29 Nov 07. Birds of Wallacea co-author and Victor Emanuel Nature Tours Director, David Bishop was along today to see some of Daintree's special birds. This included Lovely Fairy-wrens, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, Bush-hen, Papuan Frogmouth and about 12 Black Bitterns. It is most likely that the bittern sightings involved eight individuals.

25 Nov 07. Wildlife show. On one of the lowest tides for the year as I was preparing for this morning's trip a little wildlife show was underway across from the jetty. Firstly a big Saltwater Crocodile swam down the river and disappeared into a weed bed. A Great Egret flew over the croc and started fishing from the sandbank whilst further downstream a Black-necked Stork was fishing in the shallows. All this happened before 6:00am. The trip was good as well with the highlights being Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth, Peregrine Falcon, White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Osprey with a live fish.

24 Nov 07. White-throated Needletails. First return for our boat trip, dozens of White-throated Needletails were seen at the start of our trip this morning.

22 Nov 07. Oriental Cuckoo. An eventful morning with a sighting of an Oriental Cuckoo without a tail in Barratt Creek. There was a possible sighting earlier near the Daintree Village?

21 Nov 07. Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouths, Cicadabird, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and Channel-billed Cuckoo head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

16 Nov 07. Black Bitterns. This bleak weather may not be to everybody's taste but is sure good for seeing Black Bitterns, another three this morning. Also, Pied Monarchs vocal in two parts of the river.

15 Nov 07. Cyclone Guba. First cyclone for the season which will bring more rain in the coming days. This morning was wet and miserable which, strangely enough is good for finding Black Bitterns, we saw three.

13 Nov 07. Collared Kingfisher. An unusual sighting for the main street of the Daintree Village and one that would have gone unnoticed had it not called, a Collared Kingfisher was seen on powerlines next to the Big Barramundi this morning at 5:55am. Sightings of Collared Kingfishers around the village area in the last 15 years could be counted on one hand.

11 Nov 07. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot were the best this morning, although the kettle of raptors took some beating. Over a burn patch gathered; Wedge-tailed Eagles, Whistling Kites, Black Kites and a solitary Peregrine Falcon.

10 Nov 07. Black Bittern. It has been a little slow this November for Black Bitterns with only three for the month. This morning's sighting was good though with one being found perched and then in flight alongside the boat.

9 Nov 07. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. The best wildlife experience this morning was a split decision. It was a toss up between the beautiful Green Snake, the aerial antics of a Peregrine Falcon or the close up prolonged views of adult male and female Double-eyed Fig-Parrots in Barratt Creek.

8 Nov 07. Warm weather wildlife. If you are contemplating visiting Daintree in this warm weather you might like to do some research; try this link>>

7 Nov 07. Cicadabird. A male Cicadabird in Barratt Creek performed for it's audience this morning providing the best looks that I can recall for years.

6 Nov 07. Oh what a beautiful morning. In marked contrast to later in the day a 6 am cruise on the Daintree River is as pleasant as it is exhilarating and you get to see a lot wildlife at the same time. See the list above.

3 Nov 07. Little Kingfishers. As our records show, there is little chance of seeing Little Kingfishers in November during a high tide. However against the odds this morning we all had good prolonged views of two Little Kingfishers courting.

2 Nov 07. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Two heard and one glimpsed at Stewart's Creek Road this morning.

1 Nov 07. Black Bittern. Overcast, light rain threatening and the earlier start giving ideal conditions to find Black Bitterns.  Halfway along Windy reach, a glimpse, further investigation and then a better look at this mysterious and secretive species, all to schedule.

31 Oct 07. Black Bitterns. The beginning of November is the time for regular Black Bittern sightings and another reason for our departure time to go to 6:00am. There have been sightings this month and they are becoming more vocal with calls heard at Wonga Beach last night and this morning.

30 Oct 07. Grey Plover. Unusual for Daintree we had two Grey Plovers on the sand at low tide near the jetty. The White-breasted Woodswallows  were at it again taking on a Darter that innocently landed next to their nest.

28 Oct 07. The Peregrine Falcon and the White-breasted Woodswallow. Whilst it is not unusual for small birds to dive-bomb perched raptors, it is very unusual to see a Peregrine Falcon in flight being pursued by anything. This morning we saw a Peregrine Falcon in flight being harassed by a White-breasted Woodswallow!

25 Oct 07. Spectacular flocks at dawn. Large flocks of Magpie Geese are being seen regularly in the Daintree Valley shortly before 6:00am. A good vantage point is from the Daintree Road near the ferry turn-off.

24 Oct 07. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher. Eagerly awaited by locals and tour guides is the southerly migration of these colourful kingfishers at this time of year. Well, they're back, in and around the Daintree Village.

23 Oct 07. Cuckoo in the nest. There is a young German ( I think his name is Golo?) scientist in Daintree at present. He is studying cuckoos in Large-billed Gerygone nests. If anyone sees him please get him to contact me as I have one in Barratt Creek near the road.

21 Oct 07. Daintree Wildlife Show. The wind did stop and Daintree turned it on; Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox, Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Doves (one of four rainforest pigeons seen), Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, the list goes on.....................

20 Oct 07. Strong Wind Warning will hopefully be cancelled later today. This morning we only used a small part of the river in our efforts to stay out of the wind and had some moderate success because we did so. This morning's highlights included a Black-fronted Dotterel brooding a chick on the foreshore, a talkative Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, the faithful Papuan Frogmouth on the nest and a glimpse of a Pacific Baza across from the jetty.

19 Oct 07. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Peregrine Falcon were the best today in the strong wind.

18 Oct 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher, female Common Koels, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and a Peregrine Falcon terrorising the flocks in Windy Reach were the backbone of our Daintree Wildlife tour this morning.

17 Oct 07. Daintree Village area, is a hot spot for bird activity early in the morning. In amongst the flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets, Pied Imperial Pigeons, Figbirds and Metallic Starlings look out for some of the scarcer birds like the Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and cuckoos. Try and get in before the hot and windy part of the day.

16 Oct 07. Black Bittern. Another pair have turned up, it looks like we will see more from now on.

14 Oct 07. Comb-crested Jacana on the edge of the Marine Park was the surprise in this morning's wildlife list above.

12 Oct 07. Black Bittern. At the end of this morning's trip (8:30am) we had a Black Bittern flying alongside the boat giving us great views. This will be the first of many sightings over the summer in the freshwater parts of the Daintree River at dawn. Other interesting species were an Amethystine Python and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots excavating a nest. Hot day coming up which will not suit wildlife viewing during the day.

9 Oct 07. Satin Flycatcher. Interesting spring morning with another Dollarbird over Barratt Creek and a solitary male Satin Flycatcher also in Barratt Creek. Five cuckoos heard this morning with three seen. The weather is getting warm now and there are distinct advantages to do your wildlife tour as early as possible. We go to 6:00am from 1 November.

8 Oct 07. Daintree is bursting with activity. Typical of spring in the Daintree there is a lot of activity in the flowering and fruiting trees. Best sighting this morning were hundreds of Metallic Starlings feeding on small bright red figs that are about the size of their eyes. In the sun the starling's eyes were brighter than the fruit in the sun!

7 Oct 07. Dollarbird. First return of a solitary Dollarbird on the powerline over Stewart Creek this morning.

6 Oct 07. Little Red Flying-foxes. A welcome but uncommon sight in the Daintree Valley was a small camp of Little Red Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek this morning.

4 Oct 07. Classic wildlife trip. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Spectacled Flying-foxes, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, four cuckoo species and plenty of other birds just proves once again what a special wildlife venue the freshwater habitats of the Daintree River are at dawn.

3 Oct 07. Papuan Frogmouths. It is that time of year when Papuan Frogmouths start nesting. This morning we had one nesting but a pair not nesting. As time goes on we will have several nesting along the Daintree River for the rest of the year. Some years they will double clutch and will be seen on the nest into January and February.

2 Oct 07. Great-billed Heron, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths (nesting), Channel-billed Cuckoo put in good appearances in the light rainy conditions this morning.

1 Oct 07. Spectacled Flying-fox spectacle. At 6:00am this morning thousands of Spectacled Flying-foxes were seen from the Daintree Road alongside Humbug Reach (sign-marked) as they prepared to settle into their daytime camp. They will also be seen at dusk as they head out for the night. This pattern will likely continue for weeks to come. See: 101 things to do in Daintree>>

29 Sep 07. Great-billed Heron. Excitement at the beginning of the trip as a large dark heron flew high over the boat as we all thought it was a Great-billed Heron. As it descended below the horizon we could see the white neck of a White-necked Heron and the excitement dissolved. (White-necked Herons are not seen in Daintree all that often but are considerably more common the Great-billed Herons) As it turned out we saw a Great-billed Heron at the end of the trip.

28 Sep 07. Drying up out west. More evidence of western waterholes drying up with Australasian Grebe and Pacific Black Duck present today around the village. Welcome sighting of Great-billed Heron, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Little Kingfisher and Eastern Water Dragon.

27 Sep 07. Spangled Drongos. Whilst there is a sedentary population of drongos at Daintree there are flocks that pass through in spring to breed down south. A small flock passed over the village this morning. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Lovely Fairy-wrens, Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Papuan Frogmouths head up this morning's bird list. As predicted the Peregrine Falcon was there again this morning.

26 Sep 07. Peregrine Falcon. For the last two mornings we have had an adult Peregrine Falcon perched in the sun offering one of the best photographic opportunities I have ever seen for this species. There is every chance it will be there again tomorrow. Check out Passengers photos>>

25 Sep 07. Great-billed Heron, Peregrine Falcon, Green Tree Snakes, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Wompoo Fruit-Dove were amongst this morning's wildlife checklist.

24 Sep 07. Welcome rain. 12mm of rain overnight was the first significant fall for almost three weeks. The birdlife in Barratt Creek was particularly active with all the honeyeaters and three rainforest pigeon species seen this morning.

23 Sep 07. Cool mornings and warm days as summer approaches. Best wildlife species this morning were Barred cuckoo-shrikes and Great-billed Heron. Along this morning were travel writers Steven Miller and Linda Rathbun from www.naturalwanders.com The location of the heron was kindly given to us by Daintree Experience.

22 Sep 07. Shining Flycatcher "stand off". One of the most interesting spectacles in spring is the territorial displays and vocalisations of Shining Flycatchers. It usually features two pairs as they prepare to nest too close to each other. The erect gesticulating and harsh guttural calls are accompanied by furious flying in tight circles and continues for many minutes as each pair claims their territory.

20 Sep 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Papuan Frogmouths, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and five kingfisher species head up this morning's wildlife list.

19 Sep 07. Pied Monarch and Lovely Fairy-wrens were the highlights for the visiting birdwatchers this morning. The rest of the wildlife was very similar to yesterday except for the Little Kingfisher. There is a build up of Spectacled Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek as they approach their maternity time in about a weeks time.

18 Sep 07. Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Papuan Frogmouths, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Azure and Little Kingfishers head up an impressive wildlife list this morning.

17 Sep 07. Superb Fruit-Dove. It was hard to isolate a highlight from this morning's trip from; the Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos to the Wompoo Fruit-Doves to the Azure & Little Kingfishers or the choreography and vocalisations of two Great Egrets. Judging by the faces of the passengers it was the Superb Fruit-Dove that flew passed the front of the boat through the brilliant sunshine.

15 Sep 07. Universal Raptors. Amongst the crocodiles, kingfishers and cuckoos this morning we were treated to good views of an Osprey and a Peregrine Falcon in the calm conditions before the wind came in.

13 Sep 07. Five Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher on this mornings trip.

11 Sep 07. Drying conditions. As the country out west dries out the water holes we gain more birds in the Daintree Valley. The arrival of Green Pygmy Geese and Olive-backed Orioles this morning would be good examples.

9 Sep 07. Copulating Colubrids. Continuing with our "Spring has sprung" theme we saw several Green Tree Snakes (Coubridae family) paired up together, most in the dappled sunlight in Barratt Creek.

7 Sep 07. Great-billed Heron. There is nothing quite like being in a tiny rainforest lined creek when passing overhead flies a huge heron with slow and long wing beats reminiscent of a Pterodactyl from the TV series "Living with Dinosaurs". Some of the other good birds included Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and Papuan Frogmouths.

6 Sep 07. Black Bittern. Alex Huizinga, from Holland, especially wanted to a Black Bittern this morning. I mentioned that they are here in good numbers from late October but it would be highly unlikely to see one today. Gliding under Barratt Creek bridge and looking at a sunny patch for the resident crocodile, was, surprise, surprise, a Black Bittern sunning itself. It is likely to stay.

5 Sep 07. Spring is Sprung. Keep an eye on fruiting trees. This morning was particularly active, calling cuckoos, courting kingfishers and the spring migrants continue to roll in. See checklist above.

1 Sep 07. First day of Spring. See Seasonal variations for Spring>> Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Azure Kingfisher, Nankeen Night Heron and Shining Flycatchers head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

30 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher and Shinning Flycatchers stole the wildlife show this morning before the strong wind arrived in the Daintree.

28 Aug 07. Kingfisher morning. Averaging 4 kingfisher species per trip, we saw this morning, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher. To our delight the Little Kingfisher was the better sighting with it staying alongside the boat for several minutes and allowing great photographic opportunities.

24 Aug 07. Australian Hobby. Interesting morning with a vocal Australian Hobby overhead, White-eared monarch, Australian Pelican, Common Koel and Green Tree Snake along with a lot of other birds.

23 Aug 07. Snakes Alive. Cold morning with the sun breaking through the mist revealed lots of Green Tree Snakes as we went around the Daintree River this morning. Saltwater Crocodile and Little Kingfisher were other highlights.

22 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Little Kingfisher, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Cicadabird, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot were seen this morning along with a lot of birds around the Daintree Village.

21 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Little Kingfisher, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Channel-billed Cuckoo head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

19 Aug 07. The first Koel. Heard, before first light, at Wonga Beach this morning was the first Common Koel for the spring.

18 Aug 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth were the specials this morning before the wind came in from the coast.

17 Aug 07. Wonga Beach up-date. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos are calling strongly along the creek at Oleander Drive near Marlin Drive and a Wedge-tailed Eagle has been seen along Dagmar Range being harassed by a Whistling Kite. Beach Stone-Curlew is still a regular on the beach at the end of Janbal Street.

14 Aug 07. Gould's (Little) Bronze-Cuckoo. This morning we were alerted to a Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo by it's call. After months of not hearing them, one was heard at Wonga Beach yesterday as well. Large-billed Gerygones are also being seen pairing up along the river which might explain the sudden cuckoo calls.

13 Aug 07. Peregrine Falcon. In the open country this morning only the bigger birds could be seen and as we went down Windy Reach we saw why; an adult male Peregrine Falcon cruised overhead. Two Saltwater Crocodiles were also seen in the water. We saw the wake of one swimming from a long way off in the calm conditions but when we caught up it submerged. The second one was at the waters edge staying long enough for us all to see it.

11 Aug 07. Great-billed Heron. On a quiet morning in light rain we were rewarded with the mystical Great-billed Heron in a little rainforest creek. It was a bit of a heron morning with several Nankeen Night Herons and vocalisations from Striated Heron, White-faced Heron and Great Egret.

10 Aug 07. Spring continues to be sprung. Common Sandpiper arrived in the Daintree River. This is the first return of Common Sandpipers that have been breeding in Siberia during the Northern Hemisphere summer.

9 Aug 07. Brown-backed Honeyeater. Very common in it's range, Brown-backed Honeyeaters herald the arrival of Spring in the Daintree. One solitary bird high in a tree was seen at the end of the trip this morning. Thanks also to Ballarat's BOCA president, Neville Gloury, for his helping hand. Neville was one of four school teachers on board.

7 Aug 07. This morning we did a second trip at 8:30am. These early morning tours are not scheduled but we are happy to undertake a second trip for groups of 10, 11 or 12 passengers. Discounts for the second tour will be given to seniors, students or clubs.

6 Aug 07. Daintree at dawn is calm. Whilst it is windy on the coast during the day at present it is very pleasant on the Daintree River early. Today's early morning trip yielded some great wildlife: Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Herons, Azure and Little Kingfishers.

3 Aug 07. Victoria's Riflebird. Australia's only endemic Bird of Paradise was seen and photographed during this mornings trip. Also an unusual event was some airborne vocalisations from Little Egrets squabbling over a small patch of shallow water.

2 Aug 07. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest, Sacred, Little and Azure Kingfishers seen this morning.

1 Aug 07. Wompoo Fruit-Dove. Daintree is a good place to see Wompoo Fruit-Doves, but what takes your breath away is when they sit in the early morning sun. This morning a pair where in the sun in an open tree, one facing one way and the other facing the other way. A Peregrine Falcon was also perched in the sun facing us with a freshly killed Metallic Starling in it's right talons.

29 Jul 07. In the brilliant sunlight an adult male Peregrine Falcon went through it's paces for us streaking along Windy Reach. In the open not another bird moved. This morning was punctuated with Green Tree Snakes in the early morning sun as were the Papuan Frogmouths and Nankeen Night Herons.  Dramatic change from yesterday's rain.

27 Jul 07. Birdwatcher's bonus. Pied Monarch, White-eared Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth and Little Kingfisher this morning.

26 Jul 07. Grey Goshawk. Flinders University Eco-tourism graduate Sarah Burgess brought up her 250th tick with a Grey Goshawk during this morning's trip in the light rain. On her second trip with us, Sarah was travelling with an eco-tourism student prior to departing on a field trip to Borneo. Our dawn river tour is often used as an example in the eco-tourism course at Flinders University.

25 Jul 07. A holidaying Canberra Times journalist kept us entertained in between our wildlife sightings this morning and is sure to mention his Daintree birdwatching experiences in his nature column in the near future.

23 Jul 07. Spectacular bird show. What a morning before the wind; heading up the list Pacific Baza, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Little Kingfisher and Wompoo Fruit-Dove......................

20 Jul 07. Windy weather. There is a strong wind current and will last for another day or two. One of the advantages of operating a wildlife tour early at the Daintree Village is that the wind does not establish until 9 o'clock or so and by then we have finished our tour.

19 Jul 07. Peregrine Falcon. As we watched fascinated, a Peregrine Falcon made three passes at an Australian White Ibis at the Daintree River jetty this morning. The falcon then disappeared up the hill bringing to an end an unusual interaction. It was on 1 Jul  last year that a Peregrine Falcon took a Masked Lapwing as it was attacking a Whistling Kite that was flying over the Lapwing's nest.

17 Jul 07. Great-billed Heron swallows huge Black Bream. Photo coming! This morning we came across a Great-billed Heron with a large Black Bream in the shallow waters of Windy Reach. All on board were of the unanimous opinion that the fish was to big for the poor heron to swallow. To our surprise and delight it swallowed it over a period of 5 minutes!

16 Jul 07. Brown Goshawk. You would think a Brown Goshawk would be able to perch where it wanted to and soak up the sun on a cold morning. Out of the blue came a Forest Kingfisher that swooped on the goshawk and drove it off only to then perch in the place that was vacated. Great tides and weather over the next few days.

14 Jul 07. Green Tree Snake, White-eared Monarch, Papuan Frogmouth, Barred Cuckoo-shrike (distant), Double-eyed Fig-Parrott, Channel-billed Cuckoo (fleeting) and Pacific Baza headed up today's checklist.

13 Jul 07. Stunning reflections. Along with the wildlife our passengers remark upon the ambience of the Daintree River at dawn. The air is still at that time and the surface of the river is like glass giving stunning reflections and making it easy to see and hear the smaller birds of the rainforest. At about 10:00am the high tide will ebb against the trade winds and Windy Reach will live up to it's name.

12 Jul 07. Superb Fruit-Dove, White-eared Monarch, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth headed up the wildlife checklist this morning.

9 Jul 07. Saltwater Crocodile and the Little Black Cormorant. You don't often see an interaction between a Saltwater Crocodile and other wildlife species. This morning however, there was a Little Black Cormorant in the water within a few metres of a crocodile on the bank both eyeing each other. As we watched the crocodile entered the water and the cormorant ducked under the surface to see were it went. It came back up almost straight away and flew off in the other direction!

8 Jul 07. Bob Steele photography. For the last two days I have had the pleasure of having one of America's leading wildlife photographers on board and he is coming out again tomorrow. Already Bob has photographed some of our more important birds and a Green Tree Snake. In time I will have a link to these photos from our passengers photos page to his website>>>

7 Jul 07. White-eared Monarch put in a good appearance for an experienced birdwatching group this morning as the sun broke through the mist. They were fortunate with Azure and Little Kingfisher, both putting in close-ups for the cameras. At one point it sounded like the paparazzi were in Daintree. Camera boat link....>>>>

6 Jul 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Great-billed Heron and great close up looks at Nankeen Night Heron, Azure, Sacred and Little Kingfisher made for an interesting wildlife trip this morning.

5 Jul 07. Good birds this morning. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, White-eared Monarch along with over-wintering Pied Imperial Pigeon and Channel-billed Cuckoo.

4 Jul 07. Great-billed Heron. Our two best bird turned out this morning, along with the Great-billed Heron we also had prolonged looks at Little Kingfisher. Channel-billed Cuckoo also turned up again in the big tree opposite the jetty.

3 Jul 07. Australian King Parrot; small flock seen this morning at the top end of Windy Reach. Records of this parrot in the Daintree Valley are very sparse, maybe 3 records in 20 years?

2 Jul 07. Copulating Dotterels. Although it is mid-winter in Daintree some birds still breed at this time of year and we were treated to two Black-fronted Dotterels copulating on the beach just metres from the boat.

30 Jun 07. Endemic encounter. Victoria's Riflebird and Pied Monarch were amongst our bird list for this morning along with some other specials; White-eared Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Azure and Little Kingfisher.

29 Jun 07. Pied Imperial Pigeon. Another migrant species over-wintering in Daintree. Interaction between Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfisher was interesting. After observing Little Kingfisher up close for some time an Azure Kingfisher charged in took over the territory. The incident highlighted the difference in size between the two.

28 Jun 07. Great-billed Heron heads up an impressive bird list for this morning. Great winter's morning with a crisp chill (14 °C) to start and brilliant sunshine to finish our dawn tour.

24 Jun 07. Secretive Saltwater Crocodile. Eagle-eyed Ben Blewitt from Cassowary Tours Cairns spotted the slinky saurian swimming in Barratt Creek long before the others on the boat did. Big crocodiles swimming in the water do not show up well. The birds were good too: Papuan Frogmouth, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Pacific Baza, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers were also seen in the overcast conditions.

20 Jun 07. Channel-billed Cuckoos. Incredibly we have seen Channel-billed Cuckoos seven mornings this month. They are common throughout their range but they are normally in New Guinea at this time of year! Good views, for our hardy group in this morning's rainy conditions, of Azure Kingfisher, Shining Flycatchers, Papuan Frogmouths and Green Tree Snake.

17 Jun 07. Daintree Village. The fig tree at the top of the boat ramp is bursting with activity. The main species feeding and vocalising in the tree are Figbirds and in amongst them are Double-eyed Fig-Parrots which are essentially quiet. Every now and then all the birds suddenly leave and it is then that the diminutive Fig-Parrots become vocal, also taking to the wing, and more easily seen. Look also for Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

15 Jun 07. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. Good close looks at a Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo this morning and the fig tree at the top of the boat ramp at Daintree Village is still very active.

14 Jun 07. Bird of Paradise. A Victoria's Riflebird was this morning's highlight along with Green Tree Snakes and Pied Monarch. The light soaking rain today will be of great benefit to one of our best tourism assets, the Daintree Rainforest.

13 Jun 07. Daintree Village, at the top of the Boat Ramp is a large fig tree in full fruit. For the next few days it is going to be bombarded by birds the most noteworthy of which will be Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. They will not be as obvious as the Figbirds. This morning's Daintree River tour yielded a solitary Channel-billed Cuckoo and a Pied Monarch.

11 Jun 07. Lots of Green Tree Snakes  with the cold (14 °) morning along with Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Papuan Frogmouth and Cannel-billed Cuckoo were the most interesting wildlife species today.

9 Jun 07. Monarch morning. Pied Monarch and White-eared Monarch were the most significant of the birds this morning, both seen well in the bright sunshine along with Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Heron and Channel-billed Cuckoos. Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher also deserve a mention. The trip started this morning in the mist with an air temperature of 12 ° and developed into a beautiful tropical winter's day.

7 Jun 07. Channel-billed Cuckoos. For the last two mornings we have seen Channel-billed Cuckoos in Windy Reach. Channel-billed Cuckoos are summer visitors and passage migrants in Daintree. They are rarely seen in Australia during the winter. Victoria's Riflebirds were also spotted this morning.

6 Jun 07. Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher made for an interesting trip in the light rain this morning.

5 Jun 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Eastern Water Dragon, Green Tree Snake, Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfisher were this morning's highlights most of which proved good photographic subjects.

4 Jun 07. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher seen and Blue-winged Kookaburra heard.

3 Jun 07. Winter is upon us.  Cool mornings; read about it here>>>

2 Jun 07. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth and Wompoo Fruit-Dove heads up an impressive list, above, on a mild winter's morning.

