Queensland Tropics. 7½-day birding tour May 2018, Cairns. Tour starts: Cairns, Qld Finishes: Cairns,

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1 Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008, BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA Ph BIRDING Ph Queensland Tropics 7½-day birding tour May 2018, Cairns Tropical Queensland, the area around Cairns, is one of Australia s top birding destination. A variety of tropical habitats including rainforests, palm-fringed beaches, mangrove-lined mudflats, tropical savannahs and cool mountain ranges result in a bird diversity unparalleled elsewhere in the country. During this tour we aim to find all Tropical Queensland s specialties including all 13 endemic birds of the Cairns area, plus many other great rainforest, woodland, wetland and grasslands inhabitants. We also visit one of Australia s most famous seabird colonies in the Great Barrier Reef. Expect well over 200 species including all the important birds this area is well-known for such as the sought-after Cassowary, the beautiful Golden Bowerbird and the rare Blue-faced Parrot-finch, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Lovely Fairy-wren, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Bridled Honeyeater, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Spectacled and Blackfaced Monarch, Spotted Catbird, Victoria s Riflebird, Mountain Thornbill, Pale Yellow and Grey-headed Robin, Papuan Frogmouth, Sooty Owl and many more. We ll also look for mammals such as Bandicoot, Sugar Glider, Northern Striped Possum, Red-necked Wallaby and Tree Kangaroo. We ll visit the well-known Kingfisher Park Birding Lodge; Cairns coastal area; Daintree Rainforest and River; Mareeba wetlands, Michaelmas Cay and more. Read on for a full itinerary! Tour starts: Cairns, Qld Finishes: Cairns, Scheduled departure & return dates: May 2018 Questions? Contact BELLBIRD BIRDING TOURS : Freecall 1800-BIRDING birds@bellbirdtours.com Price: AU$4,499 all-inclusive (discounts available). Leader: Steve Potter Trip reports and photos of previous tours: READ ON FOR: Further tour details Daily itinerary Booking information

2 Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour 2018 Tour details Tour starts & finishes: Cairns, Qld. Scheduled departure and return dates: Tour commences with dinner on Monday 21 May Please arrive on or before 21 May. Tour finishes with breakfast on Tuesday 29 May June Please depart on or after 21 May. Itinerary contains further details. Leader: Steve Potter. Difficulty: Low/Medium/High/Excellent level of fitness required. The tour has a relaxed pace and walks are on varying surfaces, from paved roads to sandy or rocky walking trails with some short climbs. We generally walk slowly, with lots of stops. You can opt out of any challenging walks What to bring: Please travel light. Binoculars, camera, mobile phone, chargers, if you re an international guest, insect repellent, sunscreen, personal medications, sun hat, water bottle, hand sanitizer. Sturdy footwear recommended. Scopes, super-telephoto lenses with tripods, and heavy suitcases discouraged. Clothing: Lightweight long pants, t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt, over the top of which you can wear layers that can be taken off as necessary, including a warm jumper and a rain-proof jacket. Neat casual attire for dinners. Group size: Minimum 3, maximum 8 participants. Cost: AU$4,499 per person including accommodation and all meals, based on double or twin-share occupancy. Single occupancy surcharge of $550. Not included: drinks, tips, personal expenses. Earlybird discount of $99 for bookings received up to 6 months before departure date. Return-client discount may apply. Bookings: Online at or please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure.

