Mobile phone Daintree wildlife bulletin.

16th January 2012. Lots of nesting birds. With a little bit of rain finally arriving this 'Wet', numerous small birds such as Shining Flycatchers are nesting.

8th January 2012. Crippling views of Great-billed Heron. Highlight of the cruise this morning were repeated views of the most sought after bird on the river, including a juvenile bird foraging on the muddy riverbank at low tide.

7th January 2012. Fledged 'Croc-bird' and misty scenery. Today it was good to see the recently fledged Great-billed Heron foraging clumsily as well as incredibly beautiful unseasonably misty scenery on the river.

6th January 2012. Happy New Year. Today was the first trip of the first trip of the year with Papuan Frogmouth chicks a highlight.

20th December 2011. Reptile Bonaza and fledged 'Croc-bird'. Continuing the unusual reptile sightings this week, five species were seen on the cruise this morning. Most unusual was a small Amethystine Python. It was also very pleasing to see this years' recently fledged Great-billed Heron.

18th December 2011. Highlight on the river today was observing a rarely seen water python (Liasis fuscus) eating a Green Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata).

7th December 2011. Good morning on the river with Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, and Papuan Frogmouth starring.

25th November 2011. Spotted Whistling-ducks! Today these very rare ducks were sighted on the river for the first time ever! They are actually a Papua New Guinean species that has been slowly increasing its range into Australia for the last dozen years.

15th November 2011. Paradise Kingfishers, Black Bittern and Papuan Frogmouth have been the stars of cruises on the river in the last month. Kingfishers can be regularly heard in the by-wash and several pair of Frogmouth are nesting along the river.

27th October 2011. Low tide bonanza. Low tide on the river over the last couple of days has provided some great nature viewing. Great views of Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern and Bush-hen.

19th October 2011. Water everywhere. Heavy rain in the last day or two after a long dry spell produced a minor flood of the river this morning.

18th October 2011. Black Bittern are being increasingly seen on morning cruises. Increasing numbers of koel are also being seen. Brush Cuckoos are also being heard.

17th October 2011. Return of the Kingfisher. The first migratory Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfishers have been heard in the area, signalling the start of their summer residence in FNQ after spending the winter in Papua New Guinea. The Spotted Whistling-ducks (noted 25/10) are still present in Wonga Beach.

6th October 2011. Papuan Frogmouths have now started to nest on the river. Meanwhile increasing water temperature is making crocodiles increasing difficult to view on the river.

30th September 2011. Terrific morning on the river aided by a very low tide. Great views were obtained of Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher and Shining Kingfisher.

25th September 2011. Rare Vagrants. This week Wonga Beach has played host to very rare ducks - Spotted Whistling-ducks. These ducks are from PNG but have been residents of Weipa for the last ten years.

12th September 2011. Miscellaneous good sightings. Migratory koels have finally returned. Bridled Honeyeaters were seen on the river for the first time in a long time. Papuan Frogmouths have returned after being absent for a little while.

7th September 2011. Crocodile Carnage. Today visitors to the river were amazed by the sight of a large crocodile eating the carcass of a small calf caught during the night.

4th September 2011. Frisky Crocodiles. The river water temperature is rising and crocodiles are becoming more active and courtship was observed today.

30th August 2011. Signs of Spring. More migrants and more nests. A new migrant species - Latham's Snipe - was seen foraging on the muddy banks of the river today. Increasing numbers of birds are starting to nest including Brown-backed Honeyeater and Large-billed Gerygone.

23rd August 2011. Nesting Fig-parrots. The highlight of a cruise on the river today was observing a male fig-parrot feeding his mate within a nesting chamber dug into the rotting timber of a dead tree. Around the Village, Imperial Pigeons are increasing in number.

14th August 2011. Continuation of the migrants. Today increasing numbers of Pied Imperial Pigeons were seen in the area. This bird is another species that spends the colder months in PNG and returns to spend the Spring and Summer in Australia. On the dawn cruise all the members of the 'Daintree River Big Five' (Croc, Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, and Papuan Frogmouth) were observed, with the highlight being stunning views of the heron.

7th August 2011. Terrific morning on the river. All the members of the 'Daintree River Big Five' (Croc, Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, and Papuan Frogmouth) were all observed. Increasing numbers of figbird and metallic starling are being seen. A large group of bats were also seen.

1st August 2011. Nesting birds, large and small. Terrific start to the month with stunning views of Great-billed Heron flying past with nesting material in the subdued light of pre-dawn , and prolonged views of floodbirds (Large-billed Gerygone) repeatedly feeding their chicks within their pendulous teardrop nest.

30 July 2011. Reptile Re-awakening. After an absence of a couple of months several Eastern Water Dragons were seen today. An Amethystine Python, croc and several tree snakes were also seen.

