6th December 2009 Report.

9mm of rain during the week soon evaporated with the dry and sunny weather. It was quite hot for this time of year with temperatures ranging from 18ºC to 32ºC. Bird numbers were down as no visits were made to the nearby wetlands but we did have 76 bird species seen and 9 heard, mammals and reptiles were 15 seen and 3 heard.

Around the Lodge grounds a Papuan Frogmouth has taken up residence in the camping area near the bunkhouse. Still no sign of any breeding activity from this species.

Papuan Frogmouth

At least 7 termite mounds have been dug out by the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers so far, we will be monitoring them all to see if they are occupied. Superb Fruit-Dove is being seen with a lot of hard work as they continue to stay high in the rainforest canopy calling. Topknot Pigeon made an appearance for a day and 5 Pied Imperial Pigeon were seen flying over the Lodge grounds which is the most seen here. 14 Channel-billed Cuckoo flew over in single file, most of these must be non-breeders as there is not enough Torresian Crows (the species they parasite here) to go around in Julatten!

Plenty of nesting activity going on around the grounds with Forest Kingfisher in a termite mound about 4m up a tree, Australian Figbird and Cicadabird sitting, Spangled Drongo, Little Shrike-thrush, Large-billed Gerygone and Red-browed Finch building.

Red-browed Finch

Also the Pacific Baza chicks continue to grow at a rapid rate. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Common Myna were both seen entering hollows in Queensland Blue Gum at Geraghty Park and presumed breeding. Young Macleay’s Honeyeater are begging for food and several pairs of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot are feeding young out of the nest, including the one reported in last weeks blog which fledged during the week.

Double-eyed Fig-Parrot - feeding young

Further afield Mt. Lewis provided a few good sightings with a juvenile Golden Bowerbird, a male Fernwren seen building a nest under some moss hanging on a vertical earth bank, several Tooth-billed Bowerbirds calling at their bowers, plenty of Bower's Shrike-thrush calling and seen, White-throated Treecreeper (race minor Little Treecreeper), several families of Chowchilla and at least 3 Noisy Pitta calling. A Blue-faced Parrot-Finch was reported by Phil Gregory from Cassowary House flying across Carr Road (2km from the lodge) which was a first sighting for over a month. They have still not been seen on Mt. Lewis which is no surprise as the grass seeds are still green.

A couple of Striped Possum were seen during the week and several more were heard calling, (Lesser) Sooty Owl was heard on several occasions but not seen. Two male Boyd's Forest Dragon were seen chasing each other on the ground before retreating up separate trees and a few Major Skink Egernia frerei appeared around the camping area and orchard. A Green Ringtail Possum was seen on Mt. Lewis during the day roosting as they do out in the open.

29th November 2009 Report.

98.5mm of rain fell on two days during the week which was most welcome but it is now dry and sunny again. The temperatures ranged from 18ºC to 28ºC. 89 bird species were seen and 7 heard, mammals and reptiles were 21 seen and 3 heard.

Probably the highlight of the week was spotlighting a male Superb Fruit-Dove, a first for us and a lifer for several guests on the tour. We had a brief look without disturbing the sleeping bird. 11 Glossy Ibis turned up at a swamp in the nearby McDougall Road (within our 1.5km lodge list) which is unusual for so many as previous records have been of one or two birds.

A pair of Eastern Barn Owls were seen copulating so hopefully they will nest for the second time this year. A pair of (Lesser) Sooty Owls were seen two nights running which is a record for this year! At least 4 termite mounds have already been dug out by the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers with possibly more but we need to check all the 40+ termite mounds on the property for any activity, hopefully in the coming week. A nesting Pacific Baza has two rapidly growing chicks in the nest and a pair of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot also has chicks in a nest in the Lodge grounds. A Red-necked Crake was calling from the rainforest near the crake pool one evening at 5.35 before eventually walking out and doing a lap of the small pool. It then climbed onto the rock wall, walked along the rainforest edge and disappeared into the rainforest on the opposite side and again began calling.

Yellow Honeyeater - The Loser

A pair of Yellow Honeyeater spent a few minutes one morning trying to catch a butterfly before a Leaden Flycatcher swooped down and caught the butterfly to show the honeyeaters how it was done. The two honeyeaters retreated to a nearby tree wondering where their breakfast had gone and the flycatcher sat triumphantly in a nearby tree showing off his catch!