3 ITINERARY Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour 2018 Day 0: Monday 21 May. Make your own way to Cairns (Qld). Taxi (own cost) to hotel (included) for dinner and introductions. Accommodation: Cairns Plaza Foreshore Hotel, Cairns (en-suite rooms; meals: D). Day 1: Tuesday 22 May. The tropical habitats surrounding Cairns contain some of Australias richest bird- and wildlife. Today we ll visit the Botanical Gardens with adjacent wetlands, patches of tropical forest and the coastal mudflats and mangroves. Birds we are likely to encounter include Australian Brush Turkey, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Comb-crested Jacana, Beach Stone-Curlew, Radjah Shelduck, Green Pygmy Goose, White-browed Crake, Superb and Wompoo Fruit-dove, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Figbird, Black Butcherbird, Green Oriole, Noisy Pitta, Lovely Fairy-wren, Mangrove Robin, Shining Flycatcher and Crimson Finch amongst others. Accommodation: Cairns Plaza Foreshore Hotel, Cairns (en-suite rooms; meals: B, L, D). Days 2: Wednesday 23 May. This morning we ll focus on finding the endangered Southern Cassowary. This large, flightless, dinosaur-like creature can be surprisingly elusive! While looking for it, we are also likely to encounter Black-faced Monarch, Graceful- and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater. We will then start heading into the hinterland of Cairns to the Atherton Tablelands, where we may see Brolga and Sarus Crane. After a delightful days birding we will arrive at our base on the cool Atherton Tablelands: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge. Surrounded by tropical gardens and a small orchard, Kingfisher Park is set in lush rainforest and caters exclusively for naturalist and birdwatchers. It is a tremendous birding area, and the also the perfect base for birding the wider district. After dark we will do some spotlighting for Tree Kangaroo, owls and nightjars. Accommodation: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B, L, D). Days 3 & 4: Thursday 24 May & Friday 25 May. We have two full days to spend birding and photographing the wonderful grounds of the lodge and its surrounding areas of farmland, creeks, woodland and rainforest which offers a wonderful array of tropical bird species. Within the lodge grounds, where Rainbow Pittas have their territory, we may find Wompoo and Superb Fruit Dove, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Topknot Pigeon, Emerald Dove. Spotted Catbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Grey Whistler, White-throated Treecreeper, Macleay s and Bridled Honeyeater, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Spectacled and Black-faced Monarchs, Victoria s Riflebird and Sooty Owl, while we may also find mammals such as Long-nosed Bandicoot, Sugar Glider, Northern Striped Possum and Red-necked Wallaby. We should see the Golden Bowerbird, Papuan Frogmouth, Lumholtz Tree-kangaroo S Potter, Birding tropical Qld P Waanders

4 Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour 2018 impressive bowers of Great Bowerbird. At some point during these 2 days we ll visit the spectacular Curtain Fig Tree, slowly walking around this famous tree, or simply sit on one of the seats surrounding the tree, and look up. Around the tree there are regular sightings of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Wompoo Fruit-Dove, Spotted Catbird, White-throated Treecreeper, Lewin s and Macleay s Honeyeater, Large-billed Scrub-wren, Mountain Thornbill, Brown Gerygone, Eastern Whipbird, Little and Bower s Shrike-thrush, Blackfaced, Spectacled and Pied Monarch, Yellow-breasted Boatbill (usually in the upper canopy), Victoria s Riflebird, Pale-yellow and Grey- headed Robin and Metallic Starling. We ll also head up Mt Lewis, in search of the much soughtafter Blue-faced Parrot-finch. For those who want to, we will do evening spotlighting for Tree Kangaroo, owls and nightjars. Accommodation: Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge (en-suite motel rooms; meals: B, L, D). Day 5: Saturday 26 May. We have the morning to explore the extensive grounds of the lodge, or perhaps look for Platypus; we ll then head to the Mareeba Tropical Savannah and Wetland Reserve, a series of 12 interconnected lagoons, creeks and channels that attract significant numbers of waterbirds. These include Sarus Crane and Brolga, Cotton and Green Pygmy- Goose, Wandering Whistling-Duck, Black-necked Stork, Glossy Ibis, Whitebrowed Crake, Comb-crested Jacana and in the surrounding savannah-like bush we have a good chance of coming across Squatter Pigeon, Blackthroated and maybe even Gouldian Finch. In the late afternoon, we will arrive at one of Australia s best rainforest areas: the Daintree, where our accommodation is set on the banks of the Daintree River. Accommodation: Daintree River (en suite cabins); meals: B, L, D. Day 6: Sunday 27 May. This morning we ll take the Daintree Eco Cruise which should be a highlight of the trip, to see Estuarine Crocodile and birds including Papuan Frogmouth, Azure and Little Kingfisher, Great-billed Heron, Radjah Shelduck, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Large-billed Gerygone and a chance of Great-billed Heron. Birding the areas around Daintree we ll be looking for Shining Flycatcher, Bar-shouldered Dove, Pacific Koel, Papuan Frogmouth, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Helmeted Friarbird and Dusky Honeyeater and White-breasted Woodswallow. In the afternoon we ll bird our way back to Cairns picking up any species we have yet to see. Accommodation: Cairns Plaza Foreshore Hotel, Cairns (en-suite room; meals: B, L, D). Partridge Pigeon P Waanders, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Lesser Sooty Owl, White-eared Monarch S Potter

