TRIP REPORT: EASTERN AUSTRALIA, TOP TO BOTTOM DATES: 15 OCTOBER – 1 NOVEMBER 2012 GUIDE AND PHOTOS: NICK LESEBERG Australia is a land of contrasts, from lush green tropical rainforests that measure their annual rainfall in meters to arid red deserts that might receive no rain in a year. The birds are just as varied, and with such a range of habitats it is not surprising they have developed a corresponding variety of techniques to survive in these environments. The last few years have been good ones inland with plenty of rain resulting in an explosion of birds. Now as conditions inland dry out, those birds are being pushed to the coast in large numbers. Given these conditions, it is not surprising this was a record breaking trip, with over 450 species. Bird-of-the-trip went to the gaudy Noisy Pitta for the second year in a row, while the adorable Budgerigar came second. For the past two years I have recorded one solitary budgie on each trip; this year we saw hundreds. Third place was shared between a group of very cute Little Penguins coming ashore and the enigmatic Plains-wanderer. The mammals were also fantastic with an amazing 40 species, including Platypus, Koala, Short-beaked Echidna, Common Wombat, Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo and 12 other species of kangaroo or wallaby. It will be a hard trip to beat! Regent Bowerbird is one of the highlights of any Eastern Australia tour. www.tropicalbirding.com Page 1 of 82 Day 1: Monday, 15th October 2012 – Arrival in Cairns. The first day of a birding trip is always an exciting time, particularly so in Australia because many of the ‘dirt’ birds are still endemic species and new to everyone’s life list. Cairns is a great spot to kick off the trip because there are several very nice locations that are easy to bird, while still providing that rush of new ‘ticks’. High on many people’s wanted list are some of the Asian waders, and there are few better places to see them in Australia than the famous Cairns Esplanade, so that’s where we decided to get this trip started. It was a blustery day which made conditions a bit tough but still the Esplanade lived up to its reputation. We gave the list a nice kick start, with Sharp-tailed Sandpipers the most common wader and Great Knots close behind. We also picked up several diminutive Red- necked Stints, quite a few Terek Sandpipers and an occasional Gray-tailed Tattler, while a couple of very obliging Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits posed beside each other allowing us to discuss the finer points of godwit separation. After a thorough perusal of the mudflats we moved on to Centenary Lakes and the botanic gardens, always a good spot to find some of the ‘bush’ birds. First cab off the rank was Orange- footed Scrubfowl, our first megapode of the trip. Another ground dweller was next, this time a cryptic Bush Thick-knee which eyed us warily. Moving over to the saltwater lake we scored an early candidate for surprise of the trip with a Great-billed Heron spotted resting quietly at the water’s edge. We also got Royal Spoonbill and as we wandered over to the freshwater lake picked up a few other regulars like Helmeted Friarbird, Black Butcherbird, Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and Australian Brush-Turkey. The lake itself was fairly quiet except for a trio of Magpie Geese, a couple of Intermediate Egrets and a Little Rainbow Bee-eater is a common bird Egret. We did pick up our first Rainbow Bee-eater and seen on most days in northern though, sallying on the strong breeze and showing Queensland. off his bright colors to good effect. With things quiet otherwise we moved on to Cattana Wetlands for a quick stop, getting Brahminy Kite on the way. At the wetlands we didn’t have to go far before scoring Green Pygmy-goose, Comb-crested Jacana and Australasian Grebe. A Brown-backed Honeyeater kept the list ticking over until we could find one of our two target birds, with a couple of lily- trotting White-browed Crakes. This was followed soon after by our next target, Crimson Finch, with a couple of these blood-red stunners feeding with a flock of drab Nutmeg www.tropicalbirding.com Page 2 of 82 Mannikins. On our way out of the wetlands we spotted a gorgeous male Olive-backed Sunbird and a dazzling male Red-backed Fairywren also. With dusk descending we made one final stop back at the esplanade and picked up a couple of birds for our trouble, Varied Honeyeater and Black-fronted Dotterel. On that note we called it a day and headed