Basic Itinerary:
Tuesday, September 18 - Tuesday, October 2 - AUSTRALIA: CAIRNS TO DARWIN
Day 1 / Sep 18: Depart San Diego
Day 2 / Sept 19: In transit (long flight and loss of day with international date-line)
Day 3 / Sep 20: Arrive in Cairns and join guides for birding at local hotspots.
Day 4 / Sep 21: Michaelmas Cay (Great Barrier Reef)
Day 5 / Sep 22: Drive north to the lowland tropical rainforests of the Daintree.
Day 6 / Sep 23: Morning cruise on Daintree River followed by birding north of the river.
Day 7 / Sep 24: Visiting lowland and highland rainforests, savannah and wetlands.
Day 8 / Sep 25: Bromfield Crater for the spectacle of the cranes coming in to roost.
Day 9 / Sep 26: Atherton Tablelands - More birding in this special location.
Day 10 / Sep 27: Kuranda, Skyrail before flight, Cairns to Darwin.
Day 11 / Sep 28: Darwin to Kakadu NP, Fogg dam and other birding locations
Day 12 / Sep 29: Cruise on the renowned Yellow Waters Billabong (wetland)
Day 13 / Sep 30: Travel south through the woodlands of Kakadu to Pine Creek.
Day 14 / Oct 1: Birding Pine Creek, Litchfield NP and Darwin.
Day 15 / Oct 2: Depart Darwin for Cairns for flights back to the US with birding stops.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1 - Sept 18: Depart USA
Day 2 - Sept 19: In Transit/Lost day due to International Dateline
Day 3 – Sept 20: Arrive Cairns
After checking in to the hotel, the Bay Village Tropical Retreat, we will visit two birding locations in Cairns: Cairns Esplanade and the adjacent mangroves.
This famous birding location only a minute walk from our hotel is a hotspot for waders on their southerly migration and often includes unusual species for Australia including Asian Dowitcher. Likely species include Red-capped Plover, Terek, Common Sandpiper, Great Knot, Grey-tailed Tattler, Beach Stone Curlew, Eastern Curlew, Masked Lapwing, Australian Pelican, Royal Spoonbill, Eastern Great, Intermediate, Little and Eastern Reef Egrets, Striated Heron, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Gull-billed Tern, Silver Gull, Collared Kingfisher, Yellow Oriole, Rainbow Lorikeet, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Peaceful Dove, Mangrove Robin and Yellow and Varied Honeyeaters.
Also close to the centre of Cairns Centenary Lakes and the adjacent Botanic Gardens contains rainforest, fresh water and salt water wetlands. Species seen include Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Australian Brush-turkey, Pacific Black Duck, White-browed Crake, Peaceful Dove, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Papuan Frogmouth, Australian Swiftlet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Black Butcherbird, Yellow-spotted and Brown Honeyeater, Helmeted Friarbird, Varied Triller, Australasian Figbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, Spangled Drongo, Leaden Flycatcher, Magpie-lark, Metallic Starling and Olive-backed Sunbird.
An after dinner walk along the Esplanade is a good opportunity to see Bush Stone Curlews.
Day 4 – Sept 21: Michaelmas Cay
A relaxing cruise to a coral cay on the Barrier Reef that is a breeding site for a number of seabirds including Common and Black Noddies, Crested, Sooty and sometimes Bridled Terns, Greater and Lesser Frigatebirds, Brown and Red -footed Boobies and Ruddy Turnstones. There will be the chance to snorkel on the reef. This is an all day cruise with lunch served on board.
Day 5 – Sept 22: Daintree Village
After a final sweep along the Esplanade to see if any new waders have flown in overnight we drive from Cairns travelling north to Daintree Village to our accommodation for the next two nights at beautiful Red Mill House. On the way we visit birding locations at Yorkey’s Knob, Wonga Beach and Dillan Road. At Daintree an afternoon walk down Stewart Creek Road and around the gardens at Red Mill House should produce some excellent new sightings. Possible birds include Radjah Shelduck, Emerald Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Australian White Ibis, Pacific Baza, Brahminy Kite, Black-winged Stilt, Pheasant Coucal, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Lovely Fairy-wren, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Torresian Crow, Fairy Martin and Nutmeg and Chestnut-breasted Mannikin.
For the next two nights our accommodation is at Red Mill House and dinner at the Daintree cafe.