5 Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour 2018 Day 7: Monday 28 May. One of the highlights of the trip on a large catamaran we ll visit the seabird colony on Michaelmas Cay on the world renowned Great Barrier Reef. Michaelmas Cay (~1.5 ha) is one of the most important seabird nesting islands in the northern Great Barrier Reef. Located 43 km north-east of Cairns on the western tip of Michaelmas Reef, 38 species of birds have been recorded, with nine of those using the island for nesting purposes. An impressive 20,000+ birds use the island at the peak of the breeding season. We Look for Common and Black Noddy, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Black-naped Tern, Roseate Tern, Lesser Frigatebird, Great Frigatebird, White-tailed Tropicbird, and possibility of Masked and Red-footed Booby, and Wandering Tattler. There are some magnificent coral reefs also surround Michaelmas Cay, so it is recommended that even very keen birdwatchers also devote some time to snorkelling! We ll return to our hotel late afternoon Accommodation: Cairns Plaza Foreshore Hotel, Cairns (en-suite room; meals: B, L, D). Day 8: Tuesday 29 May. Today has been set aside as your departure day so please book flights out of Cairns departing any time today (we can arrange your flights for you).. Tour ends. (meals: B). OPTIONAL EXTENSION: This tour links with Bellbird s Far North Queensland Tour (29 May-5 June), which starts here today. You will be entitled to a return-client discount if you book both tours! Yellow Honeyeater, Emerald Dove, Australian Bustard P Waanders

6 Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour 2018 Pre- and post-tour options: If you wish to stay in Cairns for one or more days before the tour starts or finishes please tick the relevant box on the booking form. We can book this for you and add the cost to your tour price this way you can stay in the same room. We can also book your domestic or international flights and arrange travel insurance for you. OPTIONAL EXTENSION: This tour links with our Far North Queensland Tour (29 May-5 June), which starts in Cairns immediately following the Queensland Tropics tour. You will be entitled to a return-client discount if you book both tours! Price inclusions and exclusions: Included: All meals commencing with Dinner on Day 0 and finishing with Breakfast on Day 8, morning tea/coffee, some snacks, some fruit, some drinks, unlimited drinking water refills. Accommodation in private en-suite rooms, although on some nights only basic rooms with shared facilities are available. Transport using comfortable and reliable vehicle, Expert guiding, any entry fees, taxes. Excluded: Travel to & from departure and finish points, Pre- & post trip accommodation, any meals before Dinner on Day 0, any meals after breakfast on Day 8, drinks except where provided, personal expenses, tips, insurance, any other expenses not specifically included. Bookings: Please book online: or complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. Reports of previous tours: Reports of our previous Tropical Queensland tours can be found on:

7 Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour 2018 Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Macleay s Honeyeater, Palevented Bush-hen, Comb-crested Jacana, Southern Cassowary, Black-faced Monarch P Waanders

8 Emu Southern Cassowary Australian Brush-turkey Orange- tooted Scrubfowl Stubble Quail Brown Quail King Quail Magpie Goose Plumed Whistling duck Wandering Whistling duck Freckled Duck Black Swan Radjah Shelduck Australian Wood Duck Pink eared Duck Cotton Pygmy-Goose Green Pygmy-Goose Australasian Shoveler Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Pacific Black Duck Hardhead Australasian Grebe Hoary-Headed Grebe Great Creasted Grebe Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Spotted Dove Brown Cuckoo-Dove Emerald Dove Common Bronzewing Crested Pigeon Squatter Pigeon Diamond Dove Peaceful Dove Bar-Shouldered Dove Wompoo Fruit-Dove Superb Fruit-Dove Rose-crowned Fruit-dove Topknot Pigeon Tawny Frogmouth Papuan Frogmouth Tropical Queensland 7½ -day birding tour Possible 2018 species list Marbled Frogmouth Wedge-tailed Shearwater Greater Frigatebird Lesser Frigatebird Masked Booby Brown Booby White-throated Nightjar Spotted Nightjar Large-tailed Nightjar Australian Owlet-nightjar Australian Swiftlet White-throated Needletail Fork-Tailed Swift Australasian Darter Little Pied Cormorant Great Cormorant Little Black Cormorant Pied Cormorant Australian Pelican Black-necked Stork Black Bittern Little Bittern White-necked Heron Great Egret Eastern Reef-Egret Striated Heron Great-billed Heron Intermediate Egret Cattle Egret Pied Heron White-faced Heron Little Egret Nankeen Night-Heron Glossy Ibis Austrailan White-Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Royal Spoonbill Yellow-billed Spoonbill Eastern Osprey Black-shouldered Kite Square-tailed Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Pacific Bazza White-bellied Sea-eagle Whistling Kite Brahminy Kite Black Kite Brown Goshawk Collared Sparrowhawk Grey Goshawk Spotted Harrier Swamp Harrier Wedge-tailed Eagle Little Eagle Nankeen Kestrel Brown Falcon Australian Hobby Black Falcon Peregrine Falcon Sarus Crane Brolga Purple Swamphen Pale-vented Bush Hen Baillon's Crake White-browed Crake Red-necked Crake Lewins Rail Buff-Banded Rail Ballons Crake Spotless Crake Dusky Moorhen Eurasian Coot Australian Bustard Bush Stone Curlew Ruff Black-winged Stilt Red-necked Avocet Pacific Golden Plover Grey Plover Red-capped Plover Black-fronted Dotterel Red-kneed Dotterel Banded Lapwing Masked Lapwing

