NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
Darwin, Kakadu, Cairns, Daintree, and the Atherton Tablelands
with a day on the Great Barrier Reef
August 15 - September 3, 2016
20 Days / 19 Nights
$6585*
Single Supplement $700
*Price is based on a group of 8-10 birders. Small group surcharge will apply for smaller groups.
Tour itinerary can be found below the following slide show.
ITINERARY
Day 1, August 15: We have planned for participants to arrive in Darwin a day before the official tour begins to allow time for a day of rest following the long flights from the US. This will allow you some time to acclimate to the time zone change and rest thoroughly in order to be fresh for the first day of birding. Because flight schedules and arrival times will vary, no meals are included for this day. You will be picked up and transported to the hotel upon your arrival at the airport in Darwin.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (no meals)
Day 2, August 16: DARWIN
We will start our birding with visits to Knuckey’s Lagoons and Howard Springs Nature Reserve, with some other areas time permitting. Possible species include Rainbow Pitta, Australian Pratincole, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper, Green Pygmy Goose, Yellow White-eye, Red-headed Honeyeater and Mangrove Grey Fantail.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (BLD)
Day 3, August 17: DARWIN
After a leisurely breakfast, we will tour the local area around Darwin visiting Holmes Jungle, East Point, Lee Point and Buffalo Creek. Birds likely to be seen include Arafura Fantail, Northern Fantail, White-gaped Honeyeater, Forest Kingfisher, Rainbow Pitta, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Restless Flycatcher, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Emerald Dove, Lemon-bellied & Shining Flycatchers, Red-headed Honeyeater, Green-backed Gerygone, Gray Whistler, Red-winged Parrots, and several species of finches. In the mangroves at Buffalo Creek, Common Sandpiper are found and the rarely seen Chestnut Rail is possible. Large-tailed Nightjars frequent the area at dusk. Various seabirds and waders are also possible. We will visit the Botanical Gardens to look for Rufous and Barking Owls.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (BLD)
Day 4, August 18: FOGG DAM AND TRANSFER TO KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast we will drive to Fogg Dam with its spectacular diversity of water birds, including Comb-crested Jacanas, Black-necked Storks, Magpie Geese, Straw-necked and Glossy ibis, Pied Herons, Plumed and Wandering Whistling Ducks, Green Pygmy Geese, Whiskered and Caspian Terns, and Brahminy Kites. Both Saltwater and Freshwater Crocodiles are found here. A boardwalk on the edge of the lake is a good place to find the endemic Rainbow Pitta, as well as Little Kingfisher, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Shining Flycatcher, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, and Broad-billed and Lemon-bellied Flycatchers. Along the Amhem Highway we will stop at a small waterhole for Crimson, Long-tailed, Double-barred, and (if we are very lucky) Gouldian Finches. A stop at Adelaide River should produce Mangrove Golden Whistlers and along the route we should find Black-faced Woodswallow, Marsh and Spotted Harriers, Black-shouldered Kites, Nankeen Kestrels, and Black-breasted Buzzards. Many other species are possible along this route, including Red-backed Kingfishers and Zitting Cisticolas. The first planned stop in World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park is Mamukala Wetlands, where the numbers of water birds can be spectacular. We'll make a stop at the Bowali Visitors Center before going in to the town of Jabiru to check in to our accommodation, Lakeside Caravan Park, which is owned by the local Aboriginal people. After dinner, we will look for Barking Owls. Accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort (BLD)
Day 5, August 19: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
A dawn cruise on the famous Yellow Waters Billabong is the perfect start to the day. The early flights of the waterbirds are a great spectacle and this is an opportunity to get close to and photograph huge numbers of birds. Large saltwater Crocodiles are also a feature of this cruise. White-bellied Sea-Eagles have territories along the billabong, large numbers of Nankeen Night-Herons roam the banks, and Bar-breasted and Banded Honeyeaters live in the riverside vegetation, to name but a few.
The agenda for the remainder of the day is dependent on what roads are open, but will include internationally renowned Aboriginal art sites at Nourlangie Rock. Birding highlights hopefully will include the endemic Banded Fruit-Dove, White-lined Honeyeater and Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon as well as Partridge Pigeon, Little Corella, Northern Rosella, Rainbow Pitta, Little Woodswallow, Great Bowerbird, and Sandstone Shrike-thrush.
Accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort (BLD)
Day 6, August 20: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
An early morning start at Nourlangie Rock and Angbangbang Billabong to provide the best chance of seeing the endemics and other species listed in day 4. After a break in the middle of the day, we'll travel north to the Bardedjilidji walk and the art sites at Ubirr. Sunset at Ubbir is a Kakadu tradition and a great way to finish the day. Birding highlights include species previously listed and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Long-tailed, Double-barred and Crimson Finches, Parperbark Flycatcher, White-winged Triller, and many many more.
Accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort (BLD)
Day 7, August 21: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK AND PINE CREEK
Travelling south through Kakadu towards Pine Creek provides the opportunity to look for two of Australia's rarest raptors, the Greay Falcon, which has almost mythical status because it is so elusive, and the Red Goshawk. Other raptors found in this area include Brown Goshawk, Australian Hobby, Black-breasted Buzzard, Whistling Kite, Collared Sparrowhawk, Black Falcon and Brown Falcon. Masked Finches, Weebills, Black-tailed Treecreepers, Brown Quails, Brush Cuckoos, Black-eared Cuckoos, and Vairegated Fairy-Wrens are all possible at random roadside stops and at Bukbukluk. If road conditions are suitable, a side trip to Gumlom Falls will provide the opportunity to see species that may have been missed elsewhere. The rough escarpment country above the falls is renowned as the best location to see the locally endemic White-throated Grasswren, but recent fires in the area have made this more difficult. We will, however, give it a go.
The little town of Pine Creek is a good location for Hooded Parrot, Varied Lorikeet, Cockatiel, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Northern Rosella, Red-collared Lorikeet, Diamond Dove, Striated Pardalote, Magpie Lark, Crested Pigeon, Crested Shrike-Tit, Owlet Nightjar, and Black-chinned, Blue-faced and White-throated Honeyeaters. Goudian Finches can sometimes be found here as well. The nearby sewage treatment plant is home to Australian Pratincole, Black-fronted Plover, Black-winged Stilt and Gray Teal while Chestnut-backed Button-Quail have been seen at the nearby cememtery.
Accommodation: Pine Creek Railway Resort (BLD)
Day 8, August 22: EDITH FALLS
A very early start will be necessary today to go to the Edith Falls area to be ready for dawn at a location where beautiful Gouldian Finches and many other species come for a morning drink. Red-winged Parrots, Hooded Parrots, Cockatiels, Rufous Whisstlers, Black-tailed Treecreepers, and Long-tailed and Crimson Finches are regular visitors to the waterhole. We will spend the rest of the day at Ferguson River, Copperfield Dam, the water part, the cemetery and other locations nearby searching for species that have not been seen.
Accommodation: Pine Creek Railway Resort (BLD)
Day 9, August 23: PINE CREEK, LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK, DARWIN
We will go back to Darwin via Adelaide River to look for the Silver-backed form of the Grey Butcherbird. which is endemic to the Northern Territory and Litchfield National Park. Although Litchfield is not renowned for its birds, it is the only location we might see Emus and it is home to the spectacular magnetic termite mounds. If we have time when we arrive in Darwin, we will visit locations where we can see species found in the area that we missed when we were in Darwin at the beginning of the tour. We'll take a late flight to Cairns this evening.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (BLD)
Day 10, August 24: CAIRNS
We'll have a later-than-normal start today due to the late arrival from Darwin last night. We'll spend the day around Cairns, including the Esplanade where we'll look for waders roosting on the high tide. This famous birding location, only a minute walk from our hotel, is a hotspot for waders on their migrations to and from the northern hemisphere. As it is winter, most of the migrants will be breeding in the Arctic, but there are always some individuals, usually juveniles, that winter in Carins. Possible migrant species include Terek, Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers, Great Know, Gray-tailed Tattler, Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, and Red-necked Stints. Resident species include Red-capped plover, Masked Lapwing, Australian Pelican, Royal Spoonbill, Striated Heron, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Gull-billed Tern, Silver Gull, Collared Kingfisher, Beach Stone Curlew, and Eastern Great, Intermediate, Little and Eastern Reef Egrets. In the adjacent mangroves and park land, we'll search for Yellow Oriole, Rainbow Lorikeet, double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Peaceful Dove, Mangrove Robin, and Yellow and Vaired Honeyeaters. Cairns Centenary Lakes and the adjacent Botanic Gardens are also nearby, with rain forest, fresh water wetlands and salt water wetlands to explore. Possibilities here include Orange-footed Scrubfow, Australian Brush-Turkey, Pacific Black Duck, White-browed Crake, Peaceful Dove, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Papuan Frogmouth, Australian Swiftlet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Laughing and Blue-winged Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Black Butcherbird, Yellow-spotted and Brown Honeyeaters, Hornbill Friarbird, Varied Triller, Australasian Figbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, Spangled Drongo, Leaden Flycatcher, Magpie-Lark, Metallic Starling, and Olive-backed Sunbird, to name just a few. Late in the afternoon we could join the "4 O'clock Club" on the Esplanade if the tide is right. This is a unique birding institution in Australia, a daily gathering of birder sot look for waders. An after-dinner walk along the Esplanade is a good opportunity to see Bush Stone Curlews.