home to celebrate the start of the trip with a fantastic Balinese feast and some beers to wash it down. Bird of the Day: Red-backed Fairywren Always a good bird to find on the first day of the tour, Bush Thick-knees are quite common in suburban Cairns. Day 2: Tuesday, 16th October 2012 – Michaelmas Cay and Cassowary House, Kuranda. Even with a ‘late’ breakfast at 6:30am, we still had time this morning to squeeze in twenty minutes of birding before checking in for our cruise to Michaelmas Cay. We made a quick stop at the mangroves on the northern end of the esplanade and it was a flurry of activity. Within a few minutes of arriving we had found three good birds with a nice pair of Mangrove Robins flitting about in the mangroves, a Little Bronze-Cuckoo calling from the canopy and a Collared Kingfisher which eventually showed itself. We also had a very noisy Sulphur-crested Cockatoo perched up and calling, a bird we would see most days www.tropicalbirding.com Page 3 of 82 throughout the trip. We jumped back in the van and headed for the wharf where we checked in to our boat the Seastar, before leaving for the Great Barrier Reef at about 8:00am. Unfortunately the wind had picked up again this morning making for a rough trip out, but as usual the cay made the long day worthwhile. As we neared Michaelmas Cay the masses of seabirds overhead were obvious, with Brown Noddies and Sooty Terns the most prevalent. After anchoring, we boarded a small runabout and were taken ashore where we were literally within meters of the raucous throngs of seabirds, all very approachable and seemingly unconcerned at the excited onlookers. We started sifting through the species spotting a few Brown Boobies in the crowd, while the occasional Great Frigatebird took to the breeze and soared overhead. Both Greater and Lesser Crested Terns were resting on the beach and we caught a few glimpses of ghostly Black-naped Terns moving back-and-forth on the far side of the island. After a bit of searching we managed to pick out a couple of Black Noddies among the Brown Noddies, but were having no luck with Bridled Tern. Black Noddies can be difficult to pick out among the thousands of Brown Noddies on Michaelmas Cay. This one perched nicely in between two Brown Noddies, allowing comparison of the slimmer body, slightly darker plumage (although this bird is moulting) and the brighter white cap. After an hour or so on shore we jumped back in our runabout for a quick trip around the far side of the island which often produces a few different species. We soon found our first Bridled Tern, and were able to watch a white morph Eastern Reef Egret stalking among the nesting seabirds causing much consternation as it searched for an unguarded egg or chick. We also spotted one Common Tern, got better views of the Black-naped Terns, and found a small party of Roseate Terns resting on the sand. It was then back to the Seastar for our delicious lunch before we moved off to Hastings Reef and our afternoon snorkel. www.tropicalbirding.com Page 4 of 82 This little side-trip has to be one of the non-birding highlights of the tour. Below the calm surface of the water is a wonderland of fish and coral, seemingly of every possible color. From huge and brightly colored parrotfish to small angelfish, the hour spent watching these living jewels seems to fly by. We also spotted a couple of friendly Green Turtles before we had to return to the boat for the trip back to Cairns. Arriving in Cairns at about 4:00pm, we were straight into the bus and on our way to Cassowary House. We arrived a little late for there to be much birding, but still took a quick turn through the rainforest without seeing much. We then took well-deserved showers before heading off for dinner and another beer. Bird of the Day: Black-naped Tern The cloud of seabirds hanging over Michaelmas Cay is always a sight to behold. Day 3: Wednesday, 17th October 2012 – Cassowary House, Kuranda to Red Mill House, Daintree. Always a big day as we sink our teeth into the Wet Tropics, we met at 6:00am to do some birding around Cassowary House before breakfast. Our first bird was a stunner, with a beautiful Gray Goshawk at the top of the driveway. The birds have nested here for several years and are quite reliable giving fantastic ‘scope views of the soft gray plumage and bright yellow legs and cere. Moving down to a creek crossing things were slow to start as we listened to several fruit-doves calling around us before we finally locked on to our first Wompoo Fruit-Dove.