Day 6 – Sept 23: Daintree River and Cape Tribulation
Before a beautiful breakfast overlooking the gardens at Red Mill House we join Chris Dahlberg for a cruise on the Daintree River looking for local specialties including Mangrove and Large-billed Gerygone, Shining Flycatcher, Dusky Honeyeater, Macleay’s Honeyeater, Spectacled Monarch, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Blue-winged Kookaburra and Great-billed Heron. For the rest of the day we cross the Daintree River by ferry and travel along the Cape Tribulation Road visiting magnificent lowland rainforest at Dubiji and Mardja walking trails, Cow Bay and Cooper Creek river mouth. The highlight of the day would be the endangered Southern Cassowary but other possibilities include Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Red-necked Crake, Noisy Pitta, Whimbrel, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Pied Currawong, Topknot Pigeon and Silvereye.
Day 7 – Sept 24: Julateen, Mt Lewis and Mt Carbine.
This is a busy day with extraordinary diversity of habitats from lowland tropical rainforest to dry savannah. After an early morning walk down Stewart Creek Road we drive up the coastal range on to the Tablelands to Julateen then up to Mt Lewis. The high mountain rainforests of Mt Lewis are home to a range of species endemic to North Queensland including Mountain Thornbill, Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Chowchilla, Spotted Catbird, Fernwren, Graceful and Bridled Honeyeater, Bassian Thrush and Pale-yellow Robin.
Back down the mountain at Sides Road the targets are Blue-faced Parrot Finch, Lovely Fairy-wren and Grey-headed Robin.
For a complete change of habitat we travel a relatively short distance in to dry savannah country to see Australian Bustards, Great Bowerbird, Squatter Pigeon, Pale-headed Rosella, Galah, Black-throated Finch, Apostlebird, Pied Butcherbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-throated Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Rufous Whistler, Bower’s Shrike-thrush, White-throated Treecreeper, Black Kite, Little Eagle, Square-tailed Kite and Wedge-tailed Eagle.
Accommodation that night will be at either the Mareeba Wetlands or Kingfisher Lodge in a rainforest reserve at Julateen depending on the size of the group.
Day 8 – Sept 25: Atherton Tablelands
A patch work of farmland, rainforest, Eucalyptus forest, woodlands, grasslands, creeks and lagoons this old volcanic plateau is a hot spot for birds. Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are conspicuous along the roadsides near Mareeba. At Big Mitchell Creek we look for the elusive White-browed Robin and at Hastie’s Swamp a range of wetland species are found including Black Swan, Eurasian Coot, Dusky Moorhen, Little Egret, Hardhead, Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants, Australasian Grebe and Buff-banded Rail.
In the rainforests at Wongabel State Forest, Hypipamie National Park, and Malanda there is a chance to see Large-billed Scrub-wren, Atherton Scrubwren, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Spinebill, Eastern Whipbird, Fairy Gerygone, Rufous Fantail, Golden Whistler, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, and Yellow-breasted Boatbill.
In the evening we will watch a very special event, the arrival of Sarus Cranes and Brolgas at their roost in Bromfield Crater.
Accommodation for two nights is at the Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat tree houses.
Day 9 - Sept 26: Atherton Tablelands
We have a full day to visit locations on the Tablelands including Lakes Eacham and Barrine and the Cathedral and Curtain Figs. Birding highlights for today should include Victoria’s Riflebird, Superb Fruit Dove, White-headed and Brown Pigeons, Grey Goshawk, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Koel, Dollarbird, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Australasian Pipit, Eastern Yellow Robin, Cicadabird, Spotted Pardalote, Grey Shrike-thrush, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Noisy Friarbird, Tawny Grassbird, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Red-browed Firetail, Australian Magpie and Satin Bowerbird. It also gives us the chance to see species we may have missed at other locations including Golden and Tooth-billed Bowerbirds, Chowchillas and even Cassowary.
At night there is the possibility of Southern Boobook, Masked, Sooty and Barn Owls and Tawny Frogmouth.
Day 10 - Sept 27: Kuranda Skyrail, Tjapukai Aboriginal Centre flight to Darwin
Travelling down from the Tablelands to the coast via Skyrail takes you over the top of the canopy and provides one last chance to see the tropical rainforest birds. Tjapukai provides a fascinating insight into Australian Aboriginal life.
AFTERNOON FLIGHT TO DARWIN
After settling in to the accommodation in Darwin we will visit the Botanic Gardens to look for roosting Barking and Rufous Owls before driving to Lee Point for waders and interesting bush birds including Rainbow Pitta, Arafura Fantail, Northern Fantail, White-gaped Honeyeater, Forest Kingfisher, Silver-crowned Friarbird and Restless Flycatcher. In the mangroves at Buffalo Creek Red-headed Honeyeaters, Green-backed Gerygone, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Grey Whistler, Red winged Parrots and Common Sandpiper are found and the rarely seen Chestnut Rail and Large-tailed Nightjars frequent that area on dusk.
