Lee Point and Fogg Dam

We camped near Lee Point and as we were preparing dinner I noticed several Bush Stone Curlews on the lawn around our campsite. There were also about a hundred Sulfur-Crested Cockatoos that were making such a racket that it was hard to hold a conversation. It's funny that there are birds that give a real interesting and compared to the cockatoo, a quite pleasant call or song and yet they are the ones that get labeled with the name Noisy, such as Noisy Pitta and Noisy Friarbird.

In the morning we walked along the beach at Lee Point. In the little park we found a couple of Blue-winged Kookaburras! Also several Spangled Drongos, a couple of Green Orioles, many Red-collared Lorikeets, some Australian Figbirds, a Varied Triller, and a dozen Chestnut-breasted Munias.

                                                BLUE-WINGED KOOKABURRA

                                                           SPANGLED DRONGO

On the beach we watched two Sooty Oystercatchers wandering along a rocky shelf. Other birds on the beach were Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers, Pacific Golden-Plovers, Great and Red Knots,  Far-eastern Curlew,  Silver Gull, Pied Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, and for the icing on the cake, one Terek Sandpiper.

                                                    SOOTY OYSTERCATCHER

                                                      PIED OYSTERCATCHER

                                                        LESSER SAND-PLOVER

                                                                   SILVER GULL

The beach at Lee Point has a sign that says "critical shorebird habitat, no dogs past this point". But there were several people who were ignoring the sign and had their dogs off leash in that area. With miles and miles of beach in the other direction, it was important that their dogs run wild on this beach. While we were sorting through a group of shorebirds and terns, we heard a dog barking and sounding like it was coming our way. Sure enough the dog was running directly at the group of birds we were watching and in no time he was on them and they of course, flushed. The owner of the dog made no effort to restrain him. I was flabbergasted and I yelled out that dogs are not allowed in this area. A lot of good that did! As the words left my lips I heard my strong non-Australian accent and knew that it was hopeless. I could just imagine him thinking "freaking Americans think they can come here and tell us what to do". No matter that it wasn't me, but his own local government that was telling him what not to do. Doesn't matter though, cause he and many others weren't listening.

Brain told me of a similar situation that occurred in San Francisco. There was a beach where Snowy Plovers nested and there were several signs alerting the public that during a certain time of year dogs were not allowed in that area. But the sign didn't have much effect and people ran their dogs there anyhow. When they were advised to obey the regulation, hordes of dog owners gathered at the city council meeting and complained that their dogs needed that area, I guess more than the plovers. In the end the city council agreed and the plovers are no longer there.

From there we walked over to Buffalo Creek. On the trial we got some great looks at a Rainbow Bee-eater. He put on quite a show. He had a bee in his beak and he was beating it against a branch super fast. I was looking through my binoculars and I could see that the bee, in spite of being whacked up against the branch, was continually beating his wings really really fast! In fact I could hear the buzzing of the wings when the bee-eater would periodically pause and then go back at it. As I watched, the bee-eater paused and tossed the bee up into the air and then he grabbed it before it could get any purchase in the air. He did this time and time again before going back to beating it against the branch. It totally reminded me of a Japanese chef with his finest knife-work.

RAINBOW BEE-EATER

We also saw Palid Cuckoo, White-gaped Honeyeaters, Rufous-banded Honeyeaters, and the ever present Brown Honeyeaters. When we reached the little park near the boat ramp we found a large group of finches that turned out to be Double-barred Finches. There was mixed flock of honeyeaters in a small tree near the bathroom that included both Dusky and Red-headed Myzomelas. In a tree near the boat ramp we spotted a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo and a Forest Kingfisher.  We walked out on the beach where the creek meanders into the ocean. There were hundreds of Rajah Shelducks, some Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, a Far-eastern Curlew, and several Black Kites.

 HUGE GRASSHOPPER

The sky was growing darker as we walked back toward Lee Point and soon it began to rain. About five minutes later it was raining buckets of cool fresh rain. It was very refreshing and I was soaking wet when we finally made it back to the car. After drying off my scope, binoculars, and camera I got out of the van and stood facing the sky letting the fresh rain on my face.

The next stop was a place called Fogg Dam. Fogg Dam is a man-made wetlands area that was built in the 1950s to provide irrigation for growing rice. It was named after the Managing Director. The system was not well planned and it didn't provide sufficient irrigation for growing rice, but by then birds had already began to use the area for feeding, nesting, and shelter. The rice project was abandoned but the area was proclaimed a Conservation Area in 1982.

