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Tropical & Far North Queensland 9 Day Birding Tour

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Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008, BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61409 763172 www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected] Tropical & Far North Queensland 9 day birding tour Tropical Far North Queensland is without doubt one of known for such as Magnificent Riflebird, Frill-necked Monarch, Australia‟s top birding destinations. A variety of tropical Monarch, Blue-faced Parrot-finch, Lovely Fairy-wren, White- habitats including rainforests, palm-fringed beaches, White-streaked Honeyeater, Papuan Frogmouth, nesting Red mangrove-lined mudflats, savannahs and cool mountain Red Goshawks, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Yellow-bellied ranges result in a bird diversity unparalleled elsewhere in bellied Kingfisher and many more, including of course the rare the country. rare Southern Cassowary. We‟ll have rare access to Golden- Commencing in Cairns, we‟ll bird the local area and head shouldered Parrot nesting sites; explore Lakefield National to well-known Kingfisher Park on the Atherton Tablelands, Park; we‟ll go night spotting for owls and mammals‟; and we‟ll then traverse the unique Cape York Peninsula. During this we‟ll spend two days in Iron Range National Park, one of tour we aim to find all Tropical Far North Queensland Australia‟s most important ecosystems. We‟ll also look for specialties. Expect over 200 species including all the mammals such as Bandicoot, Sugar Glider, Northern Striped endemics and other important birds this area is well- Striped Possum, Red-necked Wallaby and Tree Kangaroo. Read on below for the full itinerary and checklist! Tour starts and ends: Cairns, Qld Price: AU$4,999 all-inclusive (discounts available) Scheduled departure date(s): Leader: Steve Potter and/or local guide 29 July 2019 Trip reports and photos of previous tours: Any time as a private tour (subject to availability) http://www.bellbirdtours.com/reports Questions? Contact BELLBIRD BIRDING TOURS : READ ON FOR: Further tour details Freecall 1800-BIRDING Daily itinerary email [email protected] Booking information Tropical & Far North Queensland birding tour Tour details Tour starts & finishes: Cairns, Qld. Scheduled departure and return dates: Tour commences with dinner on 28 July 2019. Please arrive on or before 28 July. Tour finishes after lunch on 6 Aug 2019. Please depart on or after 6 Aug. Itinerary contains further details. This tour links seamlessly with our Queensland Savannah to Tropics: Mt Isa to Cairns tour, see below. Leader: Steve Potter and/or local guide. Difficulty: Low/Medium/High/Excellent level of fitness required. The tour has a relaxed pace and walks are on varying surfaces, from paved roads to sandy or rocky walking trails with some short climbs. We generally walk slowly, with lots of stops. You can opt out of any challenging walks. The tour contains some long drive on (at times corrugated) gravel roads. What to bring: Please travel light. Binoculars, camera, mobile phone, chargers, power converter if you‟re an international guest, insect repellent, sunscreen, personal medications, sun hat, water bottle, hand sanitizer. Sturdy footwear recommended. Scopes, super-telephoto lenses with tripods, and heavy suitcases discouraged. Clothing: Lightweight long pants, t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt, over the top of which you can wear layers that can be taken off as necessary, including a warm jumper/sweater and a rain-proof jacket. Neat casual attire for dinners. Group size: Minimum 4, maximum 8 participants. Cost: AU$4,999 per person including accommodation and all meals, based on double or twin-share occupancy. Single occupancy surcharge of $590. Not included: drinks, tips, personal expenses. Earlybird discount of $99 for bookings received up to 6 months before departure date. Return-client discount may apply. Bookings: Online at http://www.bellbirdtours.com/bookings or please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. Tropical & Far North Queensland birding tour ITINERARY Day 0: 28 Jul ’19. Arrive in Cairns. If you‟re not on our linking Queensland Savannah to Tropics: Mt Isa to Cairns tour, please please make your own way to Cairns and to our hotel where we will all meet for dinner, introductions and orientation. Overnight Cairns Plaza Foreshore Hotel (en- suite hotel room; meals included: D). Day 1: 29 Jul ’19. Cairns area. The tropical habitats surrounding Cairns contain some of Australias richest bird- and wildlife. Today we‟ll visit the Botanical Gardens with adjacent wetlands, patches of tropical forest and the coastal mudflats and mangroves. Birds we are likely to encounter include Australian Brush Turkey, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Comb-crested Jacana, Beach Stone-Curlew, Radjah Shelduck, Green Pygmy Goose, White-browed Crake, Superb and Wompoo Fruit-dove, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Figbird, Black Butcherbird, Green Oriole, Noisy Pitta, Lovely Fairy-wren, Mangrove Robin, Shining Flycatcher and Crimson Finch amongst others. Accommodation: Cairns Plaza Foreshore Hotel, Cairns (en-suite rooms; meals: B, L, D). Day 2: 30 Jul ’19. Cairns to Atherton Tablelands. This morning we‟ll focus on finding the endangered