Accommodation at the Darwin Central Hotel.
Day 11 – Sept 28: Darwin, Fogg Dam and Kakadu National Park
After a very early breakfast we drive to Fogg Dam with its spectacular diversity of water birds including Comb-crested Jacanas, Black-necked Stork, Magpie Geese, Straw-necked and Glossy Ibis, Pied Heron, Plumed and Wandering Whistling Ducks, Green Pigmy Geese, Whiskered Tern, Caspian Tern and Brahminy Kite. Saltwater and Freshwater Crocodiles are also found here.
A boardwalk on the edge of the lake is a good place for the endemic Rainbow Pitta, Little Kingfisher, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Shining Flycatcher, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Rufous-banded Honeyeater and Broad-billed Flycatcher.
Along the Arnhem Highway we will stop at a small waterhole for Crimson Finches, Long-tailed, Double-barred, and if we are very lucky, Gouldian Finches. A stop at Adelaide River should produce Mangrove Golden Whistlers and along the route Black-faced Woodswallow, Marsh and Spotted Harriers, Black-shouldered Kites, Nankeen Kestrels, Black-breasted Buzzard, Red-backed Kingfisher are among the possible species.
The first planned stop in World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park is Mamukala Wetlands where the numbers of water birds should be spectacular and there may be the possibility of seeing some species not seen at earlier sites.
Accommodation for the next two nights is Gagadju Lodge, Cooinda which is owned and operated by the local Aboriginal people.
Day 12 – Sept 29: Kakadu National Park
A dawn cruise on the famous Yellow Waters Billabong is the perfect start to the day. The early flights of the waterbirds are a great spectacle and this is an opportunity to get close to, and photograph, huge numbers of birds. Large Saltwater Crocodiles are also a feature of this cruise. White-bellied Sea-Eagles have territories along the billabong, large numbers of Nankeen Night-Herons roam the banks and Bar-breasted and Banded Honeyeaters live in the riverside vegetation.
The agenda today is dependent on what roads are open but will include internationally renowned Aboriginal art sites at Nourlangie Rock and Ubbir and Gubara Gorge. Birding highlights hopefully will include the endemic Banded Fruit-Dove, White-lined Honeyeater and Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon as well as Partridge Pigeon, Little Corella, Northern Rosella, Little Woodswallow and Sandstone Shrike-thrush.
Sunset at Ubbir is a Kakadu tradition and a great way to finish the day.
Day 13 – Sept 30: Kakadu and Pine Creek
Travelling south through Kakadu towards Pine Creek provides the opportunity to look for two of Australia’s rarest raptors, the Grey Falcon which has almost mythical status because it is so elusive, and the Red Goshawk. Brown Goshawks, Australian Hobby, Black-breasted Buzzard, Whistling Kites, Collared Sparrowhawk and Black and Brown Falcons are also found in this area. Masked Finches, Weebills, Black-tailed Treecreepers , Brown Quail, Brush Cuckoo, Black-eared Cuckoo and Variegated Fairy-wren are all possible at random roadside stops and at Bukbukluk. If road conditions are suitable a side trip to Gunlom Falls will provide the opportunity to see species that may have been missed elsewhere. The rough escarpment country above the falls is renowned as the best location to see the locally endemic White-throated Grasswrens but fires in the area recently have made this more difficult. We will, however, give it a go.
The little town of Pine Creek where we stay the night is a good location for Hooded Parrot, Varied Lorikeet, Cockatiel, Diamond Dove, Striated Pardalote, Magpie Lark, Crested Pigeon, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater and sometimes Gouldian Finches.
The nearby sewage treatment plant is home to Australian Pratincole, Black-fronted Plover, Black-winged Stilt and Grey Teal whilst Chestnut-backed Button-Quail have been seen at the nearby cemetery.
Accommodation is at the Pine Creek Railway Resort and dinner at the local pub (hotel).
Day 14 – Oct 1: Pine Creek, Litchfield National Park and Darwin.
An early walk around the water park and other locations around town will give the opportunity to see species that may have been missed during the previous day. We go back to Darwin via Litchfield National Park which is renowned for the huge magnetic termite mounds and is the only location we might see Emus. Near Darwin we will visit the Palmerston Sewage Works to see Black-winged Terns, Yellow White-eye, Mangrove Grey Fantail and other Mangrove species and waders including Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover and Greater Sand Plover. In Darwin we will use whatever time we have left to visit locations where birds we haven’t seen may be located.
Accommodation at the Darwin Central Hotel included.
Day 15 – Oct 2: Return to Cairns, then to USA
- Early return flight from Darwin to Cairns
Birding around Cairnes as time allows!
- Evening flight to USA
