Atherton Tablelands Endemics Day Tour
Adults - $470.00 per person
Children - $60.00 for children 3 - 15. Under 3 are free.
Available 7 days
10 hours
Minimum 2 adults
Pick up at 7am & return at 5pm
This can be discussed at time of booking.
Details & Itinerary
With the largest avifauna of anywhere in Australia the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland is a great place for birding. Around 430 species of bird have been recorded in this region and 15 of these are endemic and found in this area only. Most of these are found at the higher altitudes including Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Victoria’s Riflebird, Chowchilla, Bridled Honeyeater, Bower’s Shrikethrush, Atherton Scrubwren, Grey-headed Robin, Mountain Thornbill and Fernwren. Lesser Sooty Owl, Spotted Catbird, Macleay’s Honeyeater, Cryptic Honeyeater and Victoria’s Riflebird are all found at lower to mid altitudes. In addition there are 5 Queensland endemics that can be found in this region including Lovely Fairywren, Yellow Honeyeater, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Australian Swiftlet and White-browed Robin. There are also a large number of endemic subspecies associated with the Wet Tropics area. Of course, we will also expect to see a number of other birds as well, but the endemics will be our target. What can be seen often depends on the weather and the time of year.
Schedule
- 7am – Pick up from your accommadtion
- Morning birding – sites visited can depend on weather and target lists
- Midday – Lunch
- Afternoon birding – sites visited can depend on weather and target lists
- 5pm – Return to your accommodation
Tour Inclusions
- Tour Guide Fees
- Transport in a comfortable tour 4WD air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
- Permits & entrance fees
- Accommodation pick up and drop off
- Bottled water in vehicle
Tour Excludes
- Items of a personal nature including soft drinks and snacks
What You Should Bring
- Comfortable covered walking shoes – while there are no major hikes during this tour there will be some walking on potentially rough paths
- Lightweight long-sleeved shirt and long trousers- some plants can be rather scratchy
- Lightweight raingear
- Hat
- Sunblock
- Insect repellent
- Camera and binoculars
Atherton Tablelands Endemics Day Tour Sites
Kuranda Area
Black Mountain Road is a great place for all the low to mid-level endemics including Cryptic Honeyeater, Macleay’s Honeyeater and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. There are numerous Victoria’s Riflebird display posts in spring, and Spotted Catbird is very vocal in this area. Surprisingly Chowchilla is also often very vocal particularly in the early morning.
Lovely Fairywren can be seen in a number of places around Kuranda.
Mareeba Area
This dry country is good for Queensland endemics like White-browed Robin and Yellow Honeyeater as opposed to the Wet Tropics endemics, but some of the lower altitude endemics occur here.
Mt Hypipamee
A great place for the high-altitude endemics. This rainforest national park is situated around an eroded volcanic pipe and is a great place for all the high-altitude species. Some however are easier to see than others and there are alternative spots to look for them should we not connect with them here.
Yungaburra Area
A number of rainforest sites around the small Tablelands town of Yungaburra are good places for mid altitude species. Lake Barrine is one of the lakes which fills the crater of one of the extinct local volcanoes. It is surrounded by rainforest and there is a very pleasant walk along a well-maintained track which allows access to Tooth-billed Bowerbird and other key birds.
The nearby Cathedral Fig is a great place for Chowchilla.
The Curtain Fig is good for Pied Monarch and Black-faced Monarch, Bower’s Shrikethrush and Spotted Catbird. It is also a good spot for Lesser Sooty Owl.