Double-eyed Fig-Parrots

They are Australia's smallest parrot: are green, have a short tail, are about the size of a leaf, look like a leaf, and unless you see them land, are extremely difficult to see well. Most times it is 'chit, chit, chit' as a stubby, green flash flies overhead. A 'flying green potato' is a good description.

The Double-eyed Fig-Parrot usually excavates it's own nest in the dead extremities of  trees, and as the top breaks off, it will move it's way further down the tree until the usefulness of the tree is finished. Often a tree will be used for several years. You can see some shallow excavations in this photo of the male.

Double-eyed Fig-Parrot  (Keith Fisher - Kingfisher Park)

One such tree along Stewart Creek Rd came down in a storm last week and it was fascinating to see what a large cavity it creates for it's nest. The bird is only 13 cm in length, and the entrance is tiny, but the cavity is much bigger and beautifully formed.

This year seems to have been a particularly good breeding season for these birds.

The Wet Season

While rain has been intermittent, it certainly feels like the wet season in Daintree.
Warm, humid and with the ever-present feeling of 'it's going to rain soon'. 380mm in January, so a gentle start to the year. We have just returned from Western Australia where it was 42 degrees every day (dry, dry heat), so it's nice to be home.
A real treat in the garden at Red Mill House yesterday while pruning - a beautiful, huge Northern Barred Frog  (Mixophyes schevilli). Note the barring on the legs and the fully webbed toes. It is an adult man's hand that it is sitting on, so - rather large!

Northern Barred Frog

 Another treat for the week is the continued presence of the Spotted Whistling Ducks ( a Philippines/PNG species) of which a group of 11 or so have been frequenting local ponds and dams and waterways over the past few months. Every time you think they have gone, they re-appear.
A terrible photo I know, but at least I know I have seen them!

Spotted Whistling Duck

Pied Monarch in the garden today, and Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher still busy along Stewart Creek Rd. Lots of Channel-billed Cuckoos and Double-eyed Fig-Parrots this year.

New Year's resolution - blogging!!

Where does the time go?
My apologies for such a long absence - I was embarrassed to receive blog stats recently and see many people are looking at this blog, but that I have done nothing for such a long time. Thank you for your perseverance.

A New Year's resolution - to keep people informed and up to date this year about life and birding in the Daintree.

First things first though.
We have just returned from a wonderful month's holiday in Sri Lanka.
What a great destination for viewing wildlife and  to have the opportunity to meet such wonderful people who are happy to share their ancient, rich and diverse land with us. We took part in a private Birdwatching and Wildlife tour for 11 days, then spent another 2 1/2 weeks exploring the island by various means.
Many, many photos, but this is a favourite!!

Sri Lanka is experiencing a tourist boom, now that the conflicts are over and the rebuilding from the 2004 Tsunami is virtually complete. It is an easy and safe destination and very popular with northern Europeans at this time of year - why wouldn't it be? Wildlife tourism is also growing quickly, and we would recommend going sooner, rather than later, as there will probably be greater demand in the future, stretching the resources of the good nature guides and companies.
We travelled with, and would recommend Prasanjith Caldera from Walk with Jith, an excellent guide and organiser, who created the perfect tour for us, at a very good price. His other guides, Sam and Nandana, were also charming and knowledgeable and we enjoyed them all.
If you would like any more details, please just contact Andrew or Trish at Red Mill House.

So, back to Daintree - - and what a beautiful place at this time of year. To date, little rain and few mosquitoes, so everyone is happy.
The summer migrants are all here, with Pied Imperial Pigeon very common, flocks of Metallic Starlings feeding on forest fruits, Black Bittern on the Daintree River, and most spectacularly, the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher which are nesting in the termite mounds nearby. We were fortunate to rescue one of these that had been hit by a car recently. He seemed okay, which is great.

A juvenile Great-billed Heron is being seen regularly on the Daintree River, and some visitors have been lucky enough to watch Mum feeding it. Lots of new Double-eyed Fig-Parrots around also. It really is a great time for birding in Daintree.
This is an older photo now, but a classic just the same - taken on the road to Cape Tribulation by guests from Red Mill House late last year.

Another New Year's Resolution is to take more time birding this year. So lots of reports to come!!

