Bruce Belcher Branches out into Birdwatching

One of the longest serving tour guides in Daintree is going to follow his dream of being a birdwatcher guide. If it is anything like what Bruce normally does he will be a good one. Bruce Belcher, a mate of mine for a quarter of century starts his operation on 1 May 2013. He plans to use the lower reaches of the Daintree with a birdwatching boat for a 2&1/2 hour early morning tour at a cost of $65.

This is really good news for visiting birdwatchers because the other birdwatching guides work upstream in the freshwater reaches and so the visitors will have the opportunity to do both parts on different days. Since dawn trips started on the Daintree more than 20 years ago the Daintree River has become world renowned for birdwatching.

Bruce is part of the digital revolution with his digital business card and mobile website:

qwe.com.au/bb

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Crocodiles are in the food chain.

Crocodile hatchling emerges from the egg.

It is that time of the year again the crocodile hatchlings are out and about. Only weeks old these small crocodiles are an important food source for other animals, particularly birds. Their survival rate is about 1% which is common for any species that has a large clutch.
You can see these creatures on the Daintree River.

Best at low tide. See: daintree.info/weather.html 














Image: http://latvijasdabasmuzejs.blogspot.com.au/2011_04_01_archive.html

The Spectacled Flying-fox

This astonishingly beautiful nectar and fruit-eating bat is the local "World Heritage" Daintree forester the Spectacled Flying-fox (Pteropus conspiculatus).

We are fortunate in Wonga Beach to have them set up Camp along a creek line running parallel to Marlin Drive. During winter the Spectacled Flying-foxes spread out into more numerous but smaller camps because their nectar diet is similarly widespread. (Rainforest trees produce less nectar in winter)

One of the most spectacular nature eco events in Cairns is the Spectacled Flying-fox "Flyout" which can be witnessed from the restaurant strip next to the lagoon at dusk as 20 000 bats take to the skies on their nightly rainforest forage for food.

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Crocodile canalabism.

Daintree River aboard Solar Whisper.

Captain and passengers witnessed a crocodile eating another crocodile last Wednesday. Called an unusual sighting because crocodiles don't eat much, do not eat often and are rarely seen eating anything. The digestion period is likely to be several weeks.

photo courtesy of the Cairns Post.

Dollarbird in Wonga Beach

There is an immature Dollarbird hanging around Wonga Beach at present. It has been here for a week now and shows no sign of finishing it's migration further north.

Image of adult Dollarbird courtesy of nature pixels.org

Early morning action at Wonga Beach

An early morning walk along the Wonga Beach foreshore this morning presented us with a Barn Owl being harassed by other birds. Just at the end of Calophyllum Close is where the action was and the other birds involved were Black Butcherbirds, a Spangled Drongo and some un-seen Helmeted Friarbirds.

Image courtesy of True Wild Life

Radjah Shelduck in Wonga Beach Creek.

Spotted in a creek off Oleander Drive just down from the Caltex Servo were two Radjah Shelducks. These north Australia ducks are not that common near the coast.

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A Cuckoo sort of day.

Where ever I went today there was a cuckoo. 

It started off at dawn with the Eastern Koel, not long after the Channel-billed Cuckoos and then Brush Cuckoos and Little Bronze-cuckoo (Gould's).

This was not over a few minutes it went on all day long!

Enjoy your birdwatching in Daintree.

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White-throated Needletails over Wonga Beach

White-throated Needletails are rarely seen Summer visitors down the eastern half of mainland Australia. They breed in the Himilayas and virtually live on the wing following their insect food supply which may be pushed along by a weather front as is happening today at Wonga. Probably the largest of all the swifts and certainly the fastest which you will see if you can catch up with them. Often heard before seen.

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Spotted Whistling Ducks on the Daintree River

Spotted Whistling Ducks have been seen on the Daintree River with Ian "Sauce" Worcester (mobile) on his dawn river trip. The sightings of these ducks in Australia is not common especially this far south. 

Link to Daintree Wildlife

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