28 July 2011. Great-billed Herons. Three individual birds were seen today after a short absence. Two adult birds were seen in the subdued light at the start of the tour just upstream from the Daintree Village Jetty, whilst good views of a juvenile bird were later obtained on Barratt Ck.

23 July 2011. Leucistic birds. Today two birds were seen with a genetic mutation for abnormal white pigment in their feathers. The first was a Brush-turkey on the river with white spots and the second was an entirely white White-breasted Woodswallow. The woodswallow has been seen repeatedly around Mossman Ag Supplies near Pringle St.

19 July 2011 Phenomenal sighting of Great-billed Heron. An absolute treat today was to see this highly sought after heron carrying a large stick in flight (4 to 5 foot in length). Presumably this is for the preparation of a nest. Other sightings include plentiful Brown Cuckoo-doves in the Daintree Village area feeding on Bleeding Heart, and a pair of Jabiru on a little swamp along the road near Wonga Beach. Also reports today of Blue-faced Parrot-finch in the Julatten area.

17 July 2011 Continuation of the migrants. Today another bird species that spends the colder months in PNG, Channel-billed Cuckoo, was seen for the first time this 'season'. Interesting sightings included an a female Riflebird, a species that is rarely seen on the river. Scrub-fowls were also seen actively working their nesting mound.

14 July 2011 Return of migrants. Today the first Brown-backed Honeyeater of the 'season' was seen on the river. This species normally spends the winter in PNG and is often the first of a swag of species to return to spend the spring and summer in Australia. Last year this bird was first seen on the 16th of August! Metallic Starlings and Pied Imperial Pigeons - another pair of migrant species - have also been seen recently.

13 July 2011 Kingfisher morning. Little, Azure, Forest and Sacred Kingfishers all seen. Also great to see and hear two pair of Shining Flycatcher dispute a border of their territories.

12 July 2011 Today a couple of new birds - Metallic Starling and Green Pygmy-goose - were seen after a long absence. Starling are migratory and most depart to PNG for the winter. Also today, good views of crocodile, both on the bank and swimming.

4 July 2011 Terrific morning, 'Daintree Big Five' all seen. Great-billed heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Tree-snake and Saltwater Croc all observed. Stunning views of the heron which was observed preening and calling at close quarters.

24 June 2011 Unusual morning on the river with small usually difficult birds such as Rufous Fantail, Spectacled Monarch, Little Shrike Thrush, and Grey Whistler being observed. Channel-billed Cuckoo and Blue-winged Kookaburra were also seen for the first time in quite a while.

23 June 2011 Stunning views of Great-billed Heron today. Incredible views of a heron completely at ease, preening in the early morning sunlight. The amazing call of this prized bird was also heard.

17 June 11 Kingfishers Galore. Little, Azure, Forest and Sacred Kingfishers all seen. Highlight was stunning views of Azure Kingfishers in the golden early morning light.

29 May 11 Terrific morning on the river. Great views of Great-billed Heron foraging on the sandbar. This secretive bird was also seen and heard calling. Papuan Frogmouths and Little Kingfishers also presented themselves for good photographs.

13 May 11 Great-billed Herons and incredibly beautiful misty mornings have been a highlight of the first half of May. May is our best month for Great-billed Heron sightings.

3 May 11 A highlight of today was a Green Tree Snake seemingly licking moisture from the leaves of a Native Hibiscus. Good birds included Great-billed Heron, Shining Flycatchers, and courting Azure Kingfishers.

23 Apr 11 Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Black Bittern were our best birds this morning but we finally saw the Peregrine Falcon as it split up a Cattle Egret flock in Windy Reach. We have known or thought that the falcon was around because the birds have been so quiet and we actually saw it in action this morning.

12 Apr 11 Terrific bird morning. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, White-eared Monarch, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Grey Whistler, Shining Flycatcher, Large-billed Gerygone, Yellow Oriole, Varied Triller caused the most interest.

9 Apr 11 What a great start, Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, four kingfisher species, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Shining Flycatchers. Green Tree Snake and Eastern Water Dragon were the highlights.

12 Dec 10 Our last trip for the year. Great-billed Heron and Black Bitterns were the stars of the show. We will close down now for the wet season and start again sometime in May 2011.

7 Nov 10 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Shinning Flycatchers, Azure Kingfishers headed up our wildlife list this morning.

13 Nov 10 Pale vented Bush-hen, Great billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Shining Flycatchers, Azure Kingfishers caused the most interest during this morning's wildlife tour.

2 Nov 10 Black Bittern sightings are very consistent.

28 Oct 10 Black Bittern sightings are more regular and so is the vocalisation of Lovely Fair-wrens making it easier to find and see them. With last week's rain the river water is cooler which has improved the crocodile sightings.

