Itinerary

DAY 1.
Arrive Sydney early am and catch connecting flight to Darwin. Depending on flight schedules we may have time to visit one of the Sydney parks with a late arrival in Darwin or on arrival in Darwin we will transfer to our accommodation and freshen up before visiting a local park to stretch our legs, clear the cobwebs and get an introduction to some of Australia's birds. We stay in motel accommodations on the outskirts of Darwin, Australia's northern most city.

DAY 2.
Today we will bird a number of sites around Darwin including coastal mangroves and rainforest. The mangrove forests around Darwin are unusually rich in bird species. Two species in particular that we will be on the look out for are the Great-billed Heron and the elusive Chestnut Rail, comparable in size to a domestic fowl. While visiting an area of rainforest our focus will be on a view of the brilliant Rainbow Pitta. Other species we may see include; Rufous Owl, Varied Triller, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Shining Flycatcher, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Yellow Oriole and Forest and Azure Kingfishers. Time allowing we will look through some grassland habitat for Red-backed Button-Quail, Brown Quail and Blue-breasted Quail. We return to our accommodation in Darwin for another night.

DAY 3.
We have an early start this morning as we head for Fogg Dam arriving before light in the hope of seeing flying-foxes, owls and nightjars. This wetland area hosts a wide variety of waterfowl with Magpie Geese in the thousands being the most numerous. Other sighting may include four species of egrets (mainly Intermediate), Black-necked Stork, or Jabiru and occasionally Brolga, Purple Swamphen, Banded Rail and White-browed crake. Jacanas are common among the water lilies, while several forest habitats nearby are home to parrots, kingfishers, honeyeaters and finches. A walk in the rainforest gives us another opportunity of seeing a Rainbow Pitta, this being the best time of year to find one. We will be made aware of the presence of Yellow Oriole and Rufous Shrike-thrush as their sonorous notes fill the air. We then make our way to Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage Area, where we will have some time to bird in the afternoon. There are a large variety of birds of prey in the park with Brown Falcon being one of the more common. We overnight in air-conditioned cabins set in landscaped gardens.

DAY 4.
Kakadu is more than just a park abundant in plant and animal life, it is filled with 50,000 years of ancient culture and tradition that has left behind a legacy of dream time legends, ochre ceremonial paintings on cave walls and beautiful landscapes. We will be up early again this morning to beat the heat and visit a site of the world's oldest Aboriginal rock art galleries dating back thousands of years. The escarpment has several endemics that we hope to find such as Banded Fruit-dove, Chestnut-quilled Rock-pigeon, White-lined Honeyeater, and Silver-crowned Friarbird, a large member of the honeyeater family. This is also a good place to find the Sandstone Shrike-Thrush. The habitat here is also home to the Black Wallaroo ('wallaroo' means 'rock kangaroo'). Black Wallaroo's are marsupials endemic to the Arnhemland escarpment. In the afternoon we sit back and cruise one of the waterways of the park. By this time of year the waters will have retreated and the water birds will be very concentrated. We should see Green Pygmy-Geese, Wandering and Plumed Whistling-Ducks, Australian Darter, Glossy and Sacred Ibises, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Radjah Shelduck and two delightful kingfishers, the Azure and Little. The cruise ends at sunset and the return drive to our cabins gives us a chance to see nightjars and owls and possibly a Dingo wandering along the road.

DAY 5.
Before leaving the park we will search roadside grass for the Partridge Pigeon. In the afternoon we make our way to Pine Creek where a wonderful array of birdlife awaits us. Finches - Masked, Long-tailed and Double-barred are common as is Red-backed Fairy-wren. Hooded Parrot, Red-winged Parrot, Cockatiel, and Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, woodswallows and Black Falcon are regularly seen in the area. No tour would be complete without a trip to the sewage works so we will drop in for the required visit. Several bird species are to be found in the vicinity but one regular is the pretty little Black-fronted Dotterel that breeds here.
We will spend the night at Pine Creek in cabins set in a tropical garden.

