For my birthday this year, we took a trip to Cairns and the Wet Tropics to spot a lot of birds, and it was incredible!

We flew into Cairns on the 13th of June. I ticked off a lifer as we drove to our accommodation from the airport: Australian Swiftlet. We went for a walk along the Cairns Esplanade, the number one birding location in Cairns. It is a three kilometre walking track that is used by joggers and holidaying families. It was very pleasant walking along the esplanade and we saw a lot of birds as well. Some species we saw were Nankeen Night Heron, Bush Stone Curlew, Eastern Reef Egret, Yellow Figbird, Varied Honeyeater and the local race of Masked Lapwing.

We then went to the Cairns Botanic Gardens and Centenary Lakes. This is a wetland system which provides an ecosystem for both animals and plants. There are even Saltwater Crocodiles in the creek!

We walked along the Rainforest Boardwalk and around the Freshwater and Saltwater Lakes. Some of the birds we spotted were Radjah Shelduck, Orange-footed Megapode, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Little Kingfisher, Black Bittern and Black Butcherbird. The Little Kingfisher was exceptionally exciting as it was tiny, about 12 cm and was a rare species up there.

We took a walk along the northern end of the Cairns Esplanade later in the arvo. It is a lot quieter than the southern end where we were staying and were rewarded with the rare and elusive Mangrove Robin. Other species we saw were Peaceful Dove, Torresian Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Helmeted Friarbird and White-breasted Woodswallow.

On our second day, we went on a trip with Seastar cruises out on the reef. The main birdwatching spot was Michaelmas Cay, which houses thousands of birds every year. Some species we saw were Common Noddy, Black Noddy, Sooty Tern and Brown Booby.

We then snorkelled at Hastings Reef, where I saw over fifty different fish species. As I was getting back on the boat, I spotted a Black-naped Tern way out to sea. This is a poor photo (the tern is the tiny white bird in the middle of the frame).

This wraps up my first of four parts to the trip. We then go to the Daintree, and the Atherton Tablelands, before making our way back to Cairns.

I highly recommend Cairns, but not in the wet season, when it is very rainy and hot. We went for the dry season, which has more tourists, but is cooler and less rainy (also no stingers!). Even if you are not a birder, this is a wonderful location to spend some time at.

Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/542168