18 Oct 10 Black Bitterns and Great-billed Herons. Cool overcast conditions produced some good sightings of our rarer birds. We completed a hatrick with the Great-billed Heron; seeing a nest, hearing the bird's call (Crocodile Bird) and have good views in flight and perched. Similar things with the Black Bitterns and a Papuan Frogmouth.

13 Oct 10 Saltwater Crocodile courtship. As we watched two large crocodiles took it in turn to blow bubbles through their nostrils in what appeared to be a tender moment. This courtship behavior is rarely witnessed in the wild.

22 Sep 10 Black Bitterns. Again this morning there were three Black Bitterns at different places on the river. It might look like poor weather but for tracking down this secretive species it has been ideal.

21 Sep 10 Black Bitterns. No less than 4 individuals this morning over the entire cruise area. As well as seeing them they were also calling. Other good birds included Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Wompoo fruit-Dove and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

10 Sep 10 Papuan Frogmouth. As sometimes happens at this time of year, we loose sight of Papuan Frogmouths until we can find a nest. This morning a nest was found. Sightings of Papuan Frogmouths should now be consistent for the rest of the year.

6 Sep 10 Black Bitterns. They're back. At least one but more like two Black Bitterns this morning and calling. It is the calling that strongly suggests that they are here to breed and this is early for this species.

4 Sep 10 Never mind the rain. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher headed up the bird list this morning complemented by an Eastern Water Dragon and a Green Tree Snake. The un-seasonal rain is proving to be but a minor inconvenience only.

1 Sep 10 Pied Imperial Pigeon. The most obvious of all our spring migrants in Daintree are the Pied Imperial Pigeons. Nesting at Low Isles these white and black birds come to the mainland to feed on rainforest fruit.

25 Aug 10 Kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburra, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers this morning with a Blue-winged Kookaburra calling in the distance. The Daintree Valley has seven kingfisher species at any time of the year and you could see seven in a day.

16 Aug 10 Brown-backed Honeyeater. Announcing the arrival of spring the first Brown-backed Honeyeater arrived overnight and was straight into it's distinct vocalisation at dawn.

10 Aug 10 Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern. The miserable raining weather may not be good for human beings but it is mighty good for some of our more secretive species. Great-billed Heron and Black Bittern were both seen and some other good birds as well. Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Shining Flycatcher, Azure and Sacred Kingfisher headed up a good list this morning.

3 Aug 10 Spring is near. The spring migration has begun. Early signs include an Eastern Koel calling in the pre-dawn on Sunday morning. A mild winter has seen our reptile count down but the high rate of Great-billed Heron sightings continues.

23 Jul 10 Platypus. For only the 3rd time in 20 years has a platypus been sighted in the Daintree River. We were astonished to see this shy creature swim alongside the boat in crystal clear water for nearly 5 minutes.

13 Jul 10 Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo headed up a good birdwatching list despite the un-seasonal weather.

8 Jul 10 Great birdwatching morning. Starting off with Great-billed Heron then Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Nankeen Night Heron, Shining Flycatcher, Azure and Sacred kingfisher.

4 Jul 10 Rotten weather but good birds. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots proved the most popular.

29 Jun 10 Kingfisher Morning. Six species in fact; Laughing Kookaburra, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers made our morning. Some other good birds included Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Cicadabird and Double-eyed Fig-Parrot.

16 Jun 10 Great-billed Heron. We have been going great guns with our rarer birds. Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher this morning.

12 Jun 10 Great-billed Heron. Well all good things come to an end. We dipped on the Great-billed Heron today. All was not lost with good views of Azure and Little Kingfishers, Papuan Frogmouths and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

3 Jun 10 Great-billed Heron. For the first time ever we had 100% sighting's of Daintree's rarest bird for a whole month. June has started off well with another sighting of a Great-billed Heron and some other hard to find birds; Papuan Frogmouth, Little Kingfisher and Wompoo fruit-Dove.

28 May 10 Great-billed Heron record? We look like having a 100% record of Great-billed Heron sightings for the month of May 2010. Three days to go.

15 May 10 Best birds this morning were; Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Lovely Fairy-wren and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots.

11 May 10 Early birds. Before our 6:30am departure you can spend a little time wandering around the Daintree Village. You will almost certainly see Spectacled Flying-foxes. Black Butcherbirds can be seen around the shops where they pick up insects that have been attracted by the night lights. Check the powerlines for kingfishers.

7 May 10 Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Pied Monarch, Fairy Gerygone and some Green Tree Snakes were amongst the highlights this morning.

5 May 10 Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Little Kingfisher and Papuan Frogmouth heads up a great list this morning.

2 May 10 Great-billed Heron. In poor weather conditions we did well with some of the more difficult birds. Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth and a glimpse of a Little Kingfisher were the best.