29 May 07. Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Green Tree Snakes and Papuan Frogmouths proved the most interesting wildlife species this morning.

22 May 07. Pied Imperial Pigeon, yesterday at 3:30pm halfway along Oleander Drive, Wonga Beach a solitary Pied Imperial Pigeon was sighted. Pied Imperial Pigeons are here during the summer and nest at Low Isles just off Wonga Beach. To have one here in winter is unusual.

21 May 07. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Eastern Water Dragon, Nankeen Night Heron and Papuan Frogmouth were the best of what started out a quiet morning but improved in our second hour.

20 May 07. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake and Wompoo Fruit-Dove head up a good list of wildlife this morning.

19 May 07. Great-billed Herons, Saltwater Crocodiles, Green Tree Snake and Nankeen Night Heron were amongst the more spectacular wildlife species this morning.

17 May 07. Better tides coming up over the next few days. Lower tides help seeing into the tidal zone for some of the kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and Saltwater Crocodiles. This morning we started with a low tide but finished with a high tide however we saw Azure Kingfisher and Shining Flycatchers at the start.

14 May 07. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Biggest surprise of the morning was a very vocal Channel-billed Cuckoo at the Daintree Village jetty. As it turned out there were three of them and they disappeared over the river at 8:30am.

13 May 07. Best wildlife this morning; Forest, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

10 May 07. Strong SE wind for the next few days.  We are fortunate at dawn that the winds have not reached the freshwater reaches of the Daintree River where we go. Best sightings this morning were; Brown Cuckoo-Doves, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Shining Flycatchers.

7 May 07. Wet Morning. Despite the rain we did alright as the above list shows. Best were; Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Frogmouth, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Green Tree Snake.

5 May 07. Good wildlife morning. For a quiet time of the year and a persistent Peregrine Falcon around the village we put in a good morning. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Eastern Water Dragon, Pacific Baza, Forest, Sacred, Azure & Little Kingfisher White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Wompoo Fruit-Dove all in 2 hours.

1 May 07. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburras, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers. We also have a Green Tree Snake that has been using the same branch to sun it's self four days in a row.

30 Apr 07. Fairy Martins were seen opposite the Daintree Village jetty at the close of this morning's trip. It is unusual to Fairy Martins in and around the village at any time. The flock was about 20 strong. Also unusual for the Daintree Valley, a murder of Torresian Crows near the Crossroads Cafe.

29 Apr 07. Great weather set the scene for this morning's wildlife. Still the odd Black Bittern around, Green Tree Snakes, Victoria's Riflebird and Yellow-breasted Boatbill headed up a good list above.

25 Apr 07. Welcome home on ANZAC DAY. A Darter and a Little Black Cormorant have returned to the Daintree River. Also this week Australian White Ibis and Straw-necked Ibis have returned to the Daintree Valley. This morning's trip's best were Peregrine Falcon and Black Bittern.

23 Apr 07. Green Tree Snakes, as we get into winter conditions reptile sightings become more reliable as the above table shows. This morning's trip was highlighted by two Green Tree Snakes lying on branches in full sunlight to take in some heat.

20 Apr 07. Photographic Tour. This morning's tour concentrated on photography and, as it turned out, fortune smiled on us. Posing for the camera were; Saltwater Crocodile, Eastern Water Dragon, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher, Welcome Swallow and Bar-shouldered Dove. At this time of the morning the night flowering Barringtonia racemosa or Freshwater Mangrove was still in flower and made a nice study in still life.

18 Apr 07. Sunny morning. And perhaps the best wildlife conditions this month. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Black Bittern, Brush Cuckoo and Cicadabird were the pick of the bunch.

17 Apr 07. Black Bitterns again this morning from a different part of the river indicates that they are still here for a while yet. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and a Green Tree Snake added to a truly beautiful morning in the early morning sun.

14 Apr 07. Black Bittern, Green Tree Snake and Peregrine Falcon head the wildlife checklist on yet another squally morning.

13 Apr 07. Kamol Komolphalin, co-illustrator of "A guide to the Birds of Thailand" was along this morning with some Thai birdwatchers and Jim and Carolyn Harmon from the United States. It wasn't probably our finest hour in the rainy conditions until a Black-necked Stork, in flight, closely crossed our bow. The main significance being that there is only one of these storks left in Thailand.

12 Apr 07. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Black Bitterns head today's list. In fact Little Kingfisher was one of five kingfisher species in this morning's wildlife checklist.

9 Apr 07. Weather woes come in three ways. The rain brings the river up, the rain makes it uncomfortable and the wind makes everything move. Despite that this morning's stalwarts were rewarded for their patience with terrific views of Shining Flycatchers feeding their young, Channel-billed Cuckoos along with Azure and Sacred Kingfishers.

7 Apr 07. Black Bitterns are still here and we managed two sightings this morning. Other interesting wildlife included Green Tree Snake, Azure, Sacred, Forest and Little Kingfisher.

2 Apr 07. Peregrine Falcon. This morning was quieter than normal due to three main reasons; high water level, windy conditions at dawn and a Peregrine Falcon which we had good looks at on the wing at about 8:00am. Good performances put in by a Green Tree Snake, Black Bittern, Rainbow Bee-eaters, Sacred and Forest Kingfishers.

30 Mar 07. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos, Cicadabird, Black Bittern and Green Tree Snake head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

29 Mar 07. Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Black Bittern, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher and Green Tree Snakes were the best of our wildlife list this morning.

27 Mar 07. Back after the wet season recess. Best bird this morning was Black Bittern. Swollen river due to recent rain.

30 Jan 07. Black Bitterns, four seen this morning and some were calling in the pre-dawn. Our working year comes to an end as the wet season starts, back again on 27 March 2007.

26 Jan 07. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots are active around Daintree Wonga Beach at anytime. At present there are some at 27/29 Oleander Drive, Wonga Beach complete with vocalisations.

24 Jan 07. Beach Stone-Curlew. Late yesterday afternoon and the day before at the same time of day two Beach Stone-Curlews were seen on Wonga Beach at the end of Janbal Street off Marlin Drive.

22 Jan 07. Black Bitterns, Little Kingfishers and Papuan Frogmouths were today's best.

19 Jan 07. Channel-billed Cuckoos. Spotted this morning were eight Channel-billed Cuckoos over from the jetty. Most appeared to be immatures and may be on their way north. Good performance from Black Bitterns with strong vocalisations in the pre-dawn.

13 Jan 07. Hot humid weather at present before the rains. It pays to get out early in the cool part of the day. Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo were the best of the birds this morning.

9 Jan 07. Daintree - Wonga Beach Birdwatching walk. Following the birdwatching trail this morning from the Daintree - Wonga Beach map >> a short walk revealed three hard to find species; Black Bittern, Beach Stone-Curlew and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

8 Jan 07. Black Bitterns are active around the fresh water areas of the Daintree River with four sightings this morning and one calling at Stewart's Creek. Today's trip was devoted to professional photography the results of which will be seen soon.

3 Jan 07. Black Bitterns around this morning after a strange absence yesterday. Still three Papuan Frogmouths nesting and a lovely Green Tree Snake at Stewart's Creek for passenger Roy Stewart to photograph.

2 Jan 07. Great-billed Herons this morning, calling and displaying in two parts of the river.  Good haul of cuckoos as the list above shows.

30 Dec 06. Black Bitterns galore in the rainy conditions. Probably only 5 individuals but there were 7 sightings in all as we cruised around the fresh water parts near the Daintree Village. The wildlife table above shows a good haul considering the conditions.

29 Dec 06. Lesser Sooty Owl. After a rather wet morning with a high tide we finished with Black Bittern and Papuan Frogmouth which were new species for everyone on board.  We then walked up the boat ramp and encountered a wet Tyto owl with out-stretched wings drying off. Closer inspection showed it to be a Lesser Sooty Owl. We managed daylight photographs and had good looks both perched, drying and flying.

27 Dec 06. Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher, Chestnut-breasted Manikin, female Common Koel, Green Tree Snake and Eastern Water Dragon headed up this morning's wildlife checklist.

23 Dec 06. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo head up a good list this morning, see above.

20 Dec 06. Best wildlife this morning was a Green Tree Snake and a small group of Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos.

17 Dec 06. White-throated Needletails. Just before this morning's departure Several White-throated Needletails were observed over the Daintree Village for 15 minutes or so.

