Cairns

Most of the photography in Cairns revolved around birds. We went down to the esplanade a couple of afternoons to see what was on the mudflats.

Bar-tailed Godwit 

Eastern Reef Egret

Grey-tailed Tattlers

Terek Sandpiper - There was just one in the flock of Grey-tailed Tattles, distinguished by the upturned beak. It was out the back of the group, so not quite in focus.

Black-winged Stilt 

We went to the Botanical Gardens and Centenary Lakes a few times, and each time saw some new birds... and a few pretty flowers.

Orange-footed Scrubfowl 

Little Bronze-Cuckoo 

Leaden Flycatcher 

Hybrid Mallard Duck

Rainbow Bee-eaters

Striated Heron

Australasian Figbird 

Eastern Great Egret - that had some success with its fishing!

Black Butcherbird - that was enjoying crab for lunch.

Yellow Honeyeater 

Helmeted Friarbird

Magpie Geese

And just to prove that Dazz can take photos of butterflies when they aren't in an enclosure...

Brown Pansy Butterfly

Common Eggfly (male)

On our way to the Skyrail I had noticed a sign for Cattana Wetlands, so we stopped in there on our way home in the afternoon just to see what it was like. It was really pretty, with a number of different lakes. We got talking to another birder/photographer and he showed us where the kingfishers hang out, and two of them dutifully showed up!

Yellow Oriole

Comb-crested Jacana (juvenille)

Azure Kingfisher

Sacred Kingfisher

On the way home Dazz pulled over on the side of the road because he could see something moving in the reversing camera (turned out to just be a twist tie that was caught on the bumper). As I jumped out of the car to check it I almost stood on this dead bird. 

Buff-banded Rail

The caravan park also provided a couple of birds.

Bush Stone-curlews 

Magpie-lark

Metallic Starling - A large noisy flock appeared in a tree behind us late one afternoon, but by the time Dazz grabbed his camera they were gone again. On our last afternoon when I was bringing washing in I noticed a small flock of dark quiet birds fly into the same tree. I thought they might have been the starlings, so Dazz raced out again and this time caught a few shots in the last rays of afternoon sun right at the top of the tree. They are migratory and by this time of the year most of them have gone back north to PNG, so we were pleased to get a photo... of course now we'll probably be seeing them all the way to the top of the Cape!

Four O'clock Moth - one evening outside the toilet block and the morning we left.

Fitzroy Island

The other main tourist thing we wanted to do from Cairns was go to one of the islands to snorkel. Unfortunately the weather has mostly been overcast, wet and/or windy while we've been here, and Dazz had meetings on the two days with the best forecast... One of the meetings was an early one, though, and I was able to get ferry tickets to Fitzroy Island at 10:45am, so that was our best option.

It was a beautiful day, with the high cloud clearing during the afternoon.

The water clarity was very average, especially compared to our last snorkelling experience in Coral Bay. The coral was also in rather poor condition. Some seemed to have been bleached and other areas were likely destroyed by cyclones. There were some glimpses of colour and areas that would have been very pretty prior to bleaching. In spite of the lack of coral there was still a variety of fish, and we also saw a number of turtles.

Waiting for the ferry home.