23 Apr 10 Great-billed Heron. Best birds this morning were Great-billed Heron, female Eastern Koel, Shining Flycatchers and Azure Kingfishers.

17 Apr 10 Birdwatching joy. Visiting birdwatching were treated to our 3 rarest at dawn on the Daintree River. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher and Black Bittern headed up an impressive wildlife list that included a Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake and another 4 kingfisher species.

13 Apr 10 Rainforest specials. Quite a lot of the rainforest special species showed themselves this morning. Victoria's Riflebird, Yellow Oriole, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Top-Knot Pigeon, Emerald Dove and Pied Imperial Pigeon. Lots of Channel-billed Cuckoos and reptiles are starting to appear as the weather cools.

8 Apr 10 Channel-billed Cuckoos. 50+ Channel-billed Cuckoos cascaded from a big fig tree over the river this morning. It is not a common sight to see so many at once. The river level is still high but expected to go back to normal levels soon.

2 Apr 10 Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern, Shining Flycatchers, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots and Little Bronze-Cuckoos head up this morning's list. The river is still in flood but should be back to normal levels within a day or two.

14 Jan 10 Great- billed Heron. Fine conditions at last and a good run around the river. Best birds were; Great-billed Heron, Black Bittern and Pied Monarch.

11 Jan 10 Great-billed Heron. Lots of overnight rain produced the first flood of the Wet Season. Highlights of this morning's trip were: Great-billed Heron, 25+ Channel-billed Cuckoos, Comb-crested Jacana, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Azure Kingfishers, Yellow Oriole and Wompoo Fruit-Dove.

6 Jan 10 Great-billed Heron and great start to 2010. Several Black Bitterns showed themselves well enough for photographs along with Azure Kingfishers, Brown-backed and Graceful Honeyeaters.

19 Dec 09 Last trip for the year? Best birds this morning were; Pale-vented Bush-hen and Black Bitterns complemented with lots of Azure Kingfishers and Shining Flycatchers all of them being "good boat birds". We would like to thank all our passengers for their support throughout the year and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

12 Dec 09 Summer. Deep into summer now and we are not scheduling trips every day. There are reports of Barn Swallows at Newell Beach and Red-rumped Swallows at Somerset Drive. Somerset Drive runs off the Daintree Road just north of the Newell Beach turn off.

8 Dec 09 Blooming Lilly Pillys. The fresh water areas of the Daintree River are a hive of activity with the blooming of Lilly Pilly trees. Thousands of Rainbow Lorikeets have come in to feed on them. This did not escape the notice of a Peregrine Falcon, near the village, which created even more activity amongst them this morning.

2 Dec 09 Black Bitterns. Following on from our November's 95% success rate we are seeing and photographing Black Bitterns. Hot days ahead will make for poor wildlife sightings through the summer unless you go out early. Our trip goes out at 6:00am and we are back by 8:00am before it gets too hot.

30 Nov 09 Oriental Cuckoos. With some degree of predictability Oriental Cuckoos have arrived in Daintree. This is the last of the migrants to arrive in Australia for the summer and they are not always seen. So far there have been three sightings from the boat in the last two days.

28 Nov 09 Great-billed Herons, Black Bitterns, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Papuan Frogmouths were the best birds this morning. There was also a savage inter-action between a Black Butcherbird and a Papuan Frogmouth in Barratt Creek. The consensus was that the Black Butcherbird was defending it's nest and was trying to drive the frogmouth off?

22 Nov 09 Unseasonal rain? There was a significant rain event in the Daintree Valley last night. So much so that the river came into flood. Our daily dawn trip was unaffected however and we still got to see some good wildlife, particularly Black Bitterns.

19 Nov 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouths, Latham's Snipe, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers on the low tide this morning.

15 Nov 09 Great-billed Herons, in fact three of them this morning complete with loud vocalisations. This was videoed by one of our passengers and will probably be uploaded to YouTube later today. Three Black Bitterns also showed up near the Daintree Village jetty between 6:00 and 6:30am. Pale-vented Bush-hens were also vocal and also near the jetty early.

11 Nov 09 Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers have arrived. Several were heard this morning leaving no doubt that they have arrived on their migratory journey from New Guinea. Great-billed Heron, Black bittern, Papuan Frogmouths and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were the most popular during our dawn trip.

8 Nov 09 Black Bitterns. The whole point of producing this Daintree wildlife bulletin is to let visitors know what is going on with regards to wildlife. It is no longer crocodile viewing time as we come into summer. It is good birdwatching time and in particular dawn trips in the fresh water areas produce reliable Black Bittern sightings even if the weather is poor. We now have Black Bitterns in several parts of the river and they are now vocal.

5 Nov 09 Black Bittern, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Lovely Fairy-wrens and Papuan Frogmouths were the 4 most popular birds this morning.