The winner - Leaden Flycatcher

Cuckoos are still in evidence with Pheasant Coucal, Eastern Koel, Little Bronze-Cuckoo and Brush Cuckoo heard plus Channel-billed Cuckoo and Shining Bronze-Cuckoo seen. A Cicadabird was found sitting on a nest and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater was busy building their nest.

Further afield Oriental Cuckoo is being seen around the area, especially near the Cairns central cemetery and along the Daintree River, also one of our guests reported one at Big Mitchell Creek on the way to Mareeba. The Asian Dowitcher has not been reported for some time along the Cairns Esplanade and appears to have moved on. Carol and Andrew Iles, who are currently house sitting Red Mill House in the Daintree Village reported an adult and a scruffy juvenile Barn Swallow at Newell Beach. Plenty of Black Bittern reported on the Daintree River. Carol and Andrew also reported one of their guests had seen a Male Cassowary with two chicks along the Jindalba Boardwalk, near the Discovery Centre on the way up to Cape Tribulation across the Daintree River.

Spotlighting during the week was good with the already mentioned Superb Fruit-Dove as well as a roosting Forest Kingfisher and a Papuan Frogmouth sitting on a branch calling. Unlike other Papuan Frogmouths in the district it would appear that ours are not nesting yet, it's possible we only have a single bird at the moment. A Green Ringtail Possum was seen and several Striped Possum heard. The rain had stirred up Bushy Creek which was quite murky and all we saw of a Platypus was a dark shadow swimming by. We did hear the whistling call of several Eastern Tube-nosed Bat Nyctimene robinsoni one night, which was the first time we can recall hearing this call. The rain bought out 8 species of frog including several Green Tree Frog which we heard calling from high in the canopy.

Sean Dooley (“The Big Twitch”) called in during the week for a night as part of a project to promote the Bird Trails of the Cairns region which includes the Daintree, Cairns Highlands (Tablelands) and Mission Beach. The brochure for the Bird Trails is an initiative of several birding accommodations and tour guides from the area who co-operated to produce and fund the brochure. Copies can be downloaded from www.birdingtropicalaustralia.com.au

15th November 2009 Report.

1mm of rain fell on Friday and another 27mm on Saturday but the rest of the week was wall to wall sunshine with the temperatures ranging from 17ºC to 29ºC a bit warmer than previous weeks. 88 bird species were seen and 9 heard, mammals and reptiles were 23 seen.

There was only one major highlight this week and it was the return of the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers, Hooray! (from Papua New Guinea). At least 4 were calling on the morning of the 28^th at 5.32am, which was a week later than last year and the latest since we started keeping records in 1994. Single birds have been sighted in the district since 1st November (maybe some were migrating further south) but this was the main contingent arriving as we have now heard and seen at least 8-10 birds. They appear to be sorting out the same territories as last year but we will not know for sure until they come down and start digging their termite mounds.

Welcome home - Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher

Our 1^st White-throated Needletail appeared over the Lodge grounds in a mixed flock with Australian Swiftlet on 16^th November. On the 21^st a Red-necked Crake walked out of the rainforest near the crake pool in the orchard area, it then walked around the pool before jumping up onto the rock wall and along the edge of the rainforest before disappearing into the forest where it started to call. Sightings lately have been hit and miss but hopefully they will start using the pool now it has more water in it. Another sighting of a Superb Fruit-Dove was had during the week, despite them calling throughout the day they are hard to track down. Topknot Pigeon numbers are dropping off with only small flocks of 5-10 birds around and a Pied Imperial-Pigeon was still around the Lodge grounds. A Papuan Frogmouth was seen early evening flying out from the area of the crake pool and across the orchard which may indicate they have a nest in the crake pool area. We will keep looking as they should be nesting at this time of year. A Nankeen Night-Heron was also in the crake pool one morning dozing off in the shallow water, none of its mates around though.

Nankeen Night Heron

A pair of Grey Goshawk were perched along Mt. Kooyong Road and being harassed by a few Blue-faced Honeyeater before they gave in a flew away. A Bush Stone-curlew was seen one evening with a chick walking around Geraghty Park and 3 Eastern Barn Owl were also in the park. Most of the heard species were cuckoos, Pheasant Coucal, Shining and Little-bronze, and Brush with Eastern Koel and Channel-billed being seen. Noisy Pitta have become noisier as the week went on with 2 being seen at the crake pool early one morning – the crake pool has been busy this week! The pitta has also been seen in the rainforest at various locations calling from the ground as well as up in the trees. Plenty of honeyeaters around with 14 species including Lewin's still here as are Bridled and White-cheeked returned after a few weeks away. Five Black-faced Monarch were seen together bathing in Bushy Creek along with two Pied Monarch.

