On arriving at the Esplanade in the morning, I was greeted by a cacophony of twenty plus Eastern Curlews (Numenius madagascariensis) all calling incessantly. If anyone has heard the call of an Eastern Curlew, you would know this made for interesting listening! The birds had all congregated near the southern end as the tide was coming in.

There were the usual range of sandpipers, plovers and egrets on the esplanade which made for good viewing with the rising tide and morning light. Unusually, the number of Grey-tailed Tattlers (Tringa brevipes) and Terek Sandpipers (Xenus cinereus) seemed to outnumber the other more regular species (except, of course, the knots).

While it was a good day for sightings, this didn’t translate to a good day for photos. It was literally one of those days where nothing would sit still and all species seemed incredibly flighty. It was incredibly hot though so it may well have been my odour. On the edge of the mangroves, a pair of Varied Honeyeaters (Lichenostomus versicolor) were so little bothered by my presence that they landed on a branch not 20 centimetres above my head. I tried to frame one of the birds but it was so close I ended up cutting off its tail!

The botanic gardens and surrounds produced some interesting birds although my ID skills are severely lacking when it comes to identifying by sound. I need an audio field guide badly. The Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica) colony on the Cook Highway east of the gardens seems overrun with juveniles at the moment, squabbling and playing with each other.

Near the freshwater lake at Centenary lakes this juvenile Nankeen Night-heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) flushed from a tree above me. This was the first juvenile I have seen of this species.

The usual suspects were around, with one Australian Brush Turkey (Alectura lathami) actually following me a quarter of the way down the Red Arrow track. This bird was one of eight seen on the relatively short Red Arrow walk.

Thankfully, the most interesting sighting of the day I did manage to photograph. This Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinis) sat perched on a tree overlooking Cairns just off the Red Arrow lookout. While this is a fairly common species, I have not seen them anywhere except around cane fields before this. This bird treated me to a calling display while watching it. Its call is something of a pigeon cross cassowary. A deep wooping call. A definite treat!

The two other interesting, although not necessarily uncommon, sightings were a pair of Double-eyed Fig-parrots (Cyclopsitta diopthalma) and a number of White-throated Honeyeaters (Melithreptus albogularis) working a eucalyptus tree on the start of the Blue Arrow track.

This boxing day we are heading to Lake Eacham to stay at the Chambers Wildlife Lodge, so hopefully we will return with some decent photos of some new species! The word is that there are several active Tooth-billed Bowerbird (Scenopoeetes denitrostris) bowers currently on the property, so we will see!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL! Hope you all have a great festive season and get loads of presents. Fingers crossed for expensive telephoto lenses all round. I will see you all next year!

Unfortunately, as often is the case with disturbed habitats such as Centenary Lakes, ten metres just isn’t close enough for some. Half of the birds on the protected little nook took off before these two decided they were close enough.

Thankfully the rest of the day was a great improvement! We arrived at the Cattana Wetlands greeted at the first body of water next to the entrance by these two Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) feeding in the low water.

A first for north Queensland for me! This has been our first trip to the wetlands since their opening a week ago and we were very impressed. These man-made wetlands are truly spectacular. After spotting some Comb-crested Jacanas (Metopidius gallinacea) jumping around on the lillies, we thought the area augured well for birding too.

This has to be the closest location to Cairns where you can observe this species. Coming here I was hoping to see my first Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) after reports at Cairns Birds, but it was not to be. Although the on-site bird hide at Cattana Wetlands proved fruitless, I did make some sightings of a couple of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins (Lonchura castaneothorax), Brown-backed Honeyeaters (Ramsayornis modestus), Little Pied (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) and Pied (Phalacrocorax varius) Cormorants. These are all species I do not often see this close to Cairns.

One of the surprises and another first for me was this small group of Wandering Whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna arcuata).

More regular, but still nice, some Green Pygmy-geese (Nettapus pulchellus).

There was more waterfowl seen at Yorkeys Knob Golf Club where we stopped by afterwards, but I think I will leave that until tomorrow! The Cattana Wetlands development was a very nice surprise — not the sort of thing councils seem to spend money on these days. The improvements were all positive and overall it looks like it is heading towards becoming a well managed eco-tourism spot. Here are some random photos from the wetlands. We actually came across an Amethystine Python (Morelia amethistina) on the boardwalk but it was hidden away and I couldn’t get a good photo darn it!

Thanks for sharing today with me!

Thankfully the weather was kinder today, by which I mean dry, not comfortable. I went out to the Esplanade at low tide and left when it was half in. My binoculars are currently broken and I am awaiting some new Nikon Monarchs but it was a good day none the less. Some interesting species seen were the Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), a couple of dark morph Eastern Reef Egrets (Ardea sacra) and an Eastern Great Egret in full breeding plumage.

This was my first sighting of the Common Sandpiper at the Esplanade, or anywhere for that matter. A pretty good day considering the lack of proper glass! I also drew a couple of sketches. The Grey-tailed Tattler’s (Tringer brevipes) size always seems to surprise, leading me to double take when identifying them. I find a sketch is a good way to set yourself straight.

The pelicans were nice and close earlier so here is a sketch of a sleeping bird I made.

Don’t laugh, drawing from life is tricky. Particularly in the heat of the middle of the day during the Cairns wet season.