31 Dec 07. Black Bitterns. Were the best this morning in a very tranquil river setting.
 29 Dec 07. Raptor morning. Grey Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, Brahminy Kite and Whistling Kite. Busy morning; thousands of Spectacled Flying-foxes over the village at 5:30am replaced with clouds of Rainbow Lorikeets, busy Azure Kingfisher and then a series of Black Bitterns with one posing for the cameras. Blue-winged Kookaburra, Laughing Kookaburra, Forest Kingfishers seen and a Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher calling at Stewart's Creek Road. Lots of rain about and the Daintree River is in a minor flood.
 24 Dec 07. Big tidal range. 3.12 metres in fact and our early morning started at the lower end where we could see into the tidal zone. This provided us with Eastern Water Dragons, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and Black Bitterns. As the tide raced in we turned our attention to Papuan Frogmouth nests, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and other perching birds.
 20 Dec 07. Stewart's Creek. On a high tide we can traverse Stewart's Creek for several kilometres. We did this morning encountering three pairs of Black Bitterns. Barratt's Creek was also productive with Papuan Frogmouth and Wompoo Fruit-Doves.
 15 Dec 07. Peregrine Falcon. With several common trees in bloom there are thousands of Rainbow Lorikeets in and around the Daintree Village. There is also an over-worked Peregrine Falcon on it's favourite lookout perch in Windy Reach. Black Bittern again this morning in the gloomy conditions.
 12 Dec 07. Black Bitterns, Channel-billed Cuckoo and nesting Papuan Frogmouths were amongst our best this morning.
 9 Dec 07. Great-billed Herons. Infrequently seen at the best of times we were blessed with prolonged views of two this morning.
 5 Dec 07. Black Bitterns. Good time of year with great cool and misty conditions early in the morning for seeing Black Bitterns. Lots of birds nesting and active Cuckoos but few reptiles this time of year.
29 Nov 07. Birds of Wallacea co-author and Victor Emanuel Nature Tours Director, David Bishop was along today to see some of Daintree's special birds. This included Lovely Fairy-wrens, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, Bush-hen, Papuan Frogmouth and about 12 Black Bitterns. It is most likely that the bittern sightings involved eight individuals.

25 Nov 07. Wildlife show. On one of the lowest tides for the year as I was preparing for this morning's trip a little wildlife show was underway across from the jetty. Firstly a big Saltwater Crocodile swam down the river and disappeared into a weed bed. A Great Egret flew over the croc and started fishing from the sandbank whilst further downstream a Black-necked Stork was fishing in the shallows. All this happened before 6:00am. The trip was good as well with the highlights being Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth, Peregrine Falcon, White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Osprey with a live fish.

24 Nov 07. White-throated Needletails. First return for our boat trip, dozens of White-throated Needletails were seen at the start of our trip this morning.

22 Nov 07. Oriental Cuckoo. An eventful morning with a sighting of an Oriental Cuckoo without a tail in Barratt Creek. There was a possible sighting earlier near the Daintree Village?

21 Nov 07. Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouths, Cicadabird, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and Channel-billed Cuckoo head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

16 Nov 07. Black Bitterns. This bleak weather may not be to everybody's taste but is sure good for seeing Black Bitterns, another three this morning. Also, Pied Monarchs vocal in two parts of the river.

15 Nov 07. Cyclone Guba. First cyclone for the season which will bring more rain in the coming days. This morning was wet and miserable which, strangely enough is good for finding Black Bitterns, we saw three.

13 Nov 07. Collared Kingfisher. An unusual sighting for the main street of the Daintree Village and one that would have gone unnoticed had it not called, a Collared Kingfisher was seen on powerlines next to the Big Barramundi this morning at 5:55am. Sightings of Collared Kingfishers around the village area in the last 15 years could be counted on one hand.

11 Nov 07. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot were the best this morning, although the kettle of raptors took some beating. Over a burn patch gathered; Wedge-tailed Eagles, Whistling Kites, Black Kites and a solitary Peregrine Falcon.

10 Nov 07. Black Bittern. It has been a little slow this November for Black Bitterns with only three for the month. This morning's sighting was good though with one being found perched and then in flight alongside the boat.

9 Nov 07. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. The best wildlife experience this morning was a split decision. It was a toss up between the beautiful Green Snake, the aerial antics of a Peregrine Falcon or the close up prolonged views of adult male and female Double-eyed Fig-Parrots in Barratt Creek.

8 Nov 07. Warm weather wildlife. If you are contemplating visiting Daintree in this warm weather you might like to do some research; try this link>>

7 Nov 07. Cicadabird. A male Cicadabird in Barratt Creek performed for it's audience this morning providing the best looks that I can recall for years.

6 Nov 07. Oh what a beautiful morning. In marked contrast to later in the day a 6 am cruise on the Daintree River is as pleasant as it is exhilarating and you get to see a lot wildlife at the same time. See the list above.

3 Nov 07. Little Kingfishers. As our records show, there is little chance of seeing Little Kingfishers in November during a high tide. However against the odds this morning we all had good prolonged views of two Little Kingfishers courting.

2 Nov 07. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Two heard and one glimpsed at Stewart's Creek Road this morning.

1 Nov 07. Black Bittern. Overcast, light rain threatening and the earlier start giving ideal conditions to find Black Bitterns.  Halfway along Windy reach, a glimpse, further investigation and then a better look at this mysterious and secretive species, all to schedule.

31 Oct 07. Black Bitterns. The beginning of November is the time for regular Black Bittern sightings and another reason for our departure time to go to 6:00am. There have been sightings this month and they are becoming more vocal with calls heard at Wonga Beach last night and this morning.

30 Oct 07. Grey Plover. Unusual for Daintree we had two Grey Plovers on the sand at low tide near the jetty. The White-breasted Woodswallows  were at it again taking on a Darter that innocently landed next to their nest.

28 Oct 07. The Peregrine Falcon and the White-breasted Woodswallow. Whilst it is not unusual for small birds to dive-bomb perched raptors, it is very unusual to see a Peregrine Falcon in flight being pursued by anything. This morning we saw a Peregrine Falcon in flight being harassed by a White-breasted Woodswallow!

25 Oct 07. Spectacular flocks at dawn. Large flocks of Magpie Geese are being seen regularly in the Daintree Valley shortly before 6:00am. A good vantage point is from the Daintree Road near the ferry turn-off.

24 Oct 07. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Eagerly awaited by locals and tour guides is the southerly migration of these colourful kingfishers at this time of year. Well, they're back, in and around the Daintree Village.

23 Oct 07. Cuckoo in the nest. There is a young German ( I think his name is Golo?) scientist in Daintree at present. He is studying cuckoos in Large-billed Gerygone nests. If anyone sees him please get him to contact me as I have one in Barratt Creek near the road.

21 Oct 07. Daintree Wildlife Show. The wind did stop and Daintree turned it on; Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox, Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Doves (one of four rainforest pigeons seen), Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, the list goes on.....................

20 Oct 07. Strong Wind Warning will hopefully be cancelled later today. This morning we only used a small part of the river in our efforts to stay out of the wind and had some moderate success because we did so. This morning's highlights included a Black-fronted Dotterel brooding a chick on the foreshore, a talkative Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, the faithful Papuan Frogmouth on the nest and a glimpse of a Pacific Baza across from the jetty.

19 Oct 07. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Peregrine Falcon were the best today in the strong wind.

18 Oct 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher, female Common Koels, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and a Peregrine Falcon terrorising the flocks in Windy Reach were the backbone of our Daintree Wildlife tour this morning.

17 Oct 07. Daintree Village area, is a hot spot for bird activity early in the morning. In amongst the flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets, Pied Imperial Pigeons, Figbirds and Metallic Starlings look out for some of the scarcer birds like the Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and cuckoos. Try and get in before the hot and windy part of the day.

16 Oct 07. Black Bittern. Another pair have turned up, it looks like we will see more from now on.

14 Oct 07. Comb-crested Jacana on the edge of the Marine Park was the surprise in this morning's wildlife list above.

12 Oct 07. Black Bittern. At the end of this morning's trip (8:30am) we had a Black Bittern flying alongside the boat giving us great views. This will be the first of many sightings over the summer in the freshwater parts of the Daintree River at dawn. Other interesting species were an Amethystine Python and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots excavating a nest. Hot day coming up which will not suit wildlife viewing during the day.

9 Oct 07. Satin Flycatcher. Interesting spring morning with another Dollarbird over Barratt Creek and a solitary male Satin Flycatcher also in Barratt Creek. Five cuckoos heard this morning with three seen. The weather is getting warm now and there are distinct advantages to do your wildlife tour as early as possible. We go to 6:00am from 1 November.

8 Oct 07. Daintree is bursting with activity. Typical of spring in the Daintree there is a lot of activity in the flowering and fruiting trees. Best sighting this morning were hundreds of Metallic Starlings feeding on small bright red figs that are about the size of their eyes. In the sun the starling's eyes were brighter than the fruit in the sun!

7 Oct 07. Dollarbird. First return of a solitary Dollarbird on the powerline over Stewart Creek this morning.

6 Oct 07. Little Red Flying-foxes. A welcome but uncommon sight in the Daintree Valley was a small camp of Little Red Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek this morning.

4 Oct 07. Classic wildlife trip. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Spectacled Flying-foxes, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, four cuckoo species and plenty of other birds just proves once again what a special wildlife venue the freshwater habitats of the Daintree River are at dawn.

3 Oct 07. Papuan Frogmouths. It is that time of year when Papuan Frogmouths start nesting. This morning we had one nesting but a pair not nesting. As time goes on we will have several nesting along the Daintree River for the rest of the year. Some years they will double clutch and will be seen on the nest into January and February.

2 Oct 07. Great-billed Heron, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths (nesting), Channel-billed Cuckoo put in good appearances in the light rainy conditions this morning.

1 Oct 07. Spectacled Flying-fox spectacle. At 6:00am this morning thousands of Spectacled Flying-foxes were seen from the Daintree Road alongside Humbug Reach (sign-marked) as they prepared to settle into their daytime camp. They will also be seen at dusk as they head out for the night. This pattern will likely continue for weeks to come. See: 101 things to do in Daintree>>

29 Sep 07. Great-billed Heron. Excitement at the beginning of the trip as a large dark heron flew high over the boat as we all thought it was a Great-billed Heron. As it descended below the horizon we could see the white neck of a White-necked Heron and the excitement dissolved. (White-necked Herons are not seen in Daintree all that often but are considerably more common the Great-billed Herons) As it turned out we saw a Great-billed Heron at the end of the trip.

28 Sep 07. Drying up out west. More evidence of western waterholes drying up with Australasian Grebe and Pacific Black Duck present today around the village. Welcome sighting of Great-billed Heron, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Little Kingfisher and Eastern Water Dragon.

27 Sep 07. Spangled Drongos. Whilst there is a sedentary population of drongos at Daintree there are flocks that pass through in spring to breed down south. A small flock passed over the village this morning. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Lovely Fairy-wrens, Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Papuan Frogmouths head up this morning's bird list. As predicted the Peregrine Falcon was there again this morning.

26 Sep 07. Peregrine Falcon. For the last two mornings we have had an adult Peregrine Falcon perched in the sun offering one of the best photographic opportunities I have ever seen for this species. There is every chance it will be there again tomorrow. Check out Passengers photos>>

25 Sep 07. Great-billed Heron, Peregrine Falcon, Green Tree Snakes, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Wompoo Fruit-Dove were amongst this morning's wildlife checklist.

24 Sep 07. Welcome rain. 12mm of rain overnight was the first significant fall for almost three weeks. The birdlife in Barratt Creek was particularly active with all the honeyeaters and three rainforest pigeon species seen this morning.

23 Sep 07. Cool mornings and warm days as summer approaches. Best wildlife species this morning were Barred cuckoo-shrikes and Great-billed Heron. Along this morning were travel writers Steven Miller and Linda Rathbun from www.naturalwanders.com The location of the heron was kindly given to us by Daintree Experience.

22 Sep 07. Shining Flycatcher "stand off". One of the most interesting spectacles in spring is the territorial displays and vocalisations of Shining Flycatchers. It usually features two pairs as they prepare to nest too close to each other. The erect gesticulating and harsh guttural calls are accompanied by furious flying in tight circles and continues for many minutes as each pair claims their territory.

20 Sep 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Papuan Frogmouths, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and five kingfisher species head up this morning's wildlife list.

19 Sep 07. Pied Monarch and Lovely Fairy-wrens were the highlights for the visiting birdwatchers this morning. The rest of the wildlife was very similar to yesterday except for the Little Kingfisher. There is a build up of Spectacled Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek as they approach their maternity time in about a weeks time.

18 Sep 07. Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Papuan Frogmouths, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Azure and Little Kingfishers head up an impressive wildlife list this morning.

17 Sep 07. Superb Fruit-Dove. It was hard to isolate a highlight from this morning's trip from; the Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos to the Wompoo Fruit-Doves to the Azure & Little Kingfishers or the choreography and vocalisations of two Great Egrets. Judging by the faces of the passengers it was the Superb Fruit-Dove that flew passed the front of the boat through the brilliant sunshine.

15 Sep 07. Universal Raptors. Amongst the crocodiles, kingfishers and cuckoos this morning we were treated to good views of an Osprey and a Peregrine Falcon in the calm conditions before the wind came in.

13 Sep 07. Five Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher on this mornings trip.

11 Sep 07. Drying conditions. As the country out west dries out the water holes we gain more birds in the Daintree Valley. The arrival of Green Pygmy Geese and Olive-backed Orioles this morning would be good examples.

9 Sep 07. Copulating Colubrids. Continuing with our "Spring has sprung" theme we saw several Green Tree Snakes (Coubridae family) paired up together, most in the dappled sunlight in Barratt Creek.

7 Sep 07. Great-billed Heron. There is nothing quite like being in a tiny rainforest lined creek when passing overhead flies a huge heron with slow and long wing beats reminiscent of a Pterodactyl from the TV series "Living with Dinosaurs". Some of the other good birds included Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and Papuan Frogmouths.

6 Sep 07. Black Bittern. Alex Huizinga, from Holland, especially wanted to a Black Bittern this morning. I mentioned that they are here in good numbers from late October but it would be highly unlikely to see one today. Gliding under Barratt Creek bridge and looking at a sunny patch for the resident crocodile, was, surprise, surprise, a Black Bittern sunning itself. It is likely to stay.

5 Sep 07. Spring is Sprung. Keep an eye on fruiting trees. This morning was particularly active, calling cuckoos, courting kingfishers and the spring migrants continue to roll in. See checklist above.

1 Sep 07. First day of Spring. See Seasonal variations for Spring>> Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Azure Kingfisher, Nankeen Night Heron and Shining Flycatchers head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

30 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher and Shinning Flycatchers stole the wildlife show this morning before the strong wind arrived in the Daintree.

28 Aug 07. Kingfisher morning. Averaging 4 kingfisher species per trip, we saw this morning, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher. To our delight the Little Kingfisher was the better sighting with it staying alongside the boat for several minutes and allowing great photographic opportunities.

24 Aug 07. Australian Hobby. Interesting morning with a vocal Australian Hobby overhead, White-eared monarch, Australian Pelican, Common Koel and Green Tree Snake along with a lot of other birds.

23 Aug 07. Snakes Alive. Cold morning with the sun breaking through the mist revealed lots of Green Tree Snakes as we went around the Daintree River this morning. Saltwater Crocodile and Little Kingfisher were other highlights.

22 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Little Kingfisher, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Cicadabird, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot were seen this morning along with a lot of birds around the Daintree Village.

21 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Little Kingfisher, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Channel-billed Cuckoo head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

19 Aug 07. The first Koel. Heard, before first light, at Wonga Beach this morning was the first Common Koel for the spring.

18 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth were the specials this morning before the wind came in from the coast.

17 Aug 07. Wonga Beach up-date. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos are calling strongly along the creek at Oleander Drive near Marlin Drive and a Wedge-tailed Eagle has been seen along Dagmar Range being harassed by a Whistling Kite. Beach Stone-Curlew is still a regular on the beach at the end of Janbal Street.

14 Aug 07. Gould's (Little) Bronze-Cuckoo. This morning we were alerted to a Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo by it's call. After months of not hearing them, one was heard at Wonga Beach yesterday as well. Large-billed Gerygones are also being seen pairing up along the river which might explain the sudden cuckoo calls.

13 Aug 07. Peregrine Falcon. In the open country this morning only the bigger birds could be seen and as we went down Windy Reach we saw why; an adult male Peregrine Falcon cruised overhead. Two Saltwater Crocodiles were also seen in the water. We saw the wake of one swimming from a long way off in the calm conditions but when we caught up it submerged. The second one was at the waters edge staying long enough for us all to see it.

11 Aug 07. Great-billed Heron. On a quiet morning in light rain we were rewarded with the mystical Great-billed Heron in a little rainforest creek. It was a bit of a heron morning with several Nankeen Night Herons and vocalisations from Striated Heron, White-faced Heron and Great Egret.

10 Aug 07. Spring continues to be sprung. Common Sandpiper arrived in the Daintree River. This is the first return of Common Sandpipers that have been breeding in Siberia during the Northern Hemisphere summer.

9 Aug 07. Brown-backed Honeyeater. Very common in it's range, Brown-backed Honeyeaters herald the arrival of Spring in the Daintree. One solitary bird high in a tree was seen at the end of the trip this morning. Thanks also to Ballarat's BOCA president, Neville Gloury, for his helping hand. Neville was one of four school teachers on board.

7 Aug 07. This morning we did a second trip at 8:30am. These early morning tours are not scheduled but we are happy to undertake a second trip for groups of 10, 11 or 12 passengers. Discounts for the second tour will be given to seniors, students or clubs.

6 Aug 07. Daintree at dawn is calm. Whilst it is windy on the coast during the day at present it is very pleasant on the Daintree River early. Today's early morning trip yielded some great wildlife: Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Herons, Azure and Little Kingfishers.

3 Aug 07. Victoria's Riflebird. Australia's only endemic Bird of Paradise was seen and photographed during this mornings trip. Also an unusual event was some airborne vocalisations from Little Egrets squabbling over a small patch of shallow water.

2 Aug 07. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest, Sacred, Little and Azure Kingfishers seen this morning.

1 Aug 07. Wompoo Fruit-Dove. Daintree is a good place to see Wompoo Fruit-Doves, but what takes your breath away is when they sit in the early morning sun. This morning a pair where in the sun in an open tree, one facing one way and the other facing the other way. A Peregrine Falcon was also perched in the sun facing us with a freshly killed Metallic Starling in it's right talons.

29 Jul 07. In the brilliant sunlight an adult male Peregrine Falcon went through it's paces for us streaking along Windy Reach. In the open not another bird moved. This morning was punctuated with Green Tree Snakes in the early morning sun as were the Papuan Frogmouths and Nankeen Night Herons.  Dramatic change from yesterday's rain.

27 Jul 07. Birdwatcher's bonus. Pied Monarch, White-eared Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth and Little Kingfisher this morning.

26 Jul 07. Grey Goshawk. Flinders University Eco-tourism graduate Sarah Burgess brought up her 250th tick with a Grey Goshawk during this morning's trip in the light rain. On her second trip with us, Sarah was travelling with an eco-tourism student prior to departing on a field trip to Borneo. Our dawn river tour is often used as an example in the eco-tourism course at Flinders University.

25 Jul 07. A holidaying Canberra Times journalist kept us entertained in between our wildlife sightings this morning and is sure to mention his Daintree birdwatching experiences in his nature column in the near future.

23 Jul 07. Spectacular bird show. What a morning before the wind; heading up the list Pacific Baza, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Little Kingfisher and Wompoo Fruit-Dove......................

20 Jul 07. Windy weather. There is a strong wind current and will last for another day or two. One of the advantages of operating a wildlife tour early at the Daintree Village is that the wind does not establish until 9 o'clock or so and by then we have finished our tour.

19 Jul 07. Peregrine Falcon. As we watched fascinated, a Peregrine Falcon made three passes at an Australian White Ibis at the Daintree River jetty this morning. The falcon then disappeared up the hill bringing to an end an unusual interaction. It was on 1 Jul  last year that a Peregrine Falcon took a Masked Lapwing as it was attacking a Whistling Kite that was flying over the Lapwing's nest.

17 Jul 07. Great-billed Heron swallows huge Black Bream. Photo coming! This morning we came across a Great-billed Heron with a large Black Bream in the shallow waters of Windy Reach. All on board were of the unanimous opinion that the fish was to big for the poor heron to swallow. To our surprise and delight it swallowed it over a period of 5 minutes!

16 Jul 07. Brown Goshawk. You would think a Brown Goshawk would be able to perch where it wanted to and soak up the sun on a cold morning. Out of the blue came a Forest Kingfisher that swooped on the goshawk and drove it off only to then perch in the place that was vacated. Great tides and weather over the next few days.

14 Jul 07. Green Tree Snake, White-eared Monarch, Papuan Frogmouth, Barred Cuckoo-shrike (distant), Double-eyed Fig-Parrott, Channel-billed Cuckoo (fleeting) and Pacific Baza headed up today's checklist.

13 Jul 07. Stunning reflections. Along with the wildlife our passengers remark upon the ambience of the Daintree River at dawn. The air is still at that time and the surface of the river is like glass giving stunning reflections and making it easy to see and hear the smaller birds of the rainforest. At about 10:00am the high tide will ebb against the trade winds and Windy Reach will live up to it's name.

12 Jul 07. Superb Fruit-Dove, White-eared Monarch, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth headed up the wildlife checklist this morning.

9 Jul 07. Saltwater Crocodile and the Little Black Cormorant. You don't often see an interaction between a Saltwater Crocodile and other wildlife species. This morning however, there was a Little Black Cormorant in the water within a few metres of a crocodile on the bank both eyeing each other. As we watched the crocodile entered the water and the cormorant ducked under the surface to see were it went. It came back up almost straight away and flew off in the other direction!

8 Jul 07. Bob Steele photography. For the last two days I have had the pleasure of having one of America's leading wildlife photographers on board and he is coming out again tomorrow. Already Bob has photographed some of our more important birds and a Green Tree Snake. In time I will have a link to these photos from our passengers photos page to his website>>>

7 Jul 07. White-eared Monarch put in a good appearance for an experienced birdwatching group this morning as the sun broke through the mist. They were fortunate with Azure and Little Kingfisher, both putting in close-ups for the cameras. At one point it sounded like the paparazzi were in Daintree. Camera boat link....>>>>

6 Jul 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Great-billed Heron and great close up looks at Nankeen Night Heron, Azure, Sacred and Little Kingfisher made for an interesting wildlife trip this morning.

5 Jul 07. Good birds this morning. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, White-eared Monarch along with over-wintering Pied Imperial Pigeon and Channel-billed Cuckoo.

4 Jul 07. Great-billed Heron. Our two best bird turned out this morning, along with the Great-billed Heron we also had prolonged looks at Little Kingfisher. Channel-billed Cuckoo also turned up again in the big tree opposite the jetty.

3 Jul 07. Australian King Parrot; small flock seen this morning at the top end of Windy Reach. Records of this parrot in the Daintree Valley are very sparse, maybe 3 records in 20 years?

2 Jul 07. Copulating Dotterels. Although it is mid-winter in Daintree some birds still breed at this time of year and we were treated to two Black-fronted Dotterels copulating on the beach just metres from the boat.

30 Jun 07. Endemic encounter. Victoria's Riflebird and Pied Monarch were amongst our bird list for this morning along with some other specials; White-eared Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Azure and Little Kingfisher.

29 Jun 07. Pied Imperial Pigeon. Another migrant species over-wintering in Daintree. Interaction between Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfisher was interesting. After observing Little Kingfisher up close for some time an Azure Kingfisher charged in took over the territory. The incident highlighted the difference in size between the two.

28 Jun 07. Great-billed Heron heads up an impressive bird list for this morning. Great winter's morning with a crisp chill (14 °C) to start and brilliant sunshine to finish our dawn tour.

24 Jun 07. Secretive Saltwater Crocodile. Eagle-eyed Ben Blewitt from Cassowary Tours Cairns spotted the slinky saurian swimming in Barratt Creek long before the others on the boat did. Big crocodiles swimming in the water do not show up well. The birds were good too: Papuan Frogmouth, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Pacific Baza, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers were also seen in the overcast conditions.

20 Jun 07. Channel-billed Cuckoos. Incredibly we have seen Channel-billed Cuckoos seven mornings this month. They are common throughout their range but they are normally in New Guinea at this time of year! Good views, for our hardy group in this morning's rainy conditions, of Azure Kingfisher, Shining Flycatchers, Papuan Frogmouths and Green Tree Snake.

17 Jun 07. Daintree Village. The fig tree at the top of the boat ramp is bursting with activity. The main species feeding and vocalising in the tree are Figbirds and in amongst them are Double-eyed Fig-Parrots which are essentially quiet. Every now and then all the birds suddenly leave and it is then that the diminutive Fig-Parrots become vocal, also taking to the wing, and more easily seen. Look also for Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

15 Jun 07. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. Good close looks at a Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo this morning and the fig tree at the top of the boat ramp at Daintree Village is still very active.

14 Jun 07. Bird of Paradise. A Victoria's Riflebird was this morning's highlight along with Green Tree Snakes and Pied Monarch. The light soaking rain today will be of great benefit to one of our best tourism assets, the Daintree Rainforest.

13 Jun 07. Daintree Village, at the top of the Boat Ramp is a large fig tree in full fruit. For the next few days it is going to be bombarded by birds the most noteworthy of which will be Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. They will not be as obvious as the Figbirds. This morning's Daintree River tour yielded a solitary Channel-billed Cuckoo and a Pied Monarch.

11 Jun 07. Lots of Green Tree Snakes  with the cold (14 °) morning along with Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Papuan Frogmouth and Cannel-billed Cuckoo were the most interesting wildlife species today.

9 Jun 07. Monarch morning. Pied Monarch and White-eared Monarch were the most significant of the birds this morning, both seen well in the bright sunshine along with Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Heron and Channel-billed Cuckoos. Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher also deserve a mention. The trip started this morning in the mist with an air temperature of 12 ° and developed into a beautiful tropical winter's day.

7 Jun 07. Channel-billed Cuckoos. For the last two mornings we have seen Channel-billed Cuckoos in Windy Reach. Channel-billed Cuckoos are summer visitors and passage migrants in Daintree. They are rarely seen in Australia during the winter. Victoria's Riflebirds were also spotted this morning.

6 Jun 07. Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher made for an interesting trip in the light rain this morning.

5 Jun 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Eastern Water Dragon, Green Tree Snake, Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfisher were this morning's highlights most of which proved good photographic subjects.

4 Jun 07. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher seen and Blue-winged Kookaburra heard.

3 Jun 07. Winter is upon us.  Cool mornings; read about it here>>>

2 Jun 07. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth and Wompoo Fruit-Dove heads up an impressive list, above, on a mild winter's morning.

29 May 07. Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Green Tree Snakes and Papuan Frogmouths proved the most interesting wildlife species this morning.

22 May 07. Pied Imperial Pigeon, yesterday at 3:30pm halfway along Oleander Drive, Wonga Beach a solitary Pied Imperial Pigeon was sighted. Pied Imperial Pigeons are here during the summer and nest at Low Isles just off Wonga Beach. To have one here in winter is unusual.

21 May 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Eastern Water Dragon, Nankeen Night Heron and Papuan Frogmouth were the best of what started out a quiet morning but improved in our second hour.

20 May 07. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake and Wompoo Fruit-Dove head up a good list of wildlife this morning.

19 May 07. Great-billed Herons, Saltwater Crocodiles, Green Tree Snake and Nankeen Night Heron were amongst the more spectacular wildlife species this morning.

17 May 07. Better tides coming up over the next few days. Lower tides help seeing into the tidal zone for some of the kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and Saltwater Crocodiles. This morning we started with a low tide but finished with a high tide however we saw Azure Kingfisher and Shining Flycatchers at the start.

14 May 07. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Biggest surprise of the morning was a very vocal Channel-billed Cuckoo at the Daintree Village jetty. As it turned out there were three of them and they disappeared over the river at 8:30am.

13 May 07. Best wildlife this morning; Forest, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

10 May 07. Strong SE wind for the next few days.  We are fortunate at dawn that the winds have not reached the freshwater reaches of the Daintree River where we go. Best sightings this morning were; Brown Cuckoo-Doves, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Shining Flycatchers.

7 May 07. Wet Morning. Despite the rain we did alright as the above list shows. Best were; Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Frogmouth, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Green Tree Snake.

5 May 07. Good wildlife morning. For a quiet time of the year and a persistent Peregrine Falcon around the village we put in a good morning. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Eastern Water Dragon, Pacific Baza, Forest, Sacred, Azure & Little Kingfisher White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Wompoo Fruit-Dove all in 2 hours.

1 May 07. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburras, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers. We also have a Green Tree Snake that has been using the same branch to sun it's self four days in a row.

30 Apr 07. Fairy Martins were seen opposite the Daintree Village jetty at the close of this morning's trip. It is unusual to Fairy Martins in and around the village at any time. The flock was about 20 strong. Also unusual for the Daintree Valley, a murder of Torresian Crows near the Crossroads Cafe.

29 Apr 07. Great weather set the scene for this morning's wildlife. Still the odd Black Bittern around, Green Tree Snakes, Victoria's Riflebird and Yellow-breasted Boatbill headed up a good list above.

25 Apr 07. Welcome home on ANZAC DAY. A Darter and a Little Black Cormorant have returned to the Daintree River. Also this week Australian White Ibis and Straw-necked Ibis have returned to the Daintree Valley. This morning's trip's best were Peregrine Falcon and Black Bittern.

23 Apr 07. Green Tree Snakes, as we get into winter conditions reptile sightings become more reliable as the above table shows. This morning's trip was highlighted by two Green Tree Snakes lying on branches in full sunlight to take in some heat.

20 Apr 07. Photographic Tour. This morning's tour concentrated on photography and, as it turned out, fortune smiled on us. Posing for the camera were; Saltwater Crocodile, Eastern Water Dragon, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher, Welcome Swallow and Bar-shouldered Dove. At this time of the morning the night flowering Barringtonia racemosa or Freshwater Mangrove was still in flower and made a nice study in still life.

18 Apr 07. Sunny morning. And perhaps the best wildlife conditions this month. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Black Bittern, Brush Cuckoo and Cicadabird were the pick of the bunch.

17 Apr 07. Black Bitterns again this morning from a different part of the river indicates that they are still here for a while yet. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and a Green Tree Snake added to a truly beautiful morning in the early morning sun.

14 Apr 07. Black Bittern, Green Tree Snake and Peregrine Falcon head the wildlife checklist on yet another squally morning.

13 Apr 07. Kamol Komolphalin, co-illustrator of "A guide to the Birds of Thailand" was along this morning with some Thai birdwatchers and Jim and Carolyn Harmon from the United States. It wasn't probably our finest hour in the rainy conditions until a Black-necked Stork, in flight, closely crossed our bow. The main significance being that there is only one of these storks left in Thailand.

12 Apr 07. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Black Bitterns head today's list. In fact Little Kingfisher was one of five kingfisher species in this morning's wildlife checklist.

9 Apr 07. Weather woes come in three ways. The rain brings the river up, the rain makes it uncomfortable and the wind makes everything move. Despite that this morning's stalwarts were rewarded for their patience with terrific views of Shining Flycatchers feeding their young, Channel-billed Cuckoos along with Azure and Sacred Kingfishers.

7 Apr 07. Black Bitterns are still here and we managed two sightings this morning. Other interesting wildlife included Green Tree Snake, Azure, Sacred, Forest and Little Kingfisher.

2 Apr 07. Peregrine Falcon. This morning was quieter than normal due to three main reasons; high water level, windy conditions at dawn and a Peregrine Falcon which we had good looks at on the wing at about 8:00am. Good performances put in by a Green Tree Snake, Black Bittern, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Sacred and Forest Kingfishers.

30 Mar 07. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, Cicadabird, Black Bittern and Green Tree Snake head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

29 Mar 07. Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Black Bittern, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher and Green Tree Snakes were the best of our wildlife list this morning.

27 Mar 07. Back after the wet season recess. Best bird this morning was Black Bittern. Swollen river due to recent rain.

30 Jan 07. Black Bitterns, four seen this morning and some were calling in the pre-dawn. Our working year comes to an end as the wet season starts, back again on 27 March 2007.

26 Jan 07. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots are active around Daintree Wonga Beach at anytime. At present there are some at 27/29 Oleander Drive, Wonga Beach complete with vocalisations.

24 Jan 07. Beach Stone-Curlew. Late yesterday afternoon and the day before at the same time of day two Beach Stone-Curlews were seen on Wonga Beach at the end of Janbal Street off Marlin Drive.

22 Jan 07. Black Bitterns, Little Kingfishers and Papuan Frogmouths were today's best.

19 Jan 07. Channel-billed Cuckoos. Spotted this morning were eight Channel-billed Cuckoos over from the jetty. Most appeared to be immatures and may be on their way north. Good performance from Black Bitterns with strong vocalisations in the pre-dawn.

13 Jan 07. Hot humid weather at present before the rains. It pays to get out early in the cool part of the day. Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo were the best of the birds this morning.

9 Jan 07. Daintree - Wonga Beach Birdwatching walk. Following the birdwatching trail this morning from the Daintree - Wonga Beach map >> a short walk revealed three hard to find species; Black Bittern, Beach Stone-Curlew and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

8 Jan 07. Black Bitterns are active around the fresh water areas of the Daintree River with four sightings this morning and one calling at Stewart's Creek. Today's trip was devoted to professional photography the results of which will be seen soon.

3 Jan 07. Black Bitterns around this morning after a strange absence yesterday. Still three Papuan Frogmouths nesting and a lovely Green Tree Snake at Stewart's Creek for passenger Roy Stewart to photograph.

2 Jan 07. Great-billed Herons this morning, calling and displaying in two parts of the river.  Good haul of cuckoos as the list above shows.

30 Dec 06. Black Bitterns galore in the rainy conditions. Probably only 5 individuals but there were 7 sightings in all as we cruised around the fresh water parts near the Daintree Village. The wildlife table above shows a good haul considering the conditions.

29 Dec 06. Lesser Sooty Owl. After a rather wet morning with a high tide we finished with Black Bittern and Papuan Frogmouth which were new species for everyone on board.  We then walked up the boat ramp and encountered a wet Tyto owl with out-stretched wings drying off. Closer inspection showed it to be a Lesser Sooty Owl. We managed daylight photographs and had good looks both perched, drying and flying.

27 Dec 06. Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Manikin, female Common Koel, Green Tree Snake and Eastern Water Dragon headed up this morning's wildlife checklist.

23 Dec 06. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo head up a good list this morning, see above.

20 Dec 06. Best wildlife this morning was a Green Tree Snake and a small group of Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos.

17 Dec 06. White-throated Needletails. Just before this morning's departure Several White-throated Needletails were observed over the Daintree Village for 15 minutes or so.

15 Dec 06. Five Cuckoo morning. Oriental Cuckoo and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos are in the five cuckoos listed in the table above. Other good birds include Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouths.

11 Dec 06. Best birds this morning were Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouths, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

7 Dec 06. Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouth were the best birds this morning.

6 Dec 06. Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth and fleeting glimpse of a secretive Black Bittern added to this morning's wildlife experience in the cool part of the day.

4 Dec 06. Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos. A first sighting for me in the Daintree Valley of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos(7) this morning flying up the valley toward the Great Dividing Range in line with Mount Carbine where they are quite common. Good bird sightings this morning were Black Bitterns and a Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, both calling.

3 Dec 06. Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

2 Dec 06. Black Bittern and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo were our best birds today. Hot conditions are not good for finding reptiles and the mammals are asleep during the day.

30 Nov 06. Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth and Shining Flycatchers head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

29 Nov 06. Great-billed Herons, Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouths, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were the best birds this morning.

26 Nov 06. Black Bitterns. Three Black Bitterns were seen this morning in the fresh water reaches of the Daintree River. Two in particular offered good extended views at the water's edge of the Daintree River just upstream from the junction of Stewart's Creek and the main river.

24 Nov 06. Great-billed Heron and Black Bitterns were our best birds this morning.

23 Nov 06. Beach Stone-curlew. After an absence of several weeks a lone Beach Stone-curlew was seen at Wonga Beach shortly before dusk at the end of Janbal Street. Wonga Beach map at www.daintree.info

21 Nov 06. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, fleeting glimpse of Little Kingfisher and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot head up this morning's wildlife checklist. Spectacled Flying-foxes can be seen around the village and Daintree Road about 5:30am.

19 Nov 06. High wind, high tide made little difference to our rare bird morning. Great-billed Herons, Black Bitterns and Oriental Cuckoo. Other niceties were Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Nankeen Night Herons.

17 Nov 06. Saltwater Crocodile was seen just over from the jetty this morning on the lowish tide at dawn. Pleasant morning early in the cool before the strong wind came in.

16 Nov 06. Another cool misty morning and this time we had two Great-billed Herons and three Black Bitterns.

14 Nov 06. Cool misty morning helped us find three secretive Black Bitterns, other good birds included Cicadabird and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo.

12 Nov 06. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers are back in Daintree arriving last night. Best wildlife this morning; Saltwater Crocodiles, Black Bittern and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos.

11 Nov 06. Humid conditions and now some welcome rain. Best wildlife this morning; Papuan Frogmouth, Brown-backed Honeyeaters at their second nest for spring and Azure Kingfisher.

9 Nov 06. Saltwater Crocodile, Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouth were the best of the wildlife in the cool conditions of our dawn trip this morning.

4 Nov 06. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron and Cicadabird were the best of the wildlife this morning.

2 Nov 06. Up a creek without a paddle. We invested an hour up Stewart's Creek in search of Black Bitterns this morning. This is as far as I have ever been up this creek and the result was broken starter motor, Great-billed Heron but no Black Bitterns. Into a billabong down from the Village minutes later and bingo, Black Bittern that landed on a branch in clear view. Then into Rainforest Bend and two more with one flying toward us and again landing in view. The other interesting wildlife this morning was a Saltwater Crocodile lurking over from the jetty and sightings of no less than five Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos. Starter motor fixed, thank you Cliff.

1 Nov 06. Black Bitterns. Almost without fail Black Bitterns are seen at dawn in the fresh water parts of the Daintree River starting in November and going right through until April.

29 Oct 06. Warmer weather. We will probably experience warmer weather from now on until the rains come. Our wildlife tour departure time moves to 6:00am (Queensland time) on 1 November.

27 Oct 06. Good tides, good time of year, good early morning calm weather produce good conditions for wildlife viewing as the above checklist shows.

26 Oct 06. Black Bittern, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Frogmouth, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and Saltwater Crocodile were the highlights for this morning's wildlife adventure.

23 Oct 06. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Saltwater Crocodile head up this mornings wildlife checklist.

22 Oct 06. The big four. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth were seen during this morning's trip. The view of the Black Bittern was fleeting which is typical of the species.

21 Oct 06. Calm conditions at dawn are a great asset with the untidy weather conditions we are experiencing this October. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Spectacled Flying-fox, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth.

19 Oct 06. Great-billed Heron. Fleeting look at a Great-billed Heron helped with a trying morning in the wind and rain. Pacific Baza also put in an appearance whilst we were looking at a Papuan Frogmouth and later, after the trip, alighted in the large tree above the public toilets at the top of the boat ramp. The wet conditions on the last two trips has helped with Green Tree Snake sightings. Improving weather and lower tides should help over the next week.

17 Oct 06. Black Bittern. Good wildlife show this morning with nesting Saltwater Crocodile, Black Bittern, Green Tree Snake, Gould's Bronze Cuckoo, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Papuan Frogmouth.
17 Oct 2006 is the 12th anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Commission coming to Daintree to record the dawn chorus for setting to music for the 1995 Brisbane Biennial. You can get an idea of what they recorded by standing near Barratt Creek bridge from 5:30am to 6:30am and simply listening!

16 Oct 06. Black Bittern. Best wildlife this morning was; Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth and Saltwater Crocodiles. Lots of bird activity and vocalisations in the Daintree Valley from Wonga Beach to Daintree Village.

14 Oct 06. Spring is in full swing. Stormbirds in the blustery rainy conditions, kettles of swifts on the air currents, other cuckoos calling, birds nesting and crocodiles becoming more secretive are all hallmarks of spring in Daintree.

12 Oct 06. Aggressive behavior. Welcome Swallows showed aggressive behavior toward nesting Shining Flycatchers this morning that puzzled us all. Good wildlife show this morning despite the gusty wind conditions as the above list shows.

10 Oct 06. Broad-billed Flycatcher. Possible Broad-billed Flycatcher this morning that I hope to study a little more over the coming days. Best wildlife this morning; Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Black Bittern.

9 Oct 06. Passage migrants seen in the last two days have been a Satin Flycatcher and Black-faced Monarch. Couple of crocs this morning with Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Channel-billed Cuckoo. Common Koel seen and heard before the trip and a fleeting glimpse of a Brush Cuckoo midway through the trip.

8 Oct 06. Best wildlife this morning; Little Saltwater Crocodile, big Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Herons, Little Kingfishers, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Lovely Fairy-wrens, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Rufous Fantail and Fairy Gerygone.

7 Oct 06. Black Bitterns. Two Black Bitterns head up this morning's wildlife list closely followed by Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Gould's Bronze Cuckoos. With the warm weather on us reptile sightings will not be as frequent.

3 Oct 06. Cicadabird and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo were the best birds this morning in amongst the blustery wind. The very large Saltwater Crocodile in Barratt Creek and the Spectacled Flying-fox camp upstream from the village created a fair amount of interest as well. Four nocturnal species in the list above.

29 Sep 06. Two trips this morning. After our normal scheduled dawn tour we backed up to take out a little nature trip for some school children and their parents. The children were wonderfully well behaved and took most interest in seeing Saltwater Crocodiles.

28 Sep 06. Spectacled Flying-foxes. 5:40am on the way to work I had spectacular views of Spectacled Flying-foxes from the lookout at Windy Reach on the Daintree Road. These mega bats were drinking on the wing over the mirror like conditions of the Daintree River prior to roosting for the day at Barratt Creek. Best birds this morning were Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

27 Sep 06. Blustery conditions on the coast. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Spectacled Flying-foxes on the wing, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Peregrine Falcon.

26 Sep 06. Best birds this morning were; Great-billed Heron, Common Koel, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouth.

24 Sep 06. Best birds this morning were; Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, White-browed Crake, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo.

23 Sep 06. Spring is in full swing. Best birds this morning were Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes. There has been an influx of Brush Cuckoos overnight and many smaller birds are building nests. Great time to visit the Daintree Valley.

22 Sep 06. Great early morning weather. Really good conditions for the next few mornings with good low tides and good weather. Best birds this morning Great-billed Heron and Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

19 Sep 06. Dollarbird. First return of Dollarbird. After an interesting but blustery morning I spied a Dollarbird on the powerlines on the Daintree Road, 2 kms from the Ferry turnoff towards the Daintree Village.

18 Sep 06. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. It was hard to pick a highlight out of this morning's wildlife trip with Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths and Little Kingfisher but the Double-eyed Fig-Parrots in the open tree would be close.

17 Sep 06. Green Tree Snake. We normally see Green Tree Snakes lying on branches over-hanging the river. They do this to sun themselves and have an escape route from predatory birds by falling into the water. This morning we happened on one that was mid-stream in Barratt Creek and watched as it swam back over to the side and climbed back onto a branch.

16 Sep 06. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburras, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers were seen from the boat, with a Blue-winged Kookaburra at the oval, adding to the wildlife list this morning with Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snakes, Common Koel and Channel-billed Cuckoo.

14 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snake head up the wildlife list for this morning. Still windy conditions but not as brisk as yesterday.

13 Sep 06. Blustery conditions. At present there is a strong wind warning along the east Queensland coast and instead of our normal calm conditions at dawn we got the wind earlier than normal. It made very little difference as the wildlife checklist above shows. Best wildlife was; Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths and a long line of Channel-billed Cuckoos at the end of the trip.

12 Sep 06. Little Kingfisher. Good views of Azure, Sacred, Forest and Little Kingfishers this morning along with Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes and Papuan Frogmouths.

11 Sep 06. Saltwater Crocodiles. Low tides and lots of sunshine after a cool night are a good combination for wildlife viewing. Good views of crocodiles, Shining Flycatchers, Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfishers.

10 Sep 06. Stunning weather. Not a cloud in the sky for the last few days and likely to be that way for a few more yet. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes and Great-billed Heron.

8 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. Best bird this morning was Great-billed Heron, other wildlife included Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake and Spectacled Flying-fox.

7 Sep 06. Grey Goshawk. Good view of Grey Goshawk both in flight and perched this morning. It was being chased by a Black Butcherbird and a Yellow Oriole.

6 Sep 06. Little Tern. Unusual for this far upstream, we had a Little Tern in the Daintree River this morning. Other good birds were Great-billed Heron and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

5 Sep 06. Spring has Sprung. Gone are the cool mornings that characterise our winter and plants are flowering and fruiting. One cuckoo specie was seen today and another two cuckoo species were heard as the migrants come down from the north to breed.

4 Sep 06. Common Koel. First return for Common Koel this morning seen in bare tree next to the fig tree at the top of boat ramp. We can now expect a big influx of Koels with lots of loud raucous vocalisations.

2 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. Better looks at Great-billed Heron this morning but only fleeting views of Little Kingfisher. Barred Cuckoo-shrikes are regular visitors to the fig tree at the top of the boat ramp in the village. They have been there in small flocks at mid-morning for the last 5 days or so.

1 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. One of the trickiest birds to find, a Great-billed Heron flew over the boat this morning, so close it blotted out the sun. Other good wildlife included Little Kingfisher that was almost photographed in the same frame with a Nankeen Night Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes and Eastern Water Dragon.

30 Aug 06. Saltwater Crocodile and Nankeen Night Heron. At 6:45am we glided under the overhanging trees in the dark and closed end of a small billabong. Our attention was drawn to a small crocodile swimming in the shallow crystal clear water as it went  under a branch where a very alert night heron was perched. The heron appeared unconcerned but  watched every move of the crocodile. Mike Newman, from Newcastle, photographed the scene and I hope to put it on our "passenger's photos" page later this week.

28 Aug 06. Best Wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Great-billed Herons, Little Kingfishers( 1 of 6 species seen ), Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

26 Aug 06. Fork-tailed Swift. First return for Fork-tailed Swift, other good birds were; White-eared Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Barred Cuckoo-shrike. We finished this morning's tour with two copulating Green Tree Snakes across from the Daintree Village jetty.

 24 Aug 06. Best Wildlife this morning was; Amethystine Python, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfishers, Pacific Baza, Cicadabird, Grey Goshawk, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouths.

23 Aug 06. Pied Imperial-Pigeon. First return for Pied Imperial-Pigeon this morning, other good birds were Great-billed Herons and Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

22 Aug 06. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Spectacled Flying-fox, Pacific Baza, Peregrine Falcon, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure and Little Kingfishers.

21 Aug 06. Metallic Starlings. There is the start of a nesting colony of Metallic Starlings at Wonga Beach. They can be see from the entrance to the Daintree Palms in Oasis Drive.

19 Aug 06. Brown-backed Honeyeater build-up. From the first return on 17 Aug, the Brown-backed Honeyeater population and activity has increased and they will start nesting around the Daintree River banks very soon.

18 Aug 06. Channel-billed Cuckoo. First return for Channel-billed Cuckoos this morning with a flock numbering six. Best wildlife were some slippery Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Cicadabird, Papuan Frog-mouths, Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

17 Aug 06. Brush Cuckoo. First return for Brush Cuckoo this morning, hot on the heels of Brown-backed Honeyeater. Other good birds were Great-billed Heron, Pacific Baza, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouths. The Green Tree Snake was nice too.

16 Aug 06. Brown-backed Honeyeater. First return for Brown-backed Honeyeaters this morning and we can expect an influx of them in the coming days. Other birds today were Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Pacific Baza, Papuan Frogmouths and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

15 Aug 06. Pacific Bazas, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Herons, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Little Kingfishers, Saltwater Crocodile, Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Papuan Frogmouths and Nankeen Night Heron head up today's wildlife checklist.

14 Aug 06. Great wildlife day. Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouth were the highlights.

12 Aug 06. Beach Stone-curlew. Nothing to do with this morning's trip but Beach Stone-curlews are frequenting the beach on the low tides late afternoon. Take Marlin Drive off the Daintree Road and turn right at Janbal Street, park at the end and walk out onto the beach.

11 Aug 06. Top Gun. Early into this morning's trip we noticed a Peregrine Falcon exiting a flock of Cattle Egrets in the blustery conditions. The egrets were left cart-wheeling in all directions. Throughout the trip there were big patches of little activity and on the way home sitting on top of the tallest bare tree in the middle of Windy Reach was another Peregrine Falcon with no visible bird for a kilometre in any direction. The overall checklist was good with a Saltwater Crocodile, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouths in Barratt Creek.

10 Aug 06. Leaping Lizards. A fitting finale to this morning's trip at high tide was a huge Saltwater Crocodile leaping off a grassy bank as we went by. Best birds were Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and later two Double-eyed Fig-Parrots excavating a nest.

8 Aug 06. Pacific Baza. Strong wind warning on the Queensland coast which will last a day or two. After a quieter than normal tour (only 38 species) we were rewarded with good sightings of three Pacific Bazas. As a rule the strong wind does not reach our patch of river until about 9:00am.

6 Aug 06. Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox, Green Tree Snake heads up the wildlife checklist this morning with the best birds being White-eared Monarchs, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths and Wompoo Fruit-Doves. Most unusual sighting was a flock of Pied Currawongs.

5 Aug 06. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher again this morning from the river. The sugar cane harvest is well underway in the Daintree Valley between the ferry turnoff and Wonga Beach. There is an influx of raptors along this patch dominated by Black Kites and better owl sightings are expected along this stretch in the pre-dawn.

4 Aug 06. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. Daintree's smallest cuckoo put in an appearance today along with some other good birds being Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

2 Aug 06. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher heads up the wildlife checklist for this morning.

1 Aug 06. Little Kingfisher. Australia's smallest kingfisher, and very important for visiting birdwatchers, did not escape the eagle eye of Carol Majors this morning. Carol also spotted the Azure and Sacred Kingfishers before anyone else. The photographers were happy too with Nankeen Night Heron, Striated Heron, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Shining Flycatchers, the three kingfishers and Green Tree Snake.

31 Jul 06. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. One of this morning's highlights was watching a Double-eyed Fig-Parrot excavate it's nest. Other highlights were the first return of Metallic Starlings and a Great-billed Heron at the end of the trip.

29 Jul 06. Little Kingfisher. After a couple of fleeting glimpses of Little Kingfisher, once when one was being chased by an Azure Kingfisher, we managed a good prolonged close look at one upstream from the Barratt Creek bridge. Nice to report the return of two immature Darters, the first Darters that have been seen in the river since before the wet season.

28 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher. We came out of the rising mist in the main river into a sun-drenched tributary and there before us was a Great-billed Heron. It wasn't noticed straight away because most of us were looking at a Little Kingfisher.

27 Jul 06. Early morning sun can turn a brightly coloured bird into a jewel. Today we saw Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Azure Kingfishers, Sacred Kingfisher, Welcome Swallows, Shining Flycatchers and a Wompoo Fruit-dove in bright sunlight. The swallows in particular sat in the boat with us.

26 Jul 06. Things that go bump in the night. We start our wildlife trip at dawn and see the occasional nocturnal species. On the way to work I see the odd nocturnal species. Bandicoots, Barn Owl, Bush Stone-curlews and  microbat from the road. Barking Owls heard copulating as I launched the boat, Spectacled Flying-foxes as we stood on the jetty, Nankeen Night Heron and Papuan Frogmouth from the boat. Huge Saltwater Crocodile heads up the checklist above. And this is winter.

25 Jul 06. Stunning weather. More typical of winter in N E Queensland we are experiencing misty mornings then sunny skies and light breezes. Our smaller birds look like jewels in the early morning sun with audible gasps from our passengers as we encounter kingfishers, flycatchers, night herons and fruit-doves.

23 Jul 06. Cuckoo-shrike morning. Best birds this morning included Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Varied Trillers and a male Cicadabird.

21 Jul 06. Wompoo Fruit-Dove.  It was a thrill to see a Wompoo Fruit-Dove this morning especially when  some of our passengers had spent a long time trying to see one yesterday in the rainforest north of the Daintree River.  Like a lot of rainforest species they are often heard but are not seen. The edges of the rainforest around the Daintree Village are one of the best places to see Wompoos that I know of.

20 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. Heads up the checklist for this morning along with Green Tree Snake, Azure, & Sacred Kingfishers, Papuan Frogmouth and Nankeen Night Herons sitting in the sun first thing in the morning.

17 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. Towards the end of this morning's trip we had a good look at a Great-billed Heron. The light overnight rain brought out some Green Tree Snakes and I see after a short absence that Blue-winged Kookaburras are back in Dagmar Street near Kenadon Homestead Cabins. The low afternoon tides are producing good looks at Beach Stone-curlews at Wonga Beach. Drive down Marlin Drive, turn right at Janbal Street and park behind the beach. Other good birds at Wonga include Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins.

15 Jul 06. White-eared Monarch. The scruffiest, but best, bird this morning was an immature White-eared Monarch in Barratt Creek along with a very close 3 metre long Saltwater Crocodile.  On the way home in the rainforest bend was an even bigger crocodile. Two patches of rainforest yielded, flycatchers, fantails, Victoria's Riflebirds and honeyeaters as the wildlife checklist above shows.

14 Jul 06. Clearing weather. Whilst the rainy conditions are good for the plants the last 5 days have been trying for our visitors. The weather is now on the mend. Our best views on the river this morning included a Nankeen Night Heron, some Rainbow Bee-eaters and two Papuan Frogmouths. On shore, the best wildlife experience is to walk under the Spectacled Flying-foxes in Stewart Street next to Red Mill House.

12 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. It seemed to be the morning for Great-billed Herons. We had a Great-billed Heron fly past and we followed up to get a really good look at this big elusive bird which was by then perched in a low tree. Not content with that, one flew past the Daintree Village jetty as I was retrieving the boat at the boat ramp. Low light and drizzly conditions can help with more secretive wildlife species as they tend to break their cover more than the middle of the day.

11 Jul 06. Little Kingfisher. This morning's highlight was the close sighting of Little Kingfisher in the trying weather conditions. We average 4 kingfisher species per trip but it is the Little Kingfisher that creates the most excitement.

9 Jul 06. Peregrine Falcon and Masked Lapwing.  This morning a Whistling Kite drifted over the open grassland upstream from the Daintree Village and was engaged by a fast rising Masked Lapwing. Like an airforce fighter taking out a lonely bomber, the fighter was on it's second pass when whoosh the attacker was taken out by a rocket. As we watched, spellbound, a Peregrine Falcon snatched the Masked Lapwing in mid air and then carried it's quarry off over Stewart Creek.

8 Jul 06. Barred Cuckoo-shrike.  Uncommon through most of it's range, including the Daintree rainforest, Barred Cuckoo-shrikes have been seen in a fig tree in Windy Reach three days running during our morning tour.

7 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. Heads the list of good birds seen this morning; Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Pacific Baza and Papuan Frogmouth just add to it. Saltwater Crocodile was also well received.

6 Jul 06. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Surprise, surprise a Channel-billed Cuckoo flew across the river in front of us this morning. On rare occasions Channel-billed cuckoos over-winter in northern Australia. Another good bird for Daintree , Barred Cuckoo-shrike was seen in with some Figbirds in, you guessed it a Fig Tree.

5 Jul 06. Pacific Baza. Highlight for the morning was Pacific Baza sitting high in a tree in the sun. The Green Tree Snake lying in the sun next to the Papuan Frogmouths wasn't bad either.

4 Jul 06. Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. Australia's smallest parrot, male and female, rightfully stole this morning's show. The pair of them were in the sun only metres away and you could see their detail with the naked eye. They stayed there for dozens of photographs, one of which I hope to put here in the next few days. Oh yes, we saw the obligatory Saltwater crocodile as well.

3 Jul 06. Cool winter's morning. Despite being cool this morning (15 deg) we did not see a reptile of any sort. The birds were good with Papuan Frogmouth, Azure, Forest, Sacred and Little Kingfishers with good looks at Victoria's Riflebird.

2 Jul 06. Beach Stone-curlews at Wonga Beach. Again two were seen just before dusk on the beach at the end of Janbal Street, off Marlin Drive. Brush Cuckoos are also calling through the day at Wonga Beach.

30 Jun 06. Change in the weather. The wind has dropped and is likely to be lighter for the next couple of days. The big Saltwater Crocodile that has been across from the Daintree Village jetty was not there this morning but another much smaller one is in the general area. The Papuan Frogmouths deserted their favourite spots in Windy Reach during the last few days but we managed one this morning. The Beach Stone-curlew (see below) was at Wonga Beach again at dusk yesterday.

28 Jun 06. Beach Stone-curlew. Nothing to do with this morning's trip but Beach Stone-curlews are being seen on dusk at Wonga Beach on the low tides. This should go on for the next few days. They can be found on the beach at the end of Janbal Street off Marlin Drive. This morning's trip was not enhanced by the strong wind and light rain but we still managed a quick look at Little Kingfisher, good looks at Azure Kingfisher, Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snake.

27 Jun 06. Sugar cane harvest. A significant change is happening in the Daintree Valley with the sugar cane harvest that started yesterday. Already Pheasant Coucals have moved to the upper valley and raptors are congregating around the newly harvested paddocks. Unusual sighting for this morning was a Pied Cormorant.

25 Jun 06. Six Kingfisher species. Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra were seen during the trip this morning and after the trip there was a Blue-winged Kookaburra on the powerline in Osborne Street.

23 Jun 06. Little Kingfisher. Impressive list of scarce birds seen this morning included a fleeting glimpse of Little Kingfisher along with Great-billed Heron, Victoria's Riflebird, Papuan Frogmouths and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.  We are just past mid-winter in the southern hemisphere.

22 Jun 06. Aerial insectivores. From before this morning's trip until the end at 8:30am there was something eating insects, the miniature Northern Mastiff Bat around the street lights as I launched the boat and then a steady parade of Welcome Swallows, Tree Martins, White-rumped Swiflets and Rainbow Bee-eaters in the air over the river. At the forest edges there were Shining Flycatchers, Spectacled Monarchs and Leaden Flycatchers eating their fill with Papuan Frogmouths resting after their night time foraging. Oh yes, and the same Salt-water Crocodile that has been in the same place for two weeks was there as well.

20 & 21 Jun 06. Brush Cuckoo. Halfway along Marlin Drive at Wonga Beach there is a Brush Cuckoo calling strongly through the day. Although there have been some Brush cuckoos over winter in the valley this one sounds like a new arrival about a month early? It is easy to find.

19 Jun 06. Great-billed Heron. Heading up this morning's wildlife checklist was a Great-billed Heron which is the most sought after species for visiting birdwatchers. Good looks at Saltwater Crocodiles, a Green Tree Snake and a Spectacled Flying-fox added to a lovely winter's morning.

18 Jun 06. Black-necked Stork. One of the most spectacular storks in the world and formerly called Jabiru we chanced on a sub-adult male this morning. Adult birds have sharply contrasting black and white plumage with rich orange red legs. Today's Black-necked Stork had not acquired the full leg colouration yet. During the week we have been experiencing strong south-east winds along the coast which fortunately do not reach our part of the river until about 9:00am. The winds are expected for a few more days.

17 Jun 06. Papuan Frogmouth. As in previous years Papuan Frogmouth sightings are very reliable now in winter. No less than four were sighted during the trip and a friend of mine showed me another two after this morning's passengers had left. Reptiles are also easier to find in winter as the checklist above shows. Four kingfisher species per trip are also par for the course for these months.

15 Jun 06. Little Kingfisher. Heading up our wildlife list this morning were 4 kingfisher species, Victoria's Riflebird, 3 reptiles and Spectacled Flying-fox. Sightings of Papuan Frogmouth are more regular now that we are in winter.

14 Jun 06. Brush Cuckoo. Along with all the other wildlife seen this morning, see list above, there was a silent Brush Cuckoo. As a rule Brush Cuckoos would be well to our north at this time of the year and arrive in Australia in August to breed. Every so often they overwinter.

13 Jun 06. Insectivore Action. Conspicuous this morning  were the insect eaters, even before it started. Small bats were zooming around the lamposts as I launched the boat on the pre-dawn, and all through the trip the insectivores were active. Most noticeable were Tree Martins in their hundreds around the river.

12 Jun 06. Little Pied Cormorants. Since this year's wet season floods cormorants and darters have not been seen and have been later to return than previous years. Just at the end of our trip this morning two Little Pied Cormorants were seen on the wing. This is the latest return of these birds in more than 15 years. Wildlife list is similar to yesterday's with highlights being Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Papuan Frogmouth.

11 Jun 06. Great-billed Heron. Not only seen this morning but also heard was our largest and elusive heron. Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Papuan Frogmouth head up a good wildlife checklist, above, for a winter's morning. Driving home after this morning's trip I encountered a Grey Goshawk  at the side of the road picking over the remains of a Cattle Egret.

8 Jun 06. Barking Owl. Starting at daybreak has distinct advantages over other times of the day. Flying-foxes were seen and heard before the trip in the main street. As we started at 6:30am our attention was drawn by a Barking Owl calling just downstream. The owl was being harangued by a Spangled Drongo and both birds were easily found. In the background were Black Butcherbirds giving similar treatment to what we assumed was the owl's mate. It turned out that it was probably a Grey Goshawk as it burst away from the butcherbirds on three occasions over the next 15 minutes. Puttering away to the other side of the river we encountered a well hidden Saltwater Crocodile in shallow water that will probably stay there for the rest of the day. Beautiful Azure Kingfishers and a Nankeen Night Heron along with an Amethystine Python gave us a framework for our winter morning's wildlife checklist as shown above.

6 Jun 06. Reptiles galore. Typical cold winter's morning brought out the reptiles, two of them Australia's longest. Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Green Tree Snake, The birds were good as well with good looks at three kingfisher species. For the visiting birdwatchers, there is a pair of Barking Owls at the jetty carpark in the Daintree Village right on dawn. They are fairly easy to find because they are calling with the characteristic "Woof Woof" call not unlike a small dog.

2 Jun 06. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Pleasing to see this morning amongst Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Papuan Frogmouth were two Channel-billed Cuckoo's in Windy Reach. Also over-wintering is a Brush Cuckoo at Wonga Beach about halfway along Marlin Drive.

31 May 06. White-eared Monarch. We had our first sighting, for the calendar year, of a White-eared Monarch this morning. The sightings will become more frequent over the next few months as our records show. Two great predators are in the wildlife list above. These being the Saltwater Crocodile and the Peregrine Falcon which were both seen well.
Beach Stone-curlews are being seen regularly at Wonga Beach (Janbal Street) in the late afternoon.

30 May 06. Australia's longest reptiles. During our wildlife trip this morning we saw a Saltwater Crocodile and an Amethystine Python which are Australia's longest reptiles. There are some Spectacled Flying-foxes still around the village during the day and some good birds to be seen along the river.  Between the river and a quick drive around the village before the trip six different kingfisher species were seen; Laughing kookaburra, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher and the jewel in the crown the Little Kingfisher.

28 May 06. Copulating Dotterels. With the lower tide this morning there were big expanses of exposed sand. There were the usual Masked Lapwings on the sand and our attention was drawn to two Black-fronted Dotterels who were calling. We made our way toward them and as we watched the calling increased and they copulated in front of us. It was a very quick affair. Other highlights included Saltwater Crocodile, fleeting glimpse of Little Kingfisher and a shy Black Bittern.

23 May 06. Tropical Bleeding Heart Tree. Fruiting at the moment, Tropical Bleeding Heart Trees, are attracting rainforest birds out of the forest to the edges where these trees only grow. The trees are easy to identify because of where they are found and the occasional red heart shaped leaf.  Look out for Victoria's Riflebirds in particular. Good to see a Great-billed Heron yesterday and there is a lot of crocodile activity upstream from the village where they are feeding on a dead cow.

20 May 06. Precious moments. Along with the crocodile and snake sightings this morning we were treated with sights of some Rainbow Bee-eaters hawking insects at close range, a sleepy Nankeen Night Heron and two Azure Kingfishers during a feeding ritual of an adult feeding it's offspring, which is common at this time of year.

19 May 06. Black Bittern. By this time of the year the Summer visiting Black Bitterns have dispersed. However we are still seeing an individual during our dawn trip on a highish tide in mid to late May. A Peregrine Falcon was prowling Town Reach this morning and narrowly missed taking a Rainbow Lorikeet over the Red Banks. Crocodile sightings are quite regular again and there are still Spectacled Flying-foxes in the area.

17 May 06. Abundant Wildlife. The diverse wildlife habitats around the Daintree Village lived up to their name this Autumn morning. Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snakes, Peregrine Falcon,  three kingfisher species and lots of other birds rounded out a pleasant two hour wildlife exhibition.

14 May 06. Extraordinary birdwatching morning. Despite most of our water birds having not returned from breeding yet, forty-one species in two hours is good going for this time of the year. Most were small song-birds of the rainforest where these birds are heard more often than seen. The list for this morning is shown in the frame above. A Green Tree Snake and Spectacled Flying-foxes were also seen during the trip.

11 May 06. Great-billed Heron. The Peregrine Falcons are still around the Daintree Village area and we were fortunate enough to see a Black Bittern this morning. Tantalisingly close, we could hear a Great-billed Heron but couldn't get passed a fallen tree to see it.

8 May 06. Hybrid Masked Lapwing. A scarcity around Daintree but there is an intermediate Masked Lapwing just upstream from the Daintree Village. The Peregrine Falcons are still active in the same area with one taking on a Spectacled Flying-fox at dawn. Little Kingfisher sightings are improving as the river returns to normal levels.

7 May 06. Victoria's Riflebird. Good run this morning with lots of birds, bats and a solitary Green tree Snake. Predictably Victoria's Riflebirds are feeding on the fruit in the Tropical Bleeding Heart Trees that are common along the river banks.

5 May 06. Cooler mornings, drier weather. Weather patterns are changing to more typical Autumn systems giving us sightings of Nankeen Night Herons and Papuan Frogmouths. Reptile sightings should also improve in the coming days. There is a build up of Little Red Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek and some uncommon visitors in Black-winged Stilts and a Pied Currawong this morning. Beach Stone-curlews are being seen at Wonga Beach in late afternoon on the low tide.

1 May 06. Great-billed Heron heads the list of some good birds this morning. Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher and Grey Goshawk include some of the uncommon species. The village area is a hive of activity with the Spectacled Flying-foxes setting up camp in the main street and fruit eating birds hiding in the fig trees from a Peregrine Falcon and the Grey Goshawk.

25 Apr 06. Barred Cuckoo-shrike. After the Black Bitterns, the best bird this morning was some Barred Cuckoo-shrikes next to the Daintree Village jetty. Odd sightings since Cyclone Larry are being reported almost daily, my latest was a Superb Fruit Dove standing in the middle of a sealed road road at Wonga Beach yesterday afternoon.

24 Apr 06. First time out since Cyclone Monica. The Daintree River is almost back to normal levels and the water is almost clear again. The area around the Daintree Village is a hive of activity. Spectacled Flying-foxes, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Figbirds, Wompoo Fruit Doves, Yellow Orioles, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and numerous kingfishers. Winter visitors included Rainbow Bee-eaters, Sacred Kingfishers, Grey Fantails and Leaden Flycatchers.

18 Apr 06. Nankeen Night Heron. Notoriously hard to find at this time of year we had close looks at two Nankeen Night Herons just upsteam from the jetty this morning.

17 Apr 06. Spectacled Flying-fox. In contrast to yesterday, this morning's trip was punctuated with rain squalls. The darker conditions helped us see several Black Bitterns. Down in Barratt Creek we saw and heard many Spectacled Flying-foxes with several flying close to the boat giving us good daylight views of these beautiful big bats. In the same place we glimpsed and heard two Little Kingfishers as they shot past the boat and finished with a very good view of an Azure Kingfisher by the Daintree Village jetty.

16 Apr 06. Australian Bustard. Flooded river this morning after heavy rain yesterday allowed us to into parts of the river that you normally cannot. Biggest surprise however was an Australian Bustard in flight over Stewart's Creek and a Glossy Ibis upstream. Bit of a thrill before that with a 3 metre Saltwater Crocodile swimming alongside the boat probably looking for a place to get out of the cold water. I expect there will be lots of crocodiles seen as the water level drops through the day.

15 Apr 06. Wompoo Fruit-Doves. Swollen river this morning and squally conditions, even at dawn, did not make for the best of conditions. What was most noticeable however were Wompoo Fruit-Doves and Brown Cuckoo-Doves on the edge of the rainforest. Some Black Bitterns were also present and an immature Striated Heron which looks very much like a juvenile Black Bittern.  These younger herons are difficult to tell apart in their juvenile plumage. So look for the cap of the Striated Heron and their smaller size compared with the bigger, darker and more secretive  Black Bitterns.

11 Apr 06. Black Bitterns. Back at work today at the tail end of the wet season. Sadly no reptiles were seen this morning although they will be more commonly seen as the weather cools. Best sightings this morning were Spectacled Flying-foxes, Black Bitterns and 4 kingfisher species.

8 April 06. Daintree Nature show continues. The flying -foxes and lorikeets are still hard at it at Wonga Beach with some flying-foxes visible during the day halfway along Marlin Drive. Bird migration is still on with Channel-billed Cuckoos, Dollarbirds, Sacred Kingfishers, Rainbow Bee-eaters and Latham's Snipe seen in recent days.

6 Apr 06. Wonga Beach nature show. The main creek at Wonga Beach at the entrance to Daintree Valley is fringed with flowering Melaluecas and is attracting Rainbow Lorikeets by day and Spectacled Flying-foxes by night. Of course the best times to witness this is dawn or dusk at the changing of the guard. Both species are vocal and easy to find.

30 Dec 05. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern and Saltwater Crocodile.  Low water springs (0.29) tide occurred at the Daintree village jetty in the pre dawn.  High water springs tide (3.01) occurred at about 10:30am. If you want to see wildlife a low tide is best and the coolest part of the day is also better than the hottest part of the day for seeing wildlife. We had this combination today and the wildlife checklist, above, confirms this theory.

23 Dec 05. Christmas break. Next scheduled trip 30 Dec 05.

19 Dec 05. Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. Barratt Creek is a great place to learn Fig-Parrot's calls and sometimes see them. This morning we were treated to a prolonged look at a chick in the nesting hollow and an adult in an adjacent tree. Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth and Saltwater Crocodile rounded out the checklist, above.

14 Dec 05. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Along with good sightings of Saltwater Crocodile, Black Bittern and Azure Kingfisher this morning we had a good look at a Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. They are more often heard from the boat than seen.

12 Dec 05. Great-billed Heron. The sightings of Great-billed Herons increase when low tide occurs at dawn like it did this morning. To gauge when this happens use the Cairns tide table and add 3 hours. To see the tide values go to: www.daintree.info/weather.htm Also use these tidal values to see the waders at the Cairns Esplanade by being there before high tide.

11 Dec 05. Bush-hen. Vocal early in the morning during the summer Bush-hens are rarely seen at any time. After tracking down the fourth pair this morning by following the calls we got good looks of one at the edge of long grass in Windy Reach. Obligatory crocodile in Barratt Creek.

10 Dec 05. Little Kingfisher heads the best bird list followed by Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouth. What stole this morning's show however was the 3 metre long Saltwater Crocodile swimming alongside the boat for 5 minutes. You could see every wrinkle in the skin as it glided along effortlessly with just a sideways movement of the huge tail. The legs folded back, streamlining the already sleek body set the scene at dawn on the Daintree River.

3 Dec 05. Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern. Best birds this morning included a Great-billed Heron and two Black Bitterns. Good to see an obligatory Saltwater Crocodile as well and be finished before the heat of the day.

29 Nov 05. Papuan Frogmouth and Glossy Ibis. Of note this morning was the discovery of a Papuan Frogmouth's nest and a small flock of Glossy Ibis. What this means is that the sightings of Papuan Frogmouths will become regular again and that the country out west must be dry to bring Glossy Ibis to the Daintree River.

27 Nov 05. Saltwater Crocodiles in November. In this warm part of the year I do not expect to see crocodiles as frequently as I do in the winter months because they have no need to sit out on the river banks in the sun. This November we have seen more crocodiles than normal as the above checklist shows. The snide comment written about crocodile sightings in the travel section of a Brisbane newspaper this month was uncalled for.  I understand the journalist's perception if their visit to the ferry area coincided with a high tide in hot conditions around the middle of the day and they said there were more boats than crocodiles. That is hardly surprising or news-worthy. See this link: www.daintreerivertours.info/seasonal_variations.html

25 Nov 05. Black Bitterns. During the first 15 minutes and in between our first and second crocodile sightings we saw four Black Bitterns with a fifth in a tree above the second crocodile. At 5:15am  hundreds of Spectacled Flying-foxes were seen flying along Humbug Reach toward the ferry.

22 Nov 05. Queensland Weekender TV Show. This morning we had the pleasure of the Queensland Weekender television crew for the wildlife component of the Saturday 5:30pm travel show on Channel Seven. The show will be dealing with Daintree and will last for 30 minutes airing on Sat 25 Feb 06.. It will be a good opportunity to see how our tour operates in the tranquil conditions of dawn and see some of the wildlife that Daintree is famous for, including Saltwater Crocodiles, Green Tree Snakes and some of the rarer birds like the Great-billed Heron.

20 Nov 05. Black Bittern. Sightings of Black Bitterns are improving around the fresh water parts of the Daintree River at dawn. There are now four parts of our tour area where they are being seen and they are often seen in pairs. We have also witnessed Brown-backed Honeyeaters building a nest.  It is a very quick affair with the nest being near completion in only four days.

17 Nov 05. Great-billed Heron. Best wildlife this morning were; well camouflaged Saltwater Crocodile, Black Bitterns and Great-billed Heron.

15 Nov 05. Pied Monarch Flycatcher. There is an active and vocal Pied Monarch in Barratt Creek near the fallen Strangler Fig Tree. Welcome rain in sight.

13 Nov 05. White-throated Needletails. As predicted on 10 Nov (below) White-throated Needletails are still around. Just before 6:00am they are being seen over the river downstream from the jetty. I expect whilst this weather stays the same that they will be there tomorrow.

11 Nov 05. Tranquil river at dawn. Beautiful sunrise, calm muggy conditions, stunning reflections of the rainforest punctuated with the distant calls of Common Koels, Pheasant Coucals, Rainbow Lorikeets, Figbirds, Yellow Orioles and Golden-headed Cisticolas. Best wildlife today were; Black Bittern, Saltwater Crocodile, Cicadabird, Shinning Flycatchers, Latham's Snipe and Azure kingfisher.

10 Nov 05. White-throated Needletails. Our first sighting of these large swifts for the summer happened at the start of the trip. They were high above the Town Reach in the Daintree River. Sadly we did not see them up close but given the weather system we may see them again over the next few days. There was an interesting interaction between the Laughing and Blue-winged Kookaburras on the other side of the river complete with strong vocalisations toward the end of the trip. This was just before we saw a Black Bittern and a little later a Saltwater Crocodile that swum under the boat.

9 Nov 05. Rainbow Lorikeets. One of the most colouful wildlife sights in the Daintree Village is in the brilliantly red Flame Tree in the carpark by the jetty. For the last few mornings Rainbow Lorikeets have been feeding on the nectar in the tree at dawn.

8 Nov 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. Like partly submerged submarines the two crocodiles that we saw this morning had that sinister air about them as they effortlessly glided along in the water of the billabongs near the village. The water is so clear, at this time of year, that we could see every detail of their huge tails propelling them along by the side the boat. Later in the day crocodile sightings, of any sort, are not as frequent as those at dawn in November, December and January.

7 Nov 05. Green Tree Snake and Black Butcherbird.
"Plop", landing on the wet muddy river bank, metres in front of us, a Green Tree Snake adopted a defensive posture as it was pursued by a Black Butcherbird. To reach the safety of the water the snake needed to come towards the boat and so we retreated to let it escape. This was only 50 metres from a well camouflaged protective female Saltwater Crocodile near her nest.

4 Nov 05. Channel-billed Cuckoo. We are still seeing the odd Channel-billed Cuckoo in the Daintree Valley. The bulk of them have moved through and are to the south. It is the loud raucous call that gives their presence away early in the morning.

1 Nov 05. Black Bitterns. Good wildlife haul this morning for our seasonally adjusted start time of 6:00am. Two Black Bitterns, two Saltwater Crocodiles, two Dollarbirds, Bush-hen, Latham's Snipe, Gould's bronze-Cuckoo after some welcome overnight rain.

31 Oct 05. Dollarbird. First return of a Dollarbird at the northern end of Windy Reach this morning, Black Bittern heard but not seen, more nesting Papuan Frogmouths and a three metre Saltwater Crocodile slithered out of the water near the boat in a billabong just upstream from the Daintree Village. Tomorrow we start at 6:00am.

29 Oct 05. Black Bittern. After a promising start last week we had not seen another Black Bittern until this morning. Good roll up of wildlife with Saltwater Crocodile and four cuckoo species as the list above shows.

27 Oct 05. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. After scanty reports of BBPK's in recent weeks I am happy to say that they are here and in force. More than one was heard this morning and going by reports from visiting birdwatchers they are wide spread. One of the best places to see and hear them on the south side of the river is Stewart Creek Road that starts at the Daintree Village.

26 Oct 05. Buff-banded Rail. From just after 6:00am, on the old boat ramp near the Daintree Village jetty a Buff-banded Rail has been seen out in the open for the last week or so. It provides a good photographic opportunity.

24 Oct 05. Hot weather. This bulletin and the wildlife checklist, above, is compiled at 10 am each time we go out. The tour that we do starts early in the morning but finishes about 8:30 am. The main reason for this is to see the wildlife before it gets so hot that you won't see it.

22 Oct 05. Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are hard to find because they are in the same flocks as the more numerous Rainbow Lorikeets. The ratio is probably something less than 1% here in the north but in the last two wildlife trips we have seen them twice.

20 Oct 05. Black Bittern. Not only did we see a Black Bittern again this morning but there a lot of them in the fresh water areas of the Daintree Valley and they are vocal.

19 Oct 05. Black Bittern.  This morning we saw our first Black Bittern for the summer and with the low tides over the next few days we hope to see more. A regular occurrence over summer Black Bitterns come here to breed in the fresh water parts of the Daintree River. Not a bad haul of wildlife as the above list shows.

15 Oct 05. Best birds this morning were Buff-banded Rail, Cicadabird, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Latham's Snipe. No reptiles as fits the season and flying-foxes in Barratt Creek.

14 Oct 05. Latham's Snipe. Shortly before our 6:30am departure a Latham's Snipe was seen in the main street of the village. Our checklist above is worth a look.

13 Oct 05. Flying-foxes. At present there are two flying-fox species in the Daintree Valley. They are the Little Red and Spectacled. Driving to work this morning at 5:30am from Barratt Creek bridge to the village the sky was filled with them as far as the eye could see. The phenomenon lasted for 10 minutes.

30 Sep 05. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. There has been a reliable sighting of a Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher at Kingfisher Park, Julatten. It was sighted by Carol Williams from England two days ago and has since been heard by Keith Fisher. This is about a month early for their normal arrival time and you can be sure that people have their eyes peeled and hearing tuned for more.

11 Oct 05. Seasonal conditions. We are now in the warm weather and it will probably get hotter until the rains come in January. You can still see wildlife at it's best provided you get out early. 5:40am this morning at the lookout over Humbug and Windy Reach Spectacled Flying-foxes could be seen drinking on the wing in the early morning light and the trees in the village were humming with birdlife. Have a look at the wildlife checklist above to see what I mean.

8 Oct 05. Saltwater Crocodile. This morning, despite being only four metres from a three metre long crocodile in the mud, passengers took several minutes to make out the big reptile and, they were using binoculars. Crocodile sightings during the colder moths is much more straight forward with them lying out in the open in the sun on the banks of the river.

7 Oct 05. Satin Flycatcher. Of note this morning was a male Satin Flycatcher, Little Red Flying-foxes and immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle with baby Spectacled Flying-fox all in Barratt Creek.

6 Oct 05. This morning's highlights. Partly submerged Saltwater Crocodile, nesting Papuan Frogmouth, courting Azure Kingfishers, Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Spectacled Flying-foxes with babies and Amethystine Python being harangued by Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and Shining Flycatchers.

5 Oct 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. There is a steer carcass floating around the Daintree Village and crocodiles are feeding on it. This is the time of year that crocodiles are potentially dangerous and the warning signs should be taken notice of.

4 Oct 05. Cuckoos. Being spring cuckoos are active and vocal. On our morning trips we are seeing the odd Channel-billed Cuckoo, Common Koels, Pheasant Coucals, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and hearing Brush Cuckoos.

8 Oct 05. Saltwater Crocodile. This morning, despite being only four metres from a three metre long crocodile in the mud, passengers took several minutes to make out the big reptile and, they were using binoculars. Crocodile sightings during the colder moths is much more straight forward with them lying out in the open in the sun on the banks of the river.

7 Oct 05. Satin Flycatcher. Of note this morning was a male Satin Flycatcher, Little Red Flying-foxes and immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle with baby Spectacled Flying-fox all in Barratt Creek.

6 Oct 05. This morning's highlights. Partly submerged Saltwater Crocodile, nesting Papuan Frogmouth, courting Azure Kingfishers, Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Spectacled Flying-foxes with babies and Amethystine Python being harangued by Yellow-spotted Honeyeater and Shining Flycatchers.

5 Oct 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. There is a steer carcass floating around the Daintree Village and crocodiles are feeding on it. This is the time of year that crocodiles are potentially dangerous and the warning signs should be taken notice of.

4 Oct 05. Cuckoos. Being spring cuckoos are active and vocal. On our morning trips we are seeing the odd Channel-billed Cuckoo, Common Koels, Pheasant Coucals, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and hearing Brush Cuckoos.

3 Oct 05. Spectacled Flying-fox. Spectacled Flying-foxes have a small maternity camp in Barratt Creek and are likely to stay there for several months. Clearly seen today were the mothers with their newly born babies.

2 Oct 05. Birdwatching trip. Today's tour was taken up with a group of 15 visiting birdwatchers and required a second trip. As one from the first trip commented to those boarding for the second, "Now that's the way to go birdwatching. Slowly cruising down the river spotting birds."

27 Sep 05. Spectacled Flying-fox. On the way to work at 5:30am thousands of Spectacled Flying-foxes were seen at Humbug Reach flying downstream to their day roost. Other places to see them would include Mudlow Street, Port Douglas, The Bat House, Cape Tribulation and the corner of Aplin and Abbott Streets, Cairns. Worth a look.

25 Sep 05. Warming up. It is that warm time of the year again (the sun is in the southern hemisphere) when we simply do not see reptiles lying in the sun as often as in winter. In a few weeks the sun's declination will be the same as the latitude of Daintree (S 16°) and it will pass directly overhead. It will go from dark to light in fifteen minutes and produce hot days. For successful wildlife viewing it is best to be early.

24 Sep 05. Common Koel. One of our better sightings of a Common Koel happened this morning in Barratt Creek. There are many fruiting palm trees that can be seen by boat and we had a female Common Koel feeding on one of them.

23 Sep 05. Six-legged bird. Somewhat reminiscent of Comb-crested Jacana we saw a Black-fronted Dotterel adult on the sand flats with six legs below the body. The bird was brooding two chicks. Good to be still seeing the odd reptile in the warmer weather as the checklist above shows.

21 Sep 05. Latham's Snipe. Not a play on words but a migratory wader which was seen upstream today. Ex Australian federal Labour politician Mark Latham released a book this week called "The Latham Diaries" where he snipes at his former colleagues.

20 Sep 05. Tropical Bleeding Heart Tree. One of our pioneer plants they are found on the edge of forests. In a billabong this morning we saw; Victoria's Riflebird, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Grey Whistler and Fairy Gerygone in a Tropical Bleeding Heart. This tree is fairly easy to identify with a small percentage of the heart shaped leaves being red. Look for the fruit.

19 Sep 04. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. Although we heard five cuckoo species this morning we only saw the smallest which was the Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. There is lots of bird activity around the village at present and an early morning stroll is rewarding.

17 Sep 05. Lovely Fairy-wren.  Towards the end of our trip this morning we happened upon a small group of Lovely Fairy-wrens in Barratt Creek. Other good birds were Pacific Baza and Papuan Frogmouth. It was also good to see a partly submerged Saltwater Crocodile in amongst the grass just over from the village jetty.

15 Sep 05. Papuan Frogmouths.  For a good part of our working year Papuan Frogmouths are seen at dawn from the Daintree River.  See: seasonal_variations.html there are gaps between the cold nights of winter and the breeding season of spring. We have now passed through that gap and have Papuan Frogmouths on nests. Hopefully will have at least one nest under observation until January.

14 Sep 05. Early birds get the worms. Before this mornings tour the village was alive with activity. A Great-billed Heron was seen in Barratt Creek and Latham's Snipe in Osborne Street before we started. It is important from now on to be early to catch the action in these warmer months.

13 Sep 05. Bush-hen. Perhaps the most interesting thing to happen with our wildlife today was the vocalisation of Bush-hens. At 6:15am they were heard at Barratt Creek bridge and again at 8:35am at the red banks downstream from the village.

12 Sep 05. Common Koel. There has been a big influx of Common Koels in the Daintree Valley. Whilst being vocal they are not all that easy to see unless they are feeding on the fruit of some of the palm trees. At this time of year it is worthwhile to look in some of the bigger fruit trees for other species as well.

10 Sep 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. The warmer part of the year is upon us. Overnight temperatures are in the twenties and day temperatures are just short of thirty degrees. Soon crocodiles will become much harder to see. The two crocodile sightings today were both in the water. Less crocodile sightings may be one aspect of our wildlife but it is now the bird time as the above table shows.

8 Sep 05. Spectacled Flying-fox. 5:45am hundreds of Spectacled Flying-foxes or fruit bats flew over the Daintree Village on their way to their day roost downstream. Not all of them made it through the day. Passing the Crossroads Cafe at 9:15am on the way home after the dawn trip there was a White-bellied Sea-Eagle carrying one off to it's nest to feed it's young.

3 Sep 05. Little Kingfisher. A good kingfisher haul this morning with Blue-winged Kookaburra and Laughing Kookaburras on the power lines around the village and then Azure, Forest, Sacred and Little Kingfisher from the river tour.

2 Sep 05. Big Saltwater Crocodile. It is this time of the year when you catch site of the big male crocodiles. At the end of this morning's trip we saw one of the biggest crocodiles in the Daintree River sitting on the sand bank just down stream from the Daintree Village. Five metres long?

30 Aug 05. Barred Cuckoo-shrikes. What a difference a day makes. The sun shone, no rain and the winds did not come in early. It was a glorious day after yesterday and doesn't the wildlife checklist above reflect it with a haul of 64 species seen in a little over two hours. Best bird; Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

29 Aug 05. Green Tree Snakes. One of the wettest mornings this year did not make things easy for wildlife viewing but didn't it bring out the snakes!  We saw four and didn't bother looking for any more. The wet blustery conditions are due to ease tomorrow?

27 Aug 05. Great-billed Heron. Pleasing to see our most difficult bird at the end of the trip this morning. Earlier we did alright with rainforest pigeons; Top-knot Pigeons, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and first return of Pied Imperial Pigeons, all in Barratt Creek.

25 Aug 05. Green Tree Snake. It is still pleasing to see Green Tree Snakes as the warm weather approaches. Of the Colubridae family they are not venomous or aggressive and come out into the sun to achieve their operating temperature. Other reptiles will become increasingly active in spring but not necessarily easier to see.

23 Aug 05. Kookaburra Chorus. This morning's dawn chorus started with the beat of the Large-tailed Nightjar and then Blue-winged Kookaburras shattered the peace with their raucous call only to be outdone by several Laughing Kookaburras taking over at the jetty. The day began...............

22 Aug 05. Dramatic Daybreak.  With these cold misty mornings the change from dark to full sunlight is a terrific transition that takes an hour or so. The change to the wildlife activity is awe-inspiring as the dark quiet makes way for the dawn chorus and the appearance of wildlife sitting in the warming sun. Crocodiles, snakes, nocturnal birds and day birds strut their stuff. From a distance the ubiquitous Cattle Egrets make the big green rainforest trees look like it has snowed in the upper valley.

21 Aug 05. Courting kingfishers and copulating plovers. Whilst watching a Black-fronted Dotterel we thought we had double vision and realised it was two and they were copulating. Azure Kingfishers were courting in Barratt's Creek and some of the cuckoos are becoming more conspicuous as we head towards spring. It is still cold enough in the morning to wriggle out some reptiles as the wildlife checklist above shows.

20 Aug 05. Little Kingfishers. Great views of Little Kingfishers this morning in Barratt Creek and the Daintree River just upstream from the village. Good tides at the village over the next week and improving weather should provide good sightings, like we had today, over the next week or so.

17 Aug 05. Wompoo Fruit-Dove. Whilst trying in vain to coax in some Lovely Fairy-wrens we were treated to a good sighting of a Wompoo Fruit-Dove which lead our gaze to it's nest.

16 Aug 05. Latham's Snipe. First return of Latham's Snipe this morning clearly seen streaking across the sky. Also streaking across the sky, at idle, was Peregrine Falcon snatching a Welcome Swallow not 50 metres from the Daintree Village jetty at 6:40am.

15 Aug 05. Green Tree Snake and Black Butcherbird. At the end of our trip this morning we noticed a Black Butcherbird at the water's edge and on investigation found that it had just despatched a Green Tree Snake.  The normal defence for Green tree Snakes is to be in a tree but over the water and if attacked simply fall into the water and swim away. Last night was so cold, about 12°C, that the snake probably could not move fast enough to avoid the warm blooded predator at dawn.

14 Aug 05. Brush Cuckoo. Hot on the trail of Brown-backed Honeyeaters is the Brush Cuckoo heralding the arrival of spring. Japanese photographer and T shirt designer Yoshida is visiting Daintree Village at present to photograph subjects for his shirts, particularly kingfishers and got good close shots of Azure, Little and Sacred Kingfishers from the boat this morning.

13 Aug 05. Blue-winged Kookaburra. Following on from yesterday's post; the dawn chorus this morning was added to with the raucous calling of Blue-winged Kookaburras on the corner of Dagma and Douglas Streets in the Daintree Village. They have a nesting hollow on the grounds of Kenadon Homestead Cabins. The folks there would be only too happy to show you if you call by. Ask for Peter, Terri or Melva.

12 Aug 05. Dawn Chorus. It is that time of the year for interesting dawn choruses. Around the Daintree Village the Large-tailed Nightjars are starting and Spectacled Flying-foxes are vocal on the false dawn. At Barratt Creek bridge Noisy Pittas and Red-necked Crakes add to the cacophony. This will only increase as more and more migrant birds arrive to breed.

11 Aug 05. Brahminy Kite. On the Daintree Road just south of the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary at Wonga Beach, a Brahminy Kite struggled with some heavy road kill in the traffic. It succeeded with the traffic and also some piracy from a Black Kite to carry the carrion to it's nest nearby. It was about 9:30am, but for most of the day with the sugar cane harvest in full swing this road is good for seeing many raptors.

10 Aug 05. Touching moment. The tolerance of Azure Kingfishers is truly amazing. They will allow you to approach, by boat, to within inches and still not fly away. This morning I touched one.

8 Aug 05. Spring arrivals. Migrant bird species are arriving in Daintree at the start of the southern hemisphere spring. Most notable this morning were Brown-backed Honeyeater and Metallic Starlings. Channel-billed Cuckoos seen and heard this morning were most likely over-wintering.

6 Aug 05. Cicadabird. Seen midway through our trip this morning was a silent male Cicadabird which you don't see every day. Other highlights included Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure and Little Kingfishers and three Green Tree Snakes. It was a pleasure to have Australian tourism pioneer Bert Bolton on board once again and looking as fit as a fiddle.

4 Aug 05. Green valley. August is one of the drier months but we have been experiencing light rain for the last four days. Good wildlife viewing has been coming in patches with the rain. Although a quiet morning we did get good, close and prolonged views of Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers and a Nankeen Night Heron.

3 Aug 05. Great-billed Heron. Midway through the trip this morning we saw the secretive Great-billed Heron in overcast conditions and in light rain. Weather conditions should improve today with clear skies forecast for tomorrow.

1 Aug 05. Alcedo courtship. A day or two back we witnessed Azure Kingfishers courting and this morning we saw Little Kingfishers also courting. Known breeding records show both species breeding later in the year. A Great-billed Heron was heard calling and this also is associated with courtship. Fingers crossed.

31 Jul 05. White-bellied Sea-Eagles. Early in this morning's trip we were treated to an aerial display of adult, male and female White-bellied Sea-Eagles just downstream from the Daintree Village. A little late in the breeding season but it looked very much like courtship with the antics and vocalisations.

30 Jul 05. Tough decision. Today's highlight is a bit hard to choose? Channel-billed Cuckoos, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Saltwater Crocodiles, Northern Mastiff Bats, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure and Little Kingfishers, more accipiters or Peregrine Falcon? Today's wildlife checklist is worth a look.

29 Jul 05. The accipiter and a Darter. There was quite a commotion just upstream from the jetty this morning as we were getting underway. Our resident male Darter was being  harassed by a hawk and it was some time before we got a look at it. It turned out to be a male Brown Goshawk which flew upstream causing further commotion amongst the smaller forest birds. A partly submerged 3 metre Saltwater Crocodile completed our wildlife tour at 8:30.

28 Jul 05. Three Little Birds. White-eared Monarch, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Little Kingfisher topped the list today in cold conditions finishing up with a 4 metre long Saltwater Crocodile in the sun at 8:30am.

25 Jul 05. Best birds. No reptiles today, big Spectacled Flying-fox flew past the boat before our departure and lots of Northern Mastiff bats were active before the sun rose. Best birds were Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouths.

23 Jul 05. Ravenous Raptors. Daintree Valley is home to many birds of prey at present and not only around the newly harvested cane fields. Look out for small flocks of birds becoming agitated and vocal as they are being harassed by Collared Sparrowhawks, Peregrine Falcons and Swamp Harriers.

22 Jul 05. Master Mimic. Spangled Drongos are notorious mimics and this morning whilst watching one we heard Rainbow Bee-eaters in a part of the river where they have been recently. I was just about to move on to find them when, whilst watching the drongo closely, we saw it was the drongo who was calling and not a bee-eater. Early in the morning we are missing the worst of the gale conditions that have prevailed on the coast for the last few days.

21 Jul 05. Wompoo Fruit-Doves. Wompoo Fruit-Doves are being seen regularly in Barratt creek early in the morning. There is a Peregrine Falcon in the village and Channel-billed Cuckoos are calling at Wonga Beach. The current strong winds should ease by Saturday and with the lower tides coming up at dawn there should be better sightings from the boat from then.

20 Jul 05. Gale warning off the east coast of Queensland. These warnings are unusual outside the cyclone season and will dampen holiday activities for a day or two. Didn't stop us this morning and we got in a good trip before the rain and wind came in. Best (and only) reptile was Saltwater Crocodile swimming alongside the boat, best mammal was Northern Mastiff Bat and best bird was Wompoo Fruit-Dove. Be early.

18 Jul 05. Pacific Baza. As this morning's trip finished in came the strong blustery wind which is characteristic of our winter weather. In the preceding two hours conditions were much calmer which made it ideal for birdwatching. Pacific Baza was easily the best of the birds with two sightings and an aerial display near Barratt Creek bridge.

16 Jul 05. Fairy Gerygone. Of all the wildlife this morning the pick of the bunch was a Fairy Gerygone which is the smallest of all the birds found at sea-level in Daintree. Good prolonged looks in bright sunlight before the heat of the day.

15 Jul 05. Two trips. What a difference a couple of hours make. If you scrutinize the table above you can see the difference between the dawn trip and an early morning trip for today. Poor Ian Rudd was on the dawn trip hoping for a Pacific Baza. It was seen but it was on the later trip. That is wildlife in the wild for you.

14 Jul 05. Little Kingfisher. The jewel of the Australian Kingfishers is it's smallest, the Little Kingfisher. It is best approached by boat when it often lets you come within a metre or so. The Azure Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher and Sacred kingfisher are also tolerant of boats and rounded out a nice quartet this morning.

13 Jul 05. Cane harvest. The sugar cane harvest is in full swing on the east coast of Australia from NSW to the Daintree River in Queensland. Newly harvested fields are a great source of raptors the most common being Black Kites. These are the brown kites with a distinct notch in the tail that flares straight as they maneuver on the wing. Look out for Brahminy and Whistling Kites as well as the less conspicous Nankeen Kestrels. Also seen lately at dusk on Wonga Beach are Beach Stone-curlews.

12 Jul 05. Kingfisher Alley. With eight kingfisher species in the Daintree Valley at present the Daintree River makes a good alley for them. This morning we saw Little, Azure, Forest, Sacred Kingfishers and Laughing Kookaburra from the river.

10 Jul 05. Pacific Baza. Along with the obligatory Saltwater Crocodile we had a good session with the birds. Only 10 minutes after seeing a White-eared Monarch we saw in quick succession; Nankeen Night Heron, seven Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Pacific Baza. A little later we were treated to two more Pacific Bazas in more open trees with very good looks at the under-wing pattern.

9 Jul 05. Saltwater Crocodile. After not seeing any reptiles yesterday it was good to see both a Saltwater Crocodile and a Green Tree Snake this morning along with some of the more difficult birds like White-eared Monarch and Little Kingfisher.

8 Jul 05. Great-billed Heron. Little Kingfisher, Great-billed Heron and Papuan Frogmouth headed up the wildlife list this morning.

7 Jul 05. Beach Stone-curlew. Two Beach Stone-curlew were on the foreshore at Wonga Beach well into the flood tide at 5:30pm. Access the beach from Janbal Street off Marlin Drive.

6 Jul 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. The Daintree River catchment has received enough rain to chill the river down and almost ensure that crocodiles will come out of the water and be easily seen. As we finished the trip today with some good birds, as seen in the checklist above, there were two large Saltwater Crocodiles within 100 metres of the Daintree Village jetty.

4 Jul 05. Early signs of Spring. It wasn't the wet blustery conditions this morning that told us Spring was near, nor was it the Storm Bird. It was some other birds. Seen at Wonga Beach was a Brown-backed Honeyeater a couple of days ago and on the river the Cattle Egrets are just starting their breeding plumage. At Rex Lookout yesterday was a migrating whale and flying past the storm cells was a Great Frigatebird.

2 Jul 05. White-eared Monarch. Of our haul of 61 wildlife species this morning the White-eared Monarch was the pick of the bunch. There is a  three metre Saltwater Crocodile just upstream and across from the jetty that will be easily seen when the tide drops from about 11 o'clock.

30 Jun 05. Pacific Baza. From the river this morning we saw four raptors with the Pacific Baza being the most interesting. The whole of the Daintree Valley is a good place to see raptors at present with the cane harvest underway. Just driving from Rocky Point at Wonga Beach to the Daintree Village will often yield several raptor species feeding on insects and small reptiles over the newly harvested fields.

29 Jun 05. Great-billed Heron. It was good to see a Great-billed Heron towards the end of this morning's trip. Another good bird to see was a Pied Monarch which are also notoriously difficult to find. Just lately there has been a three metre long Saltwater Crocodile appearing on the bank opposite the Daintree Village jetty about 8:30 am. It can be clearly seen with binoculars from the jetty.

28 Jun 05. White-bellied Sea-Eagle.  With five kingfisher species, a Bird of Paradise, cuckoos, Pacific Bazas, Papuan Frogmouth, rainforest pigeons and Saltwater Crocodiles it was not easy to put a finger on today's highlight. Close looks were the order of the day and none was better than a White-bellied Sea-Eagle tearing apart and eating an eel on the beach just upstream from the Daintree Village.

26 Jun 05. Forest Kingfishers and Spangled Drongo. There was an interesting interaction at the end of today's trip with a Spangled Drongo being harassed by two Forest Kingfishers. Much of it was an aerial display with vocalisations and went on for a few minutes.

22 Jun 05. Black Swan.  In fifteen years of looking at Daintree wildlife I have seen Black Swans only three times in Daintree. The third time was this morning.

21 Jun 05. 10 Raptor morning. Pacific Baza, Osprey, Black-shouldered Kite, Whistling Kite, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Grey Goshawk, Swamp Harrier during the trip and on the way home from the Daintree Road on the powerlines were Brown Falcon and Nankeen Kestrel. Best birds for the morning were Little Kingfisher and White-eared Monarch.

20 Jun 05. White-eared Monarch. Not the easiest of our flycatchers to find, White-eared Monarchs feed on flying insects in the upper story of trees. This proved to be a new species for the visiting birdwatchers on the boat this morning.

17 Jun 05. Australian Pratincole. In one of the most lush valleys on the east coast of Australia it is unusual to have semi-arid wildlife. For the second year in a row we have Australian Pratincoles in the Daintree Valley. A 54 species haul this morning illustrates the reliability of the Daintree River as a wildlife venue.

12 Jun 05. Great-billed Heron. An extended close look at a Great-billed Heron proved to be today's highlight along with a more difficult look at Victoria's Riflebird. The sun emerged late in the trip to show lots of Saltwater Crocodiles lying on the banks of the river. The biggest of them was clearly visible from the Daintree Village jetty at 8:45am.

9 Jun 05. Great-billed Heron. Firstly, as predicted, the Barking Owl was there again and was one of four nocturnal species seen during the trip this morning.  Great-billed Heron was seen briefly along with Saltwater Crocodile but the rest of the wildlife shown in the table above was seen for longer periods.

8 Jun 05. Barking Owl. It is not unusual to see nocturnal species early in our dawn river trip. Just lately we have been seeing a microbat performance from the jetty at 6:30am but this morning we were treated to a good sighting of a Barking Owl at the top of the boat ramp at 6:35am. It could easily be there tomorrow and the next day. Just before light I could hear it calling with the characteristic "woof woof" dog like call. There was also an unseasonal sighting and vocalisation of a Channel-billed Cuckoo which terrorised a flock of Top-knot Pigeons in Windy Reach.

4 Jun 05. 58 species haul.  Blustery wet conditions and a high tide normally do not add up to ideal conditions for seeing wildlife. This morning's trip however turned up some nice highlights with reptiles, mammals and some of the harder to find bird species as the above table shows.

30 May 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. Good spread of birds this morning but on the way home through Windy and Town Reach we saw four Saltwater Crocodiles that had only just arrived to sit in the sun during the day to build up their heat. The water temperature of the river drops at this time of the year and crocodiles simply come out and sun themselves on the river bank.

28 May 05. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and White-eared Monarch were our best birds this morning with 2 Saltwater Crocodiles rounding out the 54 wildlife species as shown in the wildlife checklist above. Early guests this morning were treated to a micro-bat performance around the jetty at the break of day. Daintree at Dawn at it's best.

27 May 05. Risky Business. Crossing the Daintree River during low tide at the "Cattle Crossing" in Windy Reach was a Magpie Goose family group of four adults and eight goslings. Considering their semi-palmated feet they made good time and with the low tide would have been able to see any lurking crocodiles during their northward journey. An hour and a half before we had witnessed a swimming crocodile further upstream. Other interesting birds included Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher in a 48 species haul.

25 May 05. Saltwater Crocodile. Early this morning we were treated to a wildlife performance just upstream from the Daintree Village. In pursuit of two Azure kingfishers we were confronted with a swimming crocodile in crystal clear water. You could easily see the huge tail slowly propelling a three metre long crocodile near the perched kingfisher whilst Shining Flycatchers were hawking insects in the background. Pacific Baza, Channel-billed Cuckoos  and White-eared Monarch padded out the bird list nicely.

22 May 05. Monarch Morning. Pied Monarch, White-eared Monarch and Spectacled Monarch punctuated this morning's rainforest sector whilst Golden-headed Cisticola, Richard's Pipit and Clamorous Reed Warblers were active in the grass and reed beds opposite and downstream from the Daintree Village.

19 May 05. Barking Owl. It was difficult to make a choice of this morning's highlights. Wompoo Fruit-Dove sitting in the sun, Saltwater Crocodile, White-eared Monarch, Green Tree Snake, Channel-billed Cuckoo or Barking Owl. Considering the scarcity of daylight sightings of owls, generally, the Barking Owl won out.

15 May 05. White-eared Monarch. Along with Great-billed Heron and Victoria's Riflebird this morning we had a sighting of a White-eared Monarch. A black and white flycatcher of eastern coastal Queensland they are hard to see because they forage in the tops of rainforest trees and are rarely seen in the lower levels.

13 May 05. Sivereye. This morning's trip was punctuated with flocks of small fruit-eating forest birds called Silvereyes. Small and green with a remarkable white eye-ring these birds are not easy to pick out as they flit through the upper story of the forest. However they are vocal enough to make you look up, see the movement, and then focus on the birds.

11 May 05. Saltwater Crocodile and Pink-eared Duck. Most boat passengers will see a Saltwater Crocodile at the Daintree River today. They will not see one like we did this morning. The crocodile we saw swam alongside our boat. You could see the huge tail slowly moving from side to side to propel it along the top of the water. How will the late arrivals see a crocodile today? The crocodiles will be lying on the river banks and doing absolutely nothing. How will people see them tonight? They will see the red eyes in the beam of a spotlight. Where does the Pink-eared Duck fit in? These ducks are rarely seen on the east coast of Australia. In 15 years I have seen them only three times in Daintree, twice at dawn. The fresh water reaches of the Daintree River at dawn continue to show what a good wildlife venue it is even in our Autumn.

10 May 05. Great-billed Heron. Good collection of wildlife species today with Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Azure, Forest and Sacred Kingfishers, Topknot Pigeon, Nankeen Night Herons, Papuan Frogmouth and a very vocal Black-fronted Dotterel.

9 May 05. Wompoo Fruit-Doves. Barratt Creek, a tributary of the Daintree Village is a really good place to see Wompoo Fruit-doves early in the morning. Big, colourful and vocal these rainforest pigeons sit for long periods in the fairly open Blue Quandong trees.

8 May 05. Great-billed Heron. This morning's trip was enhanced by the sightings of two of our more difficult birds being Little Kingfisher, one of five kingfishers seen, and Great-billed Heron. The Great-billed Heron offered the best views, back, front, left profile and right profile.

2 May 05. As if by magic the rains stopped, the nights are clear and there are cold mornings. Good sightings today of Green Tree Snake, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Papuan Frogmouth and Large-billed Gerygones.

28 Apr 05. Crocodile strike. At the junction of the Daintree River and Stewart's Creek, about 6:40am, there was an eruption in the shallow water as a Saltwater Crocodile snatched what appeared to be an Australasian Grebe. Just after the water was calm again and there was no sign of the crocodile or the grebe belying the swiftness of the attack that happened only seconds before.

27 Apr 05. Courting raptors. Witnessed this morning was the interaction of three White-bellied Sea-Eagles that involved some male rivalry and late in the trip two Whistling Kites that may have been exchanging food on the wing over the river. When we saw the kites it appeared that they had dropped the food in the water and were trying to recover it. A solitary Saltwater Crocodile was also seen on the river bank across from the Daintree Village jetty.

26 Apr 05. Fairy Gerygone. Seen and heard from the river this morning were Fairy Gerygones on the edge of the rainforest. These tiny warblers are easily distinguished from the more common Large-billed Gerygones by the light coloured lemon wash on the breast and the mustachioed markings of the male. Saltwater crocodile and common Green tree Snake rounded out the reptiles nicely and there was a nice show of kingfishers as the above table shows.

25 Apr 05. Fork-tailed Swift. Amongst this morning's wildlife was a Fork-tailed Swift zooming around in the blustery conditions. These swifts are not seen all that often and could easily be confused with our sedentary White-rumped Swiftlet, many of which are seen on most days.

24 Apr 05. Amethystine Python. Our attention was drawn to a thin tree-line in Barratt Creek this morning as many small bird species tried to move an Amethystine Python on from where it was. The python did not seem to mind the extra attention and I hope that it will still be there for tomorrow's trip.

22 Apr 05. Saltwater Crocodile.  Since late 1989 I have driven over Barratt Creek bridge several thousand times and I always look to see if there is a crocodile swimming in the creek. On the way home after our dawn trip this morning I looked again and sure enough there was a Saltwater Crocodile swimming along on the, then, high tide. It is the first time that I have seen one from the bridge.

20 Apr 05. Saltwater Crocodiles. It is easy to become blasé about seeing crocodiles when you are a tour guide on the Daintree River. It is somewhat more exciting though when you can have one swimming alongside the boat and see the slow methodic swimming action of the huge tail propelling this ancient reptile along instead of seeing one lying on the bank doing absolutely nothing. The birds weren't bad either as the table above shows.

19 Apr 05. Pied Monarch. Pied Monarchs were active and vocal in Barratt Creek this morning and sightings of Papuan Frogmouths are becoming more frequent in the early morning as the weather cools.

17 Apr 05. Winter arrivals.  In the last few days there have been an influx of birds for the winter; ibises, flycatchers, fantails, cormorants, darters and Swamp Harriers. Colder mornings now  produce good sightings of birds sitting in the sun just after dawn like Channel-billed Cuckoo and Papuan Frogmouths.

15 Apr 05. Kingfishers. Of the eight kingfisher species in the Daintree Valley we saw five this morning: Laughing Kookaburra, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher and Azure Kingfisher.

11 Apr 05. Great-billed Heron. A welcome sight in the seasonally squally conditions this morning was a Great-billed Heron just up-stream from the Daintree Village.

10 Apr 05. Black Bittern. Prolonged looks at a Black Bittern enhanced this morning's trip along with fleeting looks at Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Little Kingfishers and Victoria's Riflebirds. A Saltwater Crocodile put in an appearance swimming between the bank and the boat and a newly hatched Eastern Water Dragon was seen upstream from the Daintree Village. The full list of 42 wildlife  species can be seen in the above frame.

6 Apr 05. Despite the wet conditions this morning's trip showed an active Daintree River. The highlights were the four kingfisher species, the Black Bittern and the Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

30 Mar 05. Little Kingfisher.  Our Autumn may not be the best for all wildlife but it is good for Little Kingfishers. The population has increased with the young birds leaving the nest and spending their time over the water. Coincide a dawn trip with a lowish tide and the chances of seeing a Little Kingfisher during the next few months is good.

27 Mar 05. Common Sandpiper. Very noticeable this morning were several Common Sandpipers on the Daintree River from Stewart's Creek to Town reach. Not only were they seen well but they were vocal.

26 Mar 05. Bird Movement. With the full moon last night we had the arrival of several of our "winter" species and more passage migrants. A small flock of Cattle Egrets were spotted early with two Male Darters and our tour finished with an aerial display of a Dollarbird complete with a harsh rasping vocalisation. When we finished at 8:30am it was already un-comfortably warm.

24 Mar 05. Rainforest, Wetlands and Open Woodland Birds. On a non-typical "wet season" day it paid to be out and about early to beat the heat and also the king tide. We saw; Red-necked Crake, Superb Fruit-dove, Wompoo Fruit-doves, Victoria's Riflebird in the rainforest, Black Bitterns, Little Kingfisher,  Azure Kingfishers, White-bellied Sea-Eagles in the wetlands, Forest Kingfishers, Sacred Kingfishers and Rainbow Bee-eaters in the open woodland. All habitats traversed by boat from the Daintree Village in the first two daylight hours. 6:30 to 8:30am.

23 Mar 05. The fish-eaters. Showing it's undoubted healthy fish life, the Daintree River showed us at firsthand just how efficient our fish-eaters are. Starting with a vertical dive next to the boat an Osprey hurtled vertically into the water and emerged with a fish. Not 10 minutes later an Azure Kingfisher zoomed past us with a fish in it's bill on it's way to feed it's young. What took the cake however, was a Striated Heron,  precariously perched on a stump not two metres from the front of the boat,  taking fish after fish, allowing good photographic opportunities.

22 Mar 05. Black Bitterns. This morning's trip was enhanced with lots of Black Bittern sightings. There could have been as many as five individuals in and around the chain of billabongs opposite the village. It is still a little warm for regular reptile sightings but it was a good morning for the rainforest species like Wompoo Fruit-doves.

19 Mar 05. Things are looking good for Tue 22, tide good, boat good, weather?  8 seats left at this stage, check here for 2005 running days: www.daintreerivertours.info/2005.htm

27 Jan 05. Black Bittern. This morning's tour was enhanced with the appearance of a Black Bittern flying past the Daintree Village jetty at 6:45am. It landed just upstream where we were able to see it well from the boat.

26 Jan 05. Great-billed Herons. This morning's highlight were two Great-billed Herons which are always a chance when low tide happens just before dawn as with this morning's conditions in the river around the village.

23 Jan 05. Severe Weather Warning. Tour cancelled.

12 Jan 05. Azure Kingfisher.  As is almost the case with Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfishers are out and about in force around the Daintree River feeding their young. Of the several seen this morning they were either with their young or carrying food to them.

20 Dec 04. Black Bittern. For what is considered a rare bird, by many, we have extraordinary success with Black Bitterns. Since 8 Nov we have seen Black Bitterns on every one of our dawn trips. They come here to breed in the fresh water reaches of the Daintree River.

12 Dec 04. Glossy Ibis. Unusual for the Daintree River are Glossy Ibis and we saw two this morning in Windy Reach. Other highlights included Black Bitterns and a solitary Bush-hen.

10 Dec 04. Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snakes. After a little rain the river has cooled down and we saw a crocodile this morning initially sitting in the sun and a little later two Green Tree Snakes also in the sun.

7 Dec 04. Spectacled Flying-fox. At dusk last night Hugh Spencer, myself and nine volunteers attempted to count Spectacled flying-foxes as they left their camp near the ferry crossing. Hugh will work out a better figure but it could be around the 36 000 mark. This morning's wildlife list in the table above features four cuckoos, Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern.

6 Dec 04. Oriental Cuckoo. Most Australian summers Oriental Cuckoos visit but sightings of them are uncommon. Just before 8:00am this morning we saw one fly across the Daintree River.

1 Dec 04. Great-billed Heron. What a nice start to summer with a Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouths and courting Azure Kingfishers in our first tour of the month.

27 Nov 04. Saltwater Crocodile. We have not seen one since the 21st of Nov and before that the third of Nov. It has more to do with being the hot time of year than anything else. If the rain persists it can lower the temperature of the river water and then crocodiles may come out into the open and lie in the sun and get their heat.

26 Nov 04. Black Bittern. Within minutes of the start this morning we witnessed an interaction between two Black Bitterns and a Black Butcherbird. The bitterns landed on a branch of a tree, where I suspect the butcherbirds are nesting, and brought an immediate response from a butcherbird. Un-concerned, the Black Bitterns moved to another tree where they copulated and then separated with the male moving to the river bank. He stayed, offering good views for a minute or two.

24 Nov 04. Wet weather. Welcome rain overnight and a little light rain this morning. Time for a gentle reminder to bring a raincoat when visiting Queensland's Wet Tropics. Best wildlife this morning were; Black Bitterns, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and Brown Cuckoo-Dove. Channel-billed Cuckoo heard in the village.

22 Nov 04. Chestnut-breasted Mannikins are being seen and heard more just lately in the Daintree Valley. Often in small flocks in the open grassland but also in pairs around Wonga Beach in the cul-de-sacs between Marlin Drive and the beach.

21 Nov 04. Black Bittern. We got a better than expected look at an adult male Black Bittern today on the banks of the Daintree River. The poor bird has an injured wing and we will keep our eye on it over the next few days.

18 Nov 04. Shining Flycatcher. After watching Shining Flycatchers incubating their eggs at a nest in the "rainforest bend" downstream from the village for the last week, they have started on another nest. The eggs are gone, probably taken by a Black Butcherbird, and they are starting again.

17 Nov 04. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos are quite vocal in the valley and Wonga Beach at present. Whilst a tiny cuckoo the calls are distinctive with a whistle and/or a trill. As they parasitise Large-billed Gerygones they are more likely to be found near mangrove and rainforest lined streams or waterholes.

15 Nov 04. Best birds this morning were: Great-billed Heron,  Black Bitterns and a close look at nesting Papuan Frogmouth.

14 Nov 04. Poor reptile sightings in hot weather.  As can be seen in the table above, reptiles are not being seen all that much in the hot weather. I am sure most of the boat drivers on the Daintree River join with me in saying, "If we see a crocodile during the trip today then we consider it to be fortunate." 

11 Nov 04. Hot weather. From now until the wet we will experience hot days mainly because the sun's declination is approximately the same as our latitude. The wildlife is still here but it will not be active in the hotter part of the day. It never ceases to amaze me as I drive home after doing our 6 to 8:am wildlife tour, with the sun high in the sky, to see the first of the tourist vehicles driving into Daintree for their wildlife/wilderness experience. Sorry folks it is all over!

10 Nov 04. Black Bittern. For the last few years Black Bitterns are seen almost daily from November to April in the early morning around the fresh water parts of the Daintree River. This year they got off to a late start and I am happy to say that it now seems like a normal year with two sightings this morning.

8 Nov 04. Rainbow Bee-eater. Not all Rainbow Bee-eaters have migrated south. I have noticed several in the last few days occupying the thin coastal strip of Wonga Beach in the Daintree Valley. Easy to find as they are often seen on power lines.

7 Nov 04. Spectacled flying-fox. I regularly see hundreds of Spectacled Flying-foxes flying downstream from Humbug Reach on my way to work, about 5:00am. They are heading for the maternity camp which lines the road just to the north of the ferry. You can see them up close and personal at the Bat House at Cape Tribulation.

6 Nov 04. Golden-headed Cisticola's have been particularly vocal in the grassland around the Daintree Village lately. This morning we were treated to a male in breeding plumage sitting on a topmost stalk and sing it's heart out.

4 Nov 04. Glossy Ibis. Four Glossy Ibis, in flight,  were seen on this morning's tour. This is unusual for Daintree and they are seen here only infrequently in Spring when it is dry out west.

3 Nov 04. Fresh water mussel shells. Noticeably in the last few days more and more fresh water mussel shells are being deposited on the sand banks around the village. They are deposited there during the night at low tide in moonlight by Water Rats and it is their strong teeth that cracks them open to get at the flesh inside.

2 Nov 04. Peregrine Falcon. The presence of a Peregrine Falcon can slow up some of the bird activity and vocalisations when it comes into an area. We saw one well a couple of days back and had a glimpse of it again this morning. At present, around the village there are less Rainbow Lorikeets and Figbirds out in the open. The falcon's daytime roost is on the high side of Stewart Creek Road about 300 metres upstream from the village.

1 Nov 04. Saltwater crocodiles. Crocodiles are on the move. ABC National News showed a 3 metre crocodile swimming off the Cairns swimming lagoon in the middle of the city yesterday. We have our own, smaller one swimming off Wonga Beach and occasionally coming ashore to lie on the beach. These are probably non-breeding males getting out of the way of the bigger males who are breeding in the larger rivers like the Daintree.

31 Oct 04. Grey Whaler Shark and the White-bellied Sea-Eagles. During this later part of spring Grey Whaler Sharks can be seen in the fresh water reaches of the bigger rivers like the Daintree. This morning a dead one was seen still attached to a fishing line tied to the bank. It was chilling to see two White-bellied Sea-Eagles clumsily walking around near this line in their efforts to feed on the shark. Eagles are not equipped with dainty feet to avoid booby traps like this and we removed the fishing line.

29 Oct 04. A tree to keep an eye on. There is a small fig tree, with small ripening bright red figs, in Barratt Creek. It can be seen easily with binoculars and/or scope from the southern and downstream side of  Barratt creek Bridge. This morning we had a Wompoo Fruit-dove and Yellow Oriole feeding in it. Over the next few days more birds will come to it. Be on the look out for Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and maybe Superb Fruit-Doves coming to feed in it.

28 Oct 04. Saltwater Crocodile. Overnight guests in Daintree, Pam and Frank Bryant mentioned near the end of this morning's trip that they had been on the river for the third time and had not seen a crocodile. We almost didn't either! However we did get to see a three metre long crocodile under some hibiscus bushes just upstream from the Daintree Village jetty. It was hard to see, as they are in this hot weather, and they will be hard to see until after the wet. To see how the seasonal wildlife sightings work click on this link: www.daintreerivertours.info/page7.html

27 Oct 04. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. World renown nature tours from Austin, Texas and led by local Dion Hobcroft were rewarded with their early morning start with a good sighting of a Great-billed Heron in upper Barratt Creek. Saltwater Crocodile added to the wildlife tour along with nesting Papuan Frogmouths and a Pacific Baza as the checklist above shows.

24 Oct 04. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Chris Dahlberg's Specialised River Tours would like to announce the arrival of the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers. Their calls were heard on this morning's trip in the vicinity of Stewart's Creek Road 300 metres from Daintree Village.

23 Oct 04. Boat ramp cacophony. From dawn and into the 6:30am start the boat ramp, jetty and carpark was the scene and noise of frenzied activity. The loudest calls were from the Common Koels as some were being chased by Helmeted friarbirds, Figbirds were consistently loud along with the Yellow Orioles and several Brush Cuckoos got into the act with Bar-shouldered Doves. This is Spring in full flight and it is warm. The river water is as warm as bathwater and, as the above table shows, we have not seen a crocodile for days.

21 Oct 04. Sacred Kingfisher. There are fewer and fewer Sacred Kingfishers being seen as we get closer to summer as the bulk of them migrate south to breed. Some mornings as I do a sweep of the Daintree Village I see the odd one in Power Street which is the short street in the middle. This morning there were two.

20 Oct 04. Breathtaking describes the sightings of the large iridescent blue Ulysses Butterflies at this time of year. They can be seen almost anywhere but particularly around colourful blooms. We saw several along Barratt Creek this morning causing instant excitement amongst our small group.

19 Oct 04. Gliding along in the shallows alongside the feverish early morning feeding activity of Great Egret; the peaceful scene dramatically changed as the egret stood bolt upright and with a harsh croak took off vertically and flew to the bank. A Royal Spoonbill from close-by followed immediately. After seeing a Saltwater Crocodile in the water only minutes before speculation turned towards the high possibility of a submerged crocodile stalking the egret. Sightings of three cuckoo species and the vocalising of a fourth reinforced the feeling of spring in the Daintree River wildlife venue.

17 Oct 04. Common Koel. Apart from the very vocal Figbirds throughout the Daintree Valley the loudest and almost as vocal early in the morning around the Daintree Village are the Common Koels. One of the best places to see them is in the fruit trees at the top of the Daintree Village boat ramp. Just follow the loud calls.

16 Oct 04. Papuan Frogmouth nest. The Daintree River is a good place to see Papuan Frogmouths in the winter and late spring when they nest. Today after not seeing them for a few days we have a nest. Provided nothing disturbs the nest we are assured of good sightings for weeks to come.

13 Oct 04. Sacred Kingfisher. This morning we saw about six individual Sacred Kingfishers and in the past few days very few. Mostly this kingfisher is only here for our winter and returns to the southern parts of the continent to breed. I suspect this is amongst the last to be going through the Daintree for this spring. The ones that stay here over summer are few and far between.

12 Oct 04. Melbourne based birdwatcher Vin Lam and myself doubled over in laughter as a Wompoo Fruit-Dove streaked through sun in front of the boat today. Only seconds before Mrs Henry from Port Moresby asked to see a "green pigeon".

11 Oct 04. Figbird. Following the Bergman theory the northern male figbird is bright yellow which makes his red eye patch stand out. The southern (further away from the equator) male figbird is dull green in the breast and the red eye patch does not show so well. Figbirds around Daintree and Wonga Beach are the most active and vocal of all the birds here at this time of the year. 

10 Oct 04. Latham's Snipe. One of three migrating waders that we see in the fresh water parts of the Daintree River at this time of the year. Also the name of a prominent Australian Labour politician, Latham's Snipe breeds in the northern hemisphere during our winter. With seven sets of eyes this morning it was the experienced eyes of Matt Gilfedder from Brisbane that spotted it near the waters' edge across from the village about 7:15am.

8 Oct 04. Summer wildlife viewing. This morning it was cool on the trip and we got a good spread of wildlife as the above table shows. When we finished just before 9:00am it was quite warm and as we looked up the sun was at 45°, by lunch time it will be 90° and even hotter. The afternoon will also be hot. As we go further into summer it will get even hotter which does not make for good wildlife viewing. The habitats around the freshwater areas of the Daintree River make a world class wildlife venue provided the conditions are right. Dawn makes a good start. We all hope you have a good visit.

7 Oct 04. Lovely Fairy-wrens.  One of only two fairy-wrens to be found in Cape York, the Lovely Fairy-wren female is the most colourful of the other Australian females. It is only found in Cape York for it's Australian range and is highly sort by visiting birdwatchers. We came close on the boat this morning but the best way to find them around Daintree is from the side of the road after first hearing their high wispy calls. Invariably the group moves in one direction and you can anticipate a spot to be at when they pass by and see them. Although they can be found near Barratt Creek Bridge it is also a bad traffic spot and roads like Stewart Creek Road are safer.

6 Oct 04. Shining Flycatchers. The prettiest of the Australian flycatchers are northern and north-eastern birds that are seen more often in mangroves and forest lined streams close to the coast. With their breeding season underway often a pair will stumble into the territory of another pair and there is an instant and vigorous posturing and vocalisation. The luminous blue male is really set off with not only the erect stance but the iridescent orange gape belying the commonly held view that the multi coloured female is the more beautiful of the two. This will be witnessed often over the next few weeks.

4 Oct 04. Pacific Baza. Once called Crested Hawk, Pacific Bazas are uncommon and always a pleasure to see, particularly on the wing as we did this morning. The under wing and body patterns are apricot coloured on a light background and are quite breathtaking if you can get a good view.

3 Oct 04. Black Butcherbird. Well named, Black Butcherbirds live in and around the rainforest predating frogs, toads, snakes, eggs, bats, insects, fledglings and even crabs. On a normal tour we would see them slightly more than 50% of the time. Counting individuals both before and during this morning's tour, I can come up with about 10 which may reflect the season that we are in. See seasonal effects on wildlife sightings: www.daintreerivertours.info/page7.html

2 Oct 04. Misty morning. It was cold this morning as we started out at 6:30am. The mist hung around the river swirling in eddies as the sun, rocketing out of the horizon, hit the upper levels. Creeping along in the mist, upstream from the village, we rounded a bend and lo and behold we encountered a Great-billed Heron stalking it's prey in the shallows of Stewart Creek. Surprisingly our smooth motion was enough to distract it and it took off, flying like a Pterodactyl, over the bridge. As it was disappearing into the mist it turned right made and crash landed into a Lilli Pilly. Conditions this morning were ideal for the more timid species.

30 Sep 04. Black Bittern. Klaus Uhlenhut's Kirrama Wildlife Tours came this morning with two target species being Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern. Without either we were running late and rounding the rainforest bend that leads to Town Reach when a Black Bittern popped up, in the sun, and flew alongside and in front of the boat. It was a terrific sighting of this shy elusive bird. The other highlight was good sightings of Barred Cuckoo-shrikes in Barratt Creek. As can be seen above, reptile sightings are becoming more infrequent as the weather warms.

29 Sep 04. Great-billed Heron. Nice to see this big, elusive and cryptic heron. We had good views this morning in Windy Reach at 7:40am. This is the fifth sighting in 15 trips this month and they have been more or less in the same area and at the same time. Is 33.3% strike rate good? For Great-billed Herons it is.

28 Sep 04. Spectacled Flying-fox. On the way to Daintree Village this morning at 5:40am I saw from the Windy Reach Lookout several thousand Spectacled Flying-foxes heading downstream to their daytime roost. This is the time of year that their maternity camp forms which they will anchor to some part of the Daintree River. It is not always in the same spot but often near Windy Reach where they will drink the freshwater at dusk on the wing. Mention is made about this on the 101 things to do in Daintree web site: http://members.dodo.net.au/~chrisld/page4.html

25 Sep 04. Cuckoo-shrikes. Amongst this morning's wildlife list are two cuckoo-shrikes that are not commonly seen. Male Cicadabird and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes were both seen in Barratt Creek. Cicadabirds are also vocal at the Daintree Village.

23 Sep 04. Bush-hen. As distinct from what the locals call the Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Bush-hens are crakes and are notoriously difficult to see. From late Spring and into the Summer Bush-hens call loudly, somewhat reminiscent of a donkey's ...."he haw"....call, particularly at dawn and dusk. As luck would have it we were attracted to a Bush-hen's call this morning and after a few minutes saw it dart in and out of some grass on the bank of the river. Whilst Bush-hens are probably common the sightings of them are not. Also this morning Common Koels were active.

21 Sep 04. Wompoo Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus magnificus If you have not seen a Wompoo Fruit-Dove before take a look at the second part of the unique name above. A large rainforest pigeon with a green back, purple breast, yellow underparts and light grey head Wompoos also call with a human tenor voice...wompoo....wompoo...in the rainforest. They are breeding now and afford good views at the nest and in pre-breeding rituals. This morning two rival males put on a pushing display in the open and in the sun to the astonishment of today's passengers. If you would like to see one there is an active nest on the corner of Tulip Oak Road and Blackbean Road outside the Discovery Centre car park at Cow Bay. They are high enough in the tree that pedestrians will not bother them. Mid morning is best because they are in the sunshine. Good luck.

19 Sep 04. Stormbirds. Our big cuckoos, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Common Koel, arrive and move down the Australian east coast in spring. This often co-incides with thunderstorms hence the name stormbirds. We saw both this morning and also heard the loud call of the Common Koel.

16 Sep 04. Spectacled Flying-fox. It has been some weeks since we have seen Spectacled Flying-foxes from the river. The other morning however in Mudlo Street, Port Douglas, we saw a maternity camp as the adult bats were returning and re-uniting with their young. It was about 6.15am and the young bats call out to be found. It was  a very noisy affair as the young numbered in the many hundreds. Mudlo Street runs parrallel to the main road into Port Douglas but at the town end and on the inlet side. I expect they will be there for the next 3 months.

14 Aug 04. Saltwater Crocodile. As the weather gets warmer crocodile sightings are becoming less and less as the checklist above shows. This morning we were treated to a large 4 metre long crocodile swimming along the rainforest bank just upstream from the Daintree Village. The bird sightings get better now with the flurry of nest building, the influx of cuckoos and the vocalisations at dawn.

13 Sep 04. Pacific Baza. This morning's highlight would have been the good sighting of an adult and juvenile Pacific Baza in Barratt Creek. These strikingly marked crested hawks are seen more easily on the outside of trees lining waterways or in more open forest and gardens near the Daintree Village in Spring. Early morning they tend to be more vocal with a high pitched......."ee chew.....ee chew.....ee chew".

10 Sep 04. Extended Tour. This morning's checklist includes some birds that are found in the lower estuary of the Daintree River and not in our normal patch. An old friend, Ian Clayton, Birds and Bush Tours from Townsville, arranged for us to take in the lower estuary for Tomi Izuno's small group from California. Of particular interest down there, were Collared Kingfisher and Mangrove Robin. The Collared Kingfisher proved easy enough but try as we might we only heard the Mangrove Robin. Another place for Mangrove Robin is the mangrove boardwalk at the Cairns Airport.

8 Sep 04. Yellow Honeyeater. This morning's sightings included a Yellow Honeyeater. It was my second sighting inside the Daintree Valley since we came to live here(1989). A few weeks back one was seen in the garden of Red Mill House in Daintree Village about 500 metres from this morning's sighting.

5 Sep 04. Saltwater Crocdiles. We watched a three metre crocodile swimming along in shallow water this morning toward a much larger crocodile in deeper water. The larger crocodiles are not seen all that often and it is widely accepted that they are the males and the smaller ones are females. Interaction like this, in the wild, is only witnessed occasionally in the breeding season which, it appears, we are now in!

3 Sep 04. Black Bittern. Chris Doughty's small group from Peregrine Tours were up early this morning and drove from Cairns for the 6.30am start. They were rewarded with good views of a Black Bittern and a Little Kingfisher about 2 metres from it! Other species seen today can be seen in the window above.

2 Sep 04. Great-billed Heron. Although the largest of Australia's herons the Great-billed Heron is the hardest to find due to their cryptic nature. We were within 10 metres of one today before it was seen. It allowed good views and photographic opportunities at the entrance to Barratt's Creek.

1 Sep 04. Little Kingfisher. The smallest of Australia's kingfishers was the target species for HG Karlsson's Avi Fauna group from Sweden today. It was seen well at the end of the this morning's tour. The window above shows the rest of the wildlife seen.

31 Aug 04. With it's bright yellow eyes Barred Cuckoo-shrikes are being seen from the river and around the village on a regular basis at this time of year. Look in the fruiting figs and other fruiting trees where Figbirds are noticeable and look for a smaller grey bird. They are not as vocal as the other birds.

27 Aug 04. Fig Tree at the top of the boat ramp at the Daintree Village jetty is where the action is. The tree is laden with fruit and the birds attracted to it include; Figbird, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Metallic Starlings, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Pied Imperial Pigeon and Yellow Oriole. It is best in the early morning when you can stand in the car park with the sun behind you. Should go on for another day or two.

25 Aug 04. Bird Flocks. At present in the Daintree Valley several spectacular bird flocks can be seen. Rainbow Bee-eaters are streaming along Wonga Beach in their migration south for the summer, Cattle Egrets are in flocks along the Daintree River, Chestnut Breasted Mannikins are seen in the grassy areas and Metallic Starlings are being seen zooming through the trees around the Daintree Village.

24 Aug 04. Green Tree Snake and Black Butcherbird. Swimming across Barratt Creek this morning was a Green Tree Snake and as it reached the bank a Black Butcherbird arrived to attack it for probably the second time. The snake disappeared into a crack in the bank. Being cold-blooded Green Tree Snakes need sun to get their heat and they come out in the morning in the open on tree branches that overhang water. If they are attacked by birds then they fall into the water to escape.

21 Aug 04. Brown Goshawk and Leaden Flycatcher. It is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog! This morning we witnessed a Leaden Flycatcher straffing a Brown Goshawk to the point that the Goshawk flew away from it's perch and flew upstream to get away. Priceless moment.

18 Aug 04. Great-billed Heron. First sighting for this month and could be followed with more sightings on the dawn's low tides in the next few days. Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and fleeting glimpse of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot completed a nice bracket for visiting birdwatchers. Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snake rounded out this morning's wildlife tour.

17 Aug 04. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. One of this morning's highlights was the distant sighting and the listening to of these diminutive cuckoos. They are only found in Cape York and parasitise Large-billed Gerygone, an Australian warbler which is the smallest bird found along the Daintree River.

14 Aug 04. Brush Cuckoo. Two Brush Cuckoos this morning from the river and as I write from Wonga Beach, I can hear another in Marlin Drive. This is usually the second migrant to come down from PNG and will be vocal up until the wet, earning the name Rain Fever Bird.

12 Aug 04. Wet Tropics endemics. Victoria's Riflebird, Macleay's Honeyeater, Pied Monarch Flycatcher and the Double-eyed Fig-Parrot (Macleayana sub-species) were seen and, except the riflebird, heard during our dawn trip this morning. Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snake (digesting a large frog) represented the reptiles.

11 Aug 04. Pied Imperial-Pigeon. Flocks of these white pigeons, with black trim, arrive from PNG, more often in September to breed, mostly on offshore islands. They feed in lowland coastal rainforest and fruiting trees in the flood plains along the east coast of Queensland's Wet Tropics. The birds seen here in the Daintree Valley will be part of a 30 000 strong breeding colony at Low Isles off Wonga Beach.

7 Aug 04. Black Bittern. To see Black Bitterns two trips in a row at this time of year is unusual. Similarly  another sighting in a different part of the river the day before would also seem unlikely. With all three sightings I am now of the belief that Black Bitterns are here earlier than previous years. If you are visiting Daintree soon and wish to see a Black Bittern then the odds are better than normal for August and September?

4 Aug 04. Storm Birds. Daintree River Tours would like to announce the arrival of the Storm Birds. At the end of this morning's tour 5 Channel-billed Cuckoos were seen descending into the large fig tree opposite the Daintree Village jetty and also this morning Common Koels were seen and heard in the village.

2 Aug 04. Brown-backed honeyeater. After a few false starts I am happy to report the arrival of Brown-backed Honeyeaters in Daintree. They are normally the first migrant to arrive but were beaten by Metallic Starlings this year. The next few months are the best of the wildlife times with the arrival of many migrants including the Storm Birds.

30 Jul 04. More signs of Spring. Brush Cuckoos calling at Wonga Beach and also Olive-backed Orioles. This mornings highlight would be Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. Australia's smallest parrot and hard to find. Marlin Drive Wonga Beach is a great place to see these diminutive green parrots if you don't make the river tour.

27 Jul 04. Seasonal indicators. This morning we noticed Cattle Egrets starting their breeding plumage and recorded the arrival of Common Sandpiper which would have been breeding in Siberia a few weeks back. Sure signs of Spring.

24 Jul 04. Weather pattern. We are in the dry part of the year but it can still rain. If you are contemplating coming on our tour please read the first of the FAQ's at: http://home.austarnet.com.au/chrisld/page4.html by doing this you will have a better night's rest and, hopefully, a better trip. People running some of our accommodation houses have not been here long enough to gain an appreciation of our area's weather patterns and may give you some poor advice.

20 Jul 04. Daintree documentary with channel 10. 6.30am this morning saw a dedicated television crew from Brisbane ready to add the wildlife segment to a one hour TV documentary on Daintree. It will be worth seeing with close ups of crocodiles, Azure and Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and the endemic Victoria's Riflebird. Good crew, good early start and good wildlife. It will be good for business too. Thanks to producer, Ian Bremner, presenter, Juli Buchanan, sound, Stephen Bergin, camera, Shane Dyson, researchers, Phoebe Hart and Kellyanne Macrone.

18 Jul 04. Metallic Starlings. First sighting from the river for this Spring. Fantastic, metallic jet black starlings with blood red eyes streaking across the sky to land in a fruit tree opposite the jetty. Spring has sprung!

15 Jul 04. Great-billed Heron. Also possible Brown-backed Honeyeater this morning although I did not hear it call. They are the first migrant down and you usually notice the call first. Brown-backed Honeyeater records show regular late July arrivals.

13 Jul 04. Great-billed Heron.

11 Jul 04. Not to put to finer point on it but three sightings in four days of Great-billed Herons is not a common occurrence. When it is associated with an adult pair and there is extensive calling, as happened this morning, thoughts go to courtship. When it happens in a tree next to a previous nesting tree the thoughts tend to be even deeper. Watch this space!

9 Jul 04. Great-billed Heron or crocodile bird. Called the crocodile bird for it's Leonine call, it is not only spectacular for the visiting birdwatchers it is spectacular for everyone. The wingspan is wider than an eagle and it has a ponderous wing beat like a Pterodactyl. When you are in a little rainforest creek there isn't much room and the size seems magnified as it flies around you. This is the third sighting this month!

8 Jul 04. Rare species seen on the river today. Port Douglas and Daintree Tourism Association General Manager, Doug Burton and Media & Marketing Manager, Liz Berry had a quick ride on our boat and saw Saltwater Crocodile, White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Azure Kingfisher all within a few hundred metres of the Daintree Village jetty. This was a first for me to see senior members of the association at the coal face despite the association being in existence since 1998. Doug and Liz are new arrivals and already show an interest in what wildlife tourists can see in the Daintree River. Welcome Aboard.

6 Jul 04. Little Kingfisher. The smallest of our 10 kingfishers is still the most exciting to see. After more than a 1000 sightings I still do not take them for granted. In the last 12 years or so we have managed some very close encounters but rarely do we get within 2 metres. We did this morning!

5 Jul 04. Spangled Drongos, in several parts of the river are imitating Grey Goshawk calls. Drongos have a great array of calls and I am sure that the hawk imitation has the effect of frightening away other birds with which it is competing for food. Spangled Drongos sit out in the open and as they call they splay their magnificent tails.

4 Jul 04. Last night on ABC TV we watched nature's Top Gun, Peregrine Falcon, in a documentary. This morning, in great contrast to yesterday, we struggled to find much wildlife in the first hour of the tour. Heading into the bend downstream from the village, Vanessa, from Louisiana, pointed out a raptor which turned out to be a Peregrine Falcon. That explained the eerie absence of birds during the first part of the tour. It turned out well in the end with 3 of our top 4 birds seen and the obligatory crocodiles on the banks.

3 Jul 04. It was a pleasure to host Tom and Anna Pizzey with their children, Charlie and Sam  around the Daintree River this morning. It reminded me just how special it is to show our youngsters their native wildlife even if it means a very early start for them.  In recent years it has become more common to find young children on our tour and I hope they remember their time on the Daintree River for years to come.

1 Jul 04. Varied Triller. One of the most active birds on the edge of the rainforest just lately has been a Cuckoo-shrike called Varied Triller. Female Varied trillers look similar to the female Cicadabird which can be confusing and positive identification might require verification in a field guide.

29 June 04. Little Kingfisher. Of the seven kingfishers to be found in the Daintree Valley at this time of year the Little Kingfisher is the hardest to see. It is in much demand from visiting birdwatchers and did not let us down this morning on the high tide. For a moment I thought it was going to shoot past but to our delight it stopped a few metres from the boat and allowed us very good views.

27 June 04. Quandong Trees. Quandong trees are found on the edge of the rainforest and are easily identified by their openness, small leaves and fruit. During the night Spectacled Flying-foxes can be seen in the trees and by day, as we did this morning, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and TopKnot Pigeons will come out of the deeper rainforest areas and sit in the open in Quandong trees.

25 June 04. Salwater Crocodile. Just like last year you can see a saltwater crocdile from the Daintree Village jetty. Simply pull out your binoculars stand at the jetty and pan the opposite bank. This will be a regular happening  until it gets warmer.

24 June 04. Australian Pratincole. Daintree is near enough to being in the centre of Queensland's Wet Tropics (scientific term, Tropical North Queensland is the tourism industry term) which suggests a wetter place than the dry interior. To everyone's surprise this morning, on a sandbank in the Daintree River, was an Australian Pratincole which is my first recording of this dry territory bird in Daintree. We recorded Oriental Pratincoles downstream in 1994.

22nd. Intermediate Masked Lapwing.  The two Masked Lapwing ( formerly Spur-wing plover ) races occasionally interbreed (?) and produce an infertile intermediate which are rarely seen in Daintree. This morning we greeted with a family group, with one of the adults being an intermediate. Interesting record but not proof that the intermediate was one of the parents?

21 June 04. Great-billed Heron. It seems that if we are going to see Great-billed Herons it will be with low tides and sure enough this morning we saw not one but two of these very elusive giant herons. The added attraction will be on these cold winter mornings as they will be sitting in the sun.

18 June 04. Brown Cuckoo-dove. Rainforest fruit-doves and pigeons are being regularly seen around the Daintree Village and Barratt creek. Very obvious around the village this morning were Brown Cukoo-doves. Spectacular in their chocolate coloured plumage and long tails as they flit in and out of the sun.

16 June 04. Nankeen Night Heron. With the cooler weather of June and the warm early morning sun at such a low angle, Nankeen Night Herons can be seen sitting in the sun to get warm these mornings. The sun shows them off to perfection but as the sun's angle increases and after they are warm the herons hide inside the tree. There are many reasons to be early where wildlife is concerned.

15 June 04. Large-billed Gerygone. Sometimes called flood birds by the locals these tiny warblers are very active with courtship and nest building even in winter. Also heard near these performances were Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, also tiny,  who parasitise the gerygone's nest. I would expect extra sightings of the cuckoo in the weeks to come.

14 June 04. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Seen and heard this morning during the last stages of the trip. Sometimes these cuckoos over-winter in Daintree and can be found early in the morning during winter. See 10 June below.

13 June 04. Wompoo Fruit-dove. It is an absolute treat at any time to see Wompoo Fruit-doves but to see more than one cavorting in an open tree in the sun is truly a wonderful wildlife spectacle that happens frequently in Barratt Creek, during winter at dawn.

11 June 04.  Grey Goshawk. If your wildlife tour includes birds, as it should, then a sighting of a Grey Goshawk will be greeted with mixed emotions. This un common raptor kills and eats other birds inside the rainforest. It is good to see it, as we did this morning, but it makes the other birds hard to find.

10 June 04. Three Cuckoos. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo and Channel-billed Cuckoo were heard and one seen within minutes of each other at Wonga Beach today. What is so remarkable is that two are migrants and should be in New Guinea at this time of year and generally cuckoos are only vocal when breeding?

6 June 04. Best bird species today was, the smallest of our 10 kingfisher species, the Little Kingfisher, best reptile, Saltwater Crocodile and best mammal, the Spectacled Flying-fox.

 4 June 04. Spectacled Flying-fox. For the last 3 days we have been witnessing a small camp of our north-eastern and New Guinean fruit bats. These are a rainforest species and are spectacularly beautiful. Right on dawn the camp is quite noisy with some crepuscular copulation. A sexual gland on the neck of the male creates a musky smell that lingers in the confines of Barratt Creek for hours afterwards. The males protect themselves by holding the back of the female's neck in their teeth and it is the females that make the noise.

 3 June 04. Victoria's Riflebird and Pied Monarch Flycatcher. A good morning with swimming crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes and 2 endemic birds, the Victoria's Riflebird and the Pied Monarch Flycatcher. Not bad for the third day of winter!

 2 June 04. Yellow-bellied Sunbird. Daintree is right in the middle of the sunbird's range and sunbirds can sometimes be taken for granted. The re-action by this morning's passengers to very active and close sunbirds reminds me of the first time that I ever saw one and was a bright spot this morning.

19 May 2004. Target species. There are certain species we target during the tour some of them are; Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Little and Azure Kingfishers, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Papuan Frogmouth and Wompoo Fruit-Dove. It is nice if you can come up with a few but really good if you come up with the lot like we did this morning. See checklist link above.

18 May 2004. Swamp Harrier. At the beginning of winter each year we seem to have a Swamp Harrier visit right on the heels of the Cattle Egrets who are returning from breeding. This morning an injured Pacific Black Duck was found swimming bringing speculation as to it's injury. Not 5 minutes later we had a sighting of a Swamp Harrier 300 metres downstream which ended any further speculation. OR, 1 + 1 = 2.

17 MAY 2004

Apology. For several days now I have been unable to keep this column and the checklist up to date. The checklist is now OK and I will add something to this column after the trip tomorrow.

9 MAY 2004

Papuan Frogmouth. Rated about the 4th most wanted to see wildlife species for visitors, I got a good look at one as I was preparing for this morning's tour. About 6:00am sitting on a sign at the jetty.

8 MAY 2004

Bridled Honeyeater. One of the wet tropic's endemics species Bridled Honeyeaters are not found often at sea-level but this morning one was seen feeding on Mistletoe. To round the morning out we also saw Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher (1 of 5 kingfisher species seen this morning), Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth and distant views of Wompoo Fruit-doves.

4 MAY 2004

Black Bittern. By May we do not expect to see Black Bitterns but this morning a juvenile came dawdling up the river. We were rewarded by a comparison with a Striated Heron only minutes later.

26 APR 2004

Papuan Frogmouth. I generally have trouble finding Papuan Frogmouths during the wet season. Today as we get to the end of the wet, I have found some in one of their favourite winter spots and hope to have them there for many months to come. Visiting the Wet Tropics in the '''WET SEASON''' ?   Don't forget your raincoat!

22 APR 2004

Saltwater Crocodile. As can be seen from the last few morning's checklists we are seeing crocodiles more often as we approach Winter. This morning's was enormous and would have been at least 4 metres. 

19 APR 2004

Little Kingfisher. Of the 4 kingfisher species we saw this morning the sighting of Little Kingfisher was the most memorable. It is such a tiny bird and there all 11 of us were sitting in the boat with binoculars trained and it didn't even flinch. I expect to have good sightings from now on until the end of Spring.

18 APR 2004

Black Bittern. A few days ago I thought I had seen the last Black Bittern for the season because the reliable ones dried up. We saw 2 from the boat this morning and another after the trip.  I guess these are simply migrating through. It is very rare to see one here during the winter.

16 APR 2004

Before the Tour. More often than not I have picked up on some good wildlife before the tour departure time. This morning it was Channel-billed Cuckoos. They are the largest parasitic Cuckoo in the world and are passage migrants in Daintree with the 2 this morning being maybe our last for this summer.

14 APR 2004

White-bellied Sea-Eagle. Courtship of  eagles can be a spectacular and noisy affair. I have only ever noticed it very early in the morning. There is a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles going through the process now which could be a month or so earlier than normal. This mornings performance could easily have been seen from the Daintree Village jetty. I expect over the weeks ahead it will be repeated.

12 APR 2004

Little Kingfisher. Certainly our hardest to see Kingfisher. Today's tour was vastly different from yesterday's and produced less species. Seen yesterday as a vanishing blue and white blur Little Kingfisher today, sat perfectly still a mere 2 metres from the side of the boat for a good minute or so. Pied Monarch calls were heard today in Barratt Creek near the bridge.

11 APR 2004

Peregrine Falcon.  This morning's trip started off with a Peregrine Falcon streaking overhead. It can probably be seen roosting on an overhanging branch on the high side of Stewart Creek's Road about 250 metres from the Big Barramundi BBQ Gardens. Other niceties this morning were Double-eyed Fig-Parrots,  Red-necked Crake and Victoria's Riflebird.

9 APR 2004

Little Kingfisher. At last the river is getting to lower levels after the floods and it helps with finding Little Kingfishers. There was only one Little Kingfisher this morning and it helped brighten up a rainy day.

8 APR 2004

Return of the Egrets. In Australia, like most parts of the world, white herons are called egrets. Our Great, Intermediate, Cattle and Little Egrets go south to breed over summer. Last night on the full moon and strong S-E winds many have made their way back into the upper Daintree Valley as can be seen from this morning's checklist: www.daintreerivertours.info/Apr04.htm 

5 APR 2004

Victoria's Riflebird. Throughout winter I expect to see riflebirds early in the morning low and near creeks taking insects from crevices in the bark of Apple Mangroves. They are silent in winter and I have yet to see one in adult male plumage doing this. We saw the first one this morning!

3 APR 2004

AZURE KINGFISHER. This time of year is good for all resident kingfishers and despite the high water level one of this morning's highlights was 2 juvenile Azure Kingfishers begging for food. Extremely tolerant of boats we were within 2 metres of the family group in the early morning sun witnessing the feeding ritual of these little jewels.

2 APR 2004

Daintree River. We are finally back at work showing wildlife to visitors on the Daintree River. Despite a severe flood about 10 days back the river is teeming with wildlife. The ibises, spoonbills, egrets, cormorants and Darters have yet to return from breeding but have a look at this morning's wildlife checklist: www.daintreerivertours.info/Apr04.htm and you will see what I mean.

7 MAY 2003
Dollarbird. Today is probably the last day of unseasonal wet and very windy weather. Wildlife wise there is also some unseasonability.  Australia's only Roller, the Dollarbird is a passage migrant at Daintree travelling north during early April. There are some juvenile birds around Daintree. The Dollarbird is probably the least glamorous of the 11 species worldwide and the juveniles are even less colourful but, by nature they are easy to find. Dollarbirds sit out in the open and can even be seen on powerlines. A short drive today from Daintree to Wonga Beach (17 Kms) yielded 2 birds on bare branches high in trees by the side of the road. As I was driving in traffic and on the highway I would be prepared to say that I missed more than I saw. A Dollarbird was also seen on the dawn trip a couple of days back.  I realise this is a common bird but if you are visiting Daintree soon and you have not seen one before your chances are good. They may even "over winter" which sometimes happens with Brush Cuckoos and other migrants.
8 MAY 2003
  Little Kingfisher.  In wildlife terms there has to be something good about the quiet autumn season. It is the best time to see our smallest and very uncommon kingfisher which is called the Little Kingfisher. During this time of year they at their greatest numbers (outside the nest) and are very active. This morning's trip yielded a very good look at an individual, despite the minor flood in the river, and many others were heard upstream from Barratt Creek near the village. Lower tides, early morning and a smallish boat are best for this bird. Other highlights this morning were Saltwater Crocodile, green tree snake, Spectacled Flying-fox, Gould's Bronze Cuckoo and Wompoo Fuit-dove.
9 MAY 2003
Wompoo Fruit-dove.  There are some spectacular sights to be had in Daintree. Few are better than A Wompoo Fruit-Dove coming out of the rainforest to sit in the sun. This will happen a lot over the next few weeks and the tree that they pick on is the Quandong tree because the fruit is ripe. Quandongs are conveniently very open , easy to look into and are found on the edge of rainforests making the sightings very easy.
10 MAY 2003
Saltwater Crocodile.  On these cooler mornings the chances of seeing crocodiles are high and so it has been the last two mornings. Having watched crocodiles for 37 years  it is still a thrill to see them when they move.  This morning's sighting went on for several minutes with a three metre crocodile swimming alongside the boat. The Daintree River is now back to a normal colour although it is higher than usual.
13 MAY 2003
Papuan Frogmouth. Papuan Frogmouths  probably rate at number 4 for birdwatchers even though the birds are common. I have trouble finding them in Autumn and this morning, incredibly, we heard one breathing at the edge of the rainforest. At this time of year some frogmouths have a sort of wheeze that can be heard at some distance. The only reptile seen this morning was a green tree snake. The river is still high.
 15 MAY 2003
Mistletoebird. The only flowerpecker on the Australian Checklist and often overlooked by visiting internationals. The male is one of the most beautiful small birds in Australia. Mistletoe is in bloom (small bright orange flowers) at present and is easily seen from the Daintree River, particularly in the fresh water areas near the village. The birds are very active and vocal early in the morning making them easy to locate and ultimately see. 
16 MAY 2003
Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Peregrine Falcon. This mornings trip was memorable for the predators. Of the 4 crocodiles seen this morning one was seen feeding on a drowned steer. Another swam alongside the boat for a few minutes. It is rare and exciting to see crocodiles move in the wild. Our rarer reptile is the Amethystine Python, go to: http://wildherps.com/species/M.amethistina.html  for a view of the same individual. To top off a good morning at the end we were watching a small flock of Figbirds sunning themselves on a bare branch. Suddenly the flock exploded as a Peregrine Falcon came streaking across the sky from near the village and..............missed. The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest living thing in the world.
21 MAY 2003
Shining Flycatcher.  It would be a sad day, or very high tide, that I could not show Shining Flycatchers well. The male is midnight blue, the female chestnut, a white breast and a blue crown and they are just about always together. They talk a lot, work mostly in the tidal zone and very easy to pick up at dawn by voice alone. This flycatcher could stand as Australia's prettiest and you really need a boat to see it as it was this morning when we saw no less than 5 pairs.
24 MAY 2003
Over wintering Wildlife. It really is a bonus for a visitor to see wildlife that, because of the season they visit, should not be here. At present there is a very vocal Brush Cuckoo about halfway along Marlin Drive at Wonga Beach.
28 MAY 2003
Papuan Frogmouth.  From now to the end of the year Papuan Frogmouths will be seen regularly. See: next page After the winter sightings the frogmouths nest and are very faithful to their previous sites. Seven individuals were seen on this morning's trip.
1 JUN 2003
First day of winter. If you ever wondered why so many people from the southern states move up here all you needed to do was be here. The trip this morning was spectacular with swirling mists, bright sunlight and swimming crocodiles. 3 of our 4 regular reptiles were seen and some of our rainforest birds simply sat in the early morning sun. Try and find them later in the day.
5 JUN 2003
Amethystine Python. This morning's trip revealed another Amethystine Python. It was the largest that I can ever recall seeing and must have been quite elderly. These pythons are considered the 4th longest in the world but compared to the others are quite skinny. This one was coiled up, trying to keep it's heat, so it was impossible to estimate it's length but the coils were as thick as my thigh. Pythons do not move around all that much and tend to come out in the sun at the same spot day after day.
21 JUN 2003
Superb Fruit-Dove. Rainforest pigeons, anywhere in the world, can be very attractive as can be gleaned from their scientific names; Ptilinopus magnificus for Wompoo Fruit-Dove and P. supurbus for the Superb Fruit-Dove. Well this morning after getting a good look at a Wompoo, not unusual in Barrett Creek at dawn in the winter, a Superb Fruit-Dove near-by giving us a look. Despite our efforts it was not a particularly good look but unmistakably a male. The weather has settled down beautifully this week.
28 JUN 2003
Channel-billed Cuckoo. On the 26 Jun a Channel-billed Cuckoo was heard upstream from the village at5.55am. Today we saw it at about 7.30am in Town Reach as we were cruising alongside a swimming crocodile. Channel-billed Cuckoos are migratory and are hardly ever seen in Australia in Jun/Jul. I am hoping this one stays put in Daintree for our visiting birdwatchers. It is the biggest parasitic Cuckoo in the world and puts its eggs in crow's nests. Superb Fruit-Dove turned up again along with our only bird of paradise, the Victoria's Riflebird!
6 JUL 2003
Fig Trees. The flood plane of the upper Daintree valley has many large fig trees that can be seen by the road/river etc. It is very obvious which ones are in fruit because of the frantic bird activity. This is not only a good place to look for the very colourful northern male figbird but some other good species like Barred Cuckoo-shrike. Yesterday's trip finished with an Australian Hobby streaking across the jetty at Daintree and birds going in all directions to get out of the way. A hobby would eat a figbird per day!
12 JUL 2003
Channel-billed Cuckoos again. Three today feeding in the the aboveforementioined Fig trees. All birds were immatures and not calling. It is not the start of the migratory season?
22 Jul 2003
Weather. Wind and rain are part of life and so it is in the wet tropics of Queensland. We had a wet but fantastic time this morning. It is time that I renewed my advice to people coming here, "BRING A RAINCOAT" it is the wettest part of Australia. Nobody in the tourism industry will tell because they think you won't come but a spray jacket or raincoat will make you feel better if you happen to get stuck in the rain. No crocs today but best wildlife was Green Tree Snake and Little Kingfisher.
30 Jul 2003 - Spring has sprung. For the next few weeks I will record here when the spring migrants arrive:
Brush Cuckoo. As a rule the Brown-backed Honeyeater arrives first from the north and is followed up by the Brush Cuckoo. I would expect the Brown-backed Honeyeater within days. Their arrival is noticeable because of their incessant chattering call but are often mis-identified because of it's size and lack of strong markings.
30 Jul 2003
Common Koel. A big migrating parasitic cuckoo with a loud call and called "Storm Bird" by the locals.
4 Aug 2003
Next migrant; Metallic Starling. Although these birds sometimes overwinter in Australia they are now streaming in from the north. For a small black bird they are spectacular in two ways. Firstly the eye. Try and get close to see the blood red eye that contrasts well with the metallic black plumage. Secondly their synchronised flying is an absolute joy to watch especially this time of the year before they breed. The young birds like most young birds are not all that spectacular. So the flocks are made up of all black birds.
6Aug 2003
Saltwater Crocodile. I realise this is not a migrant species but there has been a saltwater crocodile on the bank of the river in clear view of the Daintree Village jetty all week. Binoculars are handy.
14 Aug 2003
Next migrant; Brown-backed Honeyeater. Often the first species and usually followed by the Brush Cuckoo the Brown-backed Honeyeater is recognized more by it's incessant chatter than its looks. It is a classic LBJ little brown job, and is often ignored or mis-identified because of it's lack of physical features and small size. Whilst it is common within it's range it is the range that is small being only Cape York and then for only 6 months of the year.
21 Aug 2003
Next migrant; Pied Imperial Pigeon. One of the first sightings this morning was one solitary Pied Imperial Pigeon high over the jetty and on to the big fig tree upstream. This was 5 minutes after I told one of our guests that it was too early in the year, ho hum. Sometimes it is nice when you are wrong.

17 SEP 2003

Little Red Flying-fox. For 2 days now there have been Little Red's in Barratt Creek. They are dry country bats unlike our local Spectacled Flying-fox which is a rainforest/mangrove species. Little Red's also set up much larger camps which could number over 1 million or more. On the 15th there were some Spectacled's in the creek with a handful of Little Red's and I am certain of seeing a Spectacled baby hanging on to it's mother. They are due to select a place for a maternity camp and start having babies in 2 or so weeks and go through until Jan.

13 SEP 2003

Australian Ornithilogical Services tour. An old friend Phil Maher booked the boat this morning for a small group of naturalists from the US led by Rick Taylor. They are on a 34 day tour of Australia's wildlife hotspots. Straight from Kakadu, and the famous Yellow Waters dawn tour, via Kingfisher Park I was left with very little to show them. Target species for this morning's tour were; Great-billed Heron, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Pacific Baza and any reptiles. They had already picked up on some of the Daintree specials like Papuan Frogmouth and Little Kingfisher and I went to bed wondering what I could find for them the next day. We started a little earlier than normal and were straight into swimming crocodiles, Azure Kingfishers courting up near the village and a beautiful day with the river to ourselves. A quick trip down to Barratt Creek with fingers crossed for a Great-billed Heron and lo and behold one was at the creek entrance right out in the open. It was pleasing in many respects because it is one of the most seceretive birds in the world, hard to find and the last chance for the group to see it. Phil and I have seen the bird before many times but you simply cannot conjure up this bird on demand. The day improved with long range sightings of some Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, an Eastern Water Dragon  and a beautiful Green Tree Snake. As I place this on the web this afternoon the group is  winding their way up the road to O'Reillys in Lamington National Park south of Brisbane.

9 SEP 2003

Papuan Frogmouth. As we get into the warmer seasons, Papuan Frogmouths no longer sit in the sun first thing in the morning. It is the time for nesting though and I now have the season's first nest. If all goes well we will have Papuan Frogmouth sightings for many weeks to come and by then we should have another nest and so on taking us to Jan 2004 and beyond.

1 SEP 2003

Little Kingfisher. One of  the smallest and most difficult kingfishers in the world to get a good look at. It was only last Friday when Shirley Larson and her husband Carl, from the US came out especially to see this bird. I had 3 small glimpses and the Larson's dipped. Today our 8 adventurers saw them courting! The term jewel comes to mind as two Little Kingfishers hovered around the boat like insects and then stopped within touching distance completely oblivious to our presence. I have seen this only once before and would say that it is a very rarely witnessed event. The Little Kingfisher is about 2/3rds the size of the Azure Kingfisher or the Common Kingfisher overseas. We saw about 5 crocodiles during the trip and I even had one alongside the boat ramp as I prepared to launch the boat in the dark this morning.

31 Oct 2003

Day off!

30 Oct 2003

Great-billed Heron. It is unusual to see Great-billed Herons so frequently, two days in a row is very fortunate. For the last few and the next couple of days we have low tides and that helps with certain species like the big elusive heron and our jewel the Little Kingfisher which we also saw today. Another highlight today was a 3 metre long Saltwater Crocodile swimming alongside the boat giving all on-board a good look at the massive tail moving from side to side to propel it along. Lots of Spectacled Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek being quite vocal early in the morning.

29 Oct 2003

Great-billed Heron. We had superb looks at a Great-billed Heron this morning along with Saltwater crocodile, Little Kingfisher, Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth, Cicadabird, Spectacled Flying-fox and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. These are hot days, 34°, and it pays to do the wildlife viewing early in the day.

28 Oct 2003

Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. The second last migrant to come down from New Guinea has arrived. This is possibly the most spectacular kingfisher in the world and lives in the rainforest. We heard 3 individuals during the cruise today. Ron at Kingfisher Park has them there as does Klaus Uhlenhut, Kirrama Wildlife Tours,  at his home at Silkwood. If you are at Daintree Village then the best place is between Red Mill House and Stewart's Creek bridge. Listen for the characteristic.."chug ..chug..chug..."

24 Oct 2003

Spectacled Flying-fox. A terrific run this morning with a good crew from all over. Black Bittern for the third morning running, Gould's Bronze Cuckoo's (about 4) and Common Koels very active and vocal. Tides will be better over the next few days and the possibility of welcome rain. The conditions are right for one of our best nature shows at dusk. It is so hot that when the Spectacled flying-foxes will  arrive at dusk to drink on the wing at the southern end of Windy Reach. Details are at: http://members.dodo.net.au/~chrisld/page4.html#nature'sbest   see you there.

23 Oct 2003

Great-billed Heron. Probably our most difficult bird to find, despite it's large size, put in an appearance today.  This was the third sighting for the month and not really expected today because of the high tide. Black Bittern again this morning and another morning for Green Tree Snakes and Spectacled Flying-foxes, some flying overhead in daylight with their babies clearly visible hanging on to their mothers.

22 Oct 2003

Black Bittern. They are back! Each spring Black Bitterns come to the east coast of Australia to nest. Their range, over summer, is between Cape York, Q, and Lake Mallacoota, Vic. The fresh water part of the Daintree River by boat at Dawn is one of the best ways to see Black Bitterns with about a 95% strike rate. Not only is the rate high but it is not unusual to see more than one bird. This morning we had our first for the season which was a nice male near the mouth of Stewart's Creek. Presently we have 4 Papuan Frogmouths on nests and some Shining Flycatchers ready to fledge today! 

20 Oct 2003

Another cool morning! There was even some mist evident floating above the glassy water. White-rumped Swiflets were drinking on the wing near the Daintree Village jetty, being "legless" narrows their drinking options and scimming the surface of the water on the wing seems the best. Now is the time to be on the lookout for the migrant swifts of which White-throated Needletails will be the most obvious. No crocodiles this morning and only one tree snake but better views of Spectacled Flying-foxes inside Barratt Creek. A Channel-billed Cuckoo started the mornings events flying low over the jetty and calling at about 6.28am while not far off a formation of Wandering-whistling Ducks whistled by. Nothing out of the ordinary this morning except for a solitary Sacred Kingfisher just upstream from the village.

19 Oct 2003

Good all-round trip.  Terrific cool calm weather to start our tour this morning and the river was like glass with beautiful reflections of the rainforest clad ridges. A good haul of wildlife as well with Azure, Forest and Little Kingfishers, Gould's Bronze Cuckoo, Nankeen Night Heron and 2 Papuan Frogmouths on nests. The 2 crocodiles that we saw were still more in than out of the water with one of them swimming out of a weed bed to submerge into the depths. Crystal clear water at this time of the year, before the rains, allowed to see the crocodile as it submerged and then change direction towards the riverbank. Several species like Shinning Flycatchers, Helmeted Friarbirds and Magpie Larks were flat out feeding their young and the maternity camp of the Spectacled Flying-foxes moved slightly from the mouth of Barratt Creek.

16 Oct 2003

Satin Flycatcher. An old friend Richard Jordan from Emu Tours dropped in today with his group from Britain. Local guide Glenn Holmes was also along to lend a hand on shore because we split the group in two. As you can imagine in 4 hours(2 trips) we saw a lot of the Daintree specials including crocodiles but the wildlife species of the day was a male Satin Flycatcher in the sun that out shone the Shining Flycatcher! Satin Flycatchers are not common here and are at best are uncommon passage migrants and it was almost overlooked because one of the calls is just like the common Leaden Flycatcher. It was also my best sighting of this species in several years. A good morning and all finished before the heat of the day.

6 OCT 2003

Pacific Baza. Two mornings this week we have had distant looks at Pacific Baza's display flights but not close looks at the bird. Sprinkle of rain last night gave us 2 reptiles this morning, the common green tree snake and an Ametystine Pythonh. Several birds on nests going well and a small maternity camp of Spectacled Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek. The last 4 morning's weather have been different in temperature but one thing is for certain is that the days are hot.

5 OCT 2003

Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. Almost without fail we have been hearing and seeing Fig-Parrots in Barratt Creek lately. They are attracted to this creek because the dominant plant produces an alcoholic apple. Not an easy task to see these parrots because they are minute (Australia's smallest),  they are green and are leafed shaped. Learning the call is handy though for finding them in areas that have less trees like a golf course. Kindly, Dan Irby from Mangrove Adventures, a rival tour operator, showed me a nest this morning as he came past. This will help showing the birds in the weeks to come.

4 OCT 2003

Brush Cuckoo. Things that go bump in the night. At night, Wonga Beach (Daintree Beach) can be a noisy place. Bush Stone-curlews, a nocturnal bird, are common and produce the child like wailing during the night. In spring the Brush Cuckoo, a daytime bird arrives and advertises it's presence almost 24 hours a day. On this hot sultry night a Brush Cukoo less than 50 metres from our front door has been going all night. By the time it finds a mate it will be too tired to do anything anyway.

3 OCT 2003

Cuckoos.  As you would expect for this time of year cuckoos are very vocal. Of the 4 heard on today's  morning cruise we  got to see one species and saw it beautifully. I am talking about the, not so common, Common Koel. I think that the female Common Koel is one of the most stunning birds on the Australian checklist. You need to see it in the flesh because the illustrators have yet to capture it's beauty in their field guides. We found a male and female, almost side by side in the sun, by their call.  I have been looking at Common Koels for years, but I still get that same buzz when I see the female and then to be able to show it off to visitors makes everyone's day.

2 OCT 2003

Some mornings you have them. This time of year is simply the best for wildlife activity and sometimes things just fall in your lap. With another hot day forecast it was cool at dawn and we started our wildlife experience at 6.30 am with courting Azure Kingfishers before we even left the jetty. The wildlife was busy to start with and the momentum didn't cease till the trip did at about 8.50 or so. We had the usual 50 wildlife species and in that 50 were 3 nocturnal species, 3 reptiles, one mammal with the morning's highlight being one of our most common birds, the Rainbow Bee-eater. We had the sun behind us and witnessed a flock cartwheeling through the air hawking insects just metres from the boat. In these conditions the colours are iridescent and the swirling movement of these colourful birds is highlighted by their movements through the still air. I am usually finished the trip and packed up be a little past 9am. I drive back to my home at Wonga Beach for breakfast and the daily ritual of filling out the wildlife checklist to fax to our passengers. I am never ceased to be amazed at the "early" tour buses coming into Daintree for their "wildlife cruise" on the Daintree River. The show is all over by then because it is too hot. The sun, at 9am, is already  45 ° high at this time of year. You will get your reward if you go early.

30 Nov 2003

Great-billed Heron. Glimpsed today in Barratt Creek about 7.15am. Ho hum, continued on and about 5 minutes later it called.  It is extemely lucky to hear this call that has been attributed to Saltwater Crocodiles which are mostly silent. The bird is rare enough but herons are not talkative and so unusual is the call that it was quite a treat. The good news is that the call is used by breeding birds and the call came from a previous nesting site.  We may have a nest in the future???? The jacana is still in the billabong across from the jetty.

28 Nov 2003

Comb-crested Jacana. Some wildlife species are real tourist species. I mean by that, that they are unusual, attractive and you can get close to them. Nankeen Night Heron, Azure Kingfisher and Saltwater Crocodile would be three more. Comb-crested Jacana, in my books, probably comes first. Sadly since the flood of '96 we have not had many water-lillies in the river since then and because of that not many Jacanas. This morning a young male came to the billabong across from the jetty and maybe it will stay?? Certainly water birds move from drying waterholes at this time of the year and if they end up where there is everything they need, there is not a lot of reason to move. Young males being young males...........

27 Nov 2003

Cuckoos. It really is cuckoo time and I suppose we average 3 cuckoos per tour this time of year. Yesterday after the fire and in more humid conditions we were simply tripping over our smallest cuckoo, the Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. They were within earshot throughout the 2 hours and were seen at several places in the river. This would give the guide great confidence for this morning tour but there was not a peep from the Gould's Bronze Cuckoo and it was not seen either. It was made up for in other ways with views of 3 different cuckoos; Oriental Cuckoo, Pheasant Coucal and the Common Koel.

26 Nov 2003

Small Bushfire near village. A small bushfire erupted behind the village last night and our village volunteer fire brigade were up late getting it under control and there again in the pre dawn ready to tackle the hot spots prior to the winds coming in. This was a miniature of what happened in Cairns the day before. It didn't make much difference to the wildlife at the river for this morning's tour. The only thing missing were reptiles. See checklist, above.

24 Nov 2003

Oriental Cuckoo. See 20 Nov 03. We had sightings of 3 Oriental Cuckoos from the river this morning. During the Australian summer this bird's normal breeding territory has turned to ice and snow so Oriental Cuckoos come to the southern hemisphere for a rest not unlike some of the swifts and shorebirds. You might go for years without seeing Oriental Cuckoos and  your best chance is here in the north. Another turn up, in the dry conditions out west, is the Red-kneed Dotterel with at least 3 individuals sighted. The group this morning with Chris Doughty were surprised with the large number of Black Bitterns sighted today with maybe 5 or 6 individuals.

22 Nov 2003

Black Bitterns and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. Black Bitterns are more reliable now after the false start back in late October. Although we haven't found a nest yet they are being seen in different parts of the fresh water areas of the Daintree River at dawn. Fig-Parrots are showing up well in Barratt Creek and it is a rare event if we do not hear and at least see them streaking by sometimes stopping to give us a look. Barratt Creek is a good place to learn the Fig-Parrot's call.

20 Nov 2003

Spectacled Flying-fox. Flying-foxes are not being seen form the village end of the river, however they can be seen from the road less than 2 kms from the Daintree Village on the Mossman Road. To park off the road, the driveway for the landfill station is OK. On the river this morning were few people but lots of wildlife. There was a sighting that may turn out to be an Oriental Cuckoo? The only way we will know is if there are more sightings in the coming days. Four Black Bitterns were seen upstream today along with Cannel-billed Cuckoos and a swimming crocodile downstream.

19 Nov 2003

Wot! no crocodiles. As I have been saying to our visitors for years, this is not the time of year to be sure of seeing crocodiles. The only crocodile to be seen this morning was before the tour and only two people  saw it while they were waiting at the jetty as the crocodile swam past. It is the time of year for other wildlife species like cuckoos. We saw 3 this morning and heard another one. There are reports of Oriental Cuckoos arriving and it is considered an uncommon bird for Australia. Unlike some other cuckoos, Oriental Cuckoos come to Australia to avoid the northern hemisphere winter and do not breed here. Watch this space.

17 Nov 2003

Cuckoos and Kingfishers. Firstly the White-throated  Needletails (large swifts) were there again this morning only this time there were hundreds and they were there for much longer. Today's trip was for Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours from Texas for the tenth year running. There were 4 nocturnal species, 4 kingfishers and 3 cuckoo sightings with a total of 5 cuckoos being heard. Best wildlife species of the trip was probably the Little Kingfisher with Double-eyed Fig-Parrot being a close second. Only one reptile sighted today and the Spectacled Flying-fox camp still going strong.

16 Nov 2003

White-throated Needletails. Preparing for the tour this morning, at about 5.45am  loud calls of Channel-billed Cuckoos caused me to look skywards and there were 8 of these large cuckoos strung out over the flood plain near the village flying from one huge fig tree to another 2 kms away. With a second look there were also dozens of White-throated Needletails zipping around the edge of a small dark storm cell more or less going in the same direction. These large swifts are a delight to see during our summer and are often over the fresh water where they sometimes come down to drink on the wing. You do not need to come on a boat trip to see some terrific wildlife shows. Near the jetty there are some picnic tables that make a good vantage point. THE bird of this morning's tour was Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo one of the world's tiniest and only found in Cape York. A Saltwater Crocodile was also seen swimming and the Spectacled Flying-fox camp was also very active at Barratt Creek.

12 to 15 Nov 2003

I will be off the river until 16 Nov. Mid November is very quiet with visitors but the wildlife is just fine. Although windy we are getting a little rain and cloud cover which is much more pleasant than the previous 2 weeks of heat. It makes for easier conditions for seeing swifts as well. I can't remember seeing so many birds nests. There are 4 in our backyard, that I know about, with some other fledglings walking around the streets of Wonga Beach. Rainbow Bee-eaters can still be found at Wonga and a walk along the esplanade, the walkway behind the beach and the public land behind the beach near the highway are very rewarding early in the morning. Other good walks include Stewart's Creek Road in Daintree Village and the Daintree Road, 4kms short of the village for the Daintree River lookouts and the Spectacled Flying-foxes.

11 Nov 2003

No Report this morning but see: www.daintreerivertours.info/Nov03.htm 

7 Nov 2003

Uncommon Birds. A good run again this morning with Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Gould's Bronze Cuckoo, Papuan frogmouth, no reptiles but Spectacled Flying-foxes and of all things a European Starling in with Metallic Starlings up near the village. I did not see the bird but Tania Islington from Melbourne and Paul Taylor from Canberra did. There was a sighting a few years back in Mossman 15 kms to the south by Del Richards which was a surprise to us then but now there is one in Daintree!  

6 Nov 2003

Black Bitterns. What a difference a day makes! Yesterday all we saw of Black Bittern was a glimpse from the back of the boat. Today 6 really good sightings which could have been 6 individuals. My thought here is that we have had an influx overnight? Weather change has brought some showers and windy conditions, easing Saturday but picking up again Monday? Reptiles are starting to show themselves in the cooler conditions.

1 Nov 2003

Papuan Frogmouth. A surprise this morning as two chicks were seen in a Papuan Frogmouth's nest. Over the years I have seen about 50 or so nests and it has been only one chick. Also this morning out of the ordinary were two Little Kingfishers courting and excavating a nesting hollow. Fingers crossed. We are seeing more common wildlife as well but as the season heats up the reptiles are harder to find.

1 Feb 2004

Wompoo Fruit-Dove. For weeks I have been pointing out the Rainbow Lorikeets squabbling over the nectar in the Quandong trees and saying "just wait until the fruit forms and the Wompoo Fruit-Doves will come out of the rainforest and sit in these trees in the sun first thing in the morning". Well guess what! They did this morning in Barratt Creek. This is a tad early and it was cool first thing but this will happen more in winter, particularly when the "WET" finishes.

25 Jan 2004

Fig Tree. At the edge of the Daintree Village jetty carpark is a fig tree laden with small figs. To get to the tour boats you must pass under this tree. Some really good wildlife will be seen in and around this tree over the next 3 or 4 days. The obvious birds will be the Figbirds and Metallic Starlings. The northern male Figbird is bright yellow in the breast which sets off his red eye patch  beautifully. Spectacled Flying-foxes will be in the tree during the dark times and maybe during the day. The birds to look out for are the Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and the Barred Cuckoo-shrike. The Fig-Parrot is the smallest Australian parrot, almost all green and the shape of a leaf. Good Luck.

21 Jan 2004

Little Kingfisher and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. Listed on the checklist from this morning were Little Kingfisher and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. Whilst they were seen the sightings were fleeting and not every-one saw them. Sightings of Little Kingfisher will become more frequent when they have finished nesting in a few weeks time and will be back at the river full time and in greater numbers.

18 Jan 2004

Black Bittern. Black Bitterns are probably our most reliable uncommon bird of the Spring/Summer/Autumn period. We have missed seeing Black Bittern once since 17 November. That statistic is about average for our tour since 1992. Today with the extra rain we had a small flood and cooler water which activated the saltwater crocodiles giving us great views of them swimming near the boat. Visiting soon? Don't forget your rain coat!

16 Jan 2004

Forest Kingfishers and Saltwater Crocodiles. The easiest of the Daintree's eight kingfishers to see is usually the Forest Kingfisher. They live in the more open forests of northern Australia and New Guinea. There are clearer areas around the village and so Forest Kingfishers are easy to find on things like the powerlines. Post nesting there are lots of Forest Kingfishers to be seen and if you look carefully at the forehead you can see the white headlights or light brown headlights. The light brown headlights belong to the juveniles. After the rain the river water became colder and the daytime boat drivers were seeing crocodiles again.

13 Jan 2004

Cooler weather. At last there has been cloud build up, with a little rain, to cool things off. This morning's trip though was very quiet. The Great-billed Heron  was seen again along with three Black Bitterns, four different Kingfishers, two raptors and a Little Bronze-Cuckoo but overall a quiet trip. 

11 Jan 2004

Great-billed Heron. First sighting of the year of this big secretive bird and what a delight it was for Tony Crittenden who wanted to see it. By coincidence Tony stayed with Hugh Crittenden at Durban last year to see Goliath Heron which is the biggest Heron in the world. Hugh has been studying Goliath Herons in South Africa for years and has been to Daintree before. Today was cooler than the 9th and we saw two reptiles because it was cooler. Eastern Water Dragon and Green Tree Snake.

9 Jan 2004

HOT, HOT & HOT! All of Queensland is having a heat wave and there is another couple of days of it. Forget trying to see wildlife during the hot part of the day, 8am to 4pm, go early or late. This morning was OK see the checklist: www.daintreerivertours.info/Jan04.htm we did not see reptiles or mammals but the birds were good, particularly cuckoos and Black Bitterns. There were also quite a few Wompoo Fruit-Doves flying around but we did not get good sightings.

6 Jan 2004

Ulysses Butterfly. It might seem strange to put an insect on a wildlife list but there are 2 that deserve mention. It is the right place and the right time for the Ulysses, which is big and iridescent blue and the Cairns Bird-wing, which is even bigger and multi-coloured, Butterflys. Not just the tour but keep an eye on colourful blooming flowers found in gardens around the Daintree Village or the fresh water parts of the Daintree River. On tour we have seen Ulysses Butterflys everyday this month.

5 Jan 2004

Peregrine Falcon. This morning our attention was drawn to a White-bellied Sea-Eagle taking a big eel just down stream from the jetty as we were starting our tour. The eel was so big it took two attempts and even then the eagle lost it over a grassed swampy area. Then out of the corner of my eye, streaking past the boat zoomed a Peregrine Falcon with medium sized birds diving out of the way either to the side or straight in the water! The falcon completed three laps of Town Reach before disappearing into some trees near the Red Cliffs. It is not often that see Peregrine Falcons and often they are out of sight before you get a good look. This morning however was a good look and it will be very quiet in Town Reach until the falcon decides to leave. Peregrine Falcons are the fastest of all living things, a universal bird like a Barn Owl or Osprey and like the Osprey, a great conservational symbol. (1st year M)

3 Jan 2004

Bush-hen. If you say "bush-hen" to a local they will think Orange-footed Scrubfowl. If you say Bush-hen to a visiting birdwatcher they will say, " Where is it?" The real bush-hen is a rarely seen crake that is very vocal at this time of the year. This morning we had them calling at the jetty, over the river and Stewart's Creek next to the bridge. We tried all these spot and succeeded in Stewart's Creek much to the delight of the birdwatchers on board. Other highlights this morning where a crocodile, green tree snake, Black Bittern, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Comb-crested Jacana and Azure Kingfisher.

28 Dec 2003

Comb-crested Jacana. As I have been hoping there are now a pair of  Jacanas and we are in the nesting season so fingers crossed that will stay and be the first nesting jacanas since the big flood of Mar '96. Lots of Black Bitterns this morning and Shining Flycatchers are nesting again. Two things of note during our few days in Cairns over Christmas. We found a day roost of thousands of spectacled Flying-foxes at the corner of Abbot and Aplin Streets in the city and watched them fly out over the Cairns Esplanade at dusk. I expect this will continue for weeks yet and is worth seeing. We also saw and heard lots of Rainbow Bee-eaters near the Esplanade. As these are migrant species I was not sure whether they were coming or going?

Merry Christmas 

24 Dec 2003

Azure Kingfisher. Although Azure Kingfisher was listed on yesterday's checklist it was not all that good a sighting. This morning however was different with 5 individuals, some of them within a metre of the boat and going through a variety of antics from courting to fishing with lots of vocalisations. They just ignored us despite the "gasps" in the boat. Back on Sunday.

23 Dec 2003

Fork-tailed swift. This morning's trip started with several Black Bitterns and a White-browed Crake and settled into a nice cool trip around the river before the heat of the day. Just up stream we had Black-necked Storks, Great and Intermediate Egrets and strangely two Little Egrets got into the act prancing around in a little pool calling. I can also remembers years ago Lloyd Nielsen saying that you will never hear Little Egrets call. I suppose in 12 or so years of almost daily contact I have only heard them call  twice before. This is Egretta garzetta which is found from here to Europe including Africa and Asia. The trip fiinished with a handful of Fork-tailed Swifts a species that you do not see every day. One of our passengers this morning recorded the second only sighting in Britain of Fork-tailed Swifts and sadly he escaped without me getting his name to put here, maybe, David Cooper?

17 Dec 2003

Rainbow Lorikeet. The main wildlife species seen and heard on the river at present is Rainbow Lorikeets in their thousands. These birds are primarily nectar eaters and are mainly found on the east coast of Australia. Attracted to the Syzigiums (Lilli Pilli) and Blue Quandongs that are in flower the Rainbow Lorikeets have been dominating the river and creeks. Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, which are Australian endemics are often found with the Rainbows but in a very small ratio like 99:1. If a flock suddenly breaks out into the open the Scaly-breasteds show up with a green breast as against the red/orange breast of the Rainbows. Ten minutes per tour is lovely, 2 hours is a bit much because of the noise. The wind and rain today did not add much to the tour today but there were good looks at Black Bittern and Papuan Frogmouth.

11 Dec 2003

Collared Kingfisher. Our tour takes in the freshwater parts of the river and it is not where you normally find Mangrove Robins or Mangrove (Collared) Kingfishers. This morning for only the second time in ten years we got a good look at a Collared Kingfisher in Barratt Creek. Initially I thought it might be a Sacred Kingfisher that had stayed up north but the white "headlights" were clearly evident at a distance and when we got closer it was even more obvious. So what are we doing out on the river in the off season? We are completing a documentary on Daintree Wildlife with Steve and the team from Real Deal Multimedia that was started in Feb this year. I must say it is one thing to show someone wildlife but it is another thing entirely to film it. At this stage I believe we are ahead on points. Watch this space!

9 Dec 2003

Echidna. As I was preparing for our 6.00am tour I noticed a brown blob on the grass, near the public toilet, that suddenly started moving. To my astonishment it was an Echidna and only the fourth that I have seen since 1992. Of the order Monotremata or egg-laying mammal they are probably rarely seen. If I was interested in seeing an Echidna the place to be would be the corner of Stewart and Dagmar Streets, looking downhill at 5.30am tomorrow morning. Hot days at present and the humidity is up around 85% making it very uncomfortable from late morning till early evening.

7 Dec 2003

Cuckoos. Hot, steamy, stormy, rainy and uncomfortable weather these last few days with lightning strikes to the phone lines, damaging equipment, heralded the sighting of  storm birds this morning. Before we even started we saw and heard one of the storm birds, the Channel-billed Cuckoo. Within minutes we were looking at the other which is the Common Koel, we saw both male and female in the same tree. A little further along in the trip, Oriental Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo put in appearances, making 5 cuckoo sightings and a 6th cuckoo was heard calling in the distance, the Pheasant Coucal. 

4 Dec 2003

Brush Cuckoo.  Within the Brown-backed honeyeater's range Brush Cuckoos prefer to parasitise the Brown-backed Honeyeater's nest which requires the female cuckoo to lay the egg outside the nest then carry it to the nest opening in her bill and post it like a letter. We didn't see that today but witnessed a juvenile Brush Cuckoo being fed by no less than 3 brown-backed honeyeaters. South of the honeyeaters range Brush Cuckoo often parasitise the Shining Flycatchers nest which, being open,  is infinitely easier than the Brown-backed honeyeater's nest which is domed with only a small entrance in the side.

2 Dec 2003

Uncommonly seen birds. Typical December tour this morning. No reptiles but plenty of uncommonly seen birds like; Oriental Cuckoo, Pacific Baza, Bush-hen (no not the Orange-footed Scrubfowl, the crake) Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Nankeen Night Heron and Wompoo Fruit-dove. There are some Brush Cuckoos sitting on powerlines between the shire hall and the telecom tower in Osborne Street.

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