Away to Cairns

Well, now that my Birds Australia Conservation Forum talk is over (I will post link to the actual powerpoint presentation soon in case anybody wishes to read it; the day was a fantastic success and not only did I got some real positive feedback, but my findings could well be incorporated into management in the future), I am now looking forward to a trip to Cairns tomorrow morning with my close friend Ryan Phillips, and his mate Myles Menz, whom I am looking forward to meeting. We are heading up to Cairns for a week of solid birdwatching througohut the Cairns region including visiting everywhere from the Atherton Tablelands in the south to Cape Tribulation to the north. Now, in terms of species, there are a GREAT number of amazing species in this region that I am looking forward to seeing. One of the highlights would be the Golden Bowerbird, which we are hoping to spot in the high altitude forests of the Tablelands. However, there are so many other species to look forward to; some common and some rare. Macleays Honeyeaters are just stunning, and although probably common, will be a highlight. There there is the Blue-faced Parrot-finch, which could be a bit harder to spot, but will be a highlight also. HEY, who am I kidding, ALL species will be a highlight from the small Mountain Thornbill to the Southern Cassowary. I will give a detailed report once I return, with heaps of pictures and stories!!

Lamington National Park

Mark and Richelle came up from Armidale a couple of weeks ago, so we went out to dinner at the fabulous Thai Orchid Restaurant in Mt Gravatt on the Friday night and then went on a trip to Lamington National Park on the Saturday. Needless to say, before you all make jokes about the name (I've heard them all), no, there were no lamingtons, or talk of lamingtons, or gimmicky lamington related items in the gift store...

Lamington National Park is on the border between QLD and NSW, and given that it is high in the ranges, has an interesting mix of temperate, sub-tropical and cool temperate rainforest. It is home to some of the more uncommon species in Australia; highlights of which would have to be the Albert's Lyrebird and Eastern Bristlebird... neither of which we saw on the day. The most numerous species we saw on the day would have been the Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Logrunner (big surprise to see so many) and Green Catbird. The Catbird is so-called because of it's amazing call, that sounds very much (as you can guess from the name) like a cat. In the cafe, we saw some real pretty close-ups of a Crimson Rosella (shown below) that walked right in front of Rebecca on the table, and stole one of my chips! Not exactly the most typical 'chip-fiend' you would imagine, but much prettier than a Silver Gull (or Seagull for those used to the vernacular). The Logrunner is a lovely little birds that you hear scratching in the undergrowth before you actually see it! They scratch away the leaf litter layer with their relatively big feet, and eat grubs that attempt to escape back into the undergrowth. Often, while feeding, they give what I can only describe as a faint mumbling call, that I believe works in keeping in contact with their mate, who is rarely feeding more than 2-3m away! Real cute!! Unfortunately, although we had a fantastic time walking and seeing amazing sites, the O'Reillys section of the park that we were in has become a corporate retreat for the rich; way too many 5-star accommodation bungalows that takes away from the magic of the surrounding forest. Nothing like the magic of driving into somewhere like New England National Park in NSW or Fitzgerald National Park in the SE of WA where there is hardly anything around to distract from the true beauty of just nature! Next time I go to Lamington, I might try out the Binnu Burru region of the park... apparently very different and not so developed...