3 Nov 09 Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Papuan Frogmouth, Eastern Water Dragon, Shining Flycatchers, Azure Kingfishers and best of all before the trip a flock of Fork-tailed Swifts.

30 Oct 09 As October comes to a close the stage is set for an exciting November. The Black Bitterns and White-throated Needletails have arrived, Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers are due, Pale-vented Bush-hens will become vocal and we will start at 6:00am from 1 November.

29 Oct 09 White-throated Needletail. First return this morning along with some good birds; Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers, Shinning Flycatchers, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. Just after the cruise a Black Bittern flew past the jetty.

26 Oct 09 Black Bittern. On schedule, a Black Bittern this morning. These shy and secretive birds come to the east coast of Australia to breed in summer. Mostly they are in the north and the fresh water parts of the Daintree River is a good place to see them from November until April at dawn.

25 Oct 09 Kingfisher morning. Visiting birdwatchers have target species for Daintree. One of these is our smallest kingfisher, called Little Kingfisher. This morning we got it well plus Azure and Forest Kingfishers. Capping it off this morning was our second largest; the Blue-winged Kookaburra.

22 Oct 09 Although battling light rain for most of this morning's trip there were some interesting happenings. In the murky conditions some Purple Swamphens were spied. All of a sudden an alarm call rang out and as we looked a Brown Goshawk tried to snatch one of them. The hawk disappeared into a tree to await another opportunity. A little while later we saw something swimming across the river. It was a feral pig. They are rarely seen in daylight. On further we had superb looks at a Papuan Frogmouth, Nankeen Night Heron and best of all, a perched Little Kingfisher.

21 Oct 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers, White-bellied Sea-Eagles, Shining Flycatchers, proved the most popular this morning.

19 Oct 09 Wedge-tailed Eagle. Australia's biggest bird of prey is normally found in the drier country to the west of the Great Dividing Range. Now that the dry country has become even drier birds come over to the east of the range. This morning we had a "Wedgie" over the Daintree which also happened last year. It is likely to stay around here until the onset of the wet season.

15 Oct 09 Raptors. On the way to Daintree to join our dawn trip look out for the birds of prey on the Daintree Road. It is common to see Brahminy, Black and Whistling Kites swooping down on the night's road kill.

13 Oct 09 Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouth, Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoos, Brush Cuckoo and Cairns Birdwing Butterflies headed up a list of 53 wildlife species this morning.

7 Oct 09 Black Bittern, Saltwater Crocodiles, Papuan Frogmouth, Little (Gould's) Bronze-cuckoo, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Spotted Catbird head up this morning's wildlife list.

5 Oct 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Barred Cuckoo-shrike and big flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets and Pied Imperial Pigeons proved the most popular of our species count this morning.

2 Oct 09 Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Shining Flycatchers, Green Tree Snakes and an Eastern Water Dragon were the most popular wildlife species this morning.

1 Oct 09 Several highlights this morning, one being two Large-billed Gerygones starting a nest in Barratt Creek. Near-by the Little (Gould's) Bronze Cuckoos were already calling. Two Great-billed Herons were also seen along with Papuan Frogmouths nesting. The photographers were pleased with an Azure Kingfisher pirouetting within a metre of the boat.

29 Sep 09 Cuckoo Morning. Where ever we went this morning we came across cuckoos. Dozens of Eastern Koels, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoos and a Pheasant Coucal, all vocal and active.

25 Sep 09 Big Flocks. Along the Daintree River and near the Daintree Village are large flocks of Pied Imperial Pigeons, Figbirds, Rainbow Lorikeets and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets.

23 Sep 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths and lots more birds totaling 52 for the 2 hour morning trip.

22 Sep 09 Dry Season. We are starting to see the effects of the dry season with more and more water birds making the journey from out west to the coastal fringe. Good tides for the next few days at dawn.

17 Sep 09 The first Koel. Yesterday we glimpsed our first Eastern Koel for the Spring. There were more today. Eastern Koels are big parasitic cuckoos that arrive about the same time as the even bigger Channel-billed Cuckoos, in the storm season. Both have loud calls and are called stormbirds by the locals.

16 Sep 09 Great-billed Heron, Pacific Baza, Papuan Frogmouths, Green Tree Snake, Azure, Forest and Forest Kingfishers proved the most popular this morning in the blustery conditions.

7 Sep 09 Spring is in full swing. There is a noticeable difference in the intensity of the dawn chorus from a week ago. Dominated by Yellow Orioles and Australasian Figbirds. The calling is helping us find the rainforest species.

4 Sep 09 Great-billed Herons, Papuan Frogmouths, Wompoo fruit-Dove, Nankeen Night Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Shining Flycatchers, Yellow Orioles caused most of the excitement this morning.

