Saw-shelled Turtle (Myuchelys latisternum)
Check my birding map for specific location.
I always like coming to Malanda. The visitor's centre always seems to have helpful staff and the rainforest walk opposite always productive. They have walked me over there in previous visits to show me Tree Kangaroo. I found them myself in my 2022 visit but could only get shots of an armpit. Not an award winning photograph but good to see them anyway. The falls that people visit the area for are a little disappointing and the surrounding recreational area run down and a bit miserable. Lucky I was only really interested in the rainforest.
A little way in and there is a viewing platform over water (must be a creek connected to the falls, I never thought about it before). As soon as you arrive, the turtles surface hoping for some food. When they realise you aren't going to, they sink in a sulk. Around that area I always seem to find a Pied Monarch. The light is terrible in the forest so my photos are never of great quality which is a shame as they are such beautiful birds.
Pied Monarch (Arses kaupi)
The catbird's strangled call reverberates around the area and when I visited in April 2022, there seemed to be a lot of them, calling and chasing each other around. Their focus on each other and not me made it easier to photograph them.
Spotted Catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis)
There are other animals in the forest and the easiest to find is the forest dragon. You just have to stare at a lot of trees until you spot one. This is a juvenile Boyd's and I always think he looks like an alien toy.
Boyd's Forest Dragon (Lophosaurus boydii)
I stayed at the local caravan park and was amazed to see my first Diamond Doves of my trip just wandering around. I thought they were dry country birds so I didn't expect them here. Just as I finished photographing them, 3 loud birds flew into the tree above me. Barred Cuckooshrike. Rare and difficult to find, I have only ever seen them once. I was over the moon to see them. They only stayed for a minute or 2 and then away. I was just thankful to the doves as I was all set up for photographing them.
Barred Cuckooshrike (Coracina lineata)
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