight to Alice Springs and Australia’s great Red Center. Our day begins with our flight to Alice Springs. Afternoon hours will be filled with visits to a number of Alice Springs’ local birding areas. Olive Pink Botanic Garden for charismatic Western Bowerbirds attending their impressive constructs. Other likely species include Spiny-cheeked and Singing Honeyeaters, Australian Ringneck Parrot, Red-browed Pardalote, Weevil and Gray-crowned Babbler. We’ll make an early evening of things, checklist dinner and bed in preparation for a full day in the field tomorrow. Night Alice Springs.
Oct 26 – Alice Springs Desert Park, Ormiston Gorge, West MacDonnell National Park & local sites. An early morning to get to our first birding areas at first light. We’ll cover some ground today, but, if conditions are right, we hope to find area specialties like Spinifex Pigeon, Cinnamon Quail-thrush, Dusky Grasswren, Gray-headed, Pied and Black Honeyeaters, Spinafexbird, Red-browed Pardalote, Hooded Robin, Crimson Chat, Banded and Southern Whiteface, Inland Hornbill, Painted Firetail, Splendid Fairywren and Redthroat. With stark desert terrain, these quintessentially Australian Outback panoramas impress all who visit this corner of the Red Center. Depending upon weather, a midday break may be offered as a respite from the heat before ending our day searching for birds and animals closer to Alice Springs. Night Alice Springs.
Oct 27 – Alice Springs clean-up, drive to Uluru, sunset visit to Uluru. Located in the southern portion of Australia’s Northern Territory, Uluru (formerly known as Ayer’s Rock) is one of Australia’s most iconic sights and is synonymous with the region’s honorific—Red Center. Contained within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Uluru’s monolithic rise from the desert floor is awe inspiring. So much so that it is considered a sacred site by the aboriginal inhabitants, the Anangu. Owned by the Anangu, the site is leased back to the government but managed cooperatively.
The park holds a couple of habitats that are unique to this corner of the world, each with their attendant specialty birds. Commonly called Spinifex grass, not a true Spinifex but properly known as Triodia, is a hummock grass of Australia’s arid interior. Avian specialties include the eminently attractive Rufous-crowned Emu-Wren, both Striated and Dusky Grasswrens, colorful Painted Finch and eponymous Spinafexbird.
Mulga gets its name from the acacia commonly referred to as ‘Mulga’ that occurs so prominently in this variable woodland. Bourke’s and Mulga Parrots, Chestnut-breasted Quail-Thrush, Gray Honeyeater, Slaty-backed Thornbill and the incomparable Splendid Fairywren.
We’ll time our birding activities to be in position to view Uluru in the setting sun. Watching the monolith’s colors ebb and flow with ever-changing light conditions is an inspiring experience. Night Uluru.
Oct 28 – Sunrise visit to Uluru, birding clean-up, drive to Alice Springs. Sunrise vistas of Uluru, and desert birds, begin our day. We’ll prioritize those birds we’re still missing. We’ll return to Alice Springs during the heat of the day. When temperatures cool in the early evening, we’ll search for birds and animals during our last night in Australia’s Outback. Night Alice Springs
Oct 29 – Arrive Cairns, Esplanade and local birding. Morning flight to Cairns. Mostly a travel day, our first point of call—and often our last, before flying out of Cairns—is a visit to the spectacular mudflats along the city’s Esplanade. One of the best spots for Asiatic shorebirds on Australia’s Eastern coast and the ease and close proximity of birds make it one of the best shorebird sites in the world. When tides are right, the shoreline mudflats teem with waders, with Australian Pelican, Far Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Sharp-tailed, Curlew, Terek, Broad-billed and Marsh Sandpipers, Red-necked Stint, Pacific Golden-Plover, Lesser and Greater Sand-Plovers, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, occasionally Black-bellied (Grey) Plover, Red and Great Knots, Gray-tailed Tattler, Pied Oystercatcher and Striated Heron being the usual suspects. Other waterbirds seen regularly here include Eastern Reef Egret (Heron), Gull-billed, Little, Crested and the odd Caspian Tern. Night Cairns.