When we arrived the rain had stopped and it was hot. We took a walk out to a boardwalk along the eastern flank of the conservation area. The birds were active but many were in high in the canopy. With some perseverance we managed to find a Arafura Fantail, Paperbark Flycatcher, Green Oriole, Forest Kingfisher, and Black-chinned Honeyeater. 

PAPERBARK FLYCATCHER

On the way back Brian found a really cool looking lizard that turned out to be a mature male Swamplands Lashtail. We haven't really seen as many reptiles as I had expected. In fact we've been in the habitat of and looking for the Saltwater Crocodile but have yet to see one. Birds on the other hand have been better than expected.

From here we drove out to the blinds on the dam itself. This was an amazing area with hundreds of egrets, herons, ibis, and spoonbills. In plain view twenty yards in front of the platform were many Comb-crested Jacanas, Glossy Ibis, Red-kneed Dotterel, Pied Heron, and Pacific Black-Duck. A little farther out on the lily-filled marsh were a hundred or more Magpie Geese, Rajah Shelduck, Pacific Heron,  Australian Ibis, Masked Lapwings, and Royal Spoonbill.

 GLOSSY IBIS

 MASKED LAPWING

COMB-CRESTED JACANA

There were also six or seven Black-necked Storks in between the flooded areas. As we watched all the birds in the marsh we saw two very large figures flying toward us and as they got closer I realized they were Brolgas.

BROLGA

The Brolga is a member of the crane family and the name comes from the native language of Gamilaraay of southeastern Australia. It is featured in the Queensland coat of arms and was formally declared as the state emblem in 1986.

Behind the dam is a area that looks like in better days was a vast pasture. However today it was blacked by a recent fire. Regardless there were hundreds of waders like Great, Intermediate, and Cattle Egrets. There were also at least a dozen Water Buffaloes.

Water Buffalo are native to southeast Asia and were introduced to Northern Australia to supply meat to remote settlements. Over time cattle replaced the buffalo as the main meat source for the area and the buffalo became feral animals. They cause significant environmental damage and there have been a number of programs designed to reduce their numbers. However these programs have largely failed to reduce their numbers in a meaningful way. The buffalo are still raised commercially. They are used for hide, meat, hunting, and even milk, believe it or not.

There were also many Little Corellas, which are in essence is a small cockatoo. They were really loud and were perched in several trees around the dam and also flying around going from tree to tree.

 LITTLE CORELLA

On the way out we saw our first wild Kangaroo!

At this point in the trip I began to list my bird of the day and my top ten birds of the trip. And the bird of the day was the Rainbow Bee-eater. It was a difficult decision because the Blue-winged Kookaburra was a lifer and we did get great looks at it. I had seen the bee-eater several times, but the show the bee-eater put on was so impressive it just has to take the prize, which is of course, a bee. And of course the bee-eater is a beautiful bird too!

Already this is really hard list to make out and it's just going to get worse. But here goes.
The So Far Top Ten are:

Right there on the outside are: Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Australian Ringneck, Crimson Rosella, Little Kingfisher, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Pitta ( OMG it hurts to leave this bird out of the top ten)


10. Olive-backed Sunbird - Didn't see many but the few I did see were so beautiful. Especially when you get them in good light.
9. Azure Kingfisher - This bird was in the morning light and lit up like a fairywren.
8. Blue-winged Kookaburra - I'm tempted to move this one up. It's so beautiful with that shinny blue wing and vibrant eye. It also has such a great call and personality. It just might grow on me and by tomorrow will be in the top five.
7. Rainbow Bee-eater - A beautiful bird and to watch him toss around that bee was amazing.
6. White-throated Needletail - Only the largest swift in the world and did I mention there were hundreds of them flying around in crazy formations. Going to be hard to get this one out of the top ten.
5. Beach Stone Curlew - We only saw two and they came incredibly close. So close that Brian forgot about using his binoculars! And such a prehistoric looking bird.
4. Papuan Frogmouth - What an amazing looking bird. I was surprised by its size. Much bigger than I had imagined. And sitting on a nest that was balanced on a branch was pretty impressive. Pretty solid at number three.
3. Golden Bowerbird - Seen at the bower in the depths of the rainforest on Mt. Lewis. Unforgettable
2. Southern Cassowary - It was seemingly tame, but not really. It was just use to humans being around. It had not been seen for weeks before we got there so we were really lucky to see it. But this is just such an amazing bird. It's a surreal experience to have one walk by you just inches away.
1. Victoria's Riflebird - Seeing it display was incredible. It's going to be very difficult to top this bird.

