Cape York and FNQ report

[Alan Bond <>]

We have recently returned from Cairns where we did two birdwatching tours with Cassowary Tours .

The first was of Cape York and involved driving from Cairns to Musgrave Roadhouse for 2 nights then on to Portland Roads for 4 nights, returning to Cairns by aircraft.

 

We saw 203 species in the 7 days, including all but one (missed yellow-legged flycatcher) of the 'New Guinea specials':

Palm cockatoo

Eclectus parrot

Red-cheeked parrot

Chestnut-breasted cuckoo

Yellow-billed kingfisher

Red-bellied pitta

Tropical scrubwren

Tawny-breasted honeyeater

Green-backed honeyeater

Northern scrub-robin

Black-winged monarch

Black-backed butcherbird

Magnificent riflebird

Trumpet manucode

Fawn-breasted bowerbird

 

We also saw the 'Cape York endemics' of:

Golden-shouldered parrot

White-streaked honeyeater

Frilled monarch

 

After a few days at Cairns and Julatten (Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge), we did the 8 day "Cairns, Wet Tropics and Outback tour", which took in Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands, including Kuranda, Julatten and Mt Lewis, Georgetown, Daintree and Michelmas Cay.

 

On this trip we saw an amazing 265 species, including:

Southern cassowary

Black bittern

Red-necked crake

White-browed crake

Lovely fairy-wren

Atherton scrubwren

Mountain thornbill

Buff-breasted paradise-kingfisher

Little kingfisher

 

Both tours were very enjoyable, of a high standard, and well-led by Ben Blewitt, a professional tour operator with excellent knowledge of FNQ flora and fauna.  The Cape York tour takes a maximum of 5 passengers and we had just 4 (us and Terry and Mary Lovett, also from COG) on the other tour (max 6).  The tours included all meals and accommodation, transport in a/c 4WD, plane trip from Cape York and the boat trip to Michelmas Cay.

Full details are at the Cassowary Tours website: www.cassowarytours.com.au should anyone be interested. 

Heather and Fred Allsopp

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