9 Tropical Queensland 7½ day birding tour Possible species list Comb-crested Jacana Australian Painted Snipe Lathams Snipe Black-tailed Godwit Eastern Curlew Whimbrel Common Sandpiper Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Wood Sandpiper Red-necked Stint Pectoral Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Grey-tailed Tattler Wandering Tattler Terek Sandpiper Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Great Knot Broad-billed Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Beach Stone-Curlew Pied Oystercatcher Sooty Oystercatcher Lesser Sand Plover Greater Sand Plover Red-Backed Button-Quail Buff-Breasted Button-Quail Painted Button-Quail Red-chested Button-Quail Little Button-Quail Australian Pratincole Crested Tern Lesser Crested Tern Roseate Tern Black-naped Tern Common Tern Little Tern Sooty Tern Bridled Tern Common Noddy Black Noddy Gull-Billed Tern Caspian Tern Whiskered Tern White-winged Black Tern Silver Gull Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Galah Little Corella Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo Cockatiel Rainbow Lorikeet Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Little Lorikeet Double-eyed Fig-parrot Australian King Parrot Red-winged Parrot Crimson Rosella Pale-headed Rosella Pheasant Coucal Eastern Koel Channel-billed Cuckoo Horsefields Bronze-cuckoo Black-eared Cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo Gould's Bronze-cuckoo Shining Bronze-cuckoo Little Bronze-cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo Brush Cuckoo Oriental Cuckoo Rufous Owl Barking Owl Southern Boobook Lesser Sooty Owl Masked Owl Eastern Barn Owl Eastern Grass Owl Azure Kingfisher Little Kingfisher Collared Kingfisher Laughing Kookaburra Blue-winged Kookabura Forest Kingfisher Red-Backed Kingfisher Sacred Kingfisher Rainbow Bee-Eater Dollarbird Noisy Pitta Chowchilla Eastern Whipbird Varied Sittella Ground Cuckoo-shrike Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike White-belled Cuckoo-shrike Barred Cucukoo-Shrike Cicadabird White-winged Triller Varied Triller Crested Shrike-tit Golden Whistler Rufous Whistler Grey Shrke-Thrush Australian Figbird Yellow Oriole Olive-backed Oriole White-breasted Woodswallow Yellow-throated Scrubwren White-browed Scrubwren Atherton Scubwren Large-billed Scrubwren Weebill Brown Gerygone Large-billed Gerygone Fairy Gerygone White-throated Gerygone

10 Tropical Queensland 7½ day birding tour Possible species list Yellow Thornbill Yellow-rumped Thornbill Buff-rumped Thornbill Mountain Thornbill Spotted Pardalote Red-Browed Pardalote Striated Pardalote Eastern Spinebill Lewins Honeyeater Yellow-spotted Honeyeater Graceful Honeyeater Bridled Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Yellow Honeyeater Fuscous Honeyeater White-plumed Honeyeater Noisy Miner Yellow-throated Miner Brown-backed Honeyeater Rufous-throated Honeyeater Dusky Honeyeater Scarlet Honeyeater Banded Honeyeater White-gaped Honeyeater Brown Honeyeater White-cheeked Honeyeater Black-chinned Honeyeater White-throated Honeyeater White-naped Honeyeater Blue-faced Honeyeater Varied Honeyeater Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Helmeted Friarbird Silver-crowned Friarbird Noisy Friarbird Little Friarbird Macleays Honeyeater Grey-crowned Babbler Grey-headed Robin White-Browed Robin Horsfield s Bushlark Rufous Songlark Golden-headed Cisticola Zitting Cisticola Australian Reed-Warbler Tawny Grassbird Silvereye Welcome Swallow Fairy Martin Tree Martin Bassian Thrush Russet-Tailed Thrush Metallic Starling Common Myna Mistletoebird Olive-backed Sunbird Zebra Finch Double-Barred Finch Black-throated Finch Plum-headed Finch Red-browed Finch Masked Finch Crimson Finch Blue-faced Parrot-finch Scaly-breasted Munia Chestnut-breasted Munia House Sparrow Australian Pipit White-throated Treecreeper Brown Treecreeper Spotted Catbird Tooth-billed Bowerbird Golden Bowerbird Satin Bowerbird Great Bowerbird Red-backed Fairy-Wren Lovely Fairywren Fernwren Masked Woodswallow White-browed Woodswallow Black-faced Woodswallow Dusky Woodswallow Little Woodswallow Black Butcherbird Grey Butcherbird Pied Butcherbird Australian Magpie Pied Currawong Spangled Drongo Rufous Fantail Grey Fantail Northern Fantail Willie Wagtail Torresian Crow Leaden Flycatcher Satin Flycatcher Shining Flycatcher Restless Flycatcher Mangrove Robin White-eared Monarch Black-faced Monarch Spectacled Monarch Broad-billed Flycatcher Magpie-lark Pied Monarch Yellow-breasted Boatbill Apostlebird Victorias Riflebird Jacky Winter Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Eastern Yellow Robin

