State: Northern Territory
Operator: Wings Birding Tours
Minimum Price: AUD $ 6,600

The northern half of Australia is a tropical land and has a correspondingly rich avifauna. Many of its species come from islands farther north such as New Guinea and even Indonesia, though there are, of course, many northern Australian endemics as well. We'll start our tour at "the Top End" in Darwin, a city with perhaps the richest avifauna of any in the land. The local parks abound with multi-colored birds ranging from exotic herons to parrots; from rollers and bee-eaters to brilliantly-patterned finches. We'll also visit the World Heritage Area of Kakadu, famous for its waterbirds, crocodiles and rich aboriginal culture.

We'll then fly to Queensland, a vast state including more than half the length of Australia's east coast and bordered by the Great Barrier Reef. The tropical rainforests around Cairns and on the Atherton Tablelands harbor a wealth of birds and mammals and our days will be fully occupied with encounters with wonderful creatures. Flying to southern Queensland we'll visit the world-famous O'Reilly's Guest House, where bowerbirds and catbirds come to the feeders, and the lawns are covered in an array of megapodes, pigeons and parrots. Finally three nights in Sydney will allow us to explore several good birding areas near the city, and to take a pelagic trip in search of southern seabirds including penguins, albatrosses and various petrels.

Day 1: The tour starts this afternoon in Darwin. Depending on the time of arrival of the leaders and the participants from our Southern Australia tour, we may be able to do some introductory birdwatching at nearby East Point where Orange-footed Scrubfowl nest and Agile Wallabies may be found. Night in Darwin.

Days 2-3: We'll spend two full days in Darwin visiting the Nightcliffe mangroves, Lee Point Beach and Howard Springs Nature Park in search of Pied Heron, Radjah Shelduck, Little Whimbrel, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-winged Parrot and Rainbow Pitta. Various swamps and lagoons around town are home to spectacular concentration of waterbirds including such specialties as Black-necked Stork, Royal Spoonbill, thousands of Magpie Geese, Green Pygmy-goose, Comb-crested Jacana, and Australian Pratincole. At Buffalo Creek, an area of coastal scrub and mangroves, the sought-after species include Varied Triller, Mangrove Gerygone, Red-headed Honeyeater, Yellow White-eye, Black Butcherbird, and, if we are very lucky, Chestnut Rail. Nights in Darwin.

Day 4: We'll start the day with a visit to the wildlife reserve at Fogg Dam to look for White-browed Crake, Broad-billed Flycatcher and Crimson Finch. Later we'll stop at the Adelaide River where Mangrove Golden Whistlers can sometimes be seen from the café where we'll eat lunch. Its a fairly long drive to Kakadu National Park but we'll make several stops along the way to look for Partridge Pigeon and Black-tailed Treecreeper, and we'll also visit the park information center. Night at Cooinda.

Day 5: In the early morning we'll make a memorable boat trip on the Yellow Waters searching for Great-billed Heron and Little Kingfisher among a wealth of other waterbirds, many of which are exceptionally tame and photogenic. Rufous-sided Robins lurk in the bamboo thickets along the waterways, while flowering Melaleucas attract many honeyeaters including Bar-breasted. Later we'll explore a spectacular part of Arnhem Land, famous for aboriginal rock paintings, and will look for the special birds of this area including Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon and Great Bowerbird. In the afternoon we'll drive back to Darwin where we'll spend the night. Night in Darwin.

Day 6: We'll catch an early morning flight to Cairns and spend the afternoon driving up to the Atherton Tablelands, birdwatching as we go. It's here we'll have our best chance of seeing the shy Platypus, and spotlighting trips should reveal several species of possum and with luck Lumholtz's Tree-Kangaroo. Night in Yungaburra.

