Northern Australia

Cairns to Atherton Tablelands

Jul 20

After a pre-breakfast walk, we will head south of Cairns to look for one of Australia’s most amazing birds – the Southern Cassowary. If our luck is in, we should see at least one or two of these stately ratites on the roadside at a coastal rainforest location on our way. Other birds seen here include Lovely Fairy-wren, Macleay’s Honeyeater, White-bellied Sea-eagle and Pheasant Coucal. From here we will head up towards the Atherton Tablelands, on the way picking up birds like Yellow-spotted & Graceful Honeyeaters, Australian Swiftlet, Rufous (Little) Shrike-thrush, Australasian Figbird, Rainbow Bee-eater, Metallic Starling, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Mistletoebird and Masked Lapwing. Reaching our destination near the Crater Lakes National Park, we will settle in and have a good look around. Surrounded by upland rainforest, our accommodation is often visited by Victoria’s Riflebird, Spotted Catbird, Grey-headed Robin, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Superb Fruit-dove, Pale-yellow Robin, Scarlet Myzomela, Eastern Spinebill, Red-browed Finch and Olive-backed Oriole.

Atherton Tablelands

Jul 21

With this as our base for the next three days, we will explore the wide variety of habitats that are within our reach here on the Atherton Tablelands. With upland rainforest, tropical savannah woodlands, grassland and agricultural fields, wetlands, and swamps to explore, we will be looking for birds like Brolga, Sarus Crane, Great Crested Grebe, Plumed Whistling-Duck, Nankeen Night-heron, Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbill, White-necked Heron, Black-necked Stork, Buff-banded Rail, White-headed Pigeon, Pacific Baza, Spotted Harrier, Lesser Sooty Owl, the rainforest-inhabiting form (subsp lurida) of Australian Boobook, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Fernwren, Bridled Honeyeater, Atherton Scrubwren, Fairy and Brown Gerygones, Mountain Thornbill, Chowchilla, Bower’s Shrike-thrush, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot (Wet Tropics subsp macleayana), Black-faced, Pied, Spectacled and White-eared Monarchs, Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, and Grey-headed Robin.

We will have a great chance of seeing a range of mammals, including Striped Possum, Krefft’s (Sugar) Glider, Green Ringtail Possum, Long-nosed Bandicoot, Musky Rat Kangaroo, Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo, Red-legged Pademelon, Agile Wallaby, and Giant White-tailed Rat. The prehistoric-looking Boyd’s Rainforest Dragon also occurs here.

Atherton Tablelands to Daintree

Jul 22

After a morning’s birding in the rainforest looking for any bird species we may still be missing, we will leave the higher altitude rainforests and head north to the Daintree River region, via a range of open woodland habitats and tropical savannahs. Birds we hope to connect with today include Australian Bustard, Black-necked

Stork, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Squatter Pigeon, White-throated Honeyeater, Grey-crowned Babbler, Noisy & Little Friarbirds, White-throated Gerygone, Red-winged Parrot, Great Bowerbird, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Pale-headed Rosella, Blue-winged Kookaburra and Green (Yellow) Oriole. Our destination for the evening will be the famous Daintree area.

Daintree cruise

Jul 23

Enjoy a boat cruise on the Daintree River, where we will hopefully catch up with Azure and Little Kingfisher, Large-billed Gerygone, Black Bittern, Pacific Baza, Varied Triller, Shining Flycatcher, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Brown-backed Honeyeater, and Fairy Martin, as well as a chance of the rare and localized Great-billed Heron. Additional species we may see in the area include Bar-shouldered Dove, Pacific Koel, Papuan Frogmouth, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Hornbill (Helmeted) Friarbird, Dusky Myzomela, and White-breasted Woodswallow. Reptiles to see include saltwater crocodile, amethystine python, and common tree snake. We will then make our way back to Cairns where, depending on what species we have yet to see, we will spend the rest of the afternoon exploring.

Cairns to Darwin

Jul 24

Today we will fly from Cairns to Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory and Australia’s northernmost city. We will spend some time in the mangrove and monsoon forests looking for the elusive Chestnut Rail, Rufous Owl, Orange-footed Scrub-fowl, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, the striking Rainbow Pitta, Forest Kingfisher, Red-headed Myzomela, Mangrove Robin, Green Oriole, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Green-backed Gerygone, Spangled Drongo, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Great Bowerbird, Pheasant Coucal, Pied and Silver-backed Butcherbird, and Red-collared Lorikeet. Little red flying-fox and agile wallaby are possible mammal highlights.