15 Dec 06. Five Cuckoo morning. Oriental Cuckoo and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos are in the five cuckoos listed in the table above. Other good birds include Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouths.

11 Dec 06. Best birds this morning were Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouths, Wompoo Fruit-Doves and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

7 Dec 06. Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouth were the best birds this morning.

6 Dec 06. Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth and fleeting glimpse of a secretive Black Bittern added to this morning's wildlife experience in the cool part of the day.

4 Dec 06. Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos. A first sighting for me in the Daintree Valley of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos(7) this morning flying up the valley toward the Great Dividing Range in line with Mount Carbine where they are quite common. Good bird sightings this morning were Black Bitterns and a Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, both calling.

3 Dec 06. Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

2 Dec 06. Black Bittern and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo were our best birds today. Hot conditions are not good for finding reptiles and the mammals are asleep during the day.

30 Nov 06. Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth and Shining Flycatchers head up this morning's wildlife checklist.

29 Nov 06. Great-billed Herons, Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouths, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were the best birds this morning.

26 Nov 06. Black Bitterns. Three Black Bitterns were seen this morning in the fresh water reaches of the Daintree River. Two in particular offered good extended views at the water's edge of the Daintree River just upstream from the junction of Stewart's Creek and the main river.

24 Nov 06. Great-billed Heron and Black Bitterns were our best birds this morning.

23 Nov 06. Beach Stone-curlew. After an absence of several weeks a lone Beach Stone-curlew was seen at Wonga Beach shortly before dusk at the end of Janbal Street. Wonga Beach map at www.daintree.info

21 Nov 06. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, fleeting glimpse of Little Kingfisher and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot head up this morning's wildlife checklist. Spectacled Flying-foxes can be seen around the village and Daintree Road about 5:30am.

19 Nov 06. High wind, high tide made little difference to our rare bird morning. Great-billed Herons, Black Bitterns and Oriental Cuckoo. Other niceties were Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Nankeen Night Herons.

17 Nov 06. Saltwater Crocodile was seen just over from the jetty this morning on the lowish tide at dawn. Pleasant morning early in the cool before the strong wind came in.

16 Nov 06. Another cool misty morning and this time we had two Great-billed Herons and three Black Bitterns.

14 Nov 06. Cool misty morning helped us find three secretive Black Bitterns, other good birds included Cicadabird and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo.

12 Nov 06. Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers are back in Daintree arriving last night. Best wildlife this morning; Saltwater Crocodiles, Black Bittern and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos.

11 Nov 06. Humid conditions and now some welcome rain. Best wildlife this morning; Papuan Frogmouth, Brown-backed Honeyeaters at their second nest for spring and Azure Kingfisher.

9 Nov 06. Saltwater Crocodile, Black Bitterns and Papuan Frogmouth were the best of the wildlife in the cool conditions of our dawn trip this morning.

4 Nov 06. Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron and Cicadabird were the best of the wildlife this morning.

2 Nov 06. Up a creek without a paddle. We invested an hour up Stewart's Creek in search of Black Bitterns this morning. This is as far as I have ever been up this creek and the result was broken starter motor, Great-billed Heron but no Black Bitterns. Into a billabong down from the Village minutes later and bingo, Black Bittern that landed on a branch in clear view. Then into Rainforest Bend and two more with one flying toward us and again landing in view. The other interesting wildlife this morning was a Saltwater Crocodile lurking over from the jetty and sightings of no less than five Gould's Bronze-Cuckoos. Starter motor fixed, thank you Cliff.

1 Nov 06. Black Bitterns. Almost without fail Black Bitterns are seen at dawn in the fresh water parts of the Daintree River starting in November and going right through until April.

29 Oct 06. Warmer weather. We will probably experience warmer weather from now on until the rains come. Our wildlife tour departure time moves to 6:00am (Queensland time) on 1 November.

27 Oct 06. Good tides, good time of year, good early morning calm weather produce good conditions for wildlife viewing as the above checklist shows.

26 Oct 06. Black Bittern, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Frogmouth, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and Saltwater Crocodile were the highlights for this morning's wildlife adventure.

23 Oct 06. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Saltwater Crocodile head up this mornings wildlife checklist.

22 Oct 06. The big four. Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth were seen during this morning's trip. The view of the Black Bittern was fleeting which is typical of the species.

21 Oct 06. Calm conditions at dawn are a great asset with the untidy weather conditions we are experiencing this October. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Spectacled Flying-fox, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth.

19 Oct 06. Great-billed Heron. Fleeting look at a Great-billed Heron helped with a trying morning in the wind and rain. Pacific Baza also put in an appearance whilst we were looking at a Papuan Frogmouth and later, after the trip, alighted in the large tree above the public toilets at the top of the boat ramp. The wet conditions on the last two trips has helped with Green Tree Snake sightings. Improving weather and lower tides should help over the next week.

17 Oct 06. Black Bittern. Good wildlife show this morning with nesting Saltwater Crocodile, Black Bittern, Green Tree Snake, Gould's Bronze Cuckoo, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Papuan Frogmouth.
17 Oct 2006 is the 12th anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Commission coming to Daintree to record the dawn chorus for setting to music for the 1995 Brisbane Biennial. You can get an idea of what they recorded by standing near Barratt Creek bridge from 5:30am to 6:30am and simply listening!

16 Oct 06. Black Bittern. Best wildlife this morning was; Black Bittern, Papuan Frogmouth and Saltwater Crocodiles. Lots of bird activity and vocalisations in the Daintree Valley from Wonga Beach to Daintree Village.

14 Oct 06. Spring is in full swing. Stormbirds in the blustery rainy conditions, kettles of swifts on the air currents, other cuckoos calling, birds nesting and crocodiles becoming more secretive are all hallmarks of spring in Daintree.

12 Oct 06. Aggressive behavior. Welcome Swallows showed aggressive behavior toward nesting Shining Flycatchers this morning that puzzled us all. Good wildlife show this morning despite the gusty wind conditions as the above list shows.

10 Oct 06. Broad-billed Flycatcher. Possible Broad-billed Flycatcher this morning that I hope to study a little more over the coming days. Best wildlife this morning; Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Black Bittern.

9 Oct 06. Passage migrants seen in the last two days have been a Satin Flycatcher and Black-faced Monarch. Couple of crocs this morning with Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Channel-billed Cuckoo. Common Koel seen and heard before the trip and a fleeting glimpse of a Brush Cuckoo midway through the trip.

8 Oct 06. Best wildlife this morning; Little Saltwater Crocodile, big Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Herons, Little Kingfishers, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Lovely Fairy-wrens, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Rufous Fantail and Fairy Gerygone.

7 Oct 06. Black Bitterns. Two Black Bitterns head up this morning's wildlife list closely followed by Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Gould's Bronze Cuckoos. With the warm weather on us reptile sightings will not be as frequent.

3 Oct 06. Cicadabird and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo were the best birds this morning in amongst the blustery wind. The very large Saltwater Crocodile in Barratt Creek and the Spectacled Flying-fox camp upstream from the village created a fair amount of interest as well. Four nocturnal species in the list above.

29 Sep 06. Two trips this morning. After our normal scheduled dawn tour we backed up to take out a little nature trip for some school children and their parents. The children were wonderfully well behaved and took most interest in seeing Saltwater Crocodiles.

28 Sep 06. Spectacled Flying-foxes. 5:40am on the way to work I had spectacular views of Spectacled Flying-foxes from the lookout at Windy Reach on the Daintree Road. These mega bats were drinking on the wing over the mirror like conditions of the Daintree River prior to roosting for the day at Barratt Creek. Best birds this morning were Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

27 Sep 06. Blustery conditions on the coast. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Spectacled Flying-foxes on the wing, Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Peregrine Falcon.

26 Sep 06. Best birds this morning were; Great-billed Heron, Common Koel, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouth.

24 Sep 06. Best birds this morning were; Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, White-browed Crake, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot and Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo.

23 Sep 06. Spring is in full swing. Best birds this morning were Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes. There has been an influx of Brush Cuckoos overnight and many smaller birds are building nests. Great time to visit the Daintree Valley.

22 Sep 06. Great early morning weather. Really good conditions for the next few mornings with good low tides and good weather. Best birds this morning Great-billed Heron and Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

19 Sep 06. Dollarbird. First return of Dollarbird. After an interesting but blustery morning I spied a Dollarbird on the powerlines on the Daintree Road, 2 kms from the Ferry turnoff towards the Daintree Village.

18 Sep 06. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. It was hard to pick a highlight out of this morning's wildlife trip with Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths and Little Kingfisher but the Double-eyed Fig-Parrots in the open tree would be close.