Oct 30 – Esplanade, Cairns Botanical Garden, Jack Barnes Mangrove Boardwalk, Cattana Wetlands and locally in Cairns. Morning’s first sun rays will find us admiring the profusion of blooming Plumeria and Eucalyptus trees along Cairns’ wandering Esplanade’s waterfront perch. One of Northeastern Queensland’s most interesting birding locales, the Esplanade is a superb location to observe nectar loving birds and common North Queensland resident species. More than 220 species have been recorded here, it is, perhaps, the easiest place in Australia to find Varied Honeyeater. Other birds typically seen here include Brown, Yellow-spotted, Yellow, Graceful and Lewin’s Honeyeaters, Spangled Drongo, Helmeted Friarbird, Pied Imperial-Pigeon, Peaceful Dove, Australasian Figbird, Olive-backed Sunbird, and Nutmeg Mannikin. It’s not uncommon to see dozens of Rainbow Lorikeets flying up and down the Esplanade with the odd Doubled-eyed Fig-Parrot wandering about. Nearby mangroves hold Collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Robin, Pacific Reef Heron and roosting Nankeen (Rufous) Night-Herons. Spectacled Flying Fox are quite common around Cairns with a couple of well populated roosts within the city.
After our time at Cassowary House, we’ll return to the coast and turn north toward Daintree. Stops along the way are planned for Newell Beach and the mouth of the Mossman River to search the sandbars and beaches for wintering shorebirds and for Beach Stone-Curlew.
Daintree National Park and doing two boat trips, one in the evening, one at dawn the following morning. Floating on the water, enjoying the late afternoon light, watching wildlife foraging before sunset, there are few better places to be than out on the Daintree River. Late afternoon cruises give an opportunity to see the river in lovely light, sometimes with the setting sun coloring the sky, often with a multitude of egrets flying home to roost for the night. Crocodiles, snakes and birds such as kingfishers, flycatchers and herons are commonly seen. Night Cassowary House.
Nov 1 – Morning boat trip on Daintree River, local birding. Dawn cruises on the Daintree River provide the best conditions for those wishing to see the river at its most stunning, as well as the greatest chance to see the most sought birds of the river. You will find boat trips on the Daintree referred to in many birding books, as cruises on this famous river have been in operation for more than 20 years—testament to their enduring popularity. Key target species include White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Little and Azure Kingfishers, Black Bittern, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Water Dragon and a profusion of butterflies. Night Daintree.
Nov 2 – 3 – Visiting Cape Tribulation, to Kingfishers Park Birdwatchers Lodge for two nights/three days. Fabulous birds & photography! A final morning to enjoy Cape Tribulation and Daintree, searching for Cassowary or others we need to see before beginning our journey inland to Julatten and Kingfishers. Kingfishers Park Birding Lodge is our gateway to a number of fabulous birding spots…including their grounds itself! Upon our arrival, we’ll enjoy a nice variety of species as we explore Kingfisher’s grounds, experiencing rainforest, open woodland and riverine habitats in and around the lodge. Usually about 50 species are seen but this can vary depending on the season, weather conditions and fruiting and flowering trees and bushes. Our primary focus is on finding and identifying bird species. For a more detailed list of birds we are most likely to see on the morning walk click this eBird Link. You can choose to review the list by month or a complete list for all years, current year or last 10 years.
Nov 4 – Clean-up at Kingfishers, Mount Malloy, Lake Mitchell, Mareeba Wetlands. We’ll have time to search for any Kingfishers Lodge specialties missing from our lists before turning westward toward Mount Malloy. Nearly 300 species of birds have been recorded within the varied habitats surrounding Mount Malloy, thus earning the region a well deserved reputation as one of the most bird rich areas of Australia. All 13 Wet Tropics endemics have been recorded within a small radius of town and a diverse collection of dry and wet habitat species occur. Targets may include Brown Quail, Black Bittern, Pacific Baza, Little Eagle, Red-necked Crake, Buff-breasted and Painted Button-quail, Gould’s Bronze-Cuckoo, Lovely Fairywren, Maclean’s, Banded and White-faced Honeyeaters and Dusky Monarch.
Lake Mitchell, Big Mitchell Creek and the surrounding forest savanna hold Australian Bustard, Red-backed Fairywren, Brown Honeyeater, Yellow Oriole, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Weebill, Grey-crowned Babbler, Plum-headed and, if we’re lucky, Black-throated Finches. The wetlands themselves are good for Comb-crested Jacana and the lagoons often hold an impressive array of waterbirds topped by Black-necked Stork, Brolga and both Green and Cotton Pygmy-Goose.