Darwin

FYI - My computer cord malfunctioned and I was unable to charge my computer. Without my lap top I had no way to blog or process photos. Good news is, I bought another one so now I'm back in business. I should be posting at least one or two blogs a day.

The Happy Sandpiper
We arrived in Darwin yesterday and after getting our van (no upgrade this time around) and doing some shopping (beer and gin) we headed out to East Point, a park on the eastern shore. We walked out to a rocky area where we found our first Common Sandpiper, a large flock of mixed Terns (Gull-billed, Lesser and Greater Crested), and fifty or so Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers.

Okay get ready cause here I go with one of my many pet peeves concerning bird names. First of all, I've been in Australia for a month now and spent almost the entire time in the winter range of the "Common"Sandpiper and this is the first one that I have seen. And for God sakes, I've been looking for them! If something is "common" you shouldn't have to look for it for days and days and not find it. It's true that the Common Sandpiper is not a flashy bird, but come on bird naming people, this is important work. Let's put a little effort into it. After all, once you decide on a name it's likely that people will be using that name for perhaps centuries. To be fair the name was pinned almost two hundred years ago, back when birds were merely thought of as, well,,,, birds.

I watched the Common Sandpiper on the edge of the rocky outcropping and noticed how it patrolled the the tide pools and pebbled shoreline searching for small mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. As it discovered one it would thrust its head into the pebbles and presumably catch and eat its victim. All the while it acted much like our Spotted Sandpiper. It walked along continually pumping its tail and bobbing its head. In Papua New-Guinea the native people call it Matakakoni which means "bird that walks a little and then copulates". I don't know about you, but to me that's anything but common, so why not call it Matakakoni Sandpiper or if that's too complicated, or risqué, just call it the Happy Sandpiper.

                                 HAPPY SANDPIPER (video from the Internet Bird Collection)

Rosanna Rosanna Danna meets Emily Latella
I wish Rosanna Rosanna Danna was still around. I can just hear her saying "Can you believe they have birds that are called Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers! I mean I was in Australia with my good friend Forest. And we wasseh watchin' some little itty bitty tiny birds that wasseh standing on some rocks. And while we wasseh watching those little itty bitty tiny birds there wasseh these little itty bitty tiny flies that kept a flying into my eye BALL. And then....... I noticed that these little itty bitty tiny flies were also flying into my friend Forest's EYE BALL. And not only his eye ball but they wasseh also flying up his NOSE and for Christ sake, even into his MOUTH. Can you believe it? But my friend Forest, he didn't care, he just kept on a watchin' those little itty bitty tiny birds like they was Las Vegas showgirls or something. I mean, do you know what I mean? And I was like, mate, cause that's what everyone says over there,,,,,,,, where you from........ mate ........and... where you going.......... mate........ and where you been .............. mate, just like we're all one big happy family. I mean really ------- don't they know what the word even means! You know like what they say about birds of prey and stuff, like ----- they MATE for life.... and when one of them dies, they say something like ............ she's so sad because she lost her MATE.....For Gods sake!!! I mean even when I'm driving on the wrong side of the road and I crash into one of them head on they just get out of the car and say ............. look what you have done to my beautiful Toyota Hi-Lux ...mate,, and then ...... how can you be so stupid....... mate?  And now I feel like the guys likes me so I say my name is Rosanna Rosanna Danna and they say their name and now I don't feel so bad because this guy must think that I'm something special, which, by the way I am, something special that is, and so in the end everything is hunky dory and we go down to the pub and grab a pint.

But getting back to my story about the Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers. My friend Forest was pretty much ignoring these little itty bitty bastard flies until one of 'em decided to fly up his nose and then, oh my God, all of a sudden he started sneezing and snorting and coughing and throwing himself all about until a big glob of snot came out of his nose and landed on the rocks right there in front of  my feet and I said Oh my God, that's GROSS. Then something caught my attention and I looked down at this big glob of snot and there was that little itty bitty tiny fly stuck there right in the middle of the big wad of snot and this little itty bitty tiny fly was a twisting and a turning around and around like John Travolta himself, he was trying to get himself out of that WAD OF SNOT. But the snot was super sticky and I was a thinking the more he twists and turns the more the snot sticks to his ------ At this point Jane butts in and says "Excuse me Rosanna but what the hell does this have to do with Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers". And all of a sudden Rosanna Rosanna Danna changes into Emily Latella and meekly says "oh..... nothing I guess,,,,,,, Never-mind".