Accommodation: Bay Village Retreat (BLD)
Day 11, August 25: MICHAELMAS CAY
We will leave the hotel at 7:45 AM to drive to the wharf to board the Ocean Spirit for a relaxing cruise to Michaelmas Cay on the Great Barrier Reef. The cay is a breeding site for a number of seabirds, including Common and Black Noddies, Greater Frigatebirds, Brown Boobies, Ruddy Turnstones, and an assortment of terns (Crested, Lesser Crested, Black-naped, Little, Sooty, and sometimes Bridled). There will be a chance to snorkel on the reef, with gear provided. Some snorkeling masks with prescription lenses and wetsuits are available. If you are certified to scuba dive, you may do so at an additional cost. There is a semi-submersible for underwater viewing for those who prefer to stay out of the water. This is an all-day cruise with a substantial lunch served on board.
Accommodation: Bay Village Retreat (BLD)
Day 12, August 26: DAINTREE VILLAGE
After a final sweep along the Esplanade to see if any new waders have flown in overnight, we will drive from Cairns travelling north to Daintree Village where we will spend the next two nights at beautiful Red Mill House. On the way we will visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Village which provides a fascinating insight into Australian Aboriginal life. At Daintree, an afternoon walk down Stewart Creek Road and around the gardens at Red Mill House should produce some new sightings. Possible species include Radjah Shelduck, Emerald Dove, Beach Stone Curlew, Pacific Baza, Brahiminy Kite, Black-winged Stilt, Pheasant Coucal, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Sacred Kingfishser, Lovely Fairy-Wren, White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike, Torresian Crow, Fairy Martin, and Nutmeg and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins.
Accommodation: Red Mill House (BLD)
Day 13, August 27: DAINTREE RIVER AND CAPE TRIBULATION
Before a beautiful breakfast overlooking athe gardens at Red Mill House, we will join a local guide for a cruise on the Daintree River looking for local specialties including Mangrove and large-billed Gerygone, Shining Flycatcher, Dusky Honeyeater, Macleay's Honeyeater, Spectacled Monarch, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Papuan Frogmouth, and Great-billed heron. After breakfast, we will criss the Daintree River by ferry and travel along the Cape Tribulation Road, visitint magnificent lowland rain forest at Dubiji and Mardja walking trails, Cow Bay and Cooper Creek River mouth. The highlight of the day would be an endangered Southern Cassowary but other possibilities include Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Red-necked Crake, Noisy Pitta, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Pied Currawong, Topknow Pigeon, and Silvereye.
Accommodation: Red Mill House (BLD)
Day 14, August 28: JULATTEN AND MT. CARBINE
This is a busy day with extraordinary diversity of habitats from lowland tropical rain forest to dry savannah. After an early morning walk down Steward Creek Road, we will drive up the coastal range on to the Tablelands to Julatten to check in at Kingfisher Park, a specialist birders' lodge. We will stay for two nights so the itinerary will be determined by the weather. If fine weather is forecast, we will spend the rest of the day having a complete change of habitat by travelling a relatively short distance to dry savannah country near Mt. Carbine to look for Australian Bustards, Great Bowerbird, Squatter Pigeon, Pale-headed Rosella, Galah, Black-throated Finch, Apostlebird, Pied Butcherbird, Black-faced Shrike-Thrush, White-throated Treecreeper, Black Kite, Little Eagle, Square-tailed Kite, and Wedge-tailed Eagle. En route in both directions we will stop at Sides Road to look for blue-faced Parrot Finch, Lvoely Fariy-wren and Grey-headed Robin.
Back at Kingfisher park, Platypus can be seen in the creek and ther are many bird species in the lodge grounds, including Noisy Pitta, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Pied Monarch, Spectacled Monarch, Pale Yellow Robin, Gray-headed Robin, LIttle Shrike-thrush, and an assortment of Honeyeaters, including Graceful, McLeay's and Scarlet. Before dinner we weill look for Barn Owls in a nearby park and after dinner we'll try spotlighting around the grounds for nocturnal birds and mammals.
Accommodation: Kingfisher Park (BLD)
Day 15, August 29: JULATTEN AND MOUNT LEWIS
As early as the light allows, we will drive up tot he high mountain rain forests of Mount Lewis, which is home to a range of species endemic to North Queensland, including Mountain Thornbill, Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed bowerbird, Chowchilla, Spotted Catbird, Fernwren, Yellow-throated Scrub-Wren, Bassian Thrush, Pale-yellow Robin, and Gaceful and Bridled Honeyaters. We will come back down for lunch followed by a drive around the Julatten area looking for a range of open country species such as Red-backed Fairy-Wren, White-naped Honeyeater, Golden-headed Cisticola, Tawny Grassbird, Brush and Pallid Cuckoos, and any species we may have missed the previous day.