While the Mareeba Wetlands were closed to public access in 2018, we’re hopeful they will reopen prior to our visit in 2019. Most of the 2,000 hectare site is composed of open tropical savanna woodlands and grasslands. An extensive wetlands complex consisting of eight interconnected lagoons further enhance the wetlands as a birding area. A number of species can be viewed here more easily than other sites, such as the scarce and local type of Black-throated Finch (the local black-romped race) and Brown Treecreeper (the darker northern race). Since its creation, the Mareeba Wetlands has become one of the most important roost sites for Brolga and Sarus Cranes and there is a continuing reintroduction project for the colorful Gouldian Finch. The list of notable species found here is extensive and includes avian gems as Emu, Brown and King Quails, Black Swan, Australasian Grebe, Australian Darter, Little Black and Little Pied Cormorants, Black-necked Stork, Royal Spoonbill, Black-breasted Buzzard, Brown Goshawk, Spotted Harrier, Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel, Australian Hobby, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Dusky Moorhen, Australian Bustard, Comb-crested Jacana, Australian Pratincole, Whiskered Tern, Squatter and Crested Pigeons, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Red-winged Parrot, Pale-headed Rosella, Brush Cuckoo, Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo, Pheasant Coucal, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Rainbow Bee-eater, Dollarbird, Red-backed Fairywren, Little and Noisy Friarbirds, Blue-faced, Brown-backed and Scarlet Honeyeaters, Gray-crowned Babbler, Varied Sittella, Rufous Whistler, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike.
winged Triller, Olive-backed Oriole, White-breasted Woodswallow, Australian Magpie, Spangled Drongo, Torresian Crow, Mistletoebird, Tawny Grassbird and Golden-headed Cisticola.
We’ll end our day enjoying the antics of kangaroos cavorting on the fields and fairways of Mareeba and a relaxing dinner in the quiet town. Night Mareeba.
Nov 5 – Granite Gorge, Mareeba Wetlands, to Yungaburra and Atherton Tablelands. The dry country between Mareeba and Granite Gorge is good for kangaroos and here we hope to find Eastern Grey.
Kangaroos and the very local Mareeba Rock Wallaby. If we’re lucky we may also see Agile Wallaby. Loud—and impressive!—Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are often seen in the area, and both Blue-winged and Laughing Kookaburras along with a host of other bush birds like Squatter Pigeon, Double-barred Finches, Red-winged Parrots and Red-backed Fairywrens call this arid landscape home. We’ll keep a close eye as we drive along these less travelled roads as goodies like Frilled Lizards, small mammals or sunbathing snakes are often seen.
A return visit to the impressive Mareeba Wetlands is possible before we turn south toward the Atherton Tablelands. As we head towards Atherton, stately cranes can often be seen in the cut cane fields beside the road. During the summer the cane grows tall and most of the Sarus cranes fly to the Gulf of Carpentaria to breed. Keep your eyes open as we pass through patches of rainforest for fruit bat camps as we drive.
As we travel south, the landscape changes rapidly into a range of mountains and a large plateau known as the Atherton Tablelands. An area of high biodiversity, the region contains a high number of bird and other wildlife species—much of which cannot found on the coastal region near Cairns. Quite sadly, and very typically, most of the rainforest that once blanketed this plateau is now completely gone. Lost, as these fertile rolling hills were converted into crop and farmland. However, much of what forest remains is well protected and harbors many interesting species. All 13 of the Wet Tropics’ endemic bird species can be found here and more than 370 species have been recorded.
Afternoon plans depend upon weather and how much time remains to us. Options are many, and we’ll take what the day gives us. An after dark outing to search for birds and animals is possible, targets would include Barking Owl, Rufous Owl, Southern Boobook, Lesser Sooty Owl, Barn Owl and Tawny Frogmouth. The Atherton Tablelands are rich in mammal possibilities with over 100 species occurring in the region, including a bakers dozen endemic species. Some of the more spectacular mammalian targets include Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo, Northern Bettong, Atherton Antechinus, Lemuroid Ringtail, Long-tailed Pygmy Possum, Striped Possum and Mountain Brush-tailed Possum. Night Nights Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge.
Nov 6 – Hasties Swamp, Curtain Fig National Park, Mt. Hypipamee and Crater Lakes National Parks, Chambers Rainforest Lodge. Beyond Atherton we’re likely to make multiple visits to the impressive Hasties Swamp (a quite busy wetland area), Australia’s most famous tree (the spectacular Curtain Fig) and the lesser known Cathedral Fig. Excellent venues for spotlighting birds and wildlife, but even during the day we sometimes see Tree Kangaroos. These unique arboreal mammals are most active at night but we have a few sites where we often find them during the day. Additionally, we have several sites for Platypus, perhaps Australia’s most iconic mammal.