17 Sep 06. Green Tree Snake. We normally see Green Tree Snakes lying on branches over-hanging the river. They do this to sun themselves and have an escape route from predatory birds by falling into the water. This morning we happened on one that was mid-stream in Barratt Creek and watched as it swam back over to the side and climbed back onto a branch.

16 Sep 06. Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburras, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers were seen from the boat, with a Blue-winged Kookaburra at the oval, adding to the wildlife list this morning with Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snakes, Common Koel and Channel-billed Cuckoo.

14 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snake head up the wildlife list for this morning. Still windy conditions but not as brisk as yesterday.

13 Sep 06. Blustery conditions. At present there is a strong wind warning along the east Queensland coast and instead of our normal calm conditions at dawn we got the wind earlier than normal. It made very little difference as the wildlife checklist above shows. Best wildlife was; Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths and a long line of Channel-billed Cuckoos at the end of the trip.

12 Sep 06. Little Kingfisher. Good views of Azure, Sacred, Forest and Little Kingfishers this morning along with Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes and Papuan Frogmouths.

11 Sep 06. Saltwater Crocodiles. Low tides and lots of sunshine after a cool night are a good combination for wildlife viewing. Good views of crocodiles, Shining Flycatchers, Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfishers.

10 Sep 06. Stunning weather. Not a cloud in the sky for the last few days and likely to be that way for a few more yet. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes and Great-billed Heron.

8 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. Best bird this morning was Great-billed Heron, other wildlife included Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake and Spectacled Flying-fox.

7 Sep 06. Grey Goshawk. Good view of Grey Goshawk both in flight and perched this morning. It was being chased by a Black Butcherbird and a Yellow Oriole.

6 Sep 06. Little Tern. Unusual for this far upstream, we had a Little Tern in the Daintree River this morning. Other good birds were Great-billed Heron and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

5 Sep 06. Spring has Sprung. Gone are the cool mornings that characterise our winter and plants are flowering and fruiting. One cuckoo specie was seen today and another two cuckoo species were heard as the migrants come down from the north to breed.

4 Sep 06. Common Koel. First return for Common Koel this morning seen in bare tree next to the fig tree at the top of boat ramp. We can now expect a big influx of Koels with lots of loud raucous vocalisations.

2 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. Better looks at Great-billed Heron this morning but only fleeting views of Little Kingfisher. Barred Cuckoo-shrikes are regular visitors to the fig tree at the top of the boat ramp in the village. They have been there in small flocks at mid-morning for the last 5 days or so.

1 Sep 06. Great-billed Heron. One of the trickiest birds to find, a Great-billed Heron flew over the boat this morning, so close it blotted out the sun. Other good wildlife included Little Kingfisher that was almost photographed in the same frame with a Nankeen Night Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes and Eastern Water Dragon.

30 Aug 06. Saltwater Crocodile and Nankeen Night Heron. At 6:45am we glided under the overhanging trees in the dark and closed end of a small billabong. Our attention was drawn to a small crocodile swimming in the shallow crystal clear water as it went  under a branch where a very alert night heron was perched. The heron appeared unconcerned but  watched every move of the crocodile. Mike Newman, from Newcastle, photographed the scene and I hope to put it on our "passenger's photos" page later this week.

28 Aug 06. Best Wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Great-billed Herons, Little Kingfishers( 1 of 6 species seen ), Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

26 Aug 06. Fork-tailed Swift. First return for Fork-tailed Swift, other good birds were; White-eared Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Barred Cuckoo-shrike. We finished this morning's tour with two copulating Green Tree Snakes across from the Daintree Village jetty.

 24 Aug 06. Best Wildlife this morning was; Amethystine Python, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfishers, Pacific Baza, Cicadabird, Grey Goshawk, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouths.

23 Aug 06. Pied Imperial-Pigeon. First return for Pied Imperial-Pigeon this morning, other good birds were Great-billed Herons and Barred Cuckoo-shrike.

22 Aug 06. Best wildlife this morning was; Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Spectacled Flying-fox, Pacific Baza, Peregrine Falcon, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure and Little Kingfishers.

21 Aug 06. Metallic Starlings. There is the start of a nesting colony of Metallic Starlings at Wonga Beach. They can be see from the entrance to the Daintree Palms in Oasis Drive.

19 Aug 06. Brown-backed Honeyeater build-up. From the first return on 17 Aug, the Brown-backed Honeyeater population and activity has increased and they will start nesting around the Daintree River banks very soon.

18 Aug 06. Channel-billed Cuckoo. First return for Channel-billed Cuckoos this morning with a flock numbering six. Best wildlife were some slippery Saltwater Crocodiles, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Cicadabird, Papuan Frog-mouths, Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

17 Aug 06. Brush Cuckoo. First return for Brush Cuckoo this morning, hot on the heels of Brown-backed Honeyeater. Other good birds were Great-billed Heron, Pacific Baza, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouths. The Green Tree Snake was nice too.

16 Aug 06. Brown-backed Honeyeater. First return for Brown-backed Honeyeaters this morning and we can expect an influx of them in the coming days. Other birds today were Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Pacific Baza, Papuan Frogmouths and Barred Cuckoo-shrikes.

15 Aug 06. Pacific Bazas, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Herons, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Little Kingfishers, Saltwater Crocodile, Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Papuan Frogmouths and Nankeen Night Heron head up today's wildlife checklist.

14 Aug 06. Great wildlife day. Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Papuan Frogmouth were the highlights.

12 Aug 06. Beach Stone-curlew. Nothing to do with this morning's trip but Beach Stone-curlews are frequenting the beach on the low tides late afternoon. Take Marlin Drive off the Daintree Road and turn right at Janbal Street, park at the end and walk out onto the beach.

11 Aug 06. Top Gun. Early into this morning's trip we noticed a Peregrine Falcon exiting a flock of Cattle Egrets in the blustery conditions. The egrets were left cart-wheeling in all directions. Throughout the trip there were big patches of little activity and on the way home sitting on top of the tallest bare tree in the middle of Windy Reach was another Peregrine Falcon with no visible bird for a kilometre in any direction. The overall checklist was good with a Saltwater Crocodile, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouths in Barratt Creek.

10 Aug 06. Leaping Lizards. A fitting finale to this morning's trip at high tide was a huge Saltwater Crocodile leaping off a grassy bank as we went by. Best birds were Barred Cuckoo-shrikes and later two Double-eyed Fig-Parrots excavating a nest.

8 Aug 06. Pacific Baza. Strong wind warning on the Queensland coast which will last a day or two. After a quieter than normal tour (only 38 species) we were rewarded with good sightings of three Pacific Bazas. As a rule the strong wind does not reach our patch of river until about 9:00am.

6 Aug 06. Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox, Green Tree Snake heads up the wildlife checklist this morning with the best birds being White-eared Monarchs, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths and Wompoo Fruit-Doves. Most unusual sighting was a flock of Pied Currawongs.

5 Aug 06. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher again this morning from the river. The sugar cane harvest is well underway in the Daintree Valley between the ferry turnoff and Wonga Beach. There is an influx of raptors along this patch dominated by Black Kites and better owl sightings are expected along this stretch in the pre-dawn.

4 Aug 06. Gould's Bronze-Cuckoo. Daintree's smallest cuckoo put in an appearance today along with some other good birds being Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

2 Aug 06. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher heads up the wildlife checklist for this morning.

1 Aug 06. Little Kingfisher. Australia's smallest kingfisher, and very important for visiting birdwatchers, did not escape the eagle eye of Carol Majors this morning. Carol also spotted the Azure and Sacred Kingfishers before anyone else. The photographers were happy too with Nankeen Night Heron, Striated Heron, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Shining Flycatchers, the three kingfishers and Green Tree Snake.

31 Jul 06. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. One of this morning's highlights was watching a Double-eyed Fig-Parrot excavate it's nest. Other highlights were the first return of Metallic Starlings and a Great-billed Heron at the end of the trip.

29 Jul 06. Little Kingfisher. After a couple of fleeting glimpses of Little Kingfisher, once when one was being chased by an Azure Kingfisher, we managed a good prolonged close look at one upstream from the Barratt Creek bridge. Nice to report the return of two immature Darters, the first Darters that have been seen in the river since before the wet season.

28 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher. We came out of the rising mist in the main river into a sun-drenched tributary and there before us was a Great-billed Heron. It wasn't noticed straight away because most of us were looking at a Little Kingfisher.

