Birding On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002
Emmalee Tarry

Queensland North

7 / 8

Caines

I was finally able to tear myself away from the Atherton Tablelands and drove down the escarpment to Caines. The Atherton Tablelands were one of my favorite places in Australia. September is the beginning of summer, but it is cool at least at night on the plateau. Insects were not a problem.

In Caines I stayed at the Coconut Grove Campground on the main highway. It is rather expensive, but has everything including a large swimming pool. There is a cheaper public campground near the Botanical Gardens. I stopped by there, but it didn't look too comfortable. It is hot and muggy here and I wanted shade and a cool swimming pool.

I started September 11, 2002 at the Botanical Gardens. It took me a while to find a proper parking place and by the time I started the boardwalk it was rather late. You can see Red-necked Crake here if you are one of the first to walk the boardwalk.

Outside the gardens, a tour leader I must have seen and talked to previously greeted me with " We meet again. Today is September 11. Are you scared?"

I replied that it was only September 10 back home because of the international date line. I wasn't worried for myself, but I was thinking of folks back home. The tour guide went on to tell me " The real loose cannon is George Bush." He is referring to Bush's campaign to go after Sadam Hussein in Iraq. Australia is supposed to be with us on this, but I have picked up some hostility. I have not been watching television or reading newspapers. Once a week I try to buy a copy of the Australian version of Time Magazine to catch up on world news. Most Australian news seems to focus on sports and politics.

I walked the boardwalk to Centenary Lakes seeing mostly Orange-footed Scrub-fowl. At the lakes there are Brahminy Kites, Pacific Black Duck, Rufus Night-heron, Kookaburra, Figbird, Magpie Geese, Pied Imperial Pigeon. A young man tells me he had Red-necked Crake this morning.

It is hot and humid. I went to the Tobruck Pool and for AU$3 swam laps in a 50m pool. While I was in Caines I went to this pool several times around noon and swam a mile each time.

Caines Esplanade

I am on the esplanade in September. My timing is perfect. The migration of shorebirds from the northern hemisphere is on. I spent parts of three days on the esplanade. If I lived here I would be here every day in September.

The Esplanade is a park along the waterfront, not beach but mud flats. If it were a sandy beach it would now be solid hotels. Mud flats attract birds not tourists. You need your scope here. The strategy is to wander the length of the flats starting at the north or mangrove end on a rising tide. There are benches to sit on.

As the tide comes in, the feeding birds are pushed toward the shore. At high tide only small areas at the south end remain above water and the waders settle down to wait for the tide to turn.

Watch the mud carefully and you may locate a mudskipper. The mudskipper is a fish with goggle eyes and air sacs. They move across the mud from one pool to another using their fins.

Look at this beautiful shoreline. Wouldn't this make a wonderful resort if that were only sand and not mud? The city fathers saw the potential here. For several years this wonderful birding area was threatened with development.

A compromise was reached and construction is underway to build an artificial beach in the south most corner. It will only destroy a small part of the esplanade. If only it stops now.

Of course either north or south of the esplanade is beautiful beach. Why don't they build hotels on the beach instead of coming up with schemes to build a beach here. Actually they have built hotels on the beach. Let's hope they preserve the esplanade.

North Queensland

Next Page 8

Back

Table of Contents