Himalayan Sand-Plover
I learned a long time ago and have since forgotten the whole greater and lesser thing that everyone learns in math. If the arrow points to the right it means one thing and to the left means the opposite or something like that. I don't think that I have ever really used it since the time I learned it, that is, until now, so I guess it was a good thing I was paying attention that day.

But to point a arrow from a figure on the left to one of the right means that the one on the left is lesser, but it's not, unless there is something on the right to which it is pointing to. For something to be "greater"  there has to be something that is "lesser". Now I can hear some of you saying, "oh come on Forest, you're just getting all bent out of shape over nothing and going on and on about it" and to that I say you're right. It's called blogging.

But the Lesser Sand-Plover is not < the Greater Sand-Plover, just smaller and with a slightly shorter bill. In fact expert birders have a hard time telling them a part from each other. So why not call the Lesser Sand-Plover something more representative of the species. For example the Lesser Sand-Plover breeds in the Himalayas, which is definitely interesting. So why not  call it the Himalayan Sand-Plover. And because I'm worried that a knowledgeable birder might be reading this blog, and comment "oh it's because there already is a bird called the Himalayan Sand-Plover", I did a quick Goggle search for Himalayan Sand-Plover and guess what came up first and foremost, you guessed it, the Lesser Sand-Plover. We'll work on a name for the Greater Sand-Plover some other time.

                                                   HIMALAYAN SAND-PLOVER

Before I leave the subject though, I wish I could say that when they gave out Latin or "scientific names" they were more thoughtful, but that is not always the case. But in the case of the Lesser Sand-Plover, they did and my hat is off to them. The Lesser Sand-Plover's Latin genus name is Charadrius, named for a bird that is mentioned in the fourth century Vulgate. For those of you who are like me and have never heard of the Vulgate, it was a Latin translation of the bible that was the primary source during the sixth century for the Latin Catholic Church and is still commonly used today. The species name is mongolus, which at the time the bird was named referred to an area greater than present day Mongolia. Very interesting.

                                                       GREATER SAND-PLOVER
Off to Lee Point
After struggling with a couple of tough identification issues i.e. Greater and Lesser Sand-Plovers and some terns that we though might be Black-naped but turned out to be immature Gull-billed Terns, we decided to head up to Lee Point before it got too dark. We began to make our way back to the van but along the way got side tracked by a Pacific Reef-Heron (white morph, usually they're blue) that was frantically making its way along the rocks looking in the tide pools and under and behind rocks for prey. It was so cool! He would take off across the rocks using his long neck to bend and position his head with its massive dagger like bill this way and that so that he could have a good look underneath rocky shelves and in between rocks. When he found something, he would thrust his head forward so fast that it was difficult to even tell what he had done or if he had caught something and then without a pause he kept moving across the shelf, almost mechanical, like something out of a Star Wars movie.

                                             PACIFIC REEF-HERON (white morph)

                                                      PACIFIC REEF-HERON

After watching the Reef Heron we once again headed for the van with the intention of arriving at our camping location before dark. Along the way I noticed several immature Pacific Reef-Herons flying around a small mangrove. As I got closer to where the van was parked, I heard a bird singing and it sounded like something new. I tried to locate it but it flew into another tree. I tracked it down only to see it take to the wing and land in a different tree. Finally I was on it and I figured out that it was a Singing Honeyeater. Most all honeyeaters sing, but to be fair, some like the Lewin's Honeyeater just rattle. Every good band need a percussion section right?

I took a couple of bad pictures of the bird and then looked around for Brian. I walked back to where I first saw the bird and there was Brian kneeling down taking a photograph of something on the shoreline. I thought okay, he's just taking a picture of something and he'll be right along. One thing you got to know about Brian is that he approaches a task or a project in a very organized and well thought out manner. It doesn't matter if he's painting a masterpiece or a fence, he's going to think it over, plan it out, visualize it, think it over some more, step back and look at it, think it over again and then finally get to it. But when he's finished, it's a work of art or it's a dam good looking fence. I took a couple of photos of him taking a photo and then I noticed that he was taking a video not a photo and that's when I knew that it was going to be a while. But hey, who needs inflexible plans! This is a vacation after all. So I turned around and went in search of more birds. I chased around a little brown Gerygone looking bird but I wasn't able to come up with an identification on it. Another chase turned out to be a Rufous-banded Honeyeater. Then I went back to check on Brian and he was just walking up the beach toward the van.

