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FAR
NORTH QUEENSLAND
In 1997 we spent a couple of
weeks in the Cairns area, visiting Julatten, Daintree, the Atherton Tablelands, Mission
Beach, Eubananagee Swamp and a few other spots. Below you'll find some lists from the best
sites.
Bush Stone-curlews at Brisbane's botanic gardens |
Bird (& Mammal)
Lists
- sorry, the lists are in no particular order, just
how I entered them into my database
Cairns
Julatten
Daintree
Atherton Tablelands
Eubanangee Swamp
Mission Beach
Edmonton Crocodile Farm
Green Island
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Cairns
Some of the better birding spots in Cairns include The Esplanade, the
botanic gardens, Mount Whitfield and the Mangrove Boardwalk near the airport. |
Australian
White Ibis
Crested Tern
Bar-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit
Little Egret
Great Egret
Whimbrel
Eastern Curlew
Ruddy Turnstone
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Red-necked Stint
Striated Heron
Australian Pelican
Varied Honeyeater
Noisy Friarbird
Torresian Imperial-Pigeon
Metallic Starling
Royal Spoonbill
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Nutmeg Mannikin
Laughing Kookaburra
Mistletoebird
Peaceful Dove
Figbird
White-breasted Woodswallow
House Sparrow
Royal Spoonbill |
Sacred
Kingfisher
Willie Wagtail
Yellow Oriole
Black Butcherbird
Orange-footed Scrubfowl
Australian Brush-turkey
Brown Honeyeater
White-throated Honeyeater
Brown-backed Honeyeater
Yellow Honeyeater
Yellow-bellied Sunbird
Forest Kingfisher
Magpie Goose
Pacific Black Duck
Australian Darter
Rainbow Bee-eater
Intermediate Egret
Spectacled Monarch
Little Bronze-Cuckoo
Shining Flycatcher
Barred Cuckoo-Dove
Gull-billed Tern
Silver Gull
Terek Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper
Greater Sand Plover |
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Julatten
This is a small town located north of Cairns on the tablelands. There is
only one place to stay - the Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge. The grounds of the
accommodation consist of an old disused orchard with a stream running through the back.
It's a fabulous place for birds and mammals and makes a great base for visiting Mount
Lewis, Mount Malloy, Mount Carbine andso on. In other words, you should put it on your
itinerary. ñ |
Brown
Goshawk
Large-billed Scrubwren
Bar-shouldered Dove
Peaceful Dove
Black Kite
Whistling Kite
Yellow-breasted Boatbill
Spectacled Monarch
Pale-yellow Robin
Grey-headed Robin
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
Macleay's Honeyeater
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Bower's Shrike-thrush
Torresian Crow
Brahminy Kite
Red-browed Finch
Barn Owl
Papuan Frogmouth |
Emerald
Dove
Bush Stone-curlew
White-throated Honeyeater
Graceful Honeyeater
Yellow Honeyeater
Rainbow Lorikeet
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Topknot Pigeon
Lemon-bellied Flycatcher
Azure Kingfisher
Forest Kingfisher
Little Shrike-thrush
Northern Fantail
Willie Wagtail
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Pale-headed Rosella
Spangled Drongo
Dusky Honeyeater
Varied Triller |
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| Mammals |
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Green Ringtail
Possum
White-tailed Rat
Platypus
Red-necked Pademelon |
Daintree
North of Port Douglas at the end of the
road lies the small town of Daintree. We stayed at the Red Mill House, with its resident Little Kingfisher in the
pond and White-lipped Treefrogs in the toilet. The man to contact is Chris Dahlberg who runs the
early morning river cruise in search of things such as Great-billed Heron and Shining
Flycatchers amongst others. ñ |
Large-tailed
Nightjar
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Australian Darter
Shining Flycatcher
Rainbow Lorikeet
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
Emerald Dove
Torresian Imperial-Pigeon
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Brown-backed Honeyeater
Black-necked Stork
Wompoo Fruit-Dove
Great-billed Heron
Azure Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
Little Kingfisher
Golden-headed Cisticola
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Striated Heron
Pacific Baza
Pacific Black Duck |
Little
