Birding trip Report - Far northern QLD

[Bernard O'Keefe <>]

NORTH QUEENSLAND BIRD TRIP
SEPTEMBER 2016
Journal compiled by Bernie O’Keefe
Bird list compiled by Scott Baker

On September 19 2016, Scott Baker and I began a birding adventure focusing on 
some of the key species in the northern part of Queensland. The key idea of the 
trip was to spend time around Iron Range.
Monday Sep 19
The trip begun by flying into Cairns very early on Monday morning. A quick 
sleep at a backpackers in the CBD, then up again early to start the journey. We 
could not pick up our 4WD until 12 so we spent time around The Esplanade where 
we were treated to some great birds. Early arrival of waders included good 
number of Great Knots, Curlew Sandpipers, Red-necked Stints, Whimbrel and 
Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits.
Varied Honeyeater and Scaly-breasted Munia were easy to find and a walk up the 
mangroves gave us great views of a number of Mangrove Robin, Collared 
Kingfisher and Purple-crowned Fruit doves.
A problem with our hire car was quickly sorted so we were off! A quick look 
around Mareeba Wetlands for Black-throated finches was not successful so we 
made our way to Mt. Carbine to stay the night in the very hospitable pub in 
town.
Tuesday Sep 20
Up early and on the road to visit a site I had researched for the 
Black-throated Finch. We found Hurricane Rd, which was about 25 km’s north-west 
from Mt. Carbine on the main highway. We drove to the 7km point on this road 
and it only took us about ten minutes to get onto a pair of Black-throated 
finches which were in nest building mode as one had a piece of grass in its 
beak. They gave us magnificent views! On the way in we also came across a Grey 
Goshawk but it was too quick for photos. This was my first target for the trip 
achieved! Tick!
We then started our 200 km journey to Musgrave Roadhouse. On the way, we 
stopped at a pond 25kms south of the roadhouse on the main road, just short of 
Artemis station. We found a pair of Brolga’s but more excitingly, we found two 
Black-backed Butcherbirds which again gave us fantastic views! Target two 
achieved and ‘lifer’ tick 2!
Upon reaching Musgrave Roadhouse, we were given information from a local about 
where to find the Red Goshawk nest. It turned out to be incorrect! But after we 
visited Lotus Bird Lodge, which is in the general area, we were given the 
correct information and thus found the Red Goshawk sitting on eggs in the nest. 
I was sworn to secrecy as to its location so I will not publish it in this 
report. A very quick visit from a distance enabled us some really good photos 
of the parent standing on the nest to prune itself. Target number 3 achieved 
and my third ‘lifer’ for the day! We set up tent at Musgrave station and saw 
more Black-backed Butcherbirds in the campground.