DAY 6.
We head for the Ferguson River where we will wait at one of the water holes for birds coming in early to drink. Key species here are the Hooded Parrot and the Gouldian Finch, a spectacular little bird. We may see a myriad of other birds including Bar-breasted and Rufous-throated Honeyeaters, Black Bittern, Rufous Night-Heron, Long-tailed, and Crimson Finches.
We will then make our way north to Darwin where we spend the night at our motel again.
Here we have another chance to look for Rainbow Pitta and Chestnut Rail if necessary.

DAY 7.
Today an early flight takes us to Cairns where our first stop will be the Esplanade with its impressive display of shorebirds. We will plan our visit around the high tide when the waders will be more accessible. Among the many waders we hope to see are the rare Broad-billed sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Mongolian Plover, Large Sand-Plover, Far Eastern Curlew, Terek, Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpiper, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits and Royal and Yellow-billed Spoonbills. Double-eyed Fig-Parrots are regularly seen in fig trees in the adjacent park. We will spend some time around the Mangroves in search of the Mangrove Robin and Little Kingfisher. It will then be time to check into our accommodation. We have been lucky in the past to have Tawny Frogmouths roosting in the grounds here. After a rest we may have time for a walk around the Botanic Gardens, in the hope of seeing Red-necked Crake and Noisy Pitta, before dinner.

DAY 8.
A tour to Australia wouldn't be complete with out a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Not only will you get the chance to snorkel amongst countless varieties of colorful reef fish and beautiful corals, or observe them from a 'glass bottom boat', but we also visit Michelmas Quay, a haven for nesting seabirds. Brown Noddy is the most common with a few pair of Black Noddy. Also possible are Sooty Tern, Black-naped Tern, Lesser-crested Tern, Brown and Masked Booby, Bridled Tern and Great and Lesser Frigatebirds. The trip lasts all day and we return to Cairns for the night.

DAY 9.
This morning we drive south to Mission Beach, one of the best places to find the huge, prehistoric looking, Southern Cassowary. The forest here is also good for Pied Monarch, Spotted Catbird and the showy Wompoo Fruit Dove. Depending on time and the species we have yet to see, we have several other possible sites to visit nearby. We may take a walk down a beautiful tropical beach in search of the Beach Stone-curlew and Red-capped Plover. A local rocky headland is good for Whimbril and Reef Heron.
Overnight in Cairns.

DAY 10.
In the morning we will visit a crocodile farm. While interesting enough in itself, it provides good habitat for crakes and a host of other birds including, Little Bittern. Always a treat to see is the Yellow-bellied Sunbird and the Crimson Finch.
In the afternoon we venture onto the Atherton Tablelands where the altitude offers some relief from the summer heat of the coast. Here we will visit a number of important sites in order to see all the Atherton specialties. The Tablelands have many natural attractions including extinct craters, crater lakes and a 7000-year-old tropical rainforest. After lunch we will check into our wonderful accommodations that are set on the rim of an extinct volcano. Our cabins are located in surrounding forest with breathtaking balcony views and possible observations of the very rare Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo and other mammals and birds. Later in the afternoon we will have an introduction to the tableland birds with a walk at Lake Echam, a volcanic explosion crater.

DAY 11.
After breakfast it will be time to explore more of the Tablelands where we hope to encounter Tooth-billed Catbird, Barred Cuckoo-Shrike, Grey-headed Robin, Bridled Honeyeater, Atherton Scrubwren, Chowchilla, Mountain Thornbill, Fernwren and an active 'bower' of the Golden Bowerbird. Grasslands in the area are home to Sarus Cranes and the local swamps have good numbers of waterfowl. In the afternoon we return to our accommodation for a break before visiting a local stream where we have a good chance of seeing the 'weird and wonderful' Platypus. On our way home from dinner we have another chance at 'spotlighting' local owls and some of the nocturnal mammals.

DAY 12.
Our first stop this morning is the 'Curtain Fig Tree', an unusual example of perhaps the most remarkable tree in the rainforest. From here our travels take us into drier habitat as we search for Squatter Pigeon, Black-throated Finch, Pheasant Coucal, Channel-billed Cuckoo and Silver-crowned Friarbird. On a streamside walk we will look for the Black Bittern while along a dry streambed we will search for the White-browed Robin, a Tropical North Australian endemic. If time allows we can also visit a lake where the Black-necked Stork can be seen.
We finish the day at our lodge surrounded by rainforest where we may see the Victoria's Riflebird.
As we relax with a cold drink we can watch a procession of birds at the strategically placed feeders.
Overnight at Kingfisher Park Lodge.

