Bird Watching around Cairns, Australia

Join me on a tropical bird watching tour through Cairns, Australia! I'll take you to my favourite birdwatching spots where we'll encounter a wide variety of new and familiar bird species (with a twist).
In the search for birds, we'll explore: a beach, gardens, a wetland, an island and a rainforest.
Whether you’re a seasoned birdwatcher or just starting out, there’s something for everyone.
Some birds you'll see: kingfishers, fairywrens, butcherbirds, kookaburras, and many more!
Tip: you'll get a more immersive experience (bird calls) by listening with headphones. This video is available in 4K.
eBird Trip Report:
ebird.org/trip...
CORRECTIONS:
4:17 This is actually an immature Striated Heron (not a Nankeen Night Heron). The immature SH and NNH have similar patterning.
Chapters:
00:00 - Start
00:21 - Botanic Gardens
03:00 - Centenary Lakes
06:24 - Cairns Esplanade
13:11 - Cattana Wetlands
17:50 - Redden Island
21:37 - Lake Barrine

[@mimiarraiza5803]

love your commentary it makes the birds much more memorable!

[@birdwalkz]

Much appreciated! Thanks for watching

[@CairnsDiveAdventuresAustralia]

Great video, so wonderful to learn about all the local species in and around Cairns! Thank you for making such an interesting and informative video! :)

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks for watching. I heard Cairns is a great place for diving too 💙

[@CairnsDiveAdventuresAustralia]

@@birdwalkz Yes there are many beautiful sites to dive and snorkel from both Cairns and Port Douglas. Have you ever been to Michaelmas Cay? There are a wide variety of seabirds at that Cay.

[@CairnsLobster]

This is the best bird watching video Ive seen for this area, cheers. Andre

[@CairnsLobster]

I have a Fairy Wren at my house with Crimson red, its elusive dont see it often. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqOpoqV-j62DhJY

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks Andre. Sounds like your garden has a Red-backed Fairywren. They're a bit more shy than the common species of fairywren but that makes them more special when you get to see them 😊 Thanks for watching

[@CairnsLobster]

@birdwatchingse-qld2253 cheers for that i appreciate it.

[@birdwatchworld]

Thank you for this video. The botanic garden looks so beautiful. I've never seen Metallic Starlings or Black Butcherbird before so that was great. I must make a trip to Cairns!! 😀

[@birdwalkz]

It's definitely worth the visit. Thanks for watching 🙂

[@Patches9427]

Awesome!

[@PashStudio1]

That was captivating, what an awesome display of birds.

[@charlottelopez9626]

Really enjoyed the video! I loved the virtual tour style. Thank you for teaching me so much about the birds and how to identify them. So excited about my visit to Cairns next year, sadly only a day (cruise), not enough time! Looking forward to more videos.

[@birdwalkz]

Glad you enjoyed it. One day is a bit short but better than none. Have a great time 🙂

[@paulgoessinger]

Awesome! My flight to Australia leaves in less than 2 weeks and Cairns will be my 2nd stop on my east coast trip! Very nice to see what to expect.

[@birdwalkz]

In that case delayed #spoileralert haha. You're in for a treat. Enjoy the trip

[@WilliamHenryAlbert]

That was a lovely video, totally absorbing, thank you so much for posting.

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks for watching 🙂

[@teganreincoaching]

Wow this was sensational!

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks Tegan 😃

[@mattmatty4670]

Cool thanks mate

[@kaden5059]

Great vid - Cairns trip was already on the cards but you've sold me rob!

[@birdwalkz]

Cool. You'll have a great time there. If you've never visited before you should check out the Kuranda rail and cable way (there's birds along the way and at the village too).

[@wildhomevideos]

Nice birding adventure😎👍

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks for joining me on the adventure 👍

[@andrewjohnson-o5q]

i am coming in january so will visit daintree and others thank you. aj from the uk

[@birdwalkz]

Great. Thanks for watching. Have a great visit ☺️

[@tonyblake8841]

Loved the video. I love your birdwatcher style. 👏🏻👏🏻

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks Tony. Happy bird watching to you 🐦

[@Destination_Of_Life]

Your channel always provides high-quality and diverse content, making viewers never feel bored

[@birdwalkz]

I appreciate your feedback 🙂

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Great camera work, thanks!

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks for watching!

[@RogersBirdingHotspots]

Lovely video Rob, Cairns is such a great place for a variety of birds.

[@offgriddreaming5403]

Great video ❤

[@aboldy]

oh, please let me know next time you are in cairns, I would love to come walking with you

[@justinwalters4821]

Thanks for another great video Rob.

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks Justin ☺️

[@stevepersighetti3400]

Great, informative video, many thanks. I'm visiting Cairns and Atherton in December from the UK. 👍

[@birdwalkz]

No probs. Enjoy your trip. You're going to see so many special places and birds 😊

[@stevepersighetti3400]

@@birdwalkz Many thanks, I'm really looking forward to it. Any chance you can recommend a bird field guide that is reasonably "pocket size" please ie not too huge?

[@birdwalkz]

@@stevepersighetti3400 Hi Steve, if weight is your concern I'd go with one of the apps. My preferences for a long time was Morcombe's Birds of Australia, but now I actually prefer Pizzey & Knight Birds of Aus (aka PK Birds), as it has a "family" and similar species functionality.

[@stevepersighetti3400]

@@birdwalkz Very many thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I'll check out the App. 👍

[@jandrabeeston4604]

Been looking forward to your Cairns YT. Excellent photography & commentary (as usual) plus the bonus of your own bird-calls. Thanks, Rob.

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks for watching. My own bird calls always make me laugh when reviewing the videos. If it helps people remember or laugh, that's good enough for me 🤣

[@dennismurray703]

Just a wonderful video. Your love of the birds really shines through with your enthusiastic and informative commentary. Combined with your excellent image quality it makes this a top bird watcher channel to follow.

[@birdwalkz]

Much appreciated Dennis. Stay tuned for more 🙂

[@Don_from_cairns_australia]

Excellent video and thank you for promoting my hometown. I regularly enjoy all those birding hotspots.

[@birdwalkz]

If you have any fav spots in Atherton or Daintree, please let me know for the next video 🙂

[@Don_from_cairns_australia]

@@birdwalkz upper and lower Daintree river are my weekly drives. It helps to have a yearly pass for the Crocodile express river cruise. The other hot spots for birding are Mt Malloy and julaton which is between Mareeba and Port Douglas

[@Don_from_cairns_australia]

@@birