Birds and Other Wildlife around
Cairns and The Atherton Tablelands

When: Any time after previous arrangement

Length of tour: 4 nights / 5 days

Minimum/Maximum numbers: Two guests are minimum on this excursion, six are maximum.

Languages: English and German

Fee charged: Aus $1,270.00 twin share/double room, $1,380.00 single room (1.00 Aus $ = US $0.65 in October of 1999) These costs include all accommodation, transport, the boat trip, 3 meals (continental breakfast, light lunch, two or three course restaurant dinner), National Parks fees, etc. Not included are drinks, snacks and any personal spending.

Note: All transport is in a dual air-conditioned 4WD Mini Bus, which has a Royal Flying Doctor Radio and a First-Aid Kit aboard. We always search for and concentrate on the endemic and special birds of each region and have generally great views of them. Of course we also enjoy looking at all the other birds and wildlife encountered.

This tour can be altered to your specifications (length and locations) to concentrate on photography, nocturnal wildlife (mammals, reptiles, frogs, etc) or general rainforest experience.

FIVE-DAY ITINERARY:

DAY 1:
Your tours starts in Cairns, pick-up time is 8.00 am. After a brief visit to the Cairns Esplanade for waders we drive to Julatten and the Kingfisher Birdwatchers Lodge in the northern part of the Tablelands. This spot is well known for its bird life and is the prime spot for Lesser Sooty Owls and Red-necked Crakes among others, and the rooms are set in lush rainforest with birds present at your fingertips. We also travel to rainforests on nearby Mt Lewis, which has the only reliable population of Blue-faced Finches. These Finches are best seen between January and May. Accommodation is taken at Kingfisher Birdwatchers Lodge, Julatten.

DAY 2: We leave Julatten very early and drive down to the coast. On the Daintree River we take the well-known River Cruise with Chris Dahlberg, who specialises on birdwatchers. Highlights are Great-billed Herons and Little Kingfishers, and it's not uncommon to see 40 species of birds. Later in the day, near Mt Carbine, we look for Bustards, Squatter Pigeons, Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and other open woodland birds. At night we look for nocturnal birds and other wildlife in the surrounding area.

DAY 3:
After an early morning excursion we move towards Yungaburra as our next destination in the southern part of the Tablelands. Places like Lake Barrine, Mt. Hypipamee and Hastie's Swamp are the spots for endemic highland rainforest birds and many others. At night we look for Gliders and Rainforest Possums with possible nocturnal birds always on our minds. Most birding regions are between 700 and 1000 metres above sea level, so temperatures can be 10 degrees Celsius lower than coastal Cairns and Mission Beach. We take lodging at Chamber's Rainforest Apartments, Lake Eacham

DAY 4:
After visiting the dry high altitude woodlands near Herberton we drive down to the coast. The Cassowary is our main objective in the lowland rainforests at Mission Beach, the stronghold for this endangered species. Several times we walk in the lowland rainforests with its spectacular Fan Palms, where also our nocturnal search for Rufous Owl takes place. Beach Thick-knees, Noisy Pittas, White-eared Monarchs are other target species. We spend the night at Mission Beach Resort, Mission Beach.

DAY 5:
We leave Mission Beach and travel north towards Cairns. Eubenangee Swamp and the Cairns Crocodile Farm are on the way, where we should find the White-browed Crake and other wild birds in their natural habitat. The mangroves at Edmonton are a good place to see the Mangrove Robin among others and is the last planned stop before reaching Cairns and the accommodation of your choice. The tour ends in the late afternoon.

APPENDIX:

Appendix 1: List of birds previously seen in this area