Further afield a Black Bittern and White-gaped Honeyeater were seen at the McLeod River north of Mt. Carbine. The Daintree River was still turning up Great-billed Heron which was also seen in the Centennial Lakes area of the Cairns Botanic Gardens. A search for the Little Curlew that had been near Port Douglas was unsuccessful which was not surprising as they should have headed south by this time of year. There was a small flock of 20-30 Pacific Golden Plover in the spot where the curlews had been.

Another trip to Cairns to drop off a friend at the airport allowed a quick trip to the Esplanade where once again I dipped out on the Laughing Gull, Asian Dowitcher and Broad-billed Sandpiper but there was plenty of other waders to check out. Plenty of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint and Great Knot plus a few Terek Sandpiper and Pacific Golden Plover. Also present were Grey-tailed Tattler, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit, Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Curlew Sandpiper, Pied Oystercatcher, Lesser and Greater Sandplover, Silver Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Australian Pelican (keeping the tourists busy with their cameras), Great and Intermediate Egret, Striated Heron and Royal Spoonbill. Behind in the trees the Varied Honeyeater were very vocal.

Striated Heron

Interesting mammals and reptiles this week included a Macleays' Water Snake Enhydris polylepis which insisted on swimming around the foot valve on our water pump whilst I was trying to repair it! This snake is rear fanged and weakly venomous but not considered dangerous. A Lace Monitor was seen after a few months absence and two male Boyd's Forest Dragon put on a show one morning. They were squaring up to each other and displaying with their skin colour changing to bright green and creamy – yellow bands, the skin under the chin was inflated before they charged each other and ran up separate trees then back down on the ground to commence battle again. There did not appear to be a winner with each heading off to separate trees again and posing whilst getting their breath back and a few images taken. Whilst all this was going on we heard the plaintive cry of a frog which we found was a Giant White-lipped Tree Frog being eaten by a Green Tree Snake – hard life being a frog. A Green Ringtail Possum was seen on the edge of the rainforest by the orchard roosting on a tree limb during the day and a couple of Striped Possum were seen late at night.

15th November 2009 Report

The much needed rain did arrive during the week with 47mm falling mainly at the beginning. Temperatures ranged from 17ºC to 27ºC. Not quite as many birds seen as last week with 90 seen and 6 heard, mammals and reptiles were up on last week with 22 seen.

Highlights for the week were a Grey Goshawk in the orchard (although we would expect the other birds to disagree!) and a pair of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot entering a nesting chamber in a tree above one of the camp sites. There are still large flocks of Topknot Pigeon around the grounds along with a few Wompoo and Superb Fruit-Dove. A Pacific Baza continues to nest and the Nankeen Kestrel family of 3 chicks fledged towards the end of the week. The rain fired up a Brush Cuckoo into calling along with a Little Bronze-Cuckoo but neither were seen. For the third Saturday in a row a (Lesser) Sooty Owl started calling near the office before moving across the road into a patch of forest but unlike the previous Saturdays this time it was tracked down and seen. Three Eastern Barn Owl were seen emerging from two roost hollows which we have not seen for sometime. A Dollarbird was seen going into a hollow in a Queensland Blue Gum in Geraghty Park but not seen there again on several follow up visits. The Noisy Pitta is still calling but is spending more time in the rainforest than out in the open orchard. Lewin's Honeyeater is still around the Lodge with at least four different birds staying on beyond their normal departure of August/September. Bridled Honeyeater and a couple of Barred Cuckoo-shrike are also still present. Cicadabird is calling well but only a couple of fly over sightings. The rain bought an eruption of winged termites, many getting snared on cobwebs (must do the cleaning!). This produced an opportunity for a Pale-yellow Robin who spent most of one day picking the still alive termites off the cobwebs.

Bridled Honeyeater

Well those pesky Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher have still not arrived at the Lodge, this will be the latest arrival on record since our records started in 1994. Last year they were also late arriving on the 11^th November. There seems to be the odd single bird turning up in places locally but the main contingent is still to come, hopefully by next weeks blog they will have arrived otherwise they may never come!