Southern Cassowary. This large, flightless, dinosaur-like creature can be surprisingly elusive! While looking for it, we are also likely to encounter Black-faced Monarch, Graceful- and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. We will then start heading into the hinterland of Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands, where we may see Brolga and Sarus Crane. After a delightful days‟ birding we will arrive at our base on the cool Atherton Tablelands: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers‟ Lodge. Surrounded by tropical gardens and a small orchard, Kingfisher Park is set in lush rainforest and caters exclusively for naturalist and birdwatchers. It is a tremendous birding area, and the also the perfect base for birding the wider district. After dark we will do some spotlighting for Tree Kangaroo, owls and nightjars. Accommodation: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers’ Lodge (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B, L, D). Day 3: 31 Jul ’19. Atherton Tablelands. We have a full day to spend birding and photographing the wonderful grounds of the lodge and its surrounding areas of farmland, creeks, woodland and rainforest which offers an array of tropical bird species. Within the lodge grounds, where Rainbow Pittas have their territory, we may find Wompoo and Superb Fruit Dove, Scaly- breasted Lorikeet, Topknot Pigeon, Emerald Dove. Spotted Catbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Grey Whistler, White-throated Treecreeper, Macleay‟s and Bridled Olive-backed Sunbird, Red Honeyeater, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Spectacled and Black-faced Monarchs, Goshawk © P Waanders, Golden- Victoria‟s Riflebird and Sooty Owl, while we may also find mammals such as shouldered Parrot © Geoff Jones, Long-nosed Bandicoot, Sugar Glider, Northern Striped Possum and Red-necked Black-necked Stork © P Waanders Wallaby. We should see the impressive bowers of Great Bowerbird. At some Tropical & Far North Queensland birding tour point today we‟ll visit the spectacular Curtain Fig Tree, slowly walking around this famous tree, or simply sit on one of the seats surrounding the tree, and look up. Around the tree there are regular sightings of Double-eyed Fig- Parrot, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Spotted Catbird, White-throated Treecreeper, Lewin‟s and Macleay‟s Honeyeater, Large-billed Scrub-wren, Mountain Thornbill, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Whipbird, Little and Bower‟s Shrike- thrush, Black-faced, Spectacled and Pied Monarch, Yellow- breasted Boatbill (usually in the upper canopy), Victoria‟s Riflebird, Pale-yellow and Grey- headed Robin and Metallic Starling. We‟ll also head up Mt Lewis, in search of the much sought-after Blue-faced Parrot-finch. For those who want to, we will do evening spotlighting for Tree Kangaroo, owls and nightjars. Accommodation: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers’ Lodge (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B, L, D). Day 4: 1 Aug ’19. Daintree to Musgrave. This morning we‟ll take the “Daintree Eco Cruise” which should be a highlight of the trip, to see Estuarine Crocodile and birds including Papuan Frogmouth, Azure and Little Kingfisher, Great-billed Heron, Radjah Shelduck, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Large-billed Gerygone and a chance of Great-billed Heron. Birding the areas around Daintree we‟ll be looking for Shining Flycatcher, Bar-shouldered Dove, Pacific Koel, Papuan Frogmouth, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Helmeted Friarbird and Dusky Honeyeater and White-breasted Woodswallow. In the afternoon we„ll bird our way to Musgrave up the Cape York Peninsula. The Peninsula Development road traverses various habitats to the township of Laura, where we turn east to start birding the southern end of Lakefield National Park. Travelling through a range of habitats, target species will include many species of Honeyeater, Friarbirds, raptors, a number of finch species and others. Here we look for Black-backed Butcherbird, Red Goshawk, Star Finch, Black-throated Finch, Bar-breasted and Rufous-throated Honeyeater. We‟ll stay out for dusk, having a good chance to pick up some great night birds including Grass Owl. Overnight Musgrave Roadhouse (en- suite room; meals included: B, L, D). Day 5: 2 Aug ’19. Musgrave area & Lakefield NP. We depart early to go birding in the northern sections of Lakefield National Park, then we‟ll head towards Princess Charlotte Bay. Today we‟ll search for two major targets: the beautiful and very restricted Golden-shouldered Parrot and the White-faced Robin © P Waanders, rare Red Goshawk. Other good species we‟ll come across include Rufous- Eclectus Parrot © Geoff Jones, throated and Rufous-banded Honeyeater, Star Finch, Black-breasted Buzzard Cassowary, MacLeay‟s Honeyeater © and Black-necked Stork. After lunch we‟ll drive the Peninsula Development P Waanders Tropical & Far North Queensland birding tour road through Coen to Iron Range National Park, where we‟ll arrive at the end of the day. Overnight Iron Range cabins (en-suite cabin; meals included: B, L, D). Days 6 & 7: 3 & 4 Aug ’19. Iron Range NP. We‟ll spend two full days in the rainforests of Iron Range National Park, one of Australia‟s premier and unique ecosystems.
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