Wednesday Sep 21
We were up at 4.45am to make our way to Artemis Station to meet Sue Shepherd 
who is the owner. Sue is well known in birding circles for her willingness to 
show people the critically endangered Golden-shouldered Parrot. We met her at 
6am and soon after she took us down to a small dam on her property. After about 
an hours’ wait, 13 Golden-shouldered parrots arrived for a drink including a 
magnificent old male! Target 4 achieved with splendid photos!
Then it was on the road again to make our way to Iron Range. After about a 3 
hour drive, we finally had made it! It was great stopping in the rainforest 
looking for the Iron Range specialities. We picked up some supplies and set up 
camp at Cook Hut. That evening, we had Large-tailed Nightjars, Marbled 
Frogmouths and a Rufous owl around the campsite. We also managed photos of two 
Spotted Cuscus.
Thursday Sep 22
Dawn chorus started early and we were up straight away. Around the campsite, 
the better birds we found included Eclectus Parrot, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, 
White-faced Robin, Magnificent Riflebird, Trumpet Manucode, Yellow-billed 
Kingfisher, Black-eared Catbird and Red-cheeked parrot. The riflebird and 
catbird gave me two more target species so I was feeling good.
A drive to Chilli Beach that morning gave us a number of waders and Black-naped 
Tern on a small rocky island just off the beach.
After lunch, we visited the rubbish dump near the township of Lockhart and 
picked up Palm Cockatoo and Scott managed to find one of his targets which was 
Fawn-breasted Bowerbird.
Friday Sep 23
We decided to walk the Old Coen road track this morning which is a 10 km round 
trip. We parked the car at the Rainforest campground and as soon as we got out 
of the car, we picked up Frilled Monarch and Northern Scrub Robin, which were 
both on the track at the Rainforest Campground. These were two targets for 
Scott so we started the day well! The track provided plenty of the Iron Range 
specialities including the species we located the day before but the big target 
we got near the end of the track in the paperbark section was White-streaked 
Honeyeater! This was one of the main targets for me as I missed it last time I 
was up here and it means I only have to now photograph the Eungella Honeyeater 
to complete the full set of honeyeaters photographed in Australia!
We also photographed a Spotted Cuscus taking a morning stroll along a tree line 
and two beautiful lizards; Blue-tailed Monitor and a Major Skink, which is a 
very large skink about the size of a Blue-tongue.
That afternoon, we checked out the sewerage farm for Spotted Whistling Duck 
with no luck but I guess it maybe still a bit early for them to arrive from up 
north. The rest of the afternoon was spent back in the rainforests to improve 
photos and to find the last few species on Scott’s target list. He finally 
photographed the Yellow-billed Kingfisher at Cook’s Hut after we heard them for 
most of the time there.
Saturday Sep 24
We spent the morning back in the rainforest around the campgrounds on Portland 
road including Rainforest, Cook’s and Gordon’s campgrounds. We did not add much 
to what we had already seen so headed back for lunch.  But when we returned to 
our accommodation at the airport, we found a Fawn-breasted Bowerbird feeding on 
the road at the entrance to the airport! It was a great chance to get some 
great photos! After lunch, we decided to head over to Chilli Beach but we 
stopped on the way to check out a rainforest further down from the campgrounds. 
Here we stumbled across a very obliging Trumpet Manucode who gave us great 
pleasure in photo opportunities for a species we had found difficult to 
photograph so far. We also picked up Green-backed Honeyeater further down the 
road heading back to the campgrounds. This had been very elusive so far on the 
trip as they called very infrequently.
Later that afternoon, we visited the T-intersection area which is the point 
that you choose to go to Portland or Lockhart and I would have to say that this 
was the BEST birding spot we had encountered! There was so much action that we 
were not sure what to chase! We found a number of Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo’s 
calling (but not sighted) as well as a close encounter with a roosting Palm 
Cockatoo, Red-cheeked Parrot, many Trumpet Manucodes and most of the other 
endemics.
Sunday Sep 25
We were conscience of the fact that this would be our last day in the Iron 
Range and Scott still needed 3 Iron Range specialties to complete his list. We 
decided to focus our search at the T intersection due to our success late the 
day before. Within two hours, Scott had picked up Black-eared Catbird, 
Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo and FINALLY, the Yellow-legged Flycatcher! That was a 
clean sweep for Scott and we departed the area very happy for our trip! This 
section of the park provided us with almost all species that morning including 
Northern Scrub Robin and I highly recommend that you concentrate your search 
from this point up to about 1.5 km’s up Portland Road. But this could change 
depending on the time of the year I guess.
