3 October - Sydney Australia - A Brief History of Australia

This land is old or new, depending upon how you look at it. We arrived here some 40-60 thousand years ago. Science should be able to define it better than that. It is still at work. We did not arrive in America until 12-14 thousand years ago. Ditto. So, Australians like to say the occupation has been longer here. But, there is really no structure on the continent that is earlier than 19th Century. Everything is new.

Photo credit: Unsplash by David Clode

3 October - Sydney Australia - Touristy Stuff

Arrived Sydney a few days ago to begin acting more like a tourist and less like a bushman. We changed into casual clothes from field clothing for the flight south. The heavy fabric felt so strange. Our behavior has not changed so much; we walk about, but here each morning begins with a train ride into the heart of town. Our lodging is in the Waterloo District south of downtown and the harbor.

Photo credit: Unsplash by Caleb

28 September - Mission Beach - Tropical Rainforest Meets the Reef

We left the plateau with its chilly nights for a few days of truly tropical climate before leaving for Sydney. Yesterday drove south along the coast past banana orchards and sugar fields. Stopped at lovely and deserted beaches where breakers lapped against coconut palms. Found more Cassowary and heard our last Bird-of-Paradise (Victoria’s Riflebird).

Photo credit: Unsplash by seiichiro

25 September - Yungaburra - Wallaby and Platypus

Well mates, we’re on the Atherton Plateau. Warm in the day, cool at night. Rainforest on the slope to the coast, progressively drier ground to the west. Here seems a bit like California with agriculture and water being what people talk about. They grow a lot of sugar and other things. Today we had lunch at a coffee factory. Day before we birded on a tea farm.

Photo credit: Unsplash by Aaron De Wit

21 September - Kingfisher Park - Cassuaries and Crocodiles

Yesterday, we took a boat ride on the DAintree River and then took the ferry across so we could tour to Cape Tribulation. All good fun. On the river we were overjoyed to see a Jabaroo and Spotted Whistling Ducks, but most of the dozen passengers were there to see the “salties.” We did not see these at first, but they were on the bank during our return after the sun had come up. Very toothy. No swimming in the DAintree.

Photo credit: Unsplash by David Clode

19 September - Kingfisher Park

Drive from Cairns to Mossman is a bit like that along California route 1 with mountains on one side and the sea on the other. A bit more tropical. We stopped at the Mossman River where fishermen mentioned the crocs. I said, “a bit of a nuisance?” They said, “Not really,” but stood back 3 meters from the shore.

16 September - Cairns, heading North

This is a chore day between our float on the Great Barrrier Reef and a drive north to Mossman. I woke with a full fledged cold and so was lazy. No birding outing at dawn. Laundry is now underway, and we go to shop for groceries soon. The Kingfisher Park Lodge warns that there are few provisions nearby. In a pinch there are restaurants one mile and five miles away. We may sample them but will also pack groceries for our own cooking. I don’t know if I will have access to Internet for the next five days. So, I’ll give a summary of our itinerary.

15 September, Cairns - Great Barrier Reef

Just back from two days and one night on the live-aboard dive boat Reef Encounter moored at various locations along Norman and Saxon reefs which make up a small portion of the enormous Great Barrier Reef of northeastern Australia.

13 September - Cairns Aus - Birds of Paradise

I might not vote any member of the Bird of Paradise family the most beautiful bird in the world, but they are certainly the most ornate and some of their courtship behaviors are absolutely ridiculous. Human males would have to spend some $100K on their attire to match the cost to these birds of wearing such outfits.

13 September - Cairns AUS - Bowerbirds

My first bowerbird in PNG was McGregor’s, a more handsome one. Anne spotted a less elegant species, the Yellow-breasted, a day earlier. She almost missed the McGregoprs by going on a “cultural tour” for one morning. Good news was that a McGregor’s showed up again in the afternoon. These often pigeon-sized birds are noted for the peculiar structures the males make to interest females. We have seen a few of these bowers and I find them amazing.