Accommodation: Kingfisher Park (BLD)
Day 16, August 30: ATHERTON TABLELANDS
We'll start the day looking for Platypus if we haven't already seen them (or if you'd like to see them again). We'll then visit a patchwork of farmland, rain forest, Eucalyptus forest, woodlands, grasslands, creeks, and lagoons in the region. The Atherton Tableland is an old volcanic plateau and a hotspot for birds. Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are conspicuous along the roadsides near Mareeba. At Big Mitchell Creek, we'll look for the elusive White-browed Robin, and at Hastie's Swamp we'll search for a variety of wetland species including Black Swan, Eurasian Coot, Dusky Moorhen, Little Egret, Hardhead, Gray Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Australasian Grebe, Buff-banded Rail, Wandering and Plumed Whistling Ducks, and Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants. In the rain forests of Wongabel State Forest, Hypipamie National Park, and Malanda, we'll have the chance to see Victoria's Riflebird, Golden Bowerbird, Chowchilla, Eastern Whipbird, large-billed Scrub-Wren, Atherton Scrubwren, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Spinebill, Fairy Gerygone, Rufous Fantail, Golden Whistler, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, and Yellow-breasted Boatbill. In the evening we will watch a very special event, the arrival of Sarus Cranes and Brolgas at their roost in Bromfield Crater.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge (BLD)
Days 17 & 18, August 31 and September 1: ATHERTON TABLELANDS
Two full days of birding on the Atherton Tablelands. Early morning birding at the Lodge and visits to nearby Lakes Eacham, Lake Barrine, and the Curtain Fig should allow us to see lots of rain forest specialists including Victoria's Riflebird, Superb Fruit-Dove, White-headed and Brown Pigeons, Grey Goshawk, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Lewin's Honeyeater, Barred Cuckoo-Shrike, Eastern Yellow Robin, and Satin and Tooth-billed Bowerbirds. In open country we will look for Eastern Koel, Dollarbird, Australasian Pipit, Cicadabird, Spotted Pardalote, Gray Shrike-Thrush, Red-backed Fairy-Wren, Noisy Friarbird, Tawny Grassbird, Red-browed Firetail, Australian Magpie and many others. Great-crested Grebes live on Lake Barrine. At dusk, there is a chance to see Eastern Grass-Owls and Black-shouldered Kites hunting over fields. Tree Kangaroos are a possibility.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge (BLD)
Day 19. September 2: KURANDA, SKYRAIL, CAIRNS
We will drive back across sthe Tablelands to Kuranda where you will atch the Skyrail, a gondola that takes you over the top of the canopy and provides one last chance to see the tropical rain forest birds. On the way, we'll visit Davie's Creek national Park to look for White-browed Robin and Rufous Owl.
Accommodation: Bay Village in Cairns (BLD)
Day 20, September 3: DEPARTURE
You will be transported to the airport in Cairns for your flight home.
(Breakfast)
The price INCLUDES:
- Lodging
- Meals as indicated
- Expert bird guide during the entire trip
- Services of two Cheepers! Tour guides (Jim and Cindy Beckman)
- Private transportation during tour
- Transfers to and from airport
- All entry fees to reserves on the itinerary
- Fees for all activities listed on the itinerary
- Pre-trip gift package and post-trip photo collection on flash drive or dvd
The price does NOT include:
- International airfare
- Domestic flights within Australia (Darwin - Cairns)
- Tips
- Items of a personal nature, such as extra drinks, snacks, alcoholic beverages, laundry, souvenirs, etc.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
Deposit of $1000 must be sent with registration (link for registration form is at the bottom of this page). Balance is due on or before April 15, 2016.
Checks should be made payable to Cheepers! Birding on a Budget and mailed with the 3-page registration form to:
Cheepers! Birding on a Budget
Post Office Box 385
Spring Valley, OH 45370
Cancellation policy:
Cancellation should be made in writing (email or snail mail)
More than 6 months prior to departure – full refund of deposit
Between 4 and 6 months prior to departure – 50% refund of deposit
Less than 4 months prior to departure – No refund of deposit
If cancellation occurs after full payment is made, a refund will be given only if the vacant spot is filled.
Trip insurance is HIGHLY recommended.
You can compare prices offered by various trip insurance companies at this website:
http://www.quotewright.com/?sub_id=6056
If you travel frequently, you might want to consider an annual plan that covers all of your trips for one yearly premium, such as the Patriot Multi-Trip Plan or the GobeHopper Senior Plan available through AAA.
https://producer.imglobal.com/international-insurance-plans.aspx?imgac=18359
Cheepers! Birding on a Budget LLC reserves the right to make changes in the itinerary if the need should arise due to unforeseeable circumstances such as weather, landslides, and other natural phenomena, as well as suggestions by local guides in order to take advantage of an unusual birding opportunity. Lodging is subject to change based on availability.