2 Sep 09 Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths, Pacific Baza, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Nankeen Night Herons and Green Tree Snakes proved the most popular species this morning. Good tides and weather at dawn over the next few days.

31 Aug 09 And so Spring is with us. We are now in birdwatching time as the migrants flood in, food becomes abundant and breeding starts for all wildlife. Reptile sightings will become more scarce as the weather becomes hotter.

27 Aug 09 Black Bittern. First Black Bittern for the spring this morning in Windy Reach. Late August is too early for consistent sightings.

25 Aug 09 Barking Owl. Just before boarding we saw and heard a Barking Owl near the jetty. It was chased away by a Helmeted Friarbird.

22 Aug 09 Copulating Colubrids, it's that time again when snakes are their most active. In one small tree we saw no less than five Green Tree Snakes and possibly six. It was hard to tell how many as they were inter-twined in reproductive embraces. Good birds included; Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfishers and Papuan Frogmouths.

20 Aug 09 Great-billed Heron, Comb-crested Jacana, Papuan Frogmouths, Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo, Yellow Orioles, Shining Flycatchers, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Green Tree Snakes proved the most popular species this morning and after we finished a big, squawking Channel-billed Cuckoo landed in a tree above the boat ramp.

19 Aug 09 Wild and windy weather, should improve over the next few days and the tides for the dawn trip will soon be ideal. Best birds this morning were Cicadabird and Papuan Frogmouths.

16 Aug 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers proved popular this morning along with hundreds of Australian Swiftlets drinking from the smooth water at Windy Reach.

13 Aug 09 Spring is with us. From the arrival of migratory birds to the departure of winter birds to Saltwater Crocodiles interacting. This morning there were two crocodiles on the bank. The smaller one moved into the water and the much larger one ran across the bank to where the smaller one disappeared and dived in on top. It is rare to see adult crocodiles in the wild to move at any time and it is thought that this early morning interaction was to do with breeding.

12 Aug 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers, Sacred Kingfishers caused the most interest this morning.

10 Aug 09 Great-billed Heron, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Australasian Grebe in Barratt Creek, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfisher head up this morning's list.

9 Aug 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Papuan Frogmouths, Pacific Baza, Shining Flycatchers, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers proved the most popular this morning.

6 Aug 09 Pied Imperial Pigeon. The first sign of spring for the locals here is the arrival of Pied Imperial Pigeons from Papua New Guinea. Sure enough there was a PIP feeding on the fruit of an Alexandra Palm on the road leading up from the jetty. This is the first of many to come. Locals often call this bird "Torres Straight Pigeon".

5 Aug 09 Great-billed Heron. First sighting for August. Brown-backed Honeyeaters eyeing off a nesting site across from the jetty at Daintree Village. Good tides over the next few days and a return to good weather with cool nights and bright sunny days.

3 Aug 09 Saltwater Crocodile sightings. Not only with our early morning trip are we seeing less crocodiles as the weather warms up but the professional croc spotters are having similar problems. Best tip is to go on a trip during a low tide and ask the operators if they are seeing crocodiles before you sign up.

2 Aug 09 Windy weather, but better at dawn. Green Tree Snake, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Pacific Baza, Papuan Frogmouths, Shining Flycatchers, Azure Kingfisher proved the most popular this morning.

31 Jul 09 A Saltwater Crocodile, on the water's edge, was seen about 3 metres from a young Brahman steer feeding on grass at the river bank. As we watched, the steer came closer and closer. As we were photographing the scene the crocodile backed off into deeper water and disappeared.

29 Jul 09 Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths, Little (Gould's) Bronze Cuckoo and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were the pick this morning. With the current Strong Wind Warning it is best to be out as early as possible.

25 Jul 09 Little Kingfisher was a target species this morning for some Texas birdwatchers. Our sighting percentage this month was only 33%. We saw three in the ideal conditions of low tide, early morning and still conditions of a little rainforest creek. Other kingfishers seen this morning were; Azure, Forest and Sacred.

24 Jul 09 Amethystine Python. How did we find it? A little bird told us! Well several little birds told us. We were drawn to a lot of vocalising from small birds clearly agitated with an Amethystine Python in their presence. Amethystine Pythons often hunt small birds during the night time. With the new moon the smaller birds would have little defence against this predator and were trying to move it on. First return of a Common Sandpiper this morning.

23 Jul 09 Great-billed Heron and other good birds, Green Tree Snakes and, yes we did see a Brown-backed Honeyeater this morning.

22 Jul 09 Spring has sprung! The first indication of Spring for Daintree is the arrival of migratory birds. The first Brown-backed Honeyeater has arrived and identified by it's chattery call.

20 Jul 09 Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo, Nankeen Night Herons and lots of Green Tree Snakes headed up our wildlife list this morning.