He told me how he had been looking at these cool rocks and shells. As he was looking at them a funny thing happened. They began to move.

Before we got to the van we ran into a group of honeyeaters. Most were Rufous-banded Honeyeaters, but one turned out to be a Rufous-throated. We got in the van and headed out for Lee Point and by the time we arrived, it was dark. That is where we'll pick up next time.

Cairns Esplanade Take Two

Back in Cairns now and we have till three-thirty before we have to return the van. Arriving at the Esplanade with a falling tide not preferable, but it’s not so bad because it’s still pretty high. It is best to view shorebirds on a rising tide because the birds will get closer and closer to you as the tide rises. Obviously on a falling tide they get farther and farther away. But the way the tides are today and the stuff that we have to do in the afternoon make it impossible to bird this area with a rising tide, still we plan to return this afternoon. 

Right away I noticed several Gray-tailed Tattlers, Black-fronted Dotterels, and groups of Red-necked Stints and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers . Scanning the tide flats I pick up Far-eastern Curlew, Whimbrels and a Common Greenshank. So far nothing new till a local comes and tells me that he had seen a few Terek Sandpipers near the mangroves. So I grabbed my scope and headed that way. Brian stayed behind because the guy also mentioned a Superb Fruit-Dove in a tree over by the grassy area behind the boardwalk. 

I scanned the mudflats near the mangroves. I saw more tattlers, a few Curlew Sandpipers and some Great Knots. Working left to right I found a sandpiper that was sprinting across the mudflat. He was running with his body leaning forward and his head pointed straight ahead and down. I followed him until he stopped and then I noticed the up-turned bill of a Tarek Sandpiper. When I first learned about vagrant birds, that is birds that live in other areas but due to a storm or light pollution or God knows what they end up in your town. county, or state and it is your sworn duty as a birder to get out and find them. 

This is an aspect of birding that most people don't know about. And if you get into birding be careful because it can easily consume you during the bi-annual migrations. Like the Curlew Sandpiper, the Tarek is a bird that I have dreamed of finding or seeing in the United States., preferably Oregon, Eugene Oregon to be precise, in my yard to be exact. Okay that deserves a JK (just kidding). 

One thing that I really love about shorebirds is the variety of bill shapes and sizes. Think about the Far-Eastern Curlew's long down-curved bill, then you have the straight thick bill of a Dowitcher, The up-turned bill of the Tarek, and the Spoonbill Sandpiper is probably the best of them all. Still waiting to see that one. 

                                                   SPOONBILL SANDPIPER

                                          NOT MY PHOTO -- PHOTO IS FROM EBIRD

We decided to take a walk up the Esplanade because the tide was just getting too far out for us to have good looks at the birds. We were on a mission to find some Beach Stone Curlews that had been reported last week when we were in town. After walking for about a half hour we spotted them way out on the mud flat. I couldn't see them very well but these birds are very distinctive. They stand on long legs, have a long neck and an massive bill. We didn't have a scope, but no worries because for some reason they were moving pretty steadily right toward us. We stood still at this culvert where a trickling stream was making it's way out of the culvert and on to the mud flats. I was kicking myself because I had left my camera in the van. But the video I took with my phone turned out pretty well. 

After returning the van and checking into our hostel, we walked down to the Esplanade. When we got there the tide was really high and there were only one group of birds all huddled together on the last remaining non-flooded real estate. We hustled over to them and found that it was pretty crowded on the boardwalk too. This spot was close to the pool so it was a popular place to hang out. Luckily we were able to claim a good spot for viewing the birds and we had just enough space to set up our scopes, which is funny because as bad as we needed them earlier we didn't need them now. 

I started to scan the birds, oh my God!, such a beautiful Royal Spoonbill and there's a Great Knot with several Curlew Sandpipers. As I was photographing the Royal Spoonbill a gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and asked "what are you looking at"? I told him that I was a birder and I was looking at all of the birds. We then began to admire an unbelievably close Australian Pelican when he said that's a beautiful heron. I was pretty stunned and didn't know what to do. I was afraid that if I pointed out that it was a pelican he would be embarrassed. As I was pondering what to say he called to his wife, "honey come look at this heron". Okay so now his wife is going to think that I have shown her husband a pelican and claimed that it's actually a heron. So I say, "well actually this is an Australian Pelican". He says "no it is some kind of heron". Now I'm really kind of uncomfortable. I don't want to debate with this guy, but I'm thinking of just going with it and let him life-list his Pelican Heron. But then I hear Brain say, I think he's looking over there, and he points to an area so close to the boardwalk that you have to actually lean out a little to see the bird. I leaned out and was so relieved to see a Pacific Reef-Heron. 

                                                          ROYAL SPOONBILL

                                                        AUSTRALIAN PELICAN

                                                        PACIFIC REEF HERON

                                                   AUSTRALIAN IBIS

So I spent about a half hour with this guy and his wife. I pointed out the Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and how they were different from the Curlew Sandpipers. How the Whimbrel is smaller in body and bill than the Far-eastern Curlew. These Aussies were from the bottom of the country (Victoria) and this was the top (Queensland). Also they weren't really birders, just interested in birds. We were continuing to have a good chat when a chap with a British accent came up and asked if we were birders. The Aussie answered for all of us and said "no not really, we just like to look at them". 

The Brit said "oh because he had heard that there was a probable Asian Dowitcher spotted earlier in the day. That's when I blurted out a little louder than I intended "I'm a birder!!". The guy didn't have binoculars and said "it was hanging out with a bunch of godwits". I looked and said "well there's a bunch of godwits". Being from the west coast of North America I'm very familiar with godwits and dowitchers. But I'm used to Marbled Godwits, not Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits! And Long and Short-billed Dowitchers not Asian Dowitchers. In fact I'd never even heard of or seen a picture of an Asian Dowitcher. Nevertheless, a godwit is a godwit and a dowitcher is a dowitcher. 

So I began to scan the godwits and right away I spotted the Asian Dowitcher. It was the bill that gave it away. The godwit's bill is long, slightly up-turned and tapered where the dowitcher has a long thick black bill and it's swollen at the tip. I said there it is and the Brit said "yeah that's it"! And we were all pretty excited, even the Aussies who just like to look at birds were pretty thrilled when they realized that this was a rare find. I was so stoked to get some pics of my first rare bird in another country! 

                                                        ASIAN DOWITCHER 

But the celebration didn't last long because the tide was lapping at the birds feet as they were perched on the tiny island just twenty feet away. In groups of five here and ten there they took flight to find some where to wait out the high tide. 

We all went through the introductions and I found out that this Brit lived in the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland and his girlfriend was from Minnesota. Both of them are professional wildlife photographers. She had just come back from photographing Grizzlies in Alaska this summer. She was telling me how when the bears are fishing, they basically couldn't care less about you and you can get really close. I said, no thanks, all it takes is one to decide that he doesn't care for people who get to close too him when he's eating.

After a bit we all said so long and Brian went into town and had some of the best Thai food I've ever had. Todo está bien! ---- oh wait -- wrong country --- good on ya mate! 

Daintree River

G'day Mates!

After our super awesome day on Mt. Lewis, Del dropped us off at Kingfisher Park where we had left our "van". We needed to get on the road because I really didn't want to have to drive after dark. Here in Australia road kill is a major fact of life. I noticed it more in Central Australia. When Mim and I were making the drive to Uluru from Alice Springs we were counting at least one wallaby or kangaroo per kilometer. It can be very dangerous to drive at night since wallabies and kangaroos are mostly nocturnal. Not to mentioned that I would feel awful if I were to hit one.

Brian was outside and I walked out of the RV to ask him something and as soon as I shut the door I heard a voice in my head say "where's the key". The lady at the van rental place told us to carry our keys on us at all times because the vans have an auto lock feature. I realized my key was in my pack, which was inside the van, and when I tried the door latch to go back in and get it, my heart hit the ground, THE DOOR WAS LOCKED! I frantically asked Brian if he had his key and he checked and said no. We looked at each other and said "we're screwed" or something to that effect. We scratched our heads for a while and looked at one another again and said "we're screwed" and then just like Bill Pullman in one of our favorite movies we said "game over man".

