Check my birding map for specific location.
2023 Update
Determined to get out on the river in 2023 after terrible weather in 2022 left me sitting in my van for days on end, I visited at the end of July. The weather was changeable with showers and sunshine alternating each day. I was lucky enough to get out on the river twice at dawn and twice in the afternoon. The results were variable. The minimum I saw were lots of horrible crocodiles but when the birds were about, they were magnificent. The highlight was several sightings of the Great-billed Heron.
Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana)
Green Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata)
Female Papuan Frogmouth (Podargus papuensis)
Male Papuan Frogmouth (Podargus papuensis)
Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
I have had great success at Daintree in the past. The Red Mill House used to be a B&B and the garden was renowned for animal species with Azure Kingfishers in the little pond and bandicoot in the garden. My favourite was seeing a Lace Monitor catch and eat a rather large frog.
Lace Monitor (Varanus varius)
There are 2 real highlights in Daintree. The first is the river boat ride. I have been on numerous occasions with the Sauce and he has a huge knowledge of the river and the wildlife. My first trip was nerve-wracking as we could already see a large croc sitting on the opposite bank of the river. Sauce promised not to let me get in the water though and always stuck to that. Before you even get on the boat, however, there is often Olive-backed Sunbirds in the surrounding foliage and even nesting on the boardwalk. Now that is special.
Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis)
My favourite sightings were of Shining Flycatcher, seeing both the male and female sitting on nests but this photo of a male in the rain remains one of my most cherished photographs ever.
Shining Flycatcher (Myiagra alecto)
It takes something to get Sauce excited, having seen just about everything on the river but one trip when we found Spotted Whistling Ducks saw just that. They should be on the far side of Cape York so to see them in Daintree was very unusual.
Spotted Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna guttata)
On one occasion we heard what sounded like a dog barking and I looked questioningly at Sauce who just laughed. We rounded a bend and found the culprits, Great-billed Heron. At over a metre tall, these herons are massive and have the usual croaky heron call, just a lot louder. We found adults and juveniles and it was something very special to see.
Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana)
The other wonderful place in Daintree is the end of Stewart Creek Road. It runs out after around 10km with a gate marking the end. But that's ok, because the area just before the gate is full of ant mounds which are home to breeding Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfishers. I met Susan at the Red Mill House and took her to see them. We bonded over adults entering and leaving their nests in these mounds. They seal the area the chick will live so the termites can get to them and no other predator is brave enough to enter. We were staggered that we could just drive to see this spectacle and wondered why hoards of people were not there watching this David Attenborough worthy moment. No accounting for tastes I guess.
Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher (Tansiptera sylvia)
Unfortunately in 2022, I arrived in Daintree to rain and sat for a miserable 5 days in my van as it continued to pour. I didn't get to see any birds or go out on the flooded river. The only photos I did get were of some local cows. Sigh. I will be back though.
eBird Lists
No comments:
Post a Comment