Darwin to Kakadu

Jul 25

This morning, we start the day with a visit to Fogg Dam, a well-known site that is an excellent area for waterbirds including Magpie Goose, Green Pygmy-goose, Pied Heron, Glossy Ibis, the stately Brolga, White-browed Crake, and the quirky Comb-crested Jacana. En route to Kakadu, we will enjoy a stop at the Adelaide River crossing for lunch, where we may see Mangrove Golden Whistler and a variety of flycatchers like Shining, Leaden, Restless, and Broad-billed Flycatchers. On arrival in Kakadu, we will enjoy a stroll to a local lagoon not far from our cabins to take in the sunset. After dinner, we may enjoy some spotlighting for nocturnal species such as Barking Owl, Tawny Frogmouth, Large-tailed Nightjar, and Australian Owlet-nightjar.

Kakadu

Jul 26

In the morning, we will make a stop at the impressive Mamukala Wetlands, where, if conditions are right, we can enjoy thousands of birds of many species. Plumed and Wandering Whistling-ducks, Radjah Shelduck, Black-necked Stork, Magpie Goose, and Green Pygmy-goose are possible bird highlights, and Arafura File Snakes and Long-necked Turtles can also be found here, a traditional hunting ground for the local Indigenous people. There will also be an option to visit Ubirr, a site of rock outcrops in Kakadu that is home to some impressive Aboriginal rock art. The art depicts creation ancestors and animals of the area, including several fish and turtle species, wallabies, and possums. In the late afternoon, Wilkin’s rock wallabies (a relatively recent split from Short-eared rock wallabies) may be seen emerging from their shelters. Bird specialties found here include Sandstone Shrike-Thrush, Chestnut Quilled Rock Pigeon, Partridge Pigeon (red-eyed form), and Rufous-throated Honeyeater.

Kakadu

Jul 27

This morning, we will make an early visit to Nourlangie Rock, where we have a reasonable chance of seeing the range-restricted black Wwllaroo, Banded Fruit-dove, White-lined Honeyeater, Little Woodswallow, Black-tailed Treecreeper, and Helmeted Friarbird. Elsewhere throughout the park, we’ll hope to connect with tropical woodland species like Partridge Pigeon (red-eyed form, subsp smithii), Rainbow Bee-eater, Black Bittern, Long-tailed Finch, and both Rufous-banded and Rufous-throated Honeyeaters. There is a reasonable chance of spotting a Red Goshawk in Kakadu as well, so we’ll need to scrutinize the skies at all times. We’ll spend the heat of the day in the Jabiru area of Kakadu, which will include a visit to the Bowali Information Centre, where an interpretive walk-through display explains in some detail the cultural heritage and natural history of the Gagadju (Kakadu) region. The Bininj-Mungguy Indigenous culture dates back tens of thousands of years, and there are some fascinating insights there at the center; the surrounding grounds provide a good chance to see a range of birds. After dinner, if we’re feeling energetic, we can spotlight for mammals like Black-footed tree-rat and savannah (sugar) glider.

Kakadu to Darwin

Jul 28

We will take a morning cruise on Yellow Water Billabong, an impressive wetland of channels, swamps, and floodplains that is a delight to explore and is home to plenty of crocodiles and a variety of waterbirds, including Nankeen Night-heron, Black-necked Stork, Little Kingfisher, and Purple Swamphen. Raptors such as White-bellied Sea-eagle and Whistling and Black Kites are also commonly seen here, and we will spot plenty of saltwater crocodiles in the water and on the banks. We will then enjoy a last look around Kakadu before making our way out of the park and heading back to Darwin. On the way back, we will visit Howard Springs Nature Park, where large fish such as barramundi and reptiles like yellow-faced turtle and Mertens’ water monitor can be viewed. We will also be searching for the shy Rainbow Pitta. We will return to Darwin in the late afternoon.

Depart Darwin

Jul 29

After breakfast, transfer to Darwin Airport, concluding your Northern Australia wildlife expedition.

Arrive home

Jul 30

Return home, bringing with you lasting memories of Australia’s unique wildlife, dramatic landscapes, and once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters.