18 May
Day1 Cairns to Georgetown
Leaving Cairns early, we'll spend most of the day travelling to Georgetown.
We drive through the remnant rainforests of the Atherton tablelands
always good for raptors. We'll be on the lookout for spotted
harrier and grey goshawk and perhaps square-tailed kite. As we travel
westward the country becomes increasingly drier. The forests and woodland
around Mt Garnet may yield such delights as apostlebird, red-winged
parrot, cockatiel, red-tailed black cockatoo and with luck, the red-eyed
form of squatter pigeon.
Overnight: Georgetown
19 May
Day 2 Georgetown to Karumba
Today we bird the dry tropical woodland around Georgetown usually
a good area for finches and in particular for the declining black-throated
finch, as well as double-bars and masked finches. Also here we could
see banded and rufous-throated honeyeaters and the delightful diamond
dove, as well as red-browed pardalote and the rare dark form of brown
treecreeper.
We then head north-west to Karumba, hopefully viewing the seriously
cute spinifex pigeon along the way. Beyond Croydon we should also start
seeing our first little woodswallows.
Overnight: Karumba
20 May
Day 3 Karumba area
A great list of species is guaranteed today. This morning we'll do a
boat trip in the Karumba mangroves seeking out the mangrove specialities
including white-breasted whistler, red-headed honeyeater, mangrove grey
fantail, mangrove robin and yellow white-eye, plus friendly ospreys
and Brahminy kites. We should also see saltwater crocodile.
We'll spend the rest of the day birding the Karumba area where species
should include brolga, sarus crane, jabiru and Australian pratincole,
as well as bush and waterbirds and a good bag of raptors.
Overnight: Karumba
21 May
Day 4 Karumba to Gregory River
Today we travel west to Burketown in the heart of the Gulf Country.
Birds we may encounter along the way include the highly nomadic pictorella
mannikin, which can be in their hundreds one year and completely absent
the next. The area can be good for raptors and we'll be on the lookout
for black-breasted buzzard and square-tailed kite. Flock pigeon, known
to vex birding guides, will be sought, and like pictorella mannikin
can be present in big numbers some years and conspicuous by its absence
the next.
Overnight: Gregory River Hotel
22 May
Day 5 Gregory River
This morning we bird the Gregory River. The Gregory is a picturesque
river lined with pandanus and a good spot for the delicately hued purple-crowned
fairy-wren.
Other species we should see along the river include the buff-sided form
of the white-browed robin, crimson and masked finches, the golden-backed
form of black-chinned honeyeater, bar-breasted honeyeater, and perhaps
an overwintering channel-billed cuckoo. Spotlighting tonight could produce
boobook and barking owls and perhaps spotted nightjar.
Overnight:Gregory River Hotel
23 May
Day 6 Burketown
We have a reasonable chance for flock pigeon and maybe an Australian
bustard or two on the Mitchell Grass plains along the Leichhardt River
floodplain. Later, in the tropical woodland we have a chance for varied
lorikeet, spinifex pigeon and long-tailed and painted finches if the
season has been favourable.
Overnight: Cloncurry
24 May
Day 7 Cloncurry
area
With much patience this morning we'll search for the denizens of the
spinifex the rufous-crowned emu-wren and spinifexbird. painted
finch and grey-headed and grey-fronted honeyeaters may capture our attention,
and conditions being favourable, so will budgerigar, crimson chat and
white-winged triller. We'll scan the cliffs for purple-necked rock-wallaby.
Overnight: Cloncurry area
25 May
Day 8 Cloncurry to Mt Isa
Today we head to Mt Isa searching the creek lines for the uncommon Cloncurry
race of the Australian ringneck. We may also connect with black-tailed
treecreeper, as well as varied lorikeet and banded and rufous-throated
honeyeaters if the bloodwoods are flowering. We'll check out the lakes
around Mt Isa for jacana and green pygmy-goose plus there's another
chance for painted finch here should we need it.
Overnight: Mt Isa
26 May
Day 9 Mt Isa area
Today we journey north-west of Mt Isa to seek out one of our most beautiful
and least known grassswrens, the carpentarian grassswren. This species,
widespread in low numbers amongst the rocks and spinifex north-west
of Mt Isa, was virtually unknown for most of the 20th century. It could
take great cunning and know-how to secure good looks at this elusive
species or we may be lucky and fall over it! Other species possible
here include spinifexbird, painted finch, grey-fronted honeyeater and
owlet nightjar.
Overnight: Mt Isa
27 May
Day 10 Mt Isa area
The Kalkadoon grasswren, a proposed split from dusky, is on the agenda
today. Whether the taxonomists decide to split or lump, this species
is well worth seeing in the rocky hills around Mt Isa. We will spend
what remains of the day checking out waterbirds and any waders that
may be about at Lake Moondarra.
Overnight: Mt Isa
28 May
Day 11 Mt Isa to Hughenden
We start our journey back across the Mitchell Grass plains of central
Queensland. Here we have an excellent chance for that most nomadic of
nomads flock pigeon. Also possible on the plains are bustard,
black falcon and spotted harrier. This is also a good area for ground
cuckoo-shrike.
Overnight: Hughenden
29 May
Day 12 Hughenden to Cairns (c 600 km)
We leave the Mitchell Grass plains behind and head back into the tropical
woodlands of the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. Here we
could see the rare blue-eyed form of the squatter pigeon and the declining
white-rumped form of the black-throated finch, both residing in this
vast tract of tropical woodland. We plan to arrive back in Cairns in
the late afternoon.
Overnight: Cairns
Tour finishes after dinner on 29 May.
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