11 Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd PO Box 2008 BERRI SA 5343 AUSTRALIA Ph BIRDING Ph ABN Tour Booking Form This form contains 3 pages. Please print out and complete each page, and sign where indicated. Scan and , or send by postal mail, with payment (see last page) to the address above. Tour details: Name of tour Starting and Ending dates Your details: Name and address of the registrant(s) (only 1 form is needed for people residing at the same address) Name(s) Date of birth Address Identification document and number (passport for international visitors) Telephone (Home) (Work) (Mobile) tick if you do not want to receive future updates, news and special offers from Bellbird Tours by Emergency Contact Name, relationship and telephone number (required field) (continued on next page)

12 Accommodation requirements (please tick): Single Room (surcharge applies) Double Room (2 people, 1 bed, usually queen-size, but this cannot always be guaranteed) Twin Share (2 people, 2 beds) (If you are a solo traveller and want to share a room: we will try to team you up with another solo traveller, however this cannot be guaranteed. Single surcharge applies for single occupancy) Medical conditions and dietary requirements: Do you have any medical conditions (eg. disabilities, illnesses or allergies) that might restrict your full involvement in any aspect of the tour? No / Yes If Yes, please provide details: If you have other special requirements (eg dietary requirements), please advise. While we cannot guarantee to accommodate them, we will make every attempt to do so. Optional extras: Please indicate if you would like us to arrange any of the following (we ll contact you to discuss): - Domestic flights - International flights - Travel insurance - Pre and/or post tour hotel bookings (continued on next page)

13 Terms and Conditions: Please read the terms and conditions and the release of liability waiver (both can be found on then sign below. I/we agree to book this tour. I/we have read and understood, and accept the terms and conditions. I/we accept the release and waiver from liability. Signature 1: Signature 2: Print Name 1: Name 2: Date: Date: To secure a seat, a deposit of 20% of the tour price is required at the time of booking. Full payment is due 60 days prior to the departure date. Until full payment has been received, Bellbird Tours reserves the right to change the tour price (eg due to changing fuel prices). Please tick which of the following payment options you will be using to pay the deposit: Domestic electronic funds transfer: please send funds to the following bank account: bank: Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ), 112 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000 account name: Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd Branch No. (BSB) Account No Please use your surname as the booking reference. Visa & Mastercard: through Pin Payments (an easy, secure online payment system). They charge us a fee of 1.75%, which unfortunately we have to pass on to you. Please contact us if you want to use this option, and we ll you a link to a secure payment page. PayPal & other credit cards through PayPal: They charge us a fee of between % to receive your money, which unfortunately we have to pass on to you. Please contact us if you want to use this option, and we ll you a secure PayPal invoice. International electronic funds transfer: please send funds in Australian Dollars (+ bank charges or AU$20 bank transaction fee, see notes below) to the following bank account: international swift code: anzbau3m (no IBAN codes are used in Australia) bank: Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ), 112 Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA 5000 account name: Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd Branch No. (BSB) Account No If possible, please use your surname as the booking reference. - If you are asked to provide our physical address, this is: 101 Chilton Road, Berri, SA 5343, Australia. - Please specify AU$ as the recipient s currency, and the correct amount. Select the option for you to incur any charges at both ends; if no such option exists, please add AU$20 to cover the bank fee at the recipient s end. Any discrepancy between the amount payable and amount received will be added to the final balance, or payable in cash at the start of the tour. Prices and fees are not negotiable.