Day 1, August 15: We have planned for participants to arrive in Darwin a day before the official tour begins to allow time for a day of rest following the long flights from the US. This will allow you some time to acclimate to the time zone change and rest thoroughly in order to be fresh for the first day of birding. Because flight schedules and arrival times will vary, no meals are included for this day. You will be picked up and transported to the hotel upon your arrival at the airport in Darwin.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (no meals)
Day 2, August 16: DARWIN
We will start our birding with visits to Knuckey’s Lagoons and Howard Springs Nature Reserve, with some other areas time permitting. Possible species include Rainbow Pitta, Australian Pratincole, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper, Green Pygmy Goose, Yellow White-eye, Red-headed Honeyeater and Mangrove Grey Fantail.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (BLD)
Day 3, August 17: DARWIN
After a leisurely breakfast, we will tour the local area around Darwin visiting Holmes Jungle, East Point, Lee Point and Buffalo Creek. Birds likely to be seen include Arafura Fantail, Northern Fantail, White-gaped Honeyeater, Forest Kingfisher, Rainbow Pitta, Silver-crowned Friarbird, Restless Flycatcher, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Emerald Dove, Lemon-bellied & Shining Flycatchers, Red-headed Honeyeater, Green-backed Gerygone, Gray Whistler, Red-winged Parrots, and several species of finches. In the mangroves at Buffalo Creek, Common Sandpiper are found and the rarely seen Chestnut Rail is possible. Large-tailed Nightjars frequent the area at dusk. Various seabirds and waders are also possible. We will visit the Botanical Gardens to look for Rufous and Barking Owls.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (BLD)
Day 4, August 18: FOGG DAM AND TRANSFER TO KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast we will drive to Fogg Dam with its spectacular diversity of water birds, including Comb-crested Jacanas, Black-necked Storks, Magpie Geese, Straw-necked and Glossy ibis, Pied Herons, Plumed and Wandering Whistling Ducks, Green Pygmy Geese, Whiskered and Caspian Terns, and Brahminy Kites. Both Saltwater and Freshwater Crocodiles are found here. A boardwalk on the edge of the lake is a good place to find the endemic Rainbow Pitta, as well as Little Kingfisher, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Shining Flycatcher, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, and Broad-billed and Lemon-bellied Flycatchers. Along the Amhem Highway we will stop at a small waterhole for Crimson, Long-tailed, Double-barred, and (if we are very lucky) Gouldian Finches. A stop at Adelaide River should produce Mangrove Golden Whistlers and along the route we should find Black-faced Woodswallow, Marsh and Spotted Harriers, Black-shouldered Kites, Nankeen Kestrels, and Black-breasted Buzzards. Many other species are possible along this route, including Red-backed Kingfishers and Zitting Cisticolas. The first planned stop in World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park is Mamukala Wetlands, where the numbers of water birds can be spectacular. We'll make a stop at the Bowali Visitors Center before going in to the town of Jabiru to check in to our accommodation, Lakeside Caravan Park, which is owned by the local Aboriginal people. After dinner, we will look for Barking Owls. Accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort (BLD)
Day 5, August 19: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
A dawn cruise on the famous Yellow Waters Billabong is the perfect start to the day. The early flights of the waterbirds are a great spectacle and this is an opportunity to get close to and photograph huge numbers of birds. Large saltwater Crocodiles are also a feature of this cruise. White-bellied Sea-Eagles have territories along the billabong, large numbers of Nankeen Night-Herons roam the banks, and Bar-breasted and Banded Honeyeaters live in the riverside vegetation, to name but a few.
The agenda for the remainder of the day is dependent on what roads are open, but will include internationally renowned Aboriginal art sites at Nourlangie Rock. Birding highlights hopefully will include the endemic Banded Fruit-Dove, White-lined Honeyeater and Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon as well as Partridge Pigeon, Little Corella, Northern Rosella, Rainbow Pitta, Little Woodswallow, Great Bowerbird, and Sandstone Shrike-thrush.
Accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort (BLD)
Day 6, August 20: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
An early morning start at Nourlangie Rock and Angbangbang Billabong to provide the best chance of seeing the endemics and other species listed in day 4. After a break in the middle of the day, we'll travel north to the Bardedjilidji walk and the art sites at Ubirr. Sunset at Ubbir is a Kakadu tradition and a great way to finish the day. Birding highlights include species previously listed and Red-tailed Black Cockatoos, Long-tailed, Double-barred and Crimson Finches, Parperbark Flycatcher, White-winged Triller, and many many more.
