Sept 27: We spent half of the day transferring from Queensland to Darwin, but before leaving Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat, we took another chance to look for the Victoria’s Riflebird that our co-guide, Barry, had spotted briefly yesterday.  At first light we assembled on the edge of the forest near to its territory. It was…

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…

  Sept 25: Yesterday, we had just the briefest glimpse of one of Australia’s most elusive animals, the Platypus.  Today, at first light, Keith, the tall British owner of Kingfisher Park, led us back to the stream, where we were delighted to see the shy, amphibious creature swim silently past us.  A fantastic start to another day on our ‘Down Under’ tour!     Keith continued…

  Sept 24: We got another early start on our ‘Down Under’ tour, starting the day with a pre-breakfast stroll along the Stewart Creek Road.  It was relatively quiet as we walked the forest edge adjacent to the Daintree River, but we did find Forest Kingfisher, a female Leaden Flycatcher, Varied Triller, Bar-shouldered Dove and the common Dusky…

  Sept 23: My adventure in Australia continued on a foggy morning, with a pre-breakfast boat ride on the Daintree River.  Our group of a dozen participants filled the boat to capacity, under the very capable and charismatic local guide, Murray.  Barry and I went separately, with local guide “Sauce,” as in Worcester Sauce.  In fact,…

Growing up along the beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I have always had a fascination with shorebirds. Maybe it’s the difficulty that most birders have in identifying these little guys. It could of course be the hilarious behavior of some species like the sanderling that scurries up and down the beach with…

  Sept 22: The third day of my Australian Tour began early, as several of us went out before breakfast, to explore the Cairns Esplanade.  This wonderful recreational area features picturesque palm trees lining a paved walkway that runs the length of Trinity Inlet.  Exercise was clearly the order of the day, with beach volleyball, jogging and various cardiovascular work-outs in full swing, even…

  Sept 21:  On the second day of our Australian tour, we boarded the 110-passenger catamaran “Ocean Spirit,” for an all-day excursion to the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world, and home to an incredible diversity of marine-based wildlife. This was our first, and longest, of four…

Sept 20: Twelve participants accompanied me on a delightful trip to Australia in September, the beginning of spring for this southern hemisphere continent.  We toured Queensland and the Northern Territories, with an extension covering Western Australia and Tasmania, in search of avian species that inhabit this vast continent. We explored a variety of habitats –…

After breakfast we had our first wet landing on Rabida’s red sand beach. Our group viewed Caribbean Flamingos in the saline pools and climbed to a couple spectacular viewing areas.             Highlights of our hike included Galápagos Hawk, Lava Lizards, Prickly Pear Cacti with soft spines, diving Boobies and a…

  A Green Turtle greeted us for breakfast this morning before we took the dinghies to Santa Cruz and the Charles Darwin Research Station. We learned about the issues the islands are constantly facing with invasive species before getting to view the Darwin Station’s Giant Tortoises. We watched the various species of tortoises and iguanas…

    The afternoon hike was a trip up 355 steps to the Pinnacle Rock overlook on Bartolomé.     Highlights include spectacular (if windy) viewing areas, Grey Mat Plant, volcanic formations, and lava lizards. photos © Kevin Loughlin text © Sarah Winnicki