Northern Endemics Tour
Northern Endemics Tour
13 Day Tour
Cairns - Iron Range - Archer River - Musgrave - Kingfisher
Park
Birdwatcher's Lodge (Julatten)
- Yungaburra - Mission Beach - Cairns
(Fly/Drive)
6 birdwatchers maximum
This tour covers the most important key areas of North Queensland with the chance of seeing all endemic birds on one tour.
Iron Range is our first destination, and this National Park is one of the important birding locations in Australia. Eclectus Parrots, Red-cheeked Parrots and Green-backed Honeyeaters are only found in this region, plus the other endemic birds of upper Cape York, which also occur in New Guinea. It's a must for every birdwatcher at least once.
We then travel south and spend some time around Musgrave and Lakefield National Park, where Black-backed Butcherbird, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Star Finches and many more are the highlights, plus a chance to see the Red Goshawk, Australia's rarest Raptor.
The Wet Tropics World Heritage area between Cooktown and Townsville is one of the best and most famous birding regions in Australia. 14 species of birds are endemic to the highland and lowland rainforests, which receive the highest rainfall of the Australian mainland. That accounts for its natural beauty, clear creeks with Platypus and a large number of endemic frogs and possums.
Day 1- 4
Accommodation: Portland Road / Iron Range
The tour starts in the morning in Cairns with the flight to Lockhart
River (Iron Range). I meet you at about noon at the airstrip and the
birdwatching starts. We have no set itinerary for the days at Iron Range,
but we visit the rainforests, woodland, mangroves and coastline. On
most days we go birdwatching early morning, relax over lunch and go
sometimes spotlighting after dinner.
We are staying at a private house with 4 bedrooms on a hill at Portland Roads, overlooking Weymouth Bay and the mangroves. The accommodation is solar powered and has a diesel generator back-up, hot water and a million-dollar view .
Day 5
Accommodation: Archer River Roadhouse
After birdwatching in the morning we depart Iron Range and travel to
the Archer River. It's only 160 km, but this trip will take us about
5 hours, including stops. At Archer River Roadhouse we spend one night.
Day 6 - 7
Accommodation: Musgrave Station
Today we leave for Musgrave via Coen. We stay two nights at Musgrave
to look for the Golden-shouldered Parrot, which is present all year
around, plus other birds of that area like Black-backed Butcherbirds,
Masked, Star and Black-throated Finches among many others.
Lakefield National Park has numerous lagoons and rivers, which adds different birds to the bird list. At night we spotlight for Barn, Barking, Boobook and Grass Owls, and we often encounter Spotted Nightjars and Papuan Frogmouth.
Day 8
Accommodation: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge, Julatten
In the morning we visit an area, where the Red Goshawk was previously
seen and reported nesting. After a few hours we depart Musgrave and
travel via Laura to Julatten, where we arrive mid afternoon.
Julatten and the Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge is in the northern part of the Tablelands. This spot is well known for its bird life and is the prime spot for Lesser Sooty Owls and Red-necked Crakes among others, and the rooms are surrounded by lush rainforest with birds present at your fingertips.
Day 9
Accommodation: Kingfisher Birdwatchers Lodge, Julatten
We leave Julatten very early and drive down to the coast. On the Daintree
River we take the well-known River Cruise with Chris Dahlberg, who specialises
in birdwatchers.
Highlights are Great-billed Herons and Little Kingfishers, and it's not uncommon to see 40 species of birds. In the afternoon we spend more time in the surrounding area, and at night we look for nocturnal birds.
Day 10 - 11
Accommodation: Yungaburra Park Motel, Yungaburra
Early morning local birdwatching, and weather and road condition permitting
we visit nearby Mt Lewis, which has the only reliable population of
Blue-faced Finches. These Finches are best seen between January and
May, but Mt Lewis is generally a great birdwatching location.
Afterwards we drive to the southern part of the Tablelands and stay at Yungaburra. Places like Lake Barrine, Mt Hypipamee and Hastie's Swamp are the spots for the endemic highland rainforest birds and many others. At night we look for Rainforest Possums with possible nocturnal birds always on our minds.
Most birding locations in this region are between 700 and 1000 metres above sea level, so temperatures can be 10 degrees Celsius lower than coastal Cairns and Mission Beach.
Day 12
Accommodation: Castaways Beach Resort, Mission Beach
After an early morning excursion in the local rainforests we move to
Mission Beach on the coast.
The Cassowary is our main objective in the lowland rainforests at Mission Beach, the stronghold for this endangered species. Several times we walk in the lowland rainforests with its spectacular Fan Palms, where Noisy Pittas and White-eared Monarchs are other target species.
Day 13
A brief walk before breakfast, and we then drive towards Cairns.
Depending on time we'll visit Eubenangee
Swamp, and the mangroves at Edmonton are a good place to see the
Mangrove Robin among others and is the last stop before reaching Cairns.
We maybe visit the Esplanade (depending on time and tides), and I return
you then to the accommodation of your choice. The tour ends in the late
afternoon.
The Cairns Crocodile Farm is unfortunately now closed to the public.
Kirrama Wildlife Tours
Phone: (07) 4065 5181
International Phone: 61 7 40655 181
email: info@kirrama.com.au
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