Once again we decided to make a short trip to the Atherton
Tablelands to escape the oppressive heat on the coast. Even as regular visitors
we are always on the lookout for new places to stay and this trip – without the
camper trailer – was to be no exception. With one new location, a return to an
old favourite, as well as a return to a new favourite, this was to be a trip
full of bird photography opportunities.
From a bird watching and photography point of view, North Queensland in summer offers many great opportunities that are not available in the more comfortable winter months. Summer migrants like the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher and Metallic Starling are busy nesting. The colourful Blue-faced Parrot Finch can be found at its favourite feeding sites on Mt Lewis and Superb Fruit-Doves are vocal prior to nesting.
I had a wish list of tropical specialties, that I had seen in the past but had not photographed satisfactorily, to look for on this trip. In addition to the birds mentioned above, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Barred Cucko-shrike, Atherton Scrubwren, Fernwren, Bridled Honeyeater and Mountain Thornbill were all on the list. I also hoped to photograph Boyd's Forest Dragon, a lizard I had often looked for but never seen. Mick
We headed up the Bruce Highway towards the tablelands and stopped for lunch at
Henrietta Creek campground. Last time we were here we had camped overnight. There is a shelter with picnic tables so it seemed the ideal spot to stop. We then drove into Atherton for a visit to Platypus Park, and then some shopping before
making our way to Wondecla. Had we not had time to kill and a need to shop, we
could have turned off at Millaa Millaa towards Herberton to reach our
destination.
The property owners are very happy to share their knowledge
and also offered to take us spot-lighting which we declined this time. During
our three night stay we completed the loop walks – retracing our steps to the
best spots, and spent hours on the verandah watching (and photographing) the
birds as they came and went for food and water. We didn't leave the property, just enjoying the peace and quiet - including no phone or TV which is something we quite enjoy.
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| A Green-eyed Tree Frog waiting for bugs on the window. |
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| Brush-tailed Possum |
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| A Northern Brown Bandicoot foraged around the cabin in the evening. |
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| Northern Sword-grass Brown Butterflies were common. |
There were lots of nocturnal visitors and the regular calls of frogs despite the lack of water in the creek.
30 December 2017 – 2
January 2018
Our next stay was at
Kingfisher Park – another birdwatchers’
spot – at Julatten. We first visited more than 25 years ago and even though the place has
changed hands several times since then, it remains a specialist birding destination.
At this time of year the attraction is the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher. Visitors include many international birdwatchers.
Leaving Wondecla in the morning we visited
Hasties Swamp
(another regular stop-over) and then Platypus Park for lunch. Grocery
shopping in Atherton, then the drive through Mareeba to Julatten.
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| Nankeen Night Heron at Hasties Swamp. |
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| Azure Kingfisher at Platypus Park. |
There are
lots of good spots on the property but one of the big attractions of a stay at
Kingfisher Park is its proximity to World Heritage rainforest at Mount Lewis.
We spent two mornings on the mountain staking out the blue-faced parrot
finches. An unexpected bonus was a sighting of Atherton Scrubwrens.
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| It was great to see Atherton Scrubwrens but this was the best pic I could manage. |
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| Blue-faced Parrot Finch |
I was happy to get shots of Blue-faced Parrot Finch and the Atherton Scrubbie on Mt Lewis but they could have been a lot better. I didn't even get time to look for Fernwren, another very challenging bird to photograph. So it looks like we will have to come back for another try next summer. Mick
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| Red-necked Crake bathing near our room. These could be heard calling at night. |
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| Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher |
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| Noisy Pitta sub-adult |
Dinner on New Year's Eve at the nearby Highlander Tavern was a bit of a treat - nice meal and a fabulous view.
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| Eastern stony creek frog at Kingfisher Park |
As we were packing to leave Kingfisher Park we noticed a musty smell in the car. A quick check didn't reveal the source - we suspected wet clothing or boots, so we headed off towards Mareeba and a stop at the op-shops. By the time we arrived the smell had started to become unpleasant but we still couldn't find it.
Lake Eacham
2 January - 5 January
We stopped at The Humpy at Tolga to pick up some fresh produce, snacks and other goodies from this popular fruit and veggie shop. Their selection of other things is fabulous and we always stop and buy ourselves something as a treat. Getting back in the car the smell had started to smell distinctly like something dead!
We stopped for a while in Atherton then made our way through a tropical rainstorm to
Lake Eacham and
Crater Lakes Rainforest Cottages. We have stayed once before and really liked the accommodation, location and the many visiting birds - so now it's on the favourites list.
On arrival we decided to unpack the car as completely as we could to try to find the source of the offending odour, but without any luck. By this time Mick had decided there was something dead in the air conditioning system, as the smell seemed to be worse we first starting the car. I wasn't so sure and really didn't want to have to start removing bits of the car to find it. I eventually found the instructions for removing the aircon filter - first you have to remove the glove box - and Mick set about the task. Well, he was right - there was a decomposing and very smelly
antechinus (native mouse) just behind the filter. Fortunately it wasn't too hard to get it out - just really stinky. A quick drive into Atherton the next morning for a new filter and some heavy duty air freshener was in order. We have no idea how this lovely creature came to find itself in the air conditioner, but we suspect it climbed up into the engine bay when we first arrived at Wondecla looking for warmth - it was very cool in the afternoons and overnight there. We checked that off as a new experience and one we had no desire to repeat.
The climate on the tablelands is significantly cooler than on the coast, but at the height of summer, it was still hot enough away from our rainforest hideaway to go for a swim. Lake Eacham is a very popular spot and there were heaps of people there when we visited each morning. The water was perfect and there was plenty of room for everyone. We also visited Lake Barrine and had morning tea at the tea house - another favourite place. There are walks right around both lakes as well as shorter ones. We went on short walks looking for birds of course!
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| Lake Eacham is a reliable place to find Barred Cuckoo-shrike. |
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| Little Black Cormorant |
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| Boyd's Forest Dragon |
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| Bridled Honeyeater |
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