On the way out of the park, we stopped at a few spots near Tozer’s Gap. The 
habitat looked great for White-streaked Honeyeaters with flowering orange 
grevillea amid paperbarks. It only took a couple of minutes to locate a number 
of birds and some great photo opportunities!  We made our way back to Musgrave 
station to enjoy a beer after 4 nights of alcohol restrictions in Lockhart. 
They tasted great!
Monday Sep 26
We left Musgrave Roadhouse at 6am to have a quick visit to the Red Goshawk 
site. Both birds were there which gave us great views. Then we headed off to 
Cooktown and on the way we had great views of a Black-breasted Buzzard.  We 
thought we may visit a site as reported in the Tim Dolby and Rohan Clarke book 
to take a chance at finding an over wintering Black-winged Monarch in the 
Cooktown area. We arrived at the McIvor River crossing around 1.30pm, which is 
about 70 km north of Cooktown. After an hour or so of searching, Scott heard 
one calling and then we found the bird which gave us great views although it 
was pretty high up in the foliage. Upon further research and advice from Martin 
Cachard (who is completing a major study on this species), it was identified 
correctly as a Black-winged monarch! Around this site we also had White-browed 
Robin, Shining Flycatcher, Forest and Azure Kingfisher, Wompoo and Rose-crowned 
Fruit-dove, just to name a few! It was a beautiful site full of birdlife.
Tuesday Sep 27
We left Cooktown early to make our way back to Cairns to return our 4WD, which 
is about a 350km trip. We stopped at a number of places to bird and to stretch 
our legs without any real excitement. We changed cars over and picked up a 
small vehicle as we had decided to visit Kingfisher Park at Julatten to spend 
our last few days. On the way there, we made a short detour at Mareeba to look 
for the well-known feral population of Helmeted Guineafowl that have been 
recorded there for many years. After a search along Chewko Rd, we managed to 
find a group of about 20 birds in bush by the railway line that you have to 
cross. Another quick stop at Granite Rock Gorge to photograph the Mareeba Rock 
Wallaby and Squatter Pigeon. We then arrived at Kingfisher Park to enjoy the 
last hour of sunlight around the birdfeeder where we had Chestnut-breasted 
Mannikin, Yellow-faced and Macleays Honeyeater. We also had a Large-billed 
Scrubwren come in to drink at a water bowl. That evening, we did some 
spotlighting around the Park where we found and photographed Green Ring-tailed 
Possum and Spectacled Fruit-bat
Wednesday Sep 28
Off to Mt. Lewis at dawn. During the morning we found species such as 
Black-faced Monarch, Yellow-throated Scrub-wren, Atherton Scrub-wren, Fern 
wren, Chowchilla, Mountain Thornbill, Spotted Catbird, Bower’s Shrike-thrush, 
Victoria Riflebird, Grey-headed Robin, Pale-yellow Robin, Fig Parrot, 
Spectacled Monarch and Noisy Pitta. We also snared good shots of a Tiger Snake 
on the dirt road. It was a great morning on the mountain. After lunch, I 
decided to rest at Kingfisher Park to catch up on some editing while Scott 
returned to Mt. Lewis where he also found Tooth-billed Bowerbird. That evening 
we spotlighted on Mt. Lewis but it was very inactive but we did add 
White-tailed Rat to our mammal list.
Thursday Sep 29
We spent the morning visiting a few places around Julatten like Abattoir Swamp, 
Pinnacle Rd and McDougal’s Rd. We added some new species to the list and they 
provided some great photo opportunities which included Barred Cuckoo-shrike and 
Topknot Pigeon (which I have found generally hard to photograph in the past). 
Both of these were found on McDougal’s Rd, which is just up the road from 
Kingfisher Park on the right heading to Mt. Molloy. We spent the afternoon 
driving to Atherton to visit the Nerada Tea farm where we lucky enough to have 
terrific views of Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo. We headed back to Cairns after a 
visit to the Curtain Fig tree at Yungaburra, which is an amazing sight! 
Victoria Riflebird were calling consistently here. We checked in and prepared 
for our trip to Michaelmas Cay tomorrow, which would be our last day up here.
Friday Sep 30
We departed for Michaelmas Cay at around 8.30am with Ocean Spirit. It took two 
hours to get to the cay and was a very comfortable and enjoyable cruise. We set 
foot on the cay about 11am and it is an amazing site and an experience every 
birdwatcher should do. Massive amounts of Common Noddy and Sooty Tern. Good 
numbers of Brown Booby nesting on the cay. There were also a number of Great 
Frigatebirds preening themselves on what little logs there are on the cay. 
Scott was after Bridled Tern for his list and he eventually found one sitting 
by itself. I was fortunate enough to photograph 3 Black-naped Terns which was a 
lifer for me. Unfortunately, they roost on the other side of the cay which you 
cannot get access to, so your only real chance is to see them in flight. I also 
spent a lot of time snorkelling the reef and started my fish photo collection 
by hiring an underwater camera. I was pretty happy with the results.
Now back in Cairns and flying back to Melbourne later in the night. Tired but 
very happy with the outcomes of the trip.