Accommodation: Anbinik Kakadu Resort (BLD)
Day 7, August 21: KAKADU NATIONAL PARK AND PINE CREEK
Travelling south through Kakadu towards Pine Creek provides the opportunity to look for two of Australia's rarest raptors, the Greay Falcon, which has almost mythical status because it is so elusive, and the Red Goshawk. Other raptors found in this area include Brown Goshawk, Australian Hobby, Black-breasted Buzzard, Whistling Kite, Collared Sparrowhawk, Black Falcon and Brown Falcon. Masked Finches, Weebills, Black-tailed Treecreepers, Brown Quails, Brush Cuckoos, Black-eared Cuckoos, and Vairegated Fairy-Wrens are all possible at random roadside stops and at Bukbukluk. If road conditions are suitable, a side trip to Gumlom Falls will provide the opportunity to see species that may have been missed elsewhere. The rough escarpment country above the falls is renowned as the best location to see the locally endemic White-throated Grasswren, but recent fires in the area have made this more difficult. We will, however, give it a go.
The little town of Pine Creek is a good location for Hooded Parrot, Varied Lorikeet, Cockatiel, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Northern Rosella, Red-collared Lorikeet, Diamond Dove, Striated Pardalote, Magpie Lark, Crested Pigeon, Crested Shrike-Tit, Owlet Nightjar, and Black-chinned, Blue-faced and White-throated Honeyeaters. Goudian Finches can sometimes be found here as well. The nearby sewage treatment plant is home to Australian Pratincole, Black-fronted Plover, Black-winged Stilt and Gray Teal while Chestnut-backed Button-Quail have been seen at the nearby cememtery.
Accommodation: Pine Creek Railway Resort (BLD)
Day 8, August 22: EDITH FALLS
A very early start will be necessary today to go to the Edith Falls area to be ready for dawn at a location where beautiful Gouldian Finches and many other species come for a morning drink. Red-winged Parrots, Hooded Parrots, Cockatiels, Rufous Whisstlers, Black-tailed Treecreepers, and Long-tailed and Crimson Finches are regular visitors to the waterhole. We will spend the rest of the day at Ferguson River, Copperfield Dam, the water part, the cemetery and other locations nearby searching for species that have not been seen.
Accommodation: Pine Creek Railway Resort (BLD)
Day 9, August 23: PINE CREEK, LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK, DARWIN
We will go back to Darwin via Adelaide River to look for the Silver-backed form of the Grey Butcherbird. which is endemic to the Northern Territory and Litchfield National Park. Although Litchfield is not renowned for its birds, it is the only location we might see Emus and it is home to the spectacular magnetic termite mounds. If we have time when we arrive in Darwin, we will visit locations where we can see species found in the area that we missed when we were in Darwin at the beginning of the tour. We'll take a late flight to Cairns this evening.
Accommodation: Free Spirit Resort (BLD)
Day 10, August 24: CAIRNS
We'll have a later-than-normal start today due to the late arrival from Darwin last night. We'll spend the day around Cairns, including the Esplanade where we'll look for waders roosting on the high tide. This famous birding location, only a minute walk from our hotel, is a hotspot for waders on their migrations to and from the northern hemisphere. As it is winter, most of the migrants will be breeding in the Arctic, but there are always some individuals, usually juveniles, that winter in Carins. Possible migrant species include Terek, Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers, Great Know, Gray-tailed Tattler, Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, and Red-necked Stints. Resident species include Red-capped plover, Masked Lapwing, Australian Pelican, Royal Spoonbill, Striated Heron, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Gull-billed Tern, Silver Gull, Collared Kingfisher, Beach Stone Curlew, and Eastern Great, Intermediate, Little and Eastern Reef Egrets. In the adjacent mangroves and park land, we'll search for Yellow Oriole, Rainbow Lorikeet, double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Peaceful Dove, Mangrove Robin, and Yellow and Vaired Honeyeaters. Cairns Centenary Lakes and the adjacent Botanic Gardens are also nearby, with rain forest, fresh water wetlands and salt water wetlands to explore. Possibilities here include Orange-footed Scrubfow, Australian Brush-Turkey, Pacific Black Duck, White-browed Crake, Peaceful Dove, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Papuan Frogmouth, Australian Swiftlet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Laughing and Blue-winged Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Black Butcherbird, Yellow-spotted and Brown Honeyeaters, Hornbill Friarbird, Varied Triller, Australasian Figbird, White-breasted Woodswallow, Spangled Drongo, Leaden Flycatcher, Magpie-Lark, Metallic Starling, and Olive-backed Sunbird, to name just a few. Late in the afternoon we could join the "4 O'clock Club" on the Esplanade if the tide is right. This is a unique birding institution in Australia, a daily gathering of birder sot look for waders. An after-dinner walk along the Esplanade is a good opportunity to see Bush Stone Curlews.
