A Birder's Guide to Australia: **Updated Cairns Esplanade

Check my birding map for specific location.

2023 Update

I have returned to Cairns for the second half of 2023 and am loving getting to know the Esplanade area much better. The more time I spend here, the more crazy birds I find, regularly reporting over 50 species. As the 'winter' draws to a close, waders and exotic birds are beginning to return. Here are some of my highlights.

Beach Stone Curlew (Esacus magnirostris)

Double-eyed Fig Parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma)

Eastern Reef Egret (Egretta sacra)

Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana)

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus regina)

Cairns Esplanade is always my first destination when I arrive in Queensland and it was no different in 2022 although I had spent a few fraught days trapped in my hotel room until Covid regulations were satisfied. The Esplanade is long, I think around 3km north to south and I usually start at the north end and always regret not parking in the middle by the time I am on the return leg. It was incredibly hot in March and I frequently had to seek refuge in the shade of the trees in the parks running alongside the walkway.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

I have lots of highlights from over the years visiting the Esplanade and what follows is a few of them. My choice for 2022 is easy. I was sitting right at the north end on a large pipe, cooling my feet in the water and waiting for the waders to appear as the tide turned. To my amazement, 2 large birds came into view circling around me. Jabiru - the Black-necked Stork is a huge bird with stunning irridescent plumage, contrasting black and white. I took a lot of photos as the flew around me and then landed. They began digging for crabs in the mud and to my surprise swallowed them whole. The lump in the neck of the bird below is a whole (and still protesting) crab. It looked very uncomfortable.

Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)

The sandy beach turns quickly into mud flats and the mangrove swamps to the north always look like they will reclaim the whole area given half a chance. A no-go for humans (you can go in the mud if you like but why?), it is a mecca for wading birds who feel safe there. I have seen many species here and I always love to the see the Eastern Curlew with its huge bill.

Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis)

Always present are godwit and knots and while the Great Knot looks like a fairly non-descript, fat wader, in breeding plumage it is beautiful. 2022 was the first time I have seen them in these colours and I was impressed.

Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris)

A popular visitor (I was always asked if I had seen it once people found out I am a birder) this year was the Nordmann's Greenshank. I wouldn't have identified it as a greenshank as it was fairly dumpy with a thick bill but what do I know? I watched it several times and it was full of character as it looked for food and jostled with other waders for position. My first lifer of my 2022 Australia trip.

Nordmann's Greenshank (Tringa guttifer)

Metallic Starlings can be found during the summer months careening up and down the Esplanade. They are noisy, they squabble and the bully other birds and I love them. Some are all glossy black and some are pied, both with a vivid red eye. This time I photographed them on the rocks at the south end. I'm not sure what they were doing but they looked like it was fun.

Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica)

A local birder gave me a hint that there was a family of Nankeen Night Heron in the fig trees by the kid's pool and I went to see them every visit. My favourite sighting was early in the morning during rain showers. The juveniles were screaming for food, eyes on the horizon waiting. When the bedraggled adults returned they were mobbed. After feeding, they all set about preening which was when I got these fabulous photos.