I hope you have enjoyed this trip report and find it useful if you are planning 
a trip up this way!
Kind regards
Bernie O’Keefe
30-9-16

FINAL TIPS
Just a few hints if you are planning on doing this trip:

·        Take plenty of water as the days are pretty hot and humid.

·        The T-intersection as mentioned above is the edge of rainforest and 
grassland on Portland Road. The best place we found to do birding!

·        Do your research thoroughly as there is basically no or limited 
internet access up there.

·        When hiring a 4WD, ensure that the contract allows you to drive 
further past Cooktown or Laura. The major companies will NOT allow this! We had 
a great company that supplied us with a great car for $189 a day including full 
insurance. Ring 1300 Truck Hire on 1300878254. But they do have a limit of 
$200km per day so be aware of this. It cost us an extra $300!

·        You must ring Sue Shepherd if you want to visit her Artemis station 
property, 25 kms south of Musgrave station. She is a great hostess and for a 
small fee of $50 per group, she will show you the Golden-shouldered parrot. Her 
number is 0740603264. Her husband is Tom.

·        The roads up there in September are pretty good for dirt roads. There 
are a number of simple creek crossings you will have to do but they were not a 
problem and most 2WD would probably get through!

·        If you would like further clarification of this report, please email 
me on

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TRIPLIST : CAIRNS/ ATHERTON TABLELANDS- IRON RANGE NATIONAL PARK
19-29 SEP 2016
1 Emu Lilyvale rd [20/9] 2 birds on road.
2 Magpie Goose Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
3 Black Swan Mareeba Wetlands [19/9].
4 Raja Shelduck Lockhart River sewage ponds [23/9], wetland west of Cooktown 
[26/9].
5 Green Pygmy Goose Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
6 Pacific Black Duck wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
7 Grey Teal wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
8 Australian Brushturkey commonly encountered rainforest areas. Julatten and 
Iron Range. Race purpureicollis in the Iron Range area distinctive.
9 Orange-footed Scrubfowl small numbers in suitable rainforest habitat around 
Julatten and Iron Range.
10 Helmeted Guineafowl Nicotine Creek, Chewko rd area.[26/9] 25 birds sighted 
close to railway.
11 Australasian Grebe Lockhart River sewage ponds [23/9].
12 Australian White Ibis Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Lockhart River sewage ponds 
[23/9], Musgrave Station [25/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
13 Royal Spoonbill wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
14 Nankeen Night Heron Gordon creek [22/9, 24/9] single bird in creek.
15 Striated Heron Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
16 Eastern Cattle Egret commonly seen in fields between Cairns and Iron Range.
17 White-necked Heron near Mt Carbine [20/9].
18 Great Egret Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
19 ntermediate Egret Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
20 White-faced Heron observed in transit.
21 Pacific Reef Heron Portland rd township [22/9].
22 Australian Pelican Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
23 Great Frigatebird Michaelmas Cay [29/9] 5 female birds roosting on island.
24 Lesser Frigatebird Portland rd township [22/9].
25 Brown Booby Portland rd township [22/9], Michaelmas Cay [29/9] number of 
birds nesting.
26 Little Pied Cormorant wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
27 Australasian Darter Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Mary’s Creek [20/9], wetland 
west of Cooktown [26/9].
28 Black-breasted Buzzard single bird 40km sth of Laura [25/9].
29 Wedge-tailed Eagle Lilyvale rd [20/9].
30 Red Goshawk Lilyvale rd [20/9, 25/9] 2 birds at nest.
31 Grey Goshawk Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9] single bird.
32 Brown Goshawk observed in transit [20/9] sth of Musgrave Station
33 Black Kite observed in transit, various locations
