Please see below.
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Tun Pin Ong <<>>
Date: 25 May 2014 8:56:48 pm AEST
To: "<>"
<<>>
Subject: Re: RFI Cairns and around in May 2014
Reply-To: Tun Pin Ong <<>>
Hi Birding-ausers,
Thank you to those who replied or pm to my request earlier this month on
birding in Cairns and around. Your information and advices had certainly
helped. Our trip had been a lot more enjoyable due to this.
We travelled to Cairns during 10 May to 16 May 2014. Understand that this is
normally not the most ideal period for birding due to absence of either
Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher or Sarus Crane. It rained every single day
during our stay, but that did not deter our outing activities significantly. To
put it positively, there are always many windows in the day when we could enjoy
the bright dry weather.
Visiting to Michaelmas Cay by Seastar Cruise also was not the best of the time.
Trips to Great Barrier Reef are always very costly as it is mostly suited for
scuba diving/snorkeling. Our stay on the Michaelmas Cay was disappointingly
brief – just a little more than half an hour. Despite the disappointment,
partly due to very brief stop, costly trip, out-of-season, long day trip, the
Seastar was still the preferred choice as it was the first cruise that arrived
at Michaelmas Cay. On the other notes the crews were helpful and friendly.
Great choice if you also intend to include also snorkeling/Scuba Diving. My big
mistake was to bring along a scope – should pack light.
Because I was supposed to look after my 5 yo daughter all the time, there was
no serious jungle trekking or hiking throughout the trip, and hence the bird
list was very low. Nevertheless, the best and the most unexpected highlight of
the trip was a father and juvenile Southern Cassowary foraging in the open in
Etty Bay, and later presumably a separate larger female adult on our way out of
the bay.
Some of the photos taken during the trip.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tunpin/tags/cairns/
Other birds I have managed to identify:-
Southern Cassowary – Etty Bay, Innisfail
An adult male and juvenile foraged at the beach on Sun 11 May 2014 since 3pm
after rain stopped. Another presumably larger female further up near roadside
on our way out from the beach at 5pm. Bumped into a Norwegian traveller who
mentioned that there are even more Cassowaries at Mission Beach further south.
Orange-footed Scrubfowl – Daintree National Park, Daintree
A pair foraging at road side and then crossed the road and vanished. Around
5pm, 2 km before Ferry Jetty on our way to cross the river back to Cairns.
Magpie Goose – a pond behind Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. Next to very
touristic Skyway Cable Terminal, Cairns
At least 30 were foraging on the grass next a pond. I noticed them from a
distance while descending from cable car ride.
Green Pygmy-Goose – Cattana Wetlands, Cairns
A pair in the main pond during my just 30mins quick check 730am
Great Crested Grebe – Lake Eacham, Atherton Tablelands
Pair in the middle of the lake.
Brown Booby – Michaelmas Cay and around
Great Fregatebird – Michaelmas Cay, no landing
Black-necked Stork – Cane field just before arriving at Daintree Ferry
terminal. Also Barron River Mouth, Cairns.
Australian Pelican – Seas north of Cairns
Cattle Egret – Common
Straw-necked Ibis – Very common, sometimes at residents’ front yard.
Black Kite – Common hovering above cane fields
Brahminy Kite – twice encountered turning off from Captain Cook Hwy into Machan
Beach
Bar-tailed Godwit – overwintering at Barron River Mouth, Cairns
Pied Oystercatcher – Barron River Mouth, Cairns
Red Capped Plover - Barron River Mouth, Cairns
Masked Lapwing (northern race) – Very common everywhere, including the
Esplanade.
Crested Tern – Michaelmas Cay
Sooty Tern – Michaelmas Cay, the most common seabirds - > 1000
Common Noddy – Michaelmas Cay ~100
Black Noddy – Michaelmas Cay – one flying, no landing
Spotted Turtle-dove - The Esplanade, Cairns
Peaceful Dove – The Esplanade, Cairs
Very common and exceptionally tame
Bar-shouldered Dove – outside Tourist Information Centre, Kuranda
White-headed Pigeon – a pair on bare tree top, Lake Eacham, Atherton Tablelands
Rainbow and Scaly Lorikeet – foraging low in blooming trees in front of
Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, Cairns
Gould’s Bronze-Cuckoo – at small oval in front of tourist information centre,
Kuranda. Cattana Wetlands, Cairns.
A pair foraging with one ate a caterpillar. One individual showed very dark
barring.
Swiftlet species (opps did not positively id) – common, including The Esplanade
Sacred Kingfisher - a pond behind Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. Next to
very touristic Skyway Cable Terminal, Cairns
Collared Kingfisher – Machan Beach, Cairns
Helmeted Friarbird - foraging low in blooming trees in front of Tjapukai
Aboriginal Cultural Park, Cairns
Varied Honeyeater – one nesting 2 meters above the “Seagull” barbecue pit, the
Esplanade, Cairns.
Brown-backed Honeyeater - Cattana Wetlands, Cairns.
White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike – The Esplanade public swimming pool.
Yellow Oriole – Cattana Wetlands, Cairns
Yellow Figbird – Common, The Esplanade, Cairns, Kuranda.
White-breasted Woodswallow – Common including the Esplanade, Cairns.
Black Butcherbird – Cattana Wetlands. Photographed 3 black morph. Saw a rufous
morph.
Spangled Drongo – The Esplanade, Cairns
Yellow-bellied Sunbird – Cattana Wetlands, Cairns. Kuranda. Daintree National
Park.
Mistletoebird – Kuranda.
Metallic Starling – Abundant in the morning. The Esplanade, Cairns.
On Monday, 5 May 2014 12:20 AM, Tun Pin Ong
<<>> wrote:
Dear Birding-ausers,
I will be travelling to Cairns for a week next Sat 10 May 2014 to Fri 16 May
2014 as a 'nanny dad' for my 5 yo and will be based at a hotel around
Esplanade/Marina.
Is there any strange gulls or rare shorebirds along the Esplanade at this
period? Any recent good sites or tips to see some of my wishlist would be
greatly appreciated:-
Southern Cassowary
Great-billed Heron
Sarus Crane (Are they easy to see in Atherton Tablelands at this time?)
Australian Bustard
Beach Stone-Curlew
Otherwise any common local birds or regional endemics will surely impress a
Sydneysider who has never birded in any parts of Queensland.
I am able to drive around to look for good birding sites as long as it is not
too demanding for my daughter.
Is Michaelmas Cay still good at this time of the year?
I suppose the Buff-breasted Kingfisher has gone by now.
Thanks in advance on any advices, either in response to this thread or private
message.
Happy Birding!
Regards,
Tun Pin Ong
Lidcombe, NSW
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