Night life in Daintree

May is the beginning of the 'winter' months in  Daintree  - cooler nights and misty mornings, followed by beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the mid-20's.
In the cooler nights of late, owls have been calling. Around Barrett Creek the (lesser) Sooty Owl has been calling each night and in the town of Daintree, early morning calls of the Barking Owl have been common.
The Barking Owl, a small Ninox owl, often feeds on small bats which are swooping for insects under the street lights of town. These in turn are feeding on insects drawn to the light. On the ground, under the lights, are bugs, beetles and unfortunately, cane toads.
Last night a pair of Barking Owls called to each other incessantly for an hour or so - quite delightful!

The other favourite with birders is the Rufous Owl - a large (up to 55 cm) owl which swoops with deadly, but silent, precision on roosting birds or even bandicoots on the ground. The garden at Red Mill House in Daintree Village is often the hunting grounds of the Rufous Owl and many a birder has been called out from dinner to watch the spectacle of the Rufous Owl feeding in the garden.

Woodswallows

One of the great things about Daintree is that it is a mixed, integrated community with a healthy mix of agriculture and tourism driving the local economy. We don't always agree on everything, but we have so much in common by just living in this great part of the world.
We go birdwatching most days and are continually fascinated by new and interesting avian treats. Others, not birders, are also fascinated by the same wonderful things. Below are two photos taken by a local farmer of White-breasted Woodswallows nesting in the top of a fence-post on their farm. How they survive in such exposed conditions is a wonder. The last photo is of a pair of adults.
Of the six species of Australian woodswallows, this is the only one here in the coastal lowlands of Tropical North Queensland. Strong flyers, they can soar for lengthy periods, hawking on insects. They are extremely sociable and you can often see up to 20 birds clustered in together on power lines or fences. A particularly sweet little bird.

The 'wet' season - best for birds!

Apologies for the delay in blogging. We had a month away visiting family and friends in Western Australia - fabulous birds in the south west corner and although we missed the Noisy Scrubbird, we saw many of the endemics of that part of the country. An extremely diverse area in plant life and habitats and well worth a visit. 

February was the wettest on record in Daintree Village with 1640ml of rain, bringing the year's (2 months!) total to 2117ml by the end of the month. We endured Cyclone Yasi who, fortunately for us, crossed the coast south of Cairns, causing minimal damage here in Daintree. Red Mill House, particularly, fared well - it seems the small hill behind us protects us from the strongest winds. The house was built in the 1920s and is still standing in it's original state - great design and great location!

Back in Daintree, the weather has improved and visitors are coming. The 'wet' season is always best for birding, despite the sometimes-rainy conditions. The summer migrants are all still here, including the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. The Little Kingfisher and Azure Kingfisher are also more visible as the breeding season come to an end. Both have been seen on the pond at Red Mill House in recent days. Also in the garden is Australasian Koel, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Yellow Oriole and others. A short, late afternoon walk with guests along Stewart Creek Rd from Daintree Village was very productive with Channel-billed Cuckoo, Little Bronze Cuckoo and female Australian Koel, plus a range of birds foraging for insects in the afternoon sun - Grey Whistler, Spectacled Monarch, Leaden Flycatcher, Fairy Gerygone,
Graceful, Macleay's and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Mistletoebird, Olive-backed Sunbird, Spangled Drongo, and Varied Triller. Others, chasing fruit, included Brown-Cuckoo Dove, Figbird and Wompoo Fruit-Dove. A lovely walk and great introduction to the UK birders who had just arrived.

January 2011

After a very wet year in 2010 ( 4.6 metres of rain), it has been a normal start to the year in the Wet Tropics and in Daintree. We would normally expect the 'wet season' to begin at this time of year and to date we have had over 400ml. Evenly spaced, so no flooding - unlike our less fortunate cousins in southern Qld. We seem to be blessed with stable weather patterns in this part of the world.
An excellent trip on the Daintree River for Red Mill House guests this morning with the highlight being the nesting Herons. Both Striated Heron and Nankeen Night-Heron are nesting. The Nankeen Night-Heron feeds at night, hunting for insects, crustaceans, fish and amphibians.

This morning's passengers were also treated to a pair of Great-billed Heron flying, displaying, calling and preening.

The Great-billed Heron is Australia's largest heron and has an enormous bill. It is found in Northern Australia, found in mangroves, tidal mudflats and lowland rivers. It can be found most of the year on the Daintree River and in Barratt Creek and Stewart Creek.