34 Whistling Kite Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Lilyvale rd [20/9], Cook’s Hut 
[21/9].
35 Brahminy Kite Lockhart River airport [24/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
36 Australian Bustard Mareeba Wetlands [19/9] 2 birds in field along Pickford 
rd.
37 Brolga Mary’s Creek [20/9] 2 birds
38 Bush Stone-curlew Cairns cemetery, [19/9] Kingfisher Park 26/9, Trinity Bay 
[29/9].
39 Masked Lapwing Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Chilli 
Beach [22/9], Lockhart River sewage ponds [23/9].
40 Pacific Golden Plover Chilli Beach [22/9], Lockhart River airfield [23/9] 
group of 30 birds.
41 Red-capped Plover Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Chilli Beach [22/9].
42 Lesser Sand Plover Chilli Beach [22/9].
43 Greater Sand Plover Chilli Beach [22/9].
44 Comb-crested Jacana wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
45 Black-tailed Godwit Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
46 Bar-tailed Godwit Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
47 Grey-tailed Tattler Chilli Beach [22/9] .
48 Common Sandpiper Portland rd township [22/9], Chilli Beach [22/9], Lockhart 
River sewage ponds [23/9]
49 Ruddy Turnstone Michaelmas Cay [29/9].
50 Great Knot  Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
51 Red-necked Stint Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Chilli Beach [22/9].
52 Curlew Sandpiper Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
53 Brown Noddy Michaelmas Cay [29/9] many 1000’s.
54 Silver Gull Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Chilli Beach [22/9], Michaelmas Cay 
[29/9].
55 Gull-billed Tern Chilli beach [24/9] single bird flying along beach.
56 Greater Crested Tern Chilli Beach [22/9], Michaelmas Cay [29/9].
57 Lesser Crested Tern Michaelmas Cay [29/9] small numbers but active and easy 
to observe.
58 Bridled Tern Michaelmas Cay [29/9] only 1 bird sighted.
59 Sooty Tern Michaelmas Cay [29/9] common at this location, many 100’s.
60 Black-naped Tern Chilli Beach [22/9] 4 birds roosting on island, Michaelmas 
Cay [29/9] 3 birds photographed in flight were identified later when reviewing 
images.
61 Rock Dove Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Mt Molloy township [28/9].
Spotted Dove Cairns area [19/9].
62 Brown Cuckoo-Dove Cook’s Hut [21/9, 24/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9], Mt 
Lewis [27/9].
63 Pacific Emerald Dove Chilli Beach [22/9], Cook’s Hut [24/9], T-section 
rainforest [25/9], Mt Lewis [27/9].
64 Squatter Pigeon Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Granite Gorge [26/9].
65 Peaceful Dove Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9], 
Lilyvale rd Artemis Station [21/9], Abattoir Swamp [28/9].
66 Bar-shouldered Dove Artemis Station [21/9], Cook’s Hut [21/9], Portland rd 
township [22/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
67 Wompoo Fruit Dove Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9, 23/9, 24/9], Coen track [23/9], 
T-section rainforest [25/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9], Mt Lewis [27/9], 
Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9] nest located above road.
68 Superb Fruit Dove Cook’s Hut [21/9].
69 Rose-crowned Fruit Dove Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Portland rd township [22/9].
70 Torresian Imperial Pigeon Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Cook’s Hut [22/9, 24/9], 
Portland rd township [22/9], Chilli Beach [22/9], T-section rainforest [25/9], 
McIvor River crossing [25/9]. Fairly common in suitable habitat.
71 Topknot Pigeon Mt Lewis [27/9], McDouggal rd Julatten [28/9].
72 Pheasant Coucal Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9], Lockhart River [24/9], 
wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
73 Shining Bronze Cuckoo Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
74 Little Bronze Cuckoo Coen track [23/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9].
75 Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo T-section rainforest [24/9, 25/9] number of birds 
calling, 1 seen well.
76 Fan-tailed Cuckoo Pinnacle rd Julatten [28/9].
