Queensland Here We Come!

Flew to Cairns this morning and after picking up the hire car drove just a few minutes away to the famous esplanade. Parking along the seafront we walked across the road and it was apparent that the tide was out, so not ideal conditions. However, we picked up numerous trip ticks: Great Knot, Terek Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Grey-tailed Tattler, Curlew Sandpiper, Eastern Curlew, Red-capped Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Silver Gull, Sacred Kingfisher, and other more familiar species. We then picked up some provisions in a nearby supermarket and sat outside enjoying ice-creams and our first Yellow Honeyeater as well, before driving to the far side of the esplanade and set out to find Mangrove Robin in the mangroves. Well, it didn't take long to find the robin and we enjoyed cracking views before getting out of there and heading off to our next destination of Cassowary House. 

Australian Pelican

Mangrove Robin

We followed a winding road up into the hills and eventually reached Cassowary House in the late afternoon. Our host, Sue Gregory, was there to meet us and we checked into our nice rooms before birding along the approach road. Dusky Honeyeater was very common here, and we also enjoyed fine looks at Australian Brush Turkey, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Spotted Catbird, Pale-yellow Robin, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Wompoo Fruit-Dove and Forest Kingfisher. An Eastern Whipbird wasn't new but gave us much better looks than the one in Royal NP, and we also saw Spectacled Monarch, Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Metallic Starling.

Brown Cuckoo-Dove

Spectacled Monarch

Spotted Catbird

Forest Kingfisher

Eastern Whipbird