Birdwatching Tropical Australia
Birding Tours Cairns & Port Douglas
We go where the birds are!
Extended Tours for North Queensland
Iron Range - Cape York – fly in fly out ex Cairns
Wet Season
6 days - 5 nights - 4 persons
19th to 24th January 2025 (Sold Out)
(late January to miss the crowds!)
Fly-in-fly out Cairns to Iron Range- January 2024
Birding between Lockhart River and Portland Roads by 4 wheel drive.
Bird Highlights:
Papuan Pitta, Palm Cockatoo, Marbled Frogmouth, Magnificent Riflebird, Red-cheeked Parrot, Papuan Eclectus, Frilled-necked Monarch, Trumpet Manucode, Northern Scrub-robin, White-faced Robin, Spotted Whistling-Duck, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-legged Flycatcher, White-streaked Honeyeater, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Tropical Scrubwren and many more.
This tour is run in late January to miss the crowds and still see the PNG migratory birds and summer breeding events and give you the best possible chance to view some of the birds special to Cape York.
Accommodation is at the Green Hoose in air-conditioned en-suite rooms. Your tour includes air-conditioned accommodation, four wheel drive hire, guides and all meals. Guiding by Doug Herrington.
BOOKINGS : PHONE 0418 757 288
OR
E-MAIL: herrington01@bigpond.com
Pittas at the Tip of Cape York – fly in fly out ex Cairns
Wet Season
6 days - 5 nights
January 2025 (CANCELLED)
(early January)
Fly-in-fly out Cairns to Bamaga- January 2025
Birding between the Tip of Cape York and the Jardine Rivers by 4-wheel drive.
Bird Highlights:
Papuan Pitta, Palm Cockatoo, Marbled Frogmouth, Magnificent Riflebird, Ashy-bellied White-eye, Yellow White-eye, Frilled-necked Monarch, Trumpet Manucode, Northern Scrub-robin, White-browed Robin, Spotted Whistling-Duck, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-legged Flycatcher, White-streaked Honeyeater, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Tropical Scrubwren and many more.
This tour is run in early January to miss the crowds and coincide with the arrival of the PNG migratory birds and summer breeding events and give you the best possible chance to view some of the birds special to Cape York. We also include a walk to the very northern most point of the Australian mainland for those who would like to get there.
Accommodation is at the Cape York Peninsula Lodge in air-conditioned en-suite rooms. Your tour includes air-conditioned accommodation, four wheel drive hire, guides and all meals. Guiding by Doug Herrington and possibly Rob Reed.
BOOKINGS : PHONE 0418 757 288
OR
E-MAIL: herrington01@bigpond.com
Wet Tropics & Lakefield (Rinyirru) National Park
7 days 6 nights - Available June to November 2025
Beginning and ending in Cairns
Min 2, Max 3 guests
(will do a single at the cost of 2 or take 4 if travelling together and willing to reduce luggage)
Price - from $4550 per person sharing depending on meal options chosen.
(Single supplement $750)
Our first day is spent birding the local Cairns area for some of the coastal specials and shore birds. We then drive up to Atherton Tablelands where we will stay 2 nights. Here we do some rainforest birding for the Wet Tropics endemic birds and one evenings spotlighting for mammals and owls. We then drive to the Julatten/Mossman area for the next 2 nights birding the Mareeba/Mt Molloy area along the way. The next 2 days include a 2hr dawn or dusk Daintree River birding cruise and birding Julatten, Port Douglas and Daintree Village area. We then drive to Laura birding along the way. We spend 1 full day in Lakefield (Rinyirru) National Park looking for finches and honeyeaters and then on to Musgrave Roadhouse with the possibility of seeing the Red Goshawk. On our last day we return to Cairns via Artemis Station, home of the Golden-shouldered Parrot.
Bird Highlights:
Wet Torpics endemics, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, white-bellied form of Crimson Finch, Red Goshawk, Golden-shouldered Parrot
Cape York Peninsula 7days
Iron Range NP, Lakefield NP, Artemis Station
7days - Minimum 2 - Maximum 3 passengers
17th - 23rd November 2024 - Sold out
Cost: from $5295 per person twin share+$500 single supplement
This tour departs from Cairns travelling north along the Peninsula Development road to Artemis, a working cattle station, and then to the Musgrave area where we target the Red Goshawk and Golden-shouldered Parrot. We travel on to Iron Range via Coen exploring along the way. The next few days are spent birding Lockhart River, Iron Range, Chilli Beach and Portland Roads. We return to Musgrave for one or two more night where we explore the northern section of Lakefield National Park for finches, honeyeaters and owls before returning to Cairns.
Bird Highlights:
Palm Cockatoo, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Red Goshawk, Marbled Frogmouth, Magnificent Riflebird, Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, Frilled-necked Monarch, Trumpet Manucode, Northern Scrub-robin, White-faced Robin, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-legged Flycatcher, White-streaked Honeyeater, Tawny-breasted Honeyeater, Graceful Honeyeater, Red-cheeked Parrot, Papuan Eclectus, Green-backed Honeyeater, Tropical Scrubwren and many more.
BOOKINGS : PHONE 0418 757 288
OR
E-MAIL: herrington01@bigpond.com
Queensland Wet Tropics Endemics - ex Cairns
2 to 6 days - departures April to January - Min 2 - Max 4 persons
Cost: from $800 per person twin share - dependant on number of days and passenger numbers
This is a tour tailored to your taste and budget. We explore the bird life of the wet tropics with the emphasis on the 12 endemic birds. We can include a 2 hour Daintree River dawn cruise to seek out the Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth or a visit to Etty Bay to observe the Southern Cassowary. We can visit the Atherton Tablelands, Julatten, Daintree, Mareeba, Cairns Esplanade, Cattana Wetlands, Lake Mitchell and the famed Mt Lewis. Spotlighting for owls and nocturnal mammals and birding and snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef are also optional extras that can easily be included. Accommodation from luxury to standard to suit your budget can be found.
Birding Highlights:
Golden and Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Victoria's Riflebird, Chowcilla, Bower's Shrike-thrush, Southern Cassowary, Great-billed Heron, Sarus Crane, Brolga, Fernwren, Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher and many more.