Then we decided to call the rental place when we realized that our phones were inside the van. Once again "game over man". I suggested that we try to use the phone in the lodge office but Brain said "wait, we didn't latched the windows, we can get the windows open and I can crawl through". And that's exactly what he did. He saved us from sure catastrophe just like Ripley did in Alien. Game not over, Game on man!! From then on we have strictly followed the lady's advice.

The drive to the Daintree River was uneventful and we spent the night in a caravan park on the river bank It rained hard all night and was still raining hard at 6:20 am when we were supposed to be walking down to the river for a 6:30 departure. But about 6:30 it stopped and didn't rain again until around 10:00 when we were off the river. So perfect timing.

The river was still and the light was beautiful. Murray, our guide assigned us our seats and we were lucky enough to be in the front row. The boat was full but it was small. There was a couple from Spain, another couple from Germany, a guy from San Jose, Del and Mark, and Brian and me. Murray asked everyone to introduce themselves, who they were with and what they'd like to see. He asked me to go first and I totally messed it up by saying that I was Forest and I would love to see a Great-billed Heron. Murray let me know that I had not followed instructions, "no no no" he said, "who's your mate there beside you"? Then he sort of let me off the hook by saying that I had chosen his favorite bird on the river. The others followed directions and there were requests for kingfishers and snakes but the overwhelming winner was the Saltwater Crocodile.

Murray told us that he would do his best but that it wasn't the best time of the year to see the crocs. He explained that at this time of the year when the water temperature was warm, the crocs stayed in the water most of the time and didn't haul themselves out on the river bank. He also said that this was the time when the females migrate up side channels and creeks and build nests. But he promised to do his best and with that we were off.

No sooner had we left the dock till we spotted and Australian Hobby perched a top a tall tree on the edge of the river. The hobby is a small swift falcon much like our kestrel or Merlin. Stops along the way got us really close looks at a Common Tree Snake, Azure Kingfisher, Australian Darter, and Spangled Drongo. It just doesn't seem right that we have named so many beautiful animals and plants "Common this" and "Common that". Think about it, Common Loon, Common Merganser, and Common Nighthawk just to name a few. Take a look at this beautiful snake and tell me it's fair that she is called "Common Tree Snake" and then right beside her you have two birds that have the coolest names, Azure Kingfisher and Australian Darter, and the name actually says something about them other than that they are common. If I were the Master of the Universe I'd call this snake "Super Cool Looking Tree Snake".

                                                 SUPER COOL LOOKIN TREE-SNAKE
                                                       Latin Name Laniatus koolookius

                                                            AZURE KINGFISHER

                                                          AUSTRALIAN DARTER

Continuing on, we floated up this side channel very quietly. Murray has an electric motor for this purpose and it's a real nice touch. This channel was fantastic! We found Long-billed Gerrygone, Striated Heron, Shinning Flycatcher, and best of all Little Kingfisher. The Little Kingfisher is not called the Littlest Kingfisher because there is one and only one that is smaller. I think Murray said that it was the African Pygmy-Kingfisher.

                                                     SHINNING FLYCATCHER

                                                          STRIATED HERON

                                                            LITTLE KINGFISHER

After we turned around and got back on the main river most of the time was spent looking for crocs. But we did happen to spot a Black-necked Stork flying over our boat and Rajah Shelducks on the bank. But alas not one croc. For a complete list of what we saw on the river click here

After we got off the river we took a drive up Stewart Creek Road and with a little help from Del, we found a large flock of White-throated Needletail. This was one of the coolest finds because the White-throated Needletail is actually a swift and just happens to be the largest swift in the world. So we saw the second smallest kingfisher and the largest swift on the same day, and it wasn't even noon yet! For a list of what we saw on Stewarts Road click here

                                                 WHITE-THROATED NEEDLETAILS

After lunch, which we ate under a tree filled with Rainbow Lorikeets, we took off for a place that Del had recommended for Great -billed Heron, but not before I stopped in for an Iced Coffee. I'll bet I lose this habit as soon as the plane touches down in cold wintry Eugene, but for now it's wonderful. Did I mention that they even have soy milk everywhere! Okay enough with the iced coffee report, back to birds. We drove to Newell Beach and found two small sand bars filled with birds about fifty yards off the beach. It was a major jackpot as we found both Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers, and Little Tern. For a complete list you know what to do

Then it was back to Cairns to get ready to bird the Esplanade in the morning!