17 Jul 09 Double-eyed Fig-Parrots. Australia's smallest parrot is green, tailless and therefore leaf-shaped and very hard to find. This morning we had some close and in bright sunlight as the mist lifted and this proved to be one of the highlights of the trip.

16 Jul 09 Misty mornings. There is no doubt that an overall wildlife count will be less on a misty morning but it does not mean that the early start is not worthwhile. There will be places where the sun breaks through the edge of the rainforest where some of the smaller passerines will be seen as this morning's checklist shows.

13 Jul 09 Saltwater Crocodiles, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Shining Flycatchers, Forest, Azure and Little Kingfishers created the most interest this morning. First return of Brush Cuckoo in Windy Reach.

11 Jul 09 Very similar morning. With a similar tide and weather conditions we ended up with a very similar wildlife checklist to yesterday.

10 Jul 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snakes, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Herons, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Pied Monarch, Shining Flycatchers, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers during our two hour tour and four Pacific Bazas to finish off with at the edge of the car park.

8 Jul 09 Great-billed Heron sightings are uncommon enough and their habits have been scarcely recorded. We witnessed this morning a, full sized, juvenile bird being fed regurgitated fish. It was both a noisy and messy procedure. At one stage the parent picked up a fish which had become covered in sand, rinsed it in the river and re-presented it to the chick. it is thought that this procedure has only been accurately recorded for science once before.

6 Jul 09 Outstanding winter weather. Cool nights and sunny days and one of our best winters in years. On the wildlife front it provide good close up looks at birds sitting in the sun first up, particularly in Windy Reach before the wind comes in.

5 Jul 09 Great-billed Herons, Papuan Frogmouths, Shinning Flycatchers, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Eastern Osprey, Azure and Sacred Kingfishers were the best this morning. A chilly morning with many species basking in the early morning sunlight.

3 Jul 09 Misty morning, produced Great-billed Herons for the fifth tour in a row. Other good birds followed being Papuan Frogmouths, Azure and Forest Kingfishers, Shining and Leaden Flycatchers, Grey and Rufous Fantails, Golden and Grey Whistlers, Australian Hobby and the list went on.......

2 Jul 09 Eventful morning with Great-billed Herons, Papuan Frogmouths, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers, Green Tree Snake being the best and a couple of surprises with Brown Falcon and two female Hardheads (ducks).

1 Jul 09 Great-billed Herons again this morning along with Papuan Frogmouths, kingfishers, flycatchers, other herons and some Green Tree Snakes.

29 Jun 09 Great-billed Herons. We could hear "Crocodile Birds" calling in the pre-dawn and made our way up-stream to try and see them. Sure enough we were treated to good sightings and more calling. These huge herons have been called the Crocodile Bird because of the loud roaring call that is mistakenly attributed to crocodiles. I am hoping to edit some video of this and have it up on YouTube before long.

26 Jun 09 Birdwatchers morning. Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths and Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo headed up the birds this morning.

25 Jun 09 Bats. An interesting thing to do over the next month or so is to watch Northern Mastiff Bats prepare to bed down for the day. In the twilight (about 6:20am) before our dawn river trip these small insectivore bats can be seen around the street light near the jetty. They can then be seen as it gets more light circling the green boats before they tuck up into the lifejackets in the roof often swooping low to drink from the river on their way.

21 Jun 09 Oh what a beautiful morning, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Azure, Sacred, Forest and Little Kingfishers, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Heron, Shining Flycatchers and the list just went on............

18 Jun 09 Saltwater Crocodiles, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Heron, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers caused the most interest this morning.

17 Jun 09 Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Shining Flycatchers, Yellow Orioles, Nankeen Night Herons, Large-billed Gerygone, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers were the best this morning with the healthy tide.

13 Jun 09 Great-billed Heron, Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouths, Green Tree Snake, Little, Azure and Sacred Kingfishers led the way for a good wildlife cruise on the Daintree River this morning.

11 Jun 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Eastern Water Dragon this morning in the early morning sun. Good birds too, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Blue-winged Kookaburras, Yellow-breasted Boatbills.

8 Jun 09 Intermediate Masked Lapwing, rare anywhere but especially Daintree. Records for Daintree show that Intermediate Masked Lapwings have been seen here three times in the last 20 years. Great with other birds this morning too. Also lots of Green Tree Snakes were seen in the early morning sun.

6 Jun 09 Saltwater Crocodile. Just one of the many advantages of going out so early is that when we see a crocodile we see it well. At dawn we often see them moving unlike later in the day when they just lie on the bank. Good birds this morning were Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Heron, Fairy Gerygone, Yellow Orioles, Shining Flycatchers and Azure Kingfishers.

3 Jun 09 Pied Monarchs. As we go into winter the sightings of Pied Monarchs increase dramatically. We had a great run this morning despite the high tide including Great-billed Herons and Papuan Frogmouths.

