Far Northern Queensland, taipans, bowerbirds and echidnas!

Possibly initially due to the late Steve Irwin and his TV wildlife series, Queensland, Australia is one of those places that I and I suspect most wildlife lovers of my generation (in the UK certainly) dream of reaching. That dream recently became a reality for me as I prepare to move to the Cairns area where I will be undertaking a masters degree in natural resource management with James Cook University. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit the area in order to establish my base before the big move in December. As a side to the admin, I spent a little time tracking down a lot of wildlife and achieved some great (IMHO) images. I also thoroughly enjoyed catching up with and the hospitality of Sam Davies and his partner Jasmin, Sam is a former class mate from Bangor University now living in Port Douglas, a very nice coincidence.

First up, Sam, Chris O'Dowd of Wet Tropics Education (http://www.wettropicseducation.com/) and I set out with a mission to find and photograph Coastal Taipan. The trip was a success and the image I produced was included in an article in the Port Douglas weekly newspaper.

With taipan in the bag, and after running some chores around the Cairns area, I moved inland and upwards into the Atherton tablelands in order to track down some of the areas renowned birdlife.

A female Victoria's riflebird peers inquisitively at the camera. This species is one of the birds of paradise, an exquisite family of birds numbering around 40 species in total, mostly occurring on the island of New Guinea. 

Above is the male Victoria's riflebird, his iridescent plumage details revealed in the morning light. During October and November, males of this species undertake incredible displays in order to attract mates. Unfortunately I was unable to capture this in the short amount of time I had available.

A Golden bowerbird blends in with its rainforest habitat surprisingly well considering its bright coloration.

Here a Golden bowerbird surveys his bower from an elevated perch, he is no doubt keeping an eye out for out-of-place lichen and flowers disrupting his display perch.

This bowerbird is stashing both lichen to add to his display, and also seemingly food items in the fork of this tree. Oddly, he would stash a food item, and then return several minutes later and take it too the forest floor where it would be consumed in the undergrowth.

Delicate work flower arrangement.. 

This Golden bowerbird is astride his display perch, surrounded by lichen and pale flowers, all the things he needs to attract a mate. A wonderful species, and a privilege to have been able to witness and photograph. 

A male Satin bowerbird stands to attention in his beautifully constructed bower. This species collects and displays blue objects around the bower, as can be seen in these images. Unfortunately due to the ready availability of litter, often the blue objects of choice around the modern bower consist of various types of plastic.

Maintenance work..

And a side on profile shot. The eye is what strikes me about this species. 

A more elusive female. It took several hours of waiting in a hide for her to materialise briefly in a photographable position, the bower having been constructed in fairly dense undergrowth. 

Finally a Tooth-billed bowerbird in the dappled rainforest light.

And calling to attract females. 

My readers can expect more from Australia from December, but first, more coverage and conservation content from Ecuador where I will be returning shortly.