Further afield there were sightings of Southern Cassowary with at least one chick in the Mowbray National Park and also about 5km up the Mt. Lewis Road. Also on Mt. Lewis, near Station Creek, a pair of Bennett's Tree Kangaroo were photographed and confirmed by a local expert. This is quite a significant sighting as it probably represents the southern limit of their documented range. The water level at Hasties Swamp (brochure available at www.birdsaustralianq.org/pdfs/Hasties-Swamp-No-10.pdf ), near Atherton is very low with just a few pools of water. Visiting at the end of the week we were surprised that the normal 100's or 1000's of Plumed Whistling-Ducks was down to just two birds, some of the other birds present were Black Duck, Grey Teal, Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Black-fronted Dotterel, Sacred and Forest Kingfisher, Lewin's and White-cheeked Honeyeater.

From Hasties Swamp we headed towards Malanda to visit some friends. Along the way we saw where the Plumed Whistling-Duck had gone, they were alongside the road on Gallos Farm along with several hundred Magpie Goose. Gallos Farm is a good place to stop as they have a cafe and chocolate factory – forget the diet!

Our friends live in the rainforest and have a good selection of birds including a very obliging Eastern Whipbird, not the easiest of birds to photograph.

Eastern Whipbird

Some other birds seen were the darker blue rainforest form of the Crimson Rosella, stunning Australian King-Parrot (male & female), Yellow-throated Scrubwren building a nest at the lounge room window, Fernwren calling in a gully below the house and flocks of Topknot Pigeon overhead, plus it was not raining which is unusual in the high altitude rainforest of the Atherton Tableland!

The most interesting mammal sightings this week was a Black Rat Ratus ratus which appeared at the feeder towards the end of the week, we have not seen one before in our time here (4½ years). It was much more active than the Bush Rat and had a longer body and tail. A Striped Possum was seen high up in the rainforest on a spotlighting trip and a Green Ringtail Possum was seen late one afternoon moving along a tree branch. The frogs liked the rainy weather with five species seen along with many Cane Toads. A Boyd's Forest Dragon was seen crossing a path and an Eastern Water Monitor was along the edge of Bushy Creek.

8th November 2009 Report

The signs are looking good for some more much needed rain after we had 12.5mm during the week. Temperatures ranged from 16 to 27C. Not quite as many birds seen as last week but still a respectable number of 95 seen and 5 heard, mammals and reptiles were 15 seen.

Highlights for the week were 2 Noisy Pitta which started calling, mainly early morning-late afternoon but spasmodically during the day. They were also seen well foraging in the orchard area as well as in the rainforest. Red-necked Crake are still proving to be elusive in the lodge grounds but one was seen in our neighbours garden at 10 o’clock one morning and another pair started to call in a patch of forest between the lodge grounds and the Rex Highway when a noisy car went past. A (Lesser) Sooty Owl was calling on Saturday night but despite searching was not seen. Superb Fruit-Dove have been calling and only seen well once perched high up on an exposed branch. One has been calling for nearly 3 weeks from the same spot and could be sitting on a nest as they have been observed calling from a nest. Strange survival strategy which other species such as Black-faced Monarch have been observed doing (the monarchs nest was predated by a Black Butcherbird). Pied Imperial Pigeon continue to hang around and flocks of Topknot Pigeon are still present. Australian Owlet-nightjar has been sitting in his daytime roost hollow allowing good looks. The nesting Nankeen Kestrel now has three very large chicks which should fledge during the coming week.

Nankeen Kestrel

A Shining Bronze-Cuckoo was heard calling, this is a species which is generally at higher altitude in our area (Mt.Lewis) and only turns up occasionally. A pair of Dollarbird were mating outside the office and look ready to start breeding which they do in the open woodland country across the Rex Highway from the lodge. Plenty of honeyeaters around with 14 recorded this week in the lodge grounds including Golden-backed form of the Black-chinned Honeyeater. Cicadabird has started calling more this week and plenty of Spangled Drongo are still around, ones that have not continued south yet.

The Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher are not back yet at the Lodge, but several single birds have been seen around the district. These are probably early arrivals ahead of the main migrants. Hopefully they will all arrive this week and start nesting. Apart from the kingfishers other sightings in the area include flocks of Banded Honeyeater in Fraser Road, Mt. Molloy, Lots of White-cheeked Honeyeater at Abattoir Swamp along with the Spotless and White-browed Crake which have been present for several weeks. The resident Northern Fantail was in the car park giving us a nice song.

