Colour and movement

Fast flying and extremely colourful, the Rainbow Lorikeet is a favourite bird for locals and visitors alike.
One of the more vocal birds, Rainbow Lorikeets are well known for the array of colours seemingly splashed over their bodies. 

The Rainbow Lorikeet has a wide distribution; found in various parts of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Not restricted to rainforest areas, the Rainbow Lorikeet enjoys parks and gardens as well. The Rainbow Lorikeet possesses two toes facing forward and two backward for balance and ease of grasping, and grow to over 30 cm in length.Whilst mainly nectar feeders, these birds are extremely adaptable, eating fruit, berries, seeds, and even insect and their larvae if required. At this time of year, when blossom is hard to find, the fruit from the Umbrella Tree is a favourite.

Adventurous by Nature

The new slogan for Tropical North Queensland is Adventurous by Nature and this fits well with the range of activities offered by Mason's Tours. This shot shows the Woobadda River crossing on the Bloomfield Track.
Check out Mason's Adventurous Tours

Garden Predators

Nature can be cruel and whilst our favourite creatures may be green frogs and tiny birds, they also make great prey for some of the larger, more aggressive birds who share their habitat.
This week, we had a beautiful Olive-backed Sunbird nest, complete with two babies and with mum doing a fabulous job feeding and tending to them, just outside the busy lounge window. Safe as can be, we thought.
It only takes a second and the nest is raided and the babies gone - - the parents don't stand a chance. Unfortunately Black Butcherbirds also have babies to feed.

 Check out the size of the bill and the hook on the end - - no wonder they are such successful predators.
The other common garden predator is the Laughing Kookaburra, Australia's iconic symbol. Specialising in skinks, frogs, lizards and small rodents, they too are successful predators.

Birds on the Daintree River

 The Daintree River is famous for its' wildlife, particularly crocodiles and a large variety of birds. The summer migrants include Black Bittern, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Metallic Starling and Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, most of which can be seen from the river.

This is also the time of year for the Papuan Frogmouth to be nesting, often high above the the water's edge, making it easy to see from the river. 'Easy' isn't really the right word - the colours and patterns of the plumage enable the bird to disguise itself beautifully as it sits quietly and perfectly still next to the trunk or branch of a tree. The nest consists of just a few sticks, but they are great parents and usually breed successfully.

The Papuan Frogmouth feeds at night, just after dusk, mostly on insects, frogs and lizards.

Only found in southern Asia, New Guinea and Australia, Australia's Frogmouths are a real treat for international birdwatchers - there is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. The Papuan Frogmouth has a very small Australian range of distribution.

Gaudy and Gorgeous!

The big news in the birding world is that the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher have returned from New Guinea for their breeding season. A spectacular bird - almost gaudy, with a bright red/orange bill, bright red feet, blue back and head, and orange breast. The long white tail, which is often seen first, flicks up and down as the bird sits and calls from perches in the mid-level of rainforest.

These birds arrive every year in late October/early November to nest in the small termite mounds on the forest floor. They are at least two weeks early this year and have arrived 'en masse' - some of which will continue further south as far as Mackay, while others will stay to settle in find a mate. The conditions are perfect this year with the termite mounds being moist and easy to excavate.

We look forward to a productive season for these very special birds.

Farming , pastures and birds

Daintree is famous for it's rainforest but, for birdwatching, a range of habitat is important. Part of that mix here in the tropical lowlands are the paddocks and pastures of local farmland.
The cattle that graze the pastures are followed by large numbers of Cattle Egrets, waiting expectantly for insects to be disturbed in the grass. Farm dams and waterways are homes to ducks, lapwings and plovers as well as egrets and kingfishers.
Various grasses in the fields, when the seeds mature, provide feed for a range of seed-eaters, including the Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, that can be seen in large flocks feeding on the grasses.

Golden-headed Cisticola are often seen, during their breeding season, singing madly from the top of grasses or on the wires of fences. They enjoy wet, swampy areas and degraded paddocks and slopes.

Other birds often seen on fence wires include Red-backed Fairy-Wren, White Breasted Woodswallow and occasionally a treat like Australia's smallest cuckoo, the Little Bronze Cuckoo.

Don't underestimate a drive along one of the beautiful valleys of the Daintree River and it's creeks, if birdwatching in the area. You will almost always see Rainbow Bee-eater, Forest Kingfisher, Australian Pipit, Masked Lapwing, Cattle Egret and many more interesting species.

Vines, nectar and Honeyeaters

While not a native plant, the commonly-grown Flame of the Forest (or New Guinea creeper) and Jade Vine both flower profusely at this time of year and the Honeyeaters love them.
A rampant climber, the Jade vine originates from The Philipines and has long racemes of up to 1/2 meter of stunning blue and green pea-shaped flowers.

These flowers are full of nectar and are extremely popular with green ants and also with Macleay's Honeyeater (pictured), Dusky Honeyeater, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Graceful Honeyeater and also the Olive-backed Sunbird.

The New Guinea Vine, also from the Leguminosae family, has vivid red flowers and similarly attracts the honeyeaters. Down at Scommazons, opposite the Mossman Golf Course, several Blue-faced Honeyeaters are also enjoying the nectar from the flowers. These are normally a dry-country bird, but are often seen at that part of the lowlands.They are a lovely bird.