AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND, Rose Gums and Etty Bay

Sept 26:  The spring dawn chorus of Queensland, Australia provides a wonderful way to start any day.  I awoke to the loud, cracking call of a Eastern Whipbird, and, from the deck of our cozy treehouse abode, tuned in to many other birds singing their morning songs.  There was the “did you walk” call of a Brown Cuckoo-shrike, a yodel from a Black Butcherbird, the rat-tat-tat machine gun call of Lewin’s Honeyeater, the melodious song of a Golden Whistler, the namesake sound of Wompoo Fruit Dove, and the loud, tropical note of a Victoria’s Riflebird.

Breakfast at Rose Gums

Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat is set on 230 acres, abutting Wooroonooran National Park. Giant, towering Rose Gums trees Eucalyptus grandis, endemic to the highlands of Northern Queensland, dominate the property, which features a mix of rainforest and wet sclerophyll. With superb treehouse abodes, stunning outdoor deck dining area, and amazing landscape, Rose Gums rates as one of the finest eco-birding lodges of the world, in my book!

Before going to breakfast, we split into two groups to take turns watching a delightful scene.  Peta had set up a special feeding area for Musky Rat-Kangaroos, a mini version of the rat-like bandicoot.  Food was set-out and covered by a cage with an opening just large enough for the rat-kangaroo, Australia’s smallest kangaroo.  The cage keeps out Brush-turkey thieves, but allows the kangaroo to come and go at will, much to our delight in watching him.  While half the group ogled the kangaroo, the other half was at the back of the reception area, watching a large flock of Rainbow Lorikeets and a couple of Australasian King Parrots coming in for their morning feed.

Most of the group joined me for a trip to the coast to search for Southern Cassowary. On the way out, we stopped to see a Pheasant Coucal resting on a fence post, Bush Stone Curlews, and saw numerous Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes feeding in roadside trees.

Since much of the area is covered in dairy farms and agricultural plots, we assumed that a large flock of white birds, numbering in the hundreds, standing in a just-plowed field were Cattle Egrets.  Closer inspection showed them to be Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.

We continued looking for the elusive Cassowary, canvassing back and forth along a short distance in Etty Bay, a picturesque spot at the base of the escarpment on the Cassowary Coast, surprisingly sparsely populated, considering it’s proximity to Cairns.  We walked around the camping ground and edge of the rainforest where it meets the beach. People commented on our search, “You should have been here yesterday,” and “This morning it walked right by our caravan.” Someone even showed us a picture they took of one that had walked inside their tent!

We were temporarily diverted to look at a Goaana, a large monitor lizard walking on the sandy beach, tongue-flicking in search of food. Alas, we never located a Cassowary, but enjoyed a delicious lunch at the local cafe, sampling “Spanish Mackerel” and chips, some kind of fish!  Queensland is certainly the best region in Australia for butterflies and we were rewarded with a Banded Demon and a real beauty, Green-spotted Triangle.

With a few hours to relax back at Rose Gums, some of the group relaxed while others joined Barry and I to look for the Victoria’s Riflebird that we heard calling in the morning. Barry located it at the top of a stump, 15 feet up, from which it was calling to attract a mate. Sadly, it flew before any of us got to see it.

We ended another lovely day in Queensland with another exquisite meal, thinking about more Australian adventures to come!
all photos © adrian binns