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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andrew Whitehouse" data-source="post: 1565411" data-attributes="member: 3550">Day 15: 3rd July, Daintree - Cape Tribulation, QueenslandI seem to be slacking off a bit with this trip report write up, although this wasn't helped by me mysteriously deleting an entry before I posted it the other evening.  Let's hope I do better this time.The following morning I was on the early trip on the Daintree River with <a href="http://www.daintreerivertours.com.au/" target="_blank">Chris Dahlberg</a>.  It was a bit misty early doors but there were soon some good birds appearing in the gloom.  Azure Kingfishers were zipping about over the water and in the mangroves near the edge were a lovely pair of Shining Flycatchers - the male jet black and the female a fetching mix of rufous, black and white.We drifted a short distance up Stewart Creek and soon had reasonable views of a couple of massive Great-billed Herons.  Nearby a sub-adult Nankeen Night Heron was lurking in the bushes.  There were a few passerines in the riverside trees including Grey Whistler, Large-billed Gerygone, Leaden Flycatcher and a couple of Yellow Orioles.One of the features of these river trips is the opportunity to see roosting Papuan Frogmouths and Chris managed to find us three, including a pair huddled closely together on a low branch.  These birds really are something else - almost like you'd expect birds to look on another planet. They're surprisingly big too and the river cruise enables you to see them close up and at eye level.Further down the river we had views of a Gould's Bronze-cuckoo singing from a tree top, giving a distinctive whistled tune.  There were some raptors about too.  I had brief but close views of a Brown Goshawk flying from a tree and there was an Australian Hobby perched up nicely across the river.Back at Red House Mill I finally got some convincing views of a Graceful Honeyeater, another of the 'lookalike' honeyeaters but with a distinctive call and, rather inevitably, a graceful shape.I spent the rest of the day north of the river along the road to Cape Tribulation.  On the way to the ferry a Black Kite was sailing over the sugar cane fields.  After being tugged across the river I headed through the lush forests along the road, stopping first at the Alexandra Range Lookout.  I was hoping for some raptor activity and soon had success when a Grey Goshawk shot past at close range.  That was all the activity as it turned out, but the view from the mountain top was good.I headed a bit further along to Jindalba Boardwalk, which goes through some beautiful tall forest.  The forest was very quiet most of the way around with just a few Graceful Honeyeaters, Little Shrike-thrushes and Spectacled Monarchs.  I again had some good views of a Double-eyed Fig-parrot.   The good stuff happened just a few hundred metres before I returned to the car park.  There was a movement on the forest floor and I noticed a smallish bird creeping through the leaf litter.  Lifting my bins I was delighted to find a mass of blue, chestnut, red, black and orange - a Noisy Pitta.  It continued to walk across the path, giving great views as it went.  What a bird.Around the car park were a few other interesting birds, including Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Varied Triller and Yellow-spotted Honeyeater.  I also heard the strange but distinctive call of a Wompoo Fruit-dove.I continued along the road until I reached the Marrdjah Boardwalk, which leads through mixed forest and mangroves.  I soon saw an inquisitive Black Butcherbird, which was very interested in the squeaking noises I was making.  For a time things were quiet apart from a few Mistletoebirds and Olive-backed Sunbirds.  Then I saw a medium-sized bird moving to the side of the trail - a lovely Spotted Catbird.  It was also quite keen on a bit of squeaking and came in for a closer look.  Further along I watched a gangly goanna, possibly a Spotted Tree Monitor, creep down from a tree.Just before I returned to the car park I hit a busy flock of birds.  There were a few Spectacled Monarchs, a pretty Rufous Fantail and some Large-billed Gerygones.  Better still were a pair of lovely Yellow-breasted Boatbills, with their peculiar laterally flattened bills and strange trilling calls.  Then a larger bird with a short tail and long bill appeared in a nearby tree.  Despite the dull brownish plumage it was a bird of paradise: a female or immature Victoria's Riflebird.  I pointed this out to a passing group of American students who then told me they'd recently seen a Cassowary further back towards the mangroves.  Restraining my desire to hurl abuse at them, I headed back along the boardwalk.  Predictably I didn't find any Cassowaries but I had good views of a couple of strange looking Bridled Honeyeaters - an endemic species with peculiar tufts behind the eye.  There was also another pair of Shining Flycatchers and another Rufous Fantail.I headed back along the road towards the ferry - it was now late afternoon - and didn't see too much else.  I was disappointed not to see the Cassowary but, given that I had seen my first ever Frogmouth, Pitta, Bowerbird and Bird-of-Paradise, the day hadn't been a complete write-off.</blockquote>

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