Accommodation: Bay Village Retreat (BLD)
Day 11, August 25: MICHAELMAS CAY
We will leave the hotel at 7:45 AM to drive to the wharf to board the Ocean Spirit for a relaxing cruise to Michaelmas Cay on the Great Barrier Reef. The cay is a breeding site for a number of seabirds, including Common and Black Noddies, Greater Frigatebirds, Brown Boobies, Ruddy Turnstones, and an assortment of terns (Crested, Lesser Crested, Black-naped, Little, Sooty, and sometimes Bridled). There will be a chance to snorkel on the reef, with gear provided. Some snorkeling masks with prescription lenses and wetsuits are available. If you are certified to scuba dive, you may do so at an additional cost. There is a semi-submersible for underwater viewing for those who prefer to stay out of the water. This is an all-day cruise with a substantial lunch served on board.
Accommodation: Bay Village Retreat (BLD)
Day 12, August 26: DAINTREE VILLAGE
After a final sweep along the Esplanade to see if any new waders have flown in overnight, we will drive from Cairns travelling north to Daintree Village where we will spend the next two nights at beautiful Red Mill House. On the way we will visit the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Village which provides a fascinating insight into Australian Aboriginal life. At Daintree, an afternoon walk down Stewart Creek Road and around the gardens at Red Mill House should produce some new sightings. Possible species include Radjah Shelduck, Emerald Dove, Beach Stone Curlew, Pacific Baza, Brahiminy Kite, Black-winged Stilt, Pheasant Coucal, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Sacred Kingfishser, Lovely Fairy-Wren, White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrike, Torresian Crow, Fairy Martin, and Nutmeg and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins.
Accommodation: Red Mill House (BLD)
Day 13, August 27: DAINTREE RIVER AND CAPE TRIBULATION
Before a beautiful breakfast overlooking athe gardens at Red Mill House, we will join a local guide for a cruise on the Daintree River looking for local specialties including Mangrove and large-billed Gerygone, Shining Flycatcher, Dusky Honeyeater, Macleay's Honeyeater, Spectacled Monarch, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Papuan Frogmouth, and Great-billed heron. After breakfast, we will criss the Daintree River by ferry and travel along the Cape Tribulation Road, visitint magnificent lowland rain forest at Dubiji and Mardja walking trails, Cow Bay and Cooper Creek River mouth. The highlight of the day would be an endangered Southern Cassowary but other possibilities include Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Red-necked Crake, Noisy Pitta, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Pied Currawong, Topknow Pigeon, and Silvereye.
Accommodation: Red Mill House (BLD)
Day 14, August 28: JULATTEN AND MT. CARBINE
This is a busy day with extraordinary diversity of habitats from lowland tropical rain forest to dry savannah. After an early morning walk down Steward Creek Road, we will drive up the coastal range on to the Tablelands to Julatten to check in at Kingfisher Park, a specialist birders' lodge. We will stay for two nights so the itinerary will be determined by the weather. If fine weather is forecast, we will spend the rest of the day having a complete change of habitat by travelling a relatively short distance to dry savannah country near Mt. Carbine to look for Australian Bustards, Great Bowerbird, Squatter Pigeon, Pale-headed Rosella, Galah, Black-throated Finch, Apostlebird, Pied Butcherbird, Black-faced Shrike-Thrush, White-throated Treecreeper, Black Kite, Little Eagle, Square-tailed Kite, and Wedge-tailed Eagle. En route in both directions we will stop at Sides Road to look for blue-faced Parrot Finch, Lvoely Fariy-wren and Grey-headed Robin.
Back at Kingfisher park, Platypus can be seen in the creek and ther are many bird species in the lodge grounds, including Noisy Pitta, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Pied Monarch, Spectacled Monarch, Pale Yellow Robin, Gray-headed Robin, LIttle Shrike-thrush, and an assortment of Honeyeaters, including Graceful, McLeay's and Scarlet. Before dinner we weill look for Barn Owls in a nearby park and after dinner we'll try spotlighting around the grounds for nocturnal birds and mammals.
Accommodation: Kingfisher Park (BLD)
Day 15, August 29: JULATTEN AND MOUNT LEWIS
As early as the light allows, we will drive up tot he high mountain rain forests of Mount Lewis, which is home to a range of species endemic to North Queensland, including Mountain Thornbill, Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed bowerbird, Chowchilla, Spotted Catbird, Fernwren, Yellow-throated Scrub-Wren, Bassian Thrush, Pale-yellow Robin, and Gaceful and Bridled Honeyaters. We will come back down for lunch followed by a drive around the Julatten area looking for a range of open country species such as Red-backed Fairy-Wren, White-naped Honeyeater, Golden-headed Cisticola, Tawny Grassbird, Brush and Pallid Cuckoos, and any species we may have missed the previous day.