Hasties Swamp became an important watering point in the 1880’s for livestock movements between the coast and the tin mines at Herberton. In 1980 118 acres of the swamp and surrounds were declared a national park. Their holdings were increased to nearly 140 acres in 1986. The water catchment itself is planned for agricultural and domestic use with an earthen dam at the outflow point to retain water in the swamp. The reserve is popular with birders and there is a two-story blind offering exceptional views over the wetlands. As water levels drop late in the dry season (September-November) and other water bodies in the region dry up, wildfowl can congregate by the thousands. Herons, egrets and other waders move in to take advantage of Hasties’ shallower depths and exposed muddy margins. The main avian attractions of the site are wetland species, although bushland birds are readily observed as well. The birdlist is large with hoped for species including: Wandering and Plumed Whistling Ducks, Black Swan, Radjah Shelduck, Pink-eared Duck, Grey Teal, Australasian Grebe, Australasian Darter, Great, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants, Black-necked Stork, Australian Pelican, White-necked Stork, White-faced Heron, Cattle, Little, Intermediate and Great White Egrets, Nankeen Night Heron, Straw-necked, Glossy and Australian White Ibis, Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbills, a nice assortment of raptors with four species of kites, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Swamp and Spotted Harriers, Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel and Australian Hobby are all regular.
Also known as “The Crater,” Mount Hypipamee is a small reserve sitting along the western edge of the Atherton Tablelands first designated as a national park in 1934 becoming part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in 1988. Here the landscape rises to nearly a thousand meters, providing the reserve with typically lower temperatures year round, even getting quite cold at night during the winter season. Vegetation here is primarily high altitude rainforest, although other vegetation types exist in relatively small areas. The park itself is of considerable interest to birders as it contains all twelve Wet Tropics endemics as well as an impressive variety of other species. Areas of high-altitude rainforest around the decayed volcanic plug at Mt Hypipamee is a great place to look for Golden Bowerbird, Grey-headed Robin, Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, Mountain Hornbill and Bridled Honeyeater. A number of Tablelands endemics are more easily seen here as they are not to be expected at lower altitudes—although there may be some altitudinal migration with certain species like Grey-headed Robin occurring at lower elevations during the winter. Spotlighting for nocturnal mammals is particularly good at Mt Hypipamee with commonly encountered species including: Giant White-tailed Rat, Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo, Red-legged Pademelon, Common Brushtail Possum (Coppery race), Lemuroid, Common, Green and Herbert River Ringtails and Long-nosed Bandicoot.
Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge is located deep within the boundaries of Crater Lakes National Park. With more than 1,200 acres, Crater Lakes, Lake Eacham and Chambers Rainforest Lodge all wrapped up into a single, beautifully forested package, our time here will rank high with everyone. Crater Lakes National Park was created in 1994 to consolidate two smaller national parks that independently protected Lakes
Nov 7 – A final morning amid the scenic Tablelands before we depart eastward to spend a bit of time around Cairns before our flight to Brisbane. A final morning to search for any of the tablelands forest species that may be missing from our lists. We’ll meander through Danbulla State Forest enroute to another gigantic strangler fig. Like the Curtain Fig, Australia’s Cathedral Fig is an impressive, 500-year-old specimen that harbors an interesting assortment of birds. Last year we enjoyed our best looks at a pair of Chowchillas that were chasing each other around and under the boardwalk!
Nov 10 – Hervey Bay, to Brisbane, Canungra Valley, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. We’ll have a chance to search for any local species still missing from our lists before we begin our trek southward to Brisbane. We want to have ample time to explore a pair of sites closer to Brisbane, so we’ll be on our way as soon as possible.
Much of our late morning and early afternoon hours will be spent exploring valleys and rolling hills below Lamington National Park near the villages of Beaudesert, Canungra and Tamborine. An assortment of drier, mixed habitats below Lamington National Park bring several species that do not occur on the mountain into play. Some targets include Little Lorikeet, Tawny Grassbird, White-throated Gerygone, Striped Honeyeater and Speckled Warbler. Our late afternoon hours will be spent climbing up to Lamington National Park and our home for the next three nights, the fabulous O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. Night O’Reilly’s.
Nov 11 – 12 – O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, our gateway to Lamington National Park. Incredible birds, wildlife and photography! We’ll have the brilliant morning hours to find any species we may have missed the previous afternoon before pointing our noses south toward Lamington National Park and O’Reilly’s. The sheer brilliance of O’Reilly’s is something to behold. Four years after the arrival of the O’Reilly family in 1911 Lamington National Park was declared, effectively isolating the O’Reilly family from the outside world. While Lamington wasn’t Queensland’s first national park, it is its most significant, and is regularly referred to as “Queensland’s National Park.”
Leader: Kim Risen & Rick Bowers
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