CAIRN'S BOTANICAL GARDENS AND CETENARY LAKES - AFTERNOON VISIT TO REDDEN ISLAND
Every Tuesday at 8:30am there is a free guided bird watching walk around the Botanical Gardens in Cairns and the Centenary Lakes so I went for it today. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised when the first bird we were shown was a Papuan Frogmouth, wow! I really wanted that one.
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| you can just make out the Papguan Frogmouth here |
Our group of about 10 followed Brian around the pathways of the gardens and across to the rainforest boardwalk into the Centenary Lakes area. Birds came thick and fast and we soon built a tidy list then another lifer came for me in the shape of a Collared Kingfisher.
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| Pacific Black Duck |
We saw quite a few Honeyeaters, Dusky, Brown-backed, Yellow, Brown and Yellow-spotted were all seen well as were Olive-backed Sunbird, Metallic Starling, Figbirds, Olive-backed Oriole and a Grey Goshawk was seen at its nest. The usual array of ducks and wildfowl joined cormorants and Pelicans on the pools.
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Kennedy Palms - this species lives for 75 years then it flowers and dies -
these two are flowering now, they will have to be felled soon after |
I had one more piece of excitement before the walk finalised when a Cicadabird called from high up in a fig tree, however it flew off before I got a good enough view to tick it, tough luck on that one.
The morning's heavy cloud base delivered short showers and a little sunshine but by lunchtime it started to disperse so we decided to go to the beach and sit and read for a while. We went to the beach at Redden Island as it was the nearest.
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| Eastern Curlew |
The tide was low and large sand bars were exposed and they were littered with groups of waders. I saw about 10 species as well as Beach Stone-Curlew and several Terns: Caspian, Gull-billed, Little, Crested and Common. A huge White-bellied Sea-Eagle flew over as did Whistling Kite and Brahminy Kite.
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| Great Knot |
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| Red-necked Stint |
Later, as the tide came in, a Black Egret appeared to our left it was a Reef Egret and another first for me, it flew towards us but continued passed and disappeared around the tree line.
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| David and Goliath - Little Tern and Caspian Tern |
The clouds came back and threatened rain so we went back to the tree house for dinner.
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| KING FERN |
KING FERN
The King fern is easily mistaken for a trunkless Palm.
It produces possibly the longest fern fronds in the world.
The fronds can grow up to 7m in length.
It does not a have a well-developed trunk.
The fronds sprout from near ground level.
The King fern likes dimly-lit rainforest stream banks.
The related potato fern (Marattia oreades) has weeping fronds up to 2m long.
Like tree ferns both these giant ferns have an ancient history.
Fossils well over 300 million years old, and very similar to the modern versions, have been found on most continents.
The KING FERN predates the dinosaurs.
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| We had another visitor tonight - a Giant Stick Insect - nice with honey and cereals |
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