Accommodation: Kingfisher Park (BLD)
Day 16, August 30: ATHERTON TABLELANDS
We'll start the day looking for Platypus if we haven't already seen them (or if you'd like to see them again). We'll then visit a patchwork of farmland, rain forest, Eucalyptus forest, woodlands, grasslands, creeks, and lagoons in the region. The Atherton Tableland is an old volcanic plateau and a hotspot for birds. Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are conspicuous along the roadsides near Mareeba. At Big Mitchell Creek, we'll look for the elusive White-browed Robin, and at Hastie's Swamp we'll search for a variety of wetland species including Black Swan, Eurasian Coot, Dusky Moorhen, Little Egret, Hardhead, Gray Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Australasian Grebe, Buff-banded Rail, Wandering and Plumed Whistling Ducks, and Little Pied and Little Black Cormorants. In the rain forests of Wongabel State Forest, Hypipamie National Park, and Malanda, we'll have the chance to see Victoria's Riflebird, Golden Bowerbird, Chowchilla, Eastern Whipbird, large-billed Scrub-Wren, Atherton Scrubwren, White-browed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Spinebill, Fairy Gerygone, Rufous Fantail, Golden Whistler, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, and Yellow-breasted Boatbill. In the evening we will watch a very special event, the arrival of Sarus Cranes and Brolgas at their roost in Bromfield Crater.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge (BLD)
Days 17 & 18, August 31 and September 1: ATHERTON TABLELANDS
Two full days of birding on the Atherton Tablelands. Early morning birding at the Lodge and visits to nearby Lakes Eacham, Lake Barrine, and the Curtain Fig should allow us to see lots of rain forest specialists including Victoria's Riflebird, Superb Fruit-Dove, White-headed and Brown Pigeons, Grey Goshawk, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Lewin's Honeyeater, Barred Cuckoo-Shrike, Eastern Yellow Robin, and Satin and Tooth-billed Bowerbirds. In open country we will look for Eastern Koel, Dollarbird, Australasian Pipit, Cicadabird, Spotted Pardalote, Gray Shrike-Thrush, Red-backed Fairy-Wren, Noisy Friarbird, Tawny Grassbird, Red-browed Firetail, Australian Magpie and many others. Great-crested Grebes live on Lake Barrine. At dusk, there is a chance to see Eastern Grass-Owls and Black-shouldered Kites hunting over fields. Tree Kangaroos are a possibility.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge (BLD)
Day 19. September 2: KURANDA, SKYRAIL, CAIRNS
We will drive back across sthe Tablelands to Kuranda where you will atch the Skyrail, a gondola that takes you over the top of the canopy and provides one last chance to see the tropical rain forest birds. On the way, we'll visit Davie's Creek national Park to look for White-browed Robin and Rufous Owl.
Accommodation: Bay Village in Cairns (BLD)
Day 20, September 3: DEPARTURE
You will be transported to the airport in Cairns for your flight home.
(Breakfast)
The price INCLUDES:
- Lodging
- Meals as indicated
- Expert bird guide during the entire trip
- Services of two Cheepers! Tour guides (Jim and Cindy Beckman)
- Private transportation during tour
- Transfers to and from airport
- All entry fees to reserves on the itinerary
- Fees for all activities listed on the itinerary
- Pre-trip gift package and post-trip photo collection on flash drive or dvd
The price does NOT include:
- International airfare
- Domestic flights within Australia (Darwin - Cairns)
- Tips
- Items of a personal nature, such as extra drinks, snacks, alcoholic beverages, laundry, souvenirs, etc.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
Deposit of $1000 must be sent with registration (link for registration form is at the bottom of this page). Balance is due on or before April 15, 2016.
Checks should be made payable to Cheepers! Birding on a Budget and mailed with the 3-page registration form to:
Cheepers! Birding on a Budget
Post Office Box 385
Spring Valley, OH 45370
Cancellation policy:
Cancellation should be made in writing (email or snail mail)
More than 6 months prior to departure – full refund of deposit
Between 4 and 6 months prior to departure – 50% refund of deposit
Less than 4 months prior to departure – No refund of deposit
If cancellation occurs after full payment is made, a refund will be given only if the vacant spot is filled.
Trip insurance is HIGHLY recommended.
You can compare prices offered by various trip insurance companies at this website:
http://www.quotewright.com/?sub_id=6056
If you travel frequently, you might want to consider an annual plan that covers all of your trips for one yearly premium, such as the Patriot Multi-Trip Plan or the GobeHopper Senior Plan available through AAA.
https://producer.imglobal.com/international-insurance-plans.aspx?imgac=18359
Cheepers! Birding on a Budget LLC reserves the right to make changes in the itinerary if the need should arise due to unforeseeable circumstances such as weather, landslides, and other natural phenomena, as well as suggestions by local guides in order to take advantage of an unusual birding opportunity. Lodging is subject to change based on availability.
| australia_registration_form_08_2016.pdf |