Tim,
The most realistic solution to your problem is to recognise that it takes
more than one trip to see all the Cape York birds. I've been to Iron Range
once, flying in to Lockhart River in January at the beginning of the wet -
but, as others have noted, the wet can begin many weeks earlier and swiftly
make roads impassable.
January is of course the time to get Red-bellied Pitta, Black-winged Monarch
and the like - and it's true that the wet is THE best time to experience the
Cape. Unfortunately, to get the dry country birds of inland Cape York, you
really need to go in the dry season. Sixteen years after my trip to Iron
Range, I still haven't done this myself, so no Golden-shouldered Parrots or
Black-backed Butcherbirds for me.
Other birds on your list, like Buff-breasted Button-quail, are probably
easiest to find at the beginning of the wet on the Atherton Tablelands (and
they're still extremely difficult even then). Still others, like Pale
White-eye, require an expensive extra flight to the Torres Strait and then
probably a boat trip to one of the smaller islands.
The simple fact of the matter is you'd need a hell of a lot of luck and
fairly deep pockets to do it all at once! On the positive side, why go to
the Cape just once when you can go twice? It's a magnificent part of the
world.
Andrew
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