Shrike-thrush
Large-billed Gerygone
Figbird
Varied Triller
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Dusky Moorhen
Purple Swamphen
Welcome Swallow
Tree Martin
White-rumped Swift
Black Butcherbird
Spangled Drongo
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Yellow-bellied Sunbird
Graceful Honeyeater
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
Spotted Catbird
Whistling Kite
Forest Kingfisher
Nankeen Night Heron
White-faced Heron
Mangrove Robin (near Mareeba) |
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Atherton Tablelands
We visited Granite Boulders, Bromfield Swamp, Hypipamee Crater, Tinaroo
Lake, Lake Barrine, Curtain Fig, Wongabel State Forest, Palmerston National Park and
Millaa Millaa. The whole area was once covered in rainforest but this is now restricted to
remnant areas. Even so the birding is brilliant. ñ |
Red-backed
Fairy-wren
Sarus Crane
Brolga
Pacific Black Duck
Eurasian Coot
Masked Lapwing
Purple Swamphen
Little Egret
Hardhead
Cotton Pygmy-goose
Comb-crested Jacana
Latham's Snipe
Golden-headed Cisticola
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Little Black Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike
Plumed Whistling-Duck
Australian Pelican
Whistling Kite
Wandering Whistling-Duck
Australian Brush-turkey
Spotted Catbird |
Pale-yellow Robin
Metallic Starling
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
Pied Monarch
Large-billed Scrubwren
Grey Fantail
Spectacled Monarch
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
Eastern Whipbird
Wompoo Fruit-Dove
White-headed Pigeon
Figbird
Australian King-Parrot
Topknot Pigeon
Tooth-billed Bowerbird
Spotted Catbird
Chowchilla
Bridled Honeyeater
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
Crimson Rosella
Pied Currawong
Grey Goshawk
Grey-headed Robin |
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| Mammals |
Musky Rat-kangaroo
Platypus
Unadorned Rock-wallaby
Common Brushtail Possum
Coppery Brushtail - northern QLD
subspecies of Common Brushtail
Herbert River Ringtail Possum
Red-legged Pademelon
Long-nosed Bandicoot
Green Ringtail Possum |
Eubanangee Swamp
This is a great wetland area and well worth dropping in on if you are
travelling north towards Cairns. ñ |
Green
Pygmy-goose
Black-necked Stork
Little Egret
Intermediate Egret
Great Egret
Comb-crested Jacana
Little Pied Cormorant
Little Black Cormorant
Australian Darter
White-faced Heron |
White-necked Heron
Whistling Kite
Pied Monarch
Leaden Flycatcher
Red-backed Fairy-wren
Pacific Black Duck
White-breasted Woodswallow
Large-billed Gerygone
Little Shrike-thrush
Black Kite |
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Mission Beach
The excellent rainforests around the town of Mission Beach hold a
population of cassowary - road deaths & dogs are an ever present problem. We went to
Dunk Island for Noisy Pitta, which literally forage around your feet here. ñ |
Rufous
Fantail
Southern Cassowary
Noisy Pitta
Little Shrike-thrush
Yellow-spotted Honeyeater
Whimbrel
Grey-tailed Tattler
Metallic Starling |
Chestnut-breasted
Mannikin
Large-billed Scrubwren
Brown Cuckoo-Dove
Wompoo Fruit-Dove
Masked Lapwing
Spectacled Monarch
Cattle Egret
Eastern Reef Egret |
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Edmonton Crocodile Farm
This commercial croc farm charges an entrance fee but it's well worth it
for the surprisingly excellent birding inside. Others I know of have seen a number of
rarities here. ñ |
White-browed Crake
Black-fronted Dotterel
Marsh Sandpiper
Sacred Kingfisher
Brown Honeyeater
Buff-banded Rail
Black Kite
Bar-shouldered Dove
Crimson Finch
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper |
Striated
Heron
Royal Spoonbill
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Yellow-bellied Sunbird
Mistletoebird
Golden-headed Cisticola
Australian Reed-Warbler
Purple Swamphen |
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Green Island
The main reason we went to Green Island was to get Rose-crowned
Fruit-Dove, as you can see there's not much else to draw you here unless you've not seen
the fruit-dove elsewhere. ñ |
Rose-crowned
Fruit-Dove
Torresian Imperial-Pigeon
Silvereye
House Sparrow
Common Myna
Emerald Dove
Whimbrel
Osprey
White-bellied Sea-Eagle |
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