DAY 13.
The wonderful thing about the tablelands is it's diversity of habitats ranging from Dry Woodlands, Wet and Dry Sclerophyll and Upland Rainforest as well as open bodies of water which in turn attract a large variety of birds, at least 300 species. This morning we visit several dry-land areas in the hope of finding Squatter Pigeons, Apostlebird, Striated Pardelote, Rainbow Bee-eater, Rufous Whistler, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Australian Bustard. We may also see Grey-crowned Babbler, Pale-headed Rosella and Reed Warbler. We return to the lodge for lunch where we may catch a glimpse of the resident Red-necked Crake. In the afternoon it's back to a nearby rainforest to consolidate on forest species and a chance to find Victoria's Riflebird, Golden Bowerbird, Eastern Whipbird and Chowchilla. Back at the lodge you may like to stake out a near-by stream at dusk, where platypus are regularly seen. In the evening we will go spotlighting with the chance of seeing a Lesser Sooty Owl and some of Australia's unique mammals.
Overnight at Kingfisher Lodge.

DAY 14.
Our itinerary today is somewhat dependant on what we may have already seen or missed A nearby swamp attracts a good variety of birds including several species of Honeyeater, Mistletoebird, White-browed Crake, Australian Grebe and perhaps a Pacific Baza. Detours on our way back to Cairns will take us to the bower of a Great Bowerbird and day roost sites for Tawny Frogmouth and Rufous Owl. Other sites have proven successful for Varied Sitella, Black-throated Finch and White-throated Gerygone. If need be we also have one last chance for the Cassowary. Towards the end of the day we head back down to the coast and spend another night at our accommodation in Cairns.
Farewell dinner.

DAY 15.
Today we have an early morning flight from Cairns to Sydney to connect with your flight back home. Arriving back in the US on the same day.

Extension: DAY 1.
For those doing the extension we fly to Brisbane and then drive to Lamington National Park the premier sub-tropical rainforest birding locality in southern Queensland. We will have some of the afternoon to enjoy the birds here with many normally shy forest species being common on the hotel grounds. Wonga Pigeons, Crimson Rosellas, Brush Turkeys, King Parrots, Superb Fairy-wren and Pied Currawong commonly feed in the grounds. In the evening we have the chance to observe some of the mammals that live in the park. These include Red-necked Pademelons, Sugar Gliders, Common Ringtail and Brush-tailed Possum. Along with the mammals there are several owls we may encounter; Southern Boobook, Sooty Owl, Marbled Frogmouth and Australian Owlet Nightjar.
We spend the night at the famous O'Reilly's GuestHouse.

DAY 2.
Today we explore the rainforest surrounding the guesthouse. For those with a head for heights we will get a close up view of the forest canopy by way of the Tree Top Walkway. This forest is home to two specialties; Albert's Lyrebird that we will make a concerted effort to find and the Rufous Scrubbird, which requires a 13-kilometer return hike for those keen on seeing this bird. There are several other rare species in the park that we may see, including the spectacular Regent Bowerbird and the 'blue-loving' Satin Bowerbird. Noisy Pitta and the Colorful Rose-crowned Fruit Dove are also possible.
We spend another night at the guesthouse.

DAY 3.
Another day to explore the various walks around the guesthouse and a little further afield. Scanning the escarpment cliffs may find a Grey Goshawk while the dry eucalypt forest is home to Buff-rumped and Striated Thornbill.

DAY 4.
We have the last morning available for birding before we need to return to Brisbane. We will spend time in the forest again giving us another chance at Yellow-throated and White-browed Scrubwren, Logrunner, Bassian Thrush, Eastern Whipbird, Topknot Pigeon and Red-browed Treecreeper. On our drive out of the park we will keep a look out for Whiptail, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Australian Hobby, Striped Honeyeater, Pale-headed Rosella and Red-necked Wallabies.
Tonight we have our farewell dinner.
Overnight in Brisbane.

DAY 5.
This morning we will take an early flight to Sydney to connect with your flight home. Arriving US same day.