77 Brush Cuckoo McIvor River crossing [25/9] Cairns area [29/9].
78 Rufous Owl Cook’s Hut [21/9] single bird heard calling throughout night.
79 Marbled Frogmouth Cook’s Hut [21/9] 3-4 birds calling, 1 seen well. Cook’s 
Hut [23/9].
80 Papuan Frogmouth McIvor River crossing [25/9] 3 birds roosting in palm. 
Kingfisher Park [27/9].
81 Tawny Frogmouth Musgrave Station [25/9] calling throughout evening.
82 Large-tailed Nightjar Cook’s Hut [21/9] number of birds calling, 1 seen well
83 Australian Swiftlet often seen in large flocks. Various locations, Cairns to 
Iron Range.
84 Oriental Dollarbird Chilli Beach [22/9] single bird.
85 Laughing Kookaburra Lilyvale rd [20/9], Artemis Station [21/9], Mt Lewis 
[27/9], Pinnacle rd Julatten [28/9].
86 Blue-winged Kookaburra Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Artemis Station [21/9], 
wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
87 Forest Kingfisher Artemis Station [21/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9]. Many 
others observed on powerlines at various locations.
88 Collared Kingfisher Cairns Esplanade [19/9] 3 birds in mangrove area
89 Yellow-billed Kingfisher Cook’s Hut [22/9, 23/9, 24/9], Coen track [23/9], 
T-section rainforest [25/9]. Often heard in rainforest areas, pair of birds 
seen well at Cook’s Hut on 1 occasion.
90 Azure Kingfisher Musgrave Station [25/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9].
91 Rainbow Bee-eater Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Lilyvale rd [20/9], Cook’s Hut 
[22/9], Coen track [23/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9].
92 Nankeen Kestrel Mareeba Wetlands [19/9]
93 Peregrine Falcon Mt Carbine Hotel [19/9] late afternoon fly-by.
94 Palm Cockatoo Cook’s Hut [21/9], Old tip site Lockhart River [22/9], 
T-section rainforest [24/9]. Observed at number of other sites, usually in 
flight whilst driving.
95 Red-tailed Black Cockatoo number of groups encountered between Mt Carbine 
and Iron Range.
96 Galah Artemis Station [21/9].
97 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Lilyvale rd [20/9], Coen track [23/9], Cook’s Hut 
[23/9], Mt Lewis [27/9].
98 Rainbow Lorikeet Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9], Mt Lewis [27/9].
99 Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Mareeba Wetlands [19/9].
100 Pale-headed Rosella Nicotine Creek, Chewko rd area.[26/9].
101 Golden-shouldered Parrot Artemis Station [21/9] -13 birds came into dam 
around 8am. Mostly female/juvenile types. 1 adult male also sighted.
102 Red-cheeked Parrot Cook’s Hut [21/9, 24/9], Coen track [23/9], T-section 
rainforest [25/9]. Heard often, usually flying overhead but sometimes perched.
103 Eclectus Parrot Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9, 23/9,24/9], Coen track [23/9]. 
Often seen in flight, occasionally roosting but difficult to approach.
104 Red-winged Parrot Artemis Station [21/9].
105 Double-eyed Fig Parrot race marshalli : Coen track [23/9], Cook’s Hut 
[24/9], T-section rainforest [25/9].  race macleayana : Mt Lewis [27/9] 
Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9]
107 Noisy Pitta Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9, 23/9, 24/9], T-section rainforest 
[25/9], Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9]. More often heard than 
seen.
108 Spotted Catbird Mt Lewis [27/9].
109 Black-eared Catbird Cook’s Hut [24/9] 2 birds seen. T-section rainforest 
[25/9] 3 birds seen well.
110 Tooth-billed Bowerbird Mt Lewis [27/9] fairly vocal along radio tower track.
111 Great Bowerbird Mary’s Creek [20/9] Artemis Station [21/9]
112 Fawn-breasted Bowerbird Old tip site, Lockhart River [22/9], Lockhart River 
airport –single bird moving from woodland to grassed areas close to 
accommodation.
113 White-throated Treecreeper Mt Lewis [27/9] race minor.
114 Brown Treecreeper Mareeba Wetlands [19/9] race melonata.
115 Lovely Fairywren Ranger station Lockhart River [22/9],T-section rainforest 
[25/9], Julatten area [28/9].
116 Red-backed Fairywren Mareeba Wetlands [19/9].
117 Dusky Myzomela Cook’s Hut [21/9, 24/9] Coen track [23/9] McIvor River 