1 Jun 09 Victoria's Riflebird created a lot of interest this morning as it is the only Australian endemic Bird of Paradise. Not all of us got a good view however. Other favourites were Papuan Frogmouths, Shining Flycatchers and to finish off Azure Kingfisher.

30 May 09 Pied Monarch, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Forest, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers proved most popular with the birdwatchers this morning.

28 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Victoria's Riflebird, Fairy Martin, Shining Flycatcher, Azure, Forest and Sacred Kingfishers heads up a good list of Daintree wildlife this morning.

26 May 09 Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Nankeen Night Herons, Little, Azure, Sacred and Forest Kingfishers provided most of the entertainment this morning in the wet conditions.

24 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and Yellow Orioles were our highlights on a beautifully cool morning.

22 May 09 Better weather, crisp mornings and sunny days are helping with the crocodile sightings and other species that sit in the sun on a cool morning. Nankeen Night Heron, Papuan Frogmouths are good examples. Also Great-billed Herons were seen and heard this morning.

20 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Herons and Papuan Frogmouths lead the interest this morning.

15 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure, Forest and Sacred Kingfishers, Shining and Leaden Flycatchers and two passage migrants; Dollarbird and Channel-billed Cuckoo caused the most interest this morning.

13 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers, Shining Flycatchers and drizzly rain punctuated this morning's trip on the Daintree River.

10 May 09 Little Kingfisher, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfishers and Shining Flycatchers were a hit this morning in the untidy weather.

8 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouths and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were this morning's highlights.

7 May 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Papuan Frogmouths and Little Bronze-Cuckoo were the best during the high tide this morning.

5 May 09 Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouths, Shining Flycatchers, Azure, Forest, Sacred Kingfishers and a Cinderella performance of Black-winged Stilts made this morning's trip in the rain memorable.

30 Apr 09 Snakes alive. As we get into our winter reptiles are seen more and more.

28 Apr 09 Great-billed Heron, and a roll up of more winter birds; White-faced Herons, Little Pied Cormorants, Australasian Darters and Little Egrets.

26 Apr 09 Great-billed Heron and lots of Green Tree Snakes in the early morning sun after a cool night.

25 Apr 09 Raptor activity. It is now that some Daintree raptors will start breeding. Raptors can be seen pairing up and there are two Whistling Kites building a nest in Windy Reach.

24 Apr 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Great-billed Herons, Black Bittern and other birds made for an interesting trip on the flood tide this morning.

22 Apr 09 Great-billed Herons, Green Tree Snake and inter-actions between different kingfisher species were the highlights of this morning's trip.

19 Apr 09 Great-billed Herons, Green Tree Snake and Satin Flycatchers were the main species of interest this morning. The herons because of their rarity, the Satin Flycatchers for their rarity in Daintree and the snake because it is the only reptile we have seen in the last two days.

18 Apr 09 Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoo, Channel-billed Cuckoo, five kingfisher species, three flycatcher species and Cairns Birdwing Butterflies proved a hit with our visiting birdwatchers this morning.

16 Apr 09 Great-billed Heron was a treat for our visiting birdwatchers as were Channel-billed Cuckoos, Brush Cuckoo and Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoos.

15 Apr 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Shining Flycatchers, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Sacred, Forest and Azure Kingfishers, no rain and sun periods for which we were very grateful.

14 Apr 09 Black Bittern, Black-necked Stork, Green Tree Snake, Shining Flycatchers, Forest, Sacred and Azure Kingfishers were the best this morning in between the rain periods.

13 Apr 09 Saltwater Crocodiles, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths, Forest, Sacred, Azure and Little Kingfishers made for a good morning.

12 Apr 09 Great-billed Heron, Green Tree Snake, Papuan Frogmouths and Little (Gould's) Bronze-Cuckoos were the best this morning.

10 Apr 09 Great-billed Heron, seen perched under the canopy of a large tree in Stewart's Creek. Before that we witnessed two Channel-billed Cuckoos being harassed by a Peregrine Falcon.

We are closed for the wet season from 31 Jan to 10 Apr 09

25 Jan 09 Great-billed Herons, Black Bittern were the best birds this morning.

23 Jan 09 Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Little Kingfisher and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were the best birds this morning.

13 Jan 09 Great-billed Heron, Black Bitterns, Pacific Baza and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots were the main treats this morning on a flooded river.

7 Jan 09 Saltwater Crocodile, Great-billed Herons, Black Bitterns, Little Kingfisher, female Eastern Koel, Azure Kingfishers, Shinning Flycatchers were the backbone of our wildlife tour this morning.

3 Jan 09 Saltwater Crocodile, found dead in Barratt Creek this morning. This is an usual sighting but it was in an area where crocodiles nest at this time of the year. Good birds as the checklist shows.

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