27 Jul 06. Early morning sun can turn a brightly coloured bird into a jewel. Today we saw Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Azure Kingfishers, Sacred Kingfisher, Welcome Swallows, Shining Flycatchers and a Wompoo Fruit-dove in bright sunlight. The swallows in particular sat in the boat with us.

26 Jul 06. Things that go bump in the night. We start our wildlife trip at dawn and see the occasional nocturnal species. On the way to work I see the odd nocturnal species. Bandicoots, Barn Owl, Bush Stone-curlews and  microbat from the road. Barking Owls heard copulating as I launched the boat, Spectacled Flying-foxes as we stood on the jetty, Nankeen Night Heron and Papuan Frogmouth from the boat. Huge Saltwater Crocodile heads up the checklist above. And this is winter.

25 Jul 06. Stunning weather. More typical of winter in N E Queensland we are experiencing misty mornings then sunny skies and light breezes. Our smaller birds look like jewels in the early morning sun with audible gasps from our passengers as we encounter kingfishers, flycatchers, night herons and fruit-doves.

23 Jul 06. Cuckoo-shrike morning. Best birds this morning included Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, Varied Trillers and a male Cicadabird.

21 Jul 06. Wompoo Fruit-Dove.  It was a thrill to see a Wompoo Fruit-Dove this morning especially when  some of our passengers had spent a long time trying to see one yesterday in the rainforest north of the Daintree River.  Like a lot of rainforest species they are often heard but are not seen. The edges of the rainforest around the Daintree Village are one of the best places to see Wompoos that I know of.

20 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. Heads up the checklist for this morning along with Green Tree Snake, Azure, & Sacred Kingfishers, Papuan Frogmouth and Nankeen Night Herons sitting in the sun first thing in the morning.

17 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. Towards the end of this morning's trip we had a good look at a Great-billed Heron. The light overnight rain brought out some Green Tree Snakes and I see after a short absence that Blue-winged Kookaburras are back in Dagmar Street near Kenadon Homestead Cabins. The low afternoon tides are producing good looks at Beach Stone-curlews at Wonga Beach. Drive down Marlin Drive, turn right at Janbal Street and park behind the beach. Other good birds at Wonga include Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Chestnut-breasted Mannikins.

15 Jul 06. White-eared Monarch. The scruffiest, but best, bird this morning was an immature White-eared Monarch in Barratt Creek along with a very close 3 metre long Saltwater Crocodile.  On the way home in the rainforest bend was an even bigger crocodile. Two patches of rainforest yielded, flycatchers, fantails, Victoria's Riflebirds and honeyeaters as the wildlife checklist above shows.

14 Jul 06. Clearing weather. Whilst the rainy conditions are good for the plants the last 5 days have been trying for our visitors. The weather is now on the mend. Our best views on the river this morning included a Nankeen Night Heron, some Rainbow Bee-eaters and two Papuan Frogmouths. On shore, the best wildlife experience is to walk under the Spectacled Flying-foxes in Stewart Street next to Red Mill House.

12 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. It seemed to be the morning for Great-billed Herons. We had a Great-billed Heron fly past and we followed up to get a really good look at this big elusive bird which was by then perched in a low tree. Not content with that, one flew past the Daintree Village jetty as I was retrieving the boat at the boat ramp. Low light and drizzly conditions can help with more secretive wildlife species as they tend to break their cover more than the middle of the day.

11 Jul 06. Little Kingfisher. This morning's highlight was the close sighting of Little Kingfisher in the trying weather conditions. We average 4 kingfisher species per trip but it is the Little Kingfisher that creates the most excitement.

9 Jul 06. Peregrine Falcon and Masked Lapwing.  This morning a Whistling Kite drifted over the open grassland upstream from the Daintree Village and was engaged by a fast rising Masked Lapwing. Like an airforce fighter taking out a lonely bomber, the fighter was on it's second pass when whoosh the attacker was taken out by a rocket. As we watched, spellbound, a Peregrine Falcon snatched the Masked Lapwing in mid air and then carried it's quarry off over Stewart Creek.

8 Jul 06. Barred Cuckoo-shrike.  Uncommon through most of it's range, including the Daintree rainforest, Barred Cuckoo-shrikes have been seen in a fig tree in Windy Reach three days running during our morning tour.

7 Jul 06. Great-billed Heron. Heads the list of good birds seen this morning; Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Pacific Baza and Papuan Frogmouth just add to it. Saltwater Crocodile was also well received.

6 Jul 06. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Surprise, surprise a Channel-billed Cuckoo flew across the river in front of us this morning. On rare occasions Channel-billed cuckoos over-winter in northern Australia. Another good bird for Daintree , Barred Cuckoo-shrike was seen in with some Figbirds in, you guessed it a Fig Tree.

5 Jul 06. Pacific Baza. Highlight for the morning was Pacific Baza sitting high in a tree in the sun. The Green Tree Snake lying in the sun next to the Papuan Frogmouths wasn't bad either.

4 Jul 06. Double-eyed Fig-Parrot. Australia's smallest parrot, male and female, rightfully stole this morning's show. The pair of them were in the sun only metres away and you could see their detail with the naked eye. They stayed there for dozens of photographs, one of which I hope to put here in the next few days. Oh yes, we saw the obligatory Saltwater crocodile as well.

3 Jul 06. Cool winter's morning. Despite being cool this morning (15 deg) we did not see a reptile of any sort. The birds were good with Papuan Frogmouth, Azure, Forest, Sacred and Little Kingfishers with good looks at Victoria's Riflebird.

2 Jul 06. Beach Stone-curlews at Wonga Beach. Again two were seen just before dusk on the beach at the end of Janbal Street, off Marlin Drive. Brush Cuckoos are also calling through the day at Wonga Beach.

30 Jun 06. Change in the weather. The wind has dropped and is likely to be lighter for the next couple of days. The big Saltwater Crocodile that has been across from the Daintree Village jetty was not there this morning but another much smaller one is in the general area. The Papuan Frogmouths deserted their favourite spots in Windy Reach during the last few days but we managed one this morning. The Beach Stone-curlew (see below) was at Wonga Beach again at dusk yesterday.

28 Jun 06. Beach Stone-curlew. Nothing to do with this morning's trip but Beach Stone-curlews are being seen on dusk at Wonga Beach on the low tides. This should go on for the next few days. They can be found on the beach at the end of Janbal Street off Marlin Drive. This morning's trip was not enhanced by the strong wind and light rain but we still managed a quick look at Little Kingfisher, good looks at Azure Kingfisher, Saltwater Crocodile and Green Tree Snake.

27 Jun 06. Sugar cane harvest. A significant change is happening in the Daintree Valley with the sugar cane harvest that started yesterday. Already Pheasant Coucals have moved to the upper valley and raptors are congregating around the newly harvested paddocks. Unusual sighting for this morning was a Pied Cormorant.

25 Jun 06. Six Kingfisher species. Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Laughing Kookaburra were seen during the trip this morning and after the trip there was a Blue-winged Kookaburra on the powerline in Osborne Street.

23 Jun 06. Little Kingfisher. Impressive list of scarce birds seen this morning included a fleeting glimpse of Little Kingfisher along with Great-billed Heron, Victoria's Riflebird, Papuan Frogmouths and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.  We are just past mid-winter in the southern hemisphere.

22 Jun 06. Aerial insectivores. From before this morning's trip until the end at 8:30am there was something eating insects, the miniature Northern Mastiff Bat around the street lights as I launched the boat and then a steady parade of Welcome Swallows, Tree Martins, White-rumped Swiflets and Rainbow Bee-eaters in the air over the river. At the forest edges there were Shining Flycatchers, Spectacled Monarchs and Leaden Flycatchers eating their fill with Papuan Frogmouths resting after their night time foraging. Oh yes, and the same Salt-water Crocodile that has been in the same place for two weeks was there as well.

20 & 21 Jun 06. Brush Cuckoo. Halfway along Marlin Drive at Wonga Beach there is a Brush Cuckoo calling strongly through the day. Although there have been some Brush cuckoos over winter in the valley this one sounds like a new arrival about a month early? It is easy to find.

19 Jun 06. Great-billed Heron. Heading up this morning's wildlife checklist was a Great-billed Heron which is the most sought after species for visiting birdwatchers. Good looks at Saltwater Crocodiles, a Green Tree Snake and a Spectacled Flying-fox added to a lovely winter's morning.

