Cairns Half Day Birdwatching Tour
Adults - $180.00 per person
Children - $20.00 for children 3 - 15 years
Under 3 years old are free.
Available 7 days
5 hours
Minimum 2 adults
Pick up at 7am or 1pm & return at 12pm or 6pm
This can be discussed at time of booking. Its best to be sure of tide times.
Details & Itinerary
Cairns and its immediate hinterland offers a number of great birding sites. Whilst the most famous is undoubtedly the Esplanade with its flocks of Shorebirds on the mudflats, mangrove species at the northern end plus Parrots and Honeyeaters amongst the species found in the trees of the adjacent park, there are a number of other sites also worth visiting both within the city and in the surrounding suburbs.
Schedule
- 7am or 1pm – Pick up from your accommodation
- Cairns birding visiting a number of sites
- 12pm or 6pm – 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
Cairns Esplanade
A good variety of Shorebirds such as Red Knot, Pelicans, Sanderling, Dotterels and Eastern Curlews can be seen when the tide is right. During the summer months, between October and May the number and variety of shorebirds is augmented by northern hemisphere birds coming down to escape the Siberian winter. In the Esplanade gardens Rainbow Lorikeet, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Sacred Kingfisher and a variety of Honeyeaters are common. Along the edge of the mangroves at the northern end of the Esplanade Mangrove Robin and Torresian Kingfisher are regularly seen.
Centenary Lakes
Found in the northern end of Cairns not far from the Botanic Gardens, a wide variety of habitats can be found here. There are mangroves along the creeks, small pockets of rainforest trees, fresh water and saltwater lakes. Little Kingfisher, Crakes and Bitterns are often seen along the creeks. Some very interesting ducks including Magpie Geese, Spotted Whistling Duck and Radjah Shelduck can be found here.
While the resident birds can always be seen others, such as Black Bitterns are seasonal. Not all birds here are waterbirds, Lovely Fairywrens can be found in the thickets while Rufous Owl and Papuan Frogmouth are regular visitors.
Yorkeys Knob
Crimson Finch can often be seen in the cane fields on the approach to Yorkey’s Knob. Near the golf course there is a small pond with swamp vegetation. It is a good place to see Honeyeaters. Nankeen Night Heron and breeding Australian Darters can often be seen in the trees overhanging the water while Bush Stone Curlew often stand around on the nearby fairways. The undeveloped land nearby often has some interesting species.
Cattana Wetlands
An area of shallow ponds and reed beds with surrounding scrub near Yorkeys Knob just to the north of Cairns. It is a pleasant area with a good network of paths winding through regenerated bushland and around a series of artificial ponds. It is good for White-browed Crakes, Cotton and Green Pygmy Geese, Magpie Goose and other Waterbirds. There are hides around the ponds. Sometimes there are Saltwater Crocodiles in the ponds.