Days 7-8: The rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands are rich in birds, many of which will be new. We'll visit Lake Barrine, the Curtain Fig Tree and the drier country north of Yungaburra. The extensive list of birds occurring in this region includes Cotton Pygmy-goose, Spotted Harrier, Buff-banded Rail, Sarus Crane, Australian Bustard, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Grey-headed Robin, Pied Monarch, Bower's Shrike-thrush, Chowchilla and Golden Bowerbird. Nights in Yungaburra.

Days 9-11: On day 9 we'll return to Cairns for three nights. The town promenade overlooks tidal mudflats that attract pelicans, cormorants, ibises, egrets, herons and shorebirds including Far Eastern Curlew, Sharp-tailed and Terek Sandpipers, Gray-tailed Tattler and Great Knot. Other areas of interest around Cairns are Centenary Park and the Botanic Gardens where we may find Bush Thick-knee, Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Metallic Starling, and Varied and Brown-backed Honeyeaters.

On one day we'll visit Black Mountain Road in the hope of seeing Red-necked Rail, Graceful Honeyeater, Spotted Catbird, and Victoria's Riflebird. But if we are lucky, pride of place will go to Southern Cassowary, undoubtedly one of the most awesome birds on the planet!

On the other day our destination will be the Great Barrier Reef where we'll inspect the corals and fishes from glass-bottomed boats. At Michaelmas Cay, a low coral island where thousands of Sooty Terns and Common Noddies nest, we'll look for Brown Booby, Black-naped and Bridled Terns and both Great and Lesser Frigatebirds. With luck we may see 12 species of tern today! Nights in Cairns.

Day 12: We'll catch an early morning flight to Brisbane and then drive to Lamington National Park. We'll pass through open farmland and eucalyptus woods broken occasionally by marshes and streams, and we should see Pied Butcherbird, Pale-headed Rosella, Little Friarbird, Noisy Miner and perhaps Whiptail Wallaby. By mid-afternoon we'll enter the subtropical rainforest of the Lamington Plateau, a change of environment marked by flocks of Crimson Rosellas. Night at O'Reilly's Guest House.

Day 13: We'll explore the dark subtropical rainforests and more open eucalyptus forests of Lamington National Park looking for Australian Brush-turkey, Wonga Pigeon, Australian King Parrot, Albert's Lyrebird, Logrunner, Noisy Pitta, Regent Bowerbird, Green Catbird and Paradise Riflebird. If we're lucky we may be able to watch a male Satin Bowerbird decorating his bower. In the evening Mountain Brushtail Possums come to the guesthouse feeders and Red-necked Pademelons graze on the lawns. Night at O'Reilly's Guest House.

Day 14: We'll spend the early morning at O'Reilly's and then drive to Coolangatta for a flight to Sydney. Night in Sidney

Days 15-16: On one of our Sydney-based days we'll take a pelagic trip into deep water beyond the continental shelf. During this day-long trip we should see many Southern Hemisphere seabirds perhaps including Wandering and Black-browed Albatrosses, Great-winged and other Pterodroma petrels, up to six shearwaters and several storm-petrels. Cetaceans may also be a feature of the trip and though none are guaranteed in previous years we have seen Humpback and Sperm Whales, and Common and Bottlenose Dolphins. We'll leave the itinerary for the other day flexible so as to take advantage of the best local birding in the Sydney area, which can vary surprisingly from year to year. Nights in Sydney.

Day 17: For those with early flights the tour concludes at breakfast time in Sydney. For those with afternoon flights there will be the option of either sightseeing in Sydney (on your own) or a guided morning trip to Sydney Royal National Park for a few extra birds, including perhaps Rock Warbler, Southern Emu-wren and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, before returning to the airport and flights home.

Notes:

Special Departure Dates: Thursday 12 October to Saturday 28 October 2006
Trip Duration: 16 days
Departs from: Darwin
Tour Ends: Sydney
Departure Days:

• Thursday

Departure Time: 1.00 p.m
Return Days:

• Wednesday

Return Time: mid morning
All Prices: 2006 price about $6600 Single Occupancy Supplement $700