crossing [25/9]
118 Scarlet Myzomela Julatten area [28/9]
119 Green-backed Honeyeater Coen track [23/9] 2 birds seen briefly, Cook’s Hut 
[24/9, 25/9] 3-4 birds seen well feeding low in trees on roadside.
120 Eastern Spinebill Mt Lewis [27/9]
121 Brown Honeyeater Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Cook’s Hut [22/9], Abattoir Swamp 
[28/9].
122 White-streaked Honeyeater Coen track [23/9] 1-2 birds in woodland area. 
Tozer’s Gap [25/9] 6 birds feeding in flowering Grevillia on roadside. [was 
more accurately around 1km east of lookout.]
123 Macleay's Honeyeater McIvor River crossing [25/9], Mt Lewis [27/9], 
Pinnacle rd Julatten [28/9].
124 Tawny-breasted Honeyeater Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9, 24/9] T-section 
rainforest [25/9]. Fairly common, usually feeding high in canopy.
125 Little Friarbird Lilyvale rd [20/9].
126 Hornbill Friarbird McIvor River crossing [25/9], Mt Molloy township [28/9].
127 Blue-faced Honeyeater Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Artemis Station [21/9], 
Musgrave Station [25/9], Mt Molloy township [28/9].
128 White-throated Honeyeater Artemis Station [21/9], Old tip site Lockhart 
River [22/9].
129 Brown-backed Honeyeater Lockhart River beach area [23/9] in nearby woodland.
130 Bridled Honeyeater Mt Lewis [27/9]
131 Yellow-faced Honeyeater Kingfisher Lodge [26/9]
132 Yellow Honeyeater Musgrave Station [20/9], Artemis Station [21/9].
133 Varied Honeyeater Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Portland rd township [22/9].
134 Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Lilyvale rd [20/9] reasonably common at this 
location.
135 Graceful Honeyeater Common rainforest species in suitable habitat from 
Cairns to Iron Range.
136 Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Common rainforest species in suitable habitat 
from Cairns to Iron Range.
137 Lewin's Honeyeater Mt Lewis [27/9].
138 Red-browed Pardalote Lilyvale rd [20/9] number of birds calling.
139 Striated Pardalote Abattoir Swamp [28/9].
140 Fernwren Mt Lewis [27/9].
141 Atherton Scrubwren Mt Lewis [27/9].
142 Yellow-throated Scrubwren Mt Lewis [27/9].
143 Large-billed Scrubwren Kingfisher Lodge [26/9], Mt Lewis [27/9].
144 Tropical Scrubwren Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9,24/9], Coen track [23/9], River 
crossing [25/9]. Reasonably common in suitable habitat.
145 Brown Gerygone Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9]
146 Large-billed Gerygone Portland rd township [22/9] Likely more abundant than 
single record suggests, number of other candidates not seen well.
147 Fairy Gerygone Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9], Coen track [23/9].
148 Mountain Thornbill Mt Lewis [27/9].
149 Grey-crowned Babbler Mareeba Wetlands [19/9].
150 Chowchilla Mt Lewis [27/9] common on track leading to radio tower.
151 Eastern Whipbird Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
152 Yellow-breasted Boatbill Cook’s Hut [24/9], Mt Lewis [27/9].
153 White-breasted Woodswallow Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Julatten area [26/9]
154 Black Butcherbird Cook’s Hut [22/9, 24/9], Portland rd township [22/9], 
Coen track [23/9].
155 Black-backed Butcherbird Mary’s Creek [20/9], Artemis Station [21/9], 
Musgrave Station [25/9]
156 Pied Butcherbird Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9], 
Artemis Station [21/9]
157 Australian Magpie Artemis Station [21/9].
158 Pied Currawong number of birds observed in transit from Iron Range to 
Musgrave Station.
159 Black-faced Cuckooshrike Mary’s Creek [20/9].
160 Barred Cuckooshrike McDouggal rd, Julatten [28/9].
161 White-bellied Cuckooshrike Cairns area [19/9], Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], 
Lilyvale rd [20/9], Artemis Station [21/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9].
162 Varied Triller Coen track [23/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9].
163 Grey Whistler Coen track [23/9], Cook’s Hut [23/9, 24/9].
164 Australian Golden Whistler Mt Lewis [27/9].
165 Rufous Whistler Lilyvale rd [20/9], Abattoir Swamp [28/9].