18 Jun 06. Black-necked Stork. One of the most spectacular storks in the world and formerly called Jabiru we chanced on a sub-adult male this morning. Adult birds have sharply contrasting black and white plumage with rich orange red legs. Today's Black-necked Stork had not acquired the full leg colouration yet. During the week we have been experiencing strong south-east winds along the coast which fortunately do not reach our part of the river until about 9:00am. The winds are expected for a few more days.

17 Jun 06. Papuan Frogmouth. As in previous years Papuan Frogmouth sightings are very reliable now in winter. No less than four were sighted during the trip and a friend of mine showed me another two after this morning's passengers had left. Reptiles are also easier to find in winter as the checklist above shows. Four kingfisher species per trip are also par for the course for these months.

15 Jun 06. Little Kingfisher. Heading up our wildlife list this morning were 4 kingfisher species, Victoria's Riflebird, 3 reptiles and Spectacled Flying-fox. Sightings of Papuan Frogmouth are more regular now that we are in winter.

14 Jun 06. Brush Cuckoo. Along with all the other wildlife seen this morning, see list above, there was a silent Brush Cuckoo. As a rule Brush Cuckoos would be well to our north at this time of the year and arrive in Australia in August to breed. Every so often they overwinter.

13 Jun 06. Insectivore Action. Conspicuous this morning  were the insect eaters, even before it started. Small bats were zooming around the lamposts as I launched the boat on the pre-dawn, and all through the trip the insectivores were active. Most noticeable were Tree Martins in their hundreds around the river.

12 Jun 06. Little Pied Cormorants. Since this year's wet season floods cormorants and darters have not been seen and have been later to return than previous years. Just at the end of our trip this morning two Little Pied Cormorants were seen on the wing. This is the latest return of these birds in more than 15 years. Wildlife list is similar to yesterday's with highlights being Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Papuan Frogmouth.

11 Jun 06. Great-billed Heron. Not only seen this morning but also heard was our largest and elusive heron. Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Papuan Frogmouth head up a good wildlife checklist, above, for a winter's morning. Driving home after this morning's trip I encountered a Grey Goshawk  at the side of the road picking over the remains of a Cattle Egret.

8 Jun 06. Barking Owl. Starting at daybreak has distinct advantages over other times of the day. Flying-foxes were seen and heard before the trip in the main street. As we started at 6:30am our attention was drawn by a Barking Owl calling just downstream. The owl was being harangued by a Spangled Drongo and both birds were easily found. In the background were Black Butcherbirds giving similar treatment to what we assumed was the owl's mate. It turned out that it was probably a Grey Goshawk as it burst away from the butcherbirds on three occasions over the next 15 minutes. Puttering away to the other side of the river we encountered a well hidden Saltwater Crocodile in shallow water that will probably stay there for the rest of the day. Beautiful Azure Kingfishers and a Nankeen Night Heron along with an Amethystine Python gave us a framework for our winter morning's wildlife checklist as shown above.

6 Jun 06. Reptiles galore. Typical cold winter's morning brought out the reptiles, two of them Australia's longest. Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Green Tree Snake, The birds were good as well with good looks at three kingfisher species. For the visiting birdwatchers, there is a pair of Barking Owls at the jetty carpark in the Daintree Village right on dawn. They are fairly easy to find because they are calling with the characteristic "Woof Woof" call not unlike a small dog.

2 Jun 06. Channel-billed Cuckoo. Pleasing to see this morning amongst Saltwater Crocodile, Amethystine Python and Papuan Frogmouth were two Channel-billed Cuckoo's in Windy Reach. Also over-wintering is a Brush Cuckoo at Wonga Beach about halfway along Marlin Drive.

31 May 06. White-eared Monarch. We had our first sighting, for the calendar year, of a White-eared Monarch this morning. The sightings will become more frequent over the next few months as our records show. Two great predators are in the wildlife list above. These being the Saltwater Crocodile and the Peregrine Falcon which were both seen well.
Beach Stone-curlews are being seen regularly at Wonga Beach (Janbal Street) in the late afternoon.

30 May 06. Australia's longest reptiles. During our wildlife trip this morning we saw a Saltwater Crocodile and an Amethystine Python which are Australia's longest reptiles. There are some Spectacled Flying-foxes still around the village during the day and some good birds to be seen along the river.  Between the river and a quick drive around the village before the trip six different kingfisher species were seen; Laughing kookaburra, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher and the jewel in the crown the Little Kingfisher.

28 May 06. Copulating Dotterels. With the lower tide this morning there were big expanses of exposed sand. There were the usual Masked Lapwings on the sand and our attention was drawn to two Black-fronted Dotterels who were calling. We made our way toward them and as we watched the calling increased and they copulated in front of us. It was a very quick affair. Other highlights included Saltwater Crocodile, fleeting glimpse of Little Kingfisher and a shy Black Bittern.

23 May 06. Tropical Bleeding Heart Tree. Fruiting at the moment, Tropical Bleeding Heart Trees, are attracting rainforest birds out of the forest to the edges where these trees only grow. The trees are easy to identify because of where they are found and the occasional red heart shaped leaf.  Look out for Victoria's Riflebirds in particular. Good to see a Great-billed Heron yesterday and there is a lot of crocodile activity upstream from the village where they are feeding on a dead cow.

20 May 06. Precious moments. Along with the crocodile and snake sightings this morning we were treated with sights of some Rainbow Bee-eaters hawking insects at close range, a sleepy Nankeen Night Heron and two Azure Kingfishers during a feeding ritual of an adult feeding it's offspring, which is common at this time of year.

19 May 06. Black Bittern. By this time of the year the Summer visiting Black Bitterns have dispersed. However we are still seeing an individual during our dawn trip on a highish tide in mid to late May. A Peregrine Falcon was prowling Town Reach this morning and narrowly missed taking a Rainbow Lorikeet over the Red Banks. Crocodile sightings are quite regular again and there are still Spectacled Flying-foxes in the area.

17 May 06. Abundant Wildlife. The diverse wildlife habitats around the Daintree Village lived up to their name this Autumn morning. Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-foxes, Green Tree Snakes, Peregrine Falcon,  three kingfisher species and lots of other birds rounded out a pleasant two hour wildlife exhibition.

14 May 06. Extraordinary birdwatching morning. Despite most of our water birds having not returned from breeding yet, forty-one species in two hours is good going for this time of the year. Most were small song-birds of the rainforest where these birds are heard more often than seen. The list for this morning is shown in the frame above. A Green Tree Snake and Spectacled Flying-foxes were also seen during the trip.

11 May 06. Great-billed Heron. The Peregrine Falcons are still around the Daintree Village area and we were fortunate enough to see a Black Bittern this morning. Tantalisingly close, we could hear a Great-billed Heron but couldn't get passed a fallen tree to see it.

8 May 06. Hybrid Masked Lapwing. A scarcity around Daintree but there is an intermediate Masked Lapwing just upstream from the Daintree Village. The Peregrine Falcons are still active in the same area with one taking on a Spectacled Flying-fox at dawn. Little Kingfisher sightings are improving as the river returns to normal levels.

7 May 06. Victoria's Riflebird. Good run this morning with lots of birds, bats and a solitary Green tree Snake. Predictably Victoria's Riflebirds are feeding on the fruit in the Tropical Bleeding Heart Trees that are common along the river banks.

5 May 06. Cooler mornings, drier weather. Weather patterns are changing to more typical Autumn systems giving us sightings of Nankeen Night Herons and Papuan Frogmouths. Reptile sightings should also improve in the coming days. There is a build up of Little Red Flying-foxes in Barratt Creek and some uncommon visitors in Black-winged Stilts and a Pied Currawong this morning. Beach Stone-curlews are being seen at Wonga Beach in late afternoon on the low tide.

1 May 06. Great-billed Heron heads the list of some good birds this morning. Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher and Grey Goshawk include some of the uncommon species. The village area is a hive of activity with the Spectacled Flying-foxes setting up camp in the main street and fruit eating birds hiding in the fig trees from a Peregrine Falcon and the Grey Goshawk.

25 Apr 06. Barred Cuckoo-shrike. After the Black Bitterns, the best bird this morning was some Barred Cuckoo-shrikes next to the Daintree Village jetty. Odd sightings since Cyclone Larry are being reported almost daily, my latest was a Superb Fruit Dove standing in the middle of a sealed road road at Wonga Beach yesterday afternoon.

24 Apr 06. First time out since Cyclone Monica. The Daintree River is almost back to normal levels and the water is almost clear again. The area around the Daintree Village is a hive of activity. Spectacled Flying-foxes, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Figbirds, Wompoo Fruit Doves, Yellow Orioles, D