Four target birds and two new friends

We didn't have a long list of birds we wanted to see, but we did hope for a few.  Here are four that we put an extra effort into finding and photographing.

 

Mistletoebird

 

Red-backed fairy wren

 

Buff-breasted paradise Kingfisher

 

Laughing Kookaburra

Then, there were some birds we didn't know about that we learned to love because of their behaviors.

 

Spectacled Monarch 

 

Pale-yellow Robin

We want this in our backyard!

We are at Kingfisher Lodge in the rainforest. It's raining so we are blogging. Actually, it's me, Chris, blogging alone for a change. Know why? It's bloody freakin hot here so Mike just jumped in the shower. The bird in this photo is the Paradise Kingfisher, hence the name of the lodge, Kingfisher Lodge. The thing is, it's really rustic for princess cushy butt, Aka, Chris, so we are only here two nights. The birds are AMAZING!! No AC so we have been out for drives in the car twice to cool off. And we didn't bring enough wine! It's sort of like the birdwatching we do at home from our veranda with wine but the birds are so much cooler! Seriously thinking we should have a retirement home here soon. Mike will post more bird photos later I'm sure while I catch up on some much missed beauty rest; well, as much as I can manage in this heat!

Last day At Thalia

The beach was beautiful to walk on but we had to do it at 6 am.  Even 7 am was already too hot and as you can see from the sign, no swimming allowed.  The resort had two beautiful pools but we were busy out birding.  Hi to Lynn and Gavin.  Chris thought "safety Gav" would appreciate this photo!

  

Australia birds

It's hard for an American to believe these birds are in the wild.

Galah

Pale-headed Rosella

Sulfur-crested cockatoo.

Finally, a kangaroo

We've been in Australia two days without seeing a kangaroo.  We ran into one while out birding.   Actually, it's an agile wallaby, but its nice to see one in the wild.

 

Sunbird at Moonshine Cafe

We went to Port Douglas for birding and shopping. It was hot and we stopped in Moonshine Cafe, a cute boutique with a cafe that served tea and coffee.

The owner noticed we were birders (most customers don't have binoculars) and told us about a sunbird that made a nest right in front of the store.  So, we sat at a table in front and the sunbird came to the nest occasionally as we drank iced drinks.  It appeared to be feeding, but we couldn't see into its long nest.  It would stop at a nearby tree on a busy sidewalk full of pedestrians.  We are glad the owner showed us, since we were hoping to see the Olive-backed Sunbird.  We just didn't expect it would be downtown.

 

 

 

A bit of birding at Thala

We actually went out before dinner for wallabies, but didn't see any. The birds really picked up around 5:30. Here's three new ones for us.

The double-eyed fig Parrot.

Australasian Figbird

Orange-footed scrubfowl.