166 Bower's Shrikethrush Mt Lewis [27/9].
167 Little Shrikethrush Cook’s Hut [22/9, 24/9] Coen track [23/9], T-section 
rainforest [25/9] McIvor River crossing [25/9]
168 Australasian Figbird Common rainforest /garden species Cairns-Iron Range.
169 Olive-backed Oriole Lilyvale rd [20/9], Artemis Station [21/9].
170 Green Oriole Common rainforest species throughout Iron Range.
171 Spangled Drongo Coen track [23/9], Cook’s Hut [24/9], wetland west of 
Cooktown [26/9].
172 Willie Wagtail Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Abattoir 
Swamp [28/9].
173 Northern Fantail Coen track [23/9], McIvor River crossing [25/9].
174 Grey Fantail Mt Lewis [27/9].
175 Rufous Fantail Cook’s Hut [21/9, 24/9], Coen track [23/9] Mt Lewis [27/9].
176 Spectacled Monarch Coen track [23/9], Cook’s Hut [24/9], McIvor River 
crossing [25/9], Mt Lewis [27/9].
177 Black-faced Monarch Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
178 Black-winged Monarch McIvor River crossing [25/9] single bird located by 
call. Likely an overwintering individual.
179 White-eared Monarch entrance rd, Iron Range [21/9]
180 Frill-necked Monarch Coen track [23/9]
181 Magpie-lark Mareeba Wetlands [19/9], Mary’s Creek [20/9], Artemis Station 
[21/9].
182 Leaden Flycatcher Artemis Station [21/9], Chilli Beach [22/9].
183 Shining Flycatcher Portland rd township [22/9], Old tip site Lockhart River 
[22/9], Cook’s Hut [24/9].
184 Torresian Crow Lilyvale rd [20/9], Artemis Station [21/9], Musgrave Station 
[25/9], wetland west of Cooktown [26/9].
185 Apostlebird Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9]
186 Trumpet Manucode Cook’s Hut [22/9, 24/9], Coen track [23/9], T-section 
rainforest [25/9] number of birds seen at this location.
187 Magnificent Riflebird Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9, 24/9] Coen track [23/9] 
T-section rainforest [25/9]. Common – heard often in rainforest areas but 
difficult to observe.
188 Victoria's Riflebird Mt Lewis [27/9] Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
189 Grey-headed Robin Mt Lewis [27/9].
190 White-browed Robin McIvor River crossing [25/9] 3-4 birds active near river.
191 Mangrove Robin Cairns Esplanade [19/9] 4-5 birds in mangrove area.
192 White-faced Robin Cook’s Hut [22/9], Coen track [23/9], T-section 
rainforest [25/9].
193 Pale-yellow Robin Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
194 Yellow-legged Flyrobin T-section rainforest [25/9], 2 birds seen well 
feeding in upper canopy.
195 Lemon-bellied Flyrobin Lockhart River airport [23/9] 2 birds on fenceline.
196 Northern Scrub Robin Coen track [23/9] 1 bird seen well near campground. 
T-section rainforest [25/9] calling strongly.
197 Welcome Swallow various sites in transit.
198 Tree Martin McDouggal rd, Julatten [28/9].
199 Tawny Grassbird Abattoir Swamp [28/9].
200 Golden-headed Cisticola Mareeba wetlands [19/9].
201 Silvereye Coen track [23/9], Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
202 Metallic Starling Cairns Esplanade [19/9], Cook’s Hut [21/9, 22/9, 24/9], 
Coen track [23/9], Kingfisher Park [27/9]. Common in suitable habitat often 
forming large noisy flocks.
203 Common Myna Cairns Esplanade [19/9].
204 Mistletoebird Lilyvale rd [20/9], Coen track [23/9], Cook’s Hut [24/9], Mt 
Lewis [27/9].
205 Olive-backed Sunbird  Cairns area [19/9], Portland rd township [22/9], 
Julatten area [28/9]
206 House Sparrow Cairns Esplanade [19/9]
207 Red-browed Finch McIvor River crossing [25/9] 3 birds race minor. 
Kingfisher Lodge [26/9], Mt Lewis [27/9], Pinnacle rd, Julatten [28/9].
208 Masked Finch Artemis Station [21/9] 2 birds at waterhole, race leucotis.
209 Black-throated Finch Hurricane rd, Mt Carbine [20/9] pair of birds 
gathering nesting material. 7.2km from intersection.
210 Double-barred Finch Artemis Station [21/9]
211 Scaly-breasted Munia Cairns Esplanade [19/9]
212 Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Kingfisher Lodge [26/9] many attracted to 
bird-feeding station.





Bernard O'Keefe

Applied Learning Coordinator
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