Northern Fantail

A trip to Cairns early in the week provided an opportunity to check out the lagoon at Yorkey's Knob and the Cairns Esplanade. The Yorkey's Knob lagoon is alongside the road in the Half Moon Bay Golf Course (brochure available at www.birdsaustralianq.org/pdfs/Yorkeys-Knob-No-8.pdf ) and always has something of interest. This time it was 42 Green Pygmy Goose observed at close range. Australasian Darter was nesting and a pair of Masked Lapwing had two chicks. A Black Butcherbird was escorted from the lagoon by several Brown-backed Honeyeater and a Pied Imperial-Pigeon.

The Cairns Esplanade did not disappoint as usual, plenty of shorebirds (waders) including Asian Dowitcher, Broad-billed Sandpiper (2), Red Knot (2), both Lesser and Greater Sand Plover, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eastern Curlew, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper (occasional visitor to the mudflats), Great Knot, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpiper. Four species of egret were present, Eastern Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret and a grey phase Eastern Reef Egret. This gave a great opportunity to compare the species side by side, in particular the Little Egret was most obliging by foraging close to the board walk and posing for a photo shoot.

Little Egret

A Striped Possum was seen foraging on the flowers of a Black Bean Tree and several very pregnant Northern-brown and Long-nosed Bandicoot have been coming into the feeder at night. Again the Platypus has been seen most mornings and afternoons in Bushy Creek. Frogs have started calling again and a Cogger’s Barred Frog was seen beside a giant rainforest snail. A few Major Skink have been making an appearance but they are not so obvious as they have been in previous years.

31st October 2009 Report

Drizzly rain and quick showers were the order of the week but only 4mm from them. Temperatures ranged from 16ºC to mid-twenty's with the cloud cover keeping temperatures lower than previous weeks. There was enough sunshine in between allowing plenty of birding. Three morning walks and some dedicated birders around the grounds resulted in 101 bird species seen and 4 heard, which was the most for a week in a long time. Mammals and reptiles were 20 seen.

Highlights for the week were a Helmeted Friarbird foraging in a Black Bean tree, this species is a very rare visitor to the Lodge away from its usual distribution along the coastal strip. The Noisy Pitta was again regularly sighted hopping around the orchard early mornings. A Red-necked Crake was sighted twice, once crossing the path from the orchard to Bushy Creek in the rainforest and also coming into Bushy Creek to bathe. Despite constant calling throughout the week and numerous searches one Superb Fruit-Dove was glimpsed high up in the rainforest canopy only once. There was at least 4 fruit-doves calling at any one time but with their habit of sitting high in the canopy above dense foliage trying to see them from below is very difficult. Two Pied Imperial Pigeon were seen flying over cane paddocks for the second week which may indicate they are here to stay like last year. Again this is mainly a coastal or off-shore species. Plenty of Topknot Pigeons are still around for a second week and a single Wompoo Fruit-Dove seen foraging high in the rainforest. The Papuan Frogmouths are still not showing any signs of nesting and the Australian Owlet-nightjar has been posing well during the day as it peered out of its daytime roost hollow.

A few raptors are still around with Pacific Baza and Nankeen Kestrel both nesting and a Grey Goshawk seen perched along Mt. Kooyong Road. An Australian Hobby came zooming in over the orchard one morning putting up the flocks of Topknot Pigeon plus Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. One and sometimes two Buff-banded Rail have been active in the orchard, mainly early morning and late afternoon.

Buff-banded Rail

Bush Stone-curlew have been becoming more active and calling more during the week with several flying over the Lodge calling. A single male Double-eyed Fig-Parrot was foraging in a fruit tree by the rear entrance to the Lodge, for excellent views, before it was chased off by a Forest Kingfisher. A pair of fig-parrots was seen entering a nest hole high up in a Blue Quandong tree near the Mt. Kooyong Nursing Home. 15 species of honeyeater were around the flowering Black Bean trees and what is left of our grevilleas after the local council ”vegetation management” team came down the boundary road with chain saws. A few Barred Cuckoo-shrike are still in the area but only a couple of sightings of two flying over. Several Cicadabird were calling intermittently and seen at least once and Spangled Drongo continue to move through the area.

Spangled Drongo

Black-faced Monarch are starting to be seen regularly in the rainforest and along Bushy Creek at bath time, also a pair of Pied Monarch and Yellow-breasted Boatbill have been showing well. Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher are not back yet and were not on Cape York Peninsula at Iron Range towards the end of last week, so we still await their arrival.

Further afield the two previously reported Spotless Crake and White-browed Crake were still at Abattoir Swamp despite a fire going through the area and cattle tramping down the edges. Laughing Gull and Asian Dowitcher still along the Cairns Esplanade.

Spotlighting failed to find any Striped Possum and only one Green Ringtail Possum, however Striped Possum was seen on several other occasions. Platypus were seen regularly along Bushy Creek, mainly early evening just before or on dark. Several Lace Monitor were seen after a prolonged absence and a Common Green Tree Snake was seen in the orchard on the grassy ground. The showery weather triggered off a few frogs to start calling but his was only a false start as they soon stopped!

Northern Brown Bandicoot

Some interesting behaviour was observed on one spotlighting trip when a large male Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus tourosus was seen to be feeding whilst standing up on its hind legs. It was feeding on a Sugar Apple Annona squamosa fruit which was hanging down on a low branch. The bandicoot was at full stretch pulling the fruit down and nibbling on it. The Northern Brown Bandicoot is omnivorous with a diet of earthworms, spiders, berries, grass seeds, subterranean fungi and plant fibre such as sugar cane. A quick look through some literature did not mention this type of feeding behaviour.

25th October 2009 Report

At last we had some rain - 16mm over 3 days which was very welcome. Temperatures ranged from 16ºC to 27ºC and plenty of sun which along with the rain encouraged the birds to become more active. An increase in bird sightings was the result with 89 seen and 5 heard, mammals and reptiles were 15 seen.

Highlights for the week were regular sightings of Noisy Pitta hopping around the orchard early morning, 1^st Cicadabird for the season calling in the Lodge grounds and two sightings of Red-necked Crake in our neighbours garden heading towards the crake pool at about 7.15 in the morning.

Cicadabird - male

Wandering Whistle Duck was heard flying over during a spotlighting trip and at least four Superb Fruit-Dove were calling in the orchard rainforest before one was seen high up perched on a branch. A Pied Imperial Pigeon flew over Geraghty Park and over the Lodge grounds, this is an uncommon visitor inland. Topknot Pigeon returned in numbers, after a few weeks absence with a flock of 70+ feeding in a Blue Quandong. An Australian Bustard was seen flying along Mt. Kooyong Road on our boundary heading towards Geraghty Park and beyond. Channel-billed Cuckoo numbers have increased with at least 14 noisily flying over the Lodge grounds one evening. An Australian Owlet-nightjar was seen several times peering out of its daytime roost and 14 species of honeyeater were recorded. Dollarbird were seen and heard calling several times.

A pair of Spotted Catbird were found on the ground with a young Buff-banded Rail they had killed. A guest bought the body over to us to identify and the spotted catbirds followed sitting above us and looking down at their breakfast they had lost. They had punctured the rails breast and made a big hole in it as well as nearly decapitating it. A pair of Varied Triller and Pale-Yellow Robin were nesting and a Shining Flycatcher male was foraging in Bushy Creek, an occasional visitor. Spangled Drongo are still around in numbers heading south on migration and Black-faced Monarch numbers increased towards the end of the week returning from Papua New Guinea. We are still awaiting the return of the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher also from Papua New Guinea, they had not arrived on Cape York (Iron Range) late last week.

Further afield two Spotless Crake were at Abattoir Swamp and another at McDougall Road (1.5km from Lodge), a White-browed Crake was also at Abattoir Swamp and another was still at the small wetland in Euluma Creek Road, Julatten, mentioned last week. The dam north of Mt. Carbine, also mentioned last week, continues to dry out and attract much the same species but one lucky group saw a Taipan coming down to drink, a highly venomous species best viewed at a distance! Asian Dowitcher and Laughing Gull were still on the Cairns Esplanade on 24^th October reported on the Cairns Birds blog site. Well north in Iron Range National Park on Cape York Peninsula, a guest reported seeing a Red-bellied Pitta, probably an overwintering bird as migrants don’t usually arrive until later in the year after good rains.

Green Ringtail Possum - roosting

A Green Ringtail Possum was spotted high up in a Black Bean tree on the edge of the orchard roosting one afternoon and several sightings of Striped Possum were the first for a couple of weeks. A Giant White-tailed Rat was seen during the day which is unusual - possibly the rat was not 100% well but it did move quite quickly. A Platypus was seen several times during the late afternoon swimming upstream for good views and a juvenile Eastern Water Dragon was perched on a branch overlooking Bushy Creek, watching the Platypus go by! After no sightings of Amethystine Python for several months one was crossing an access road in the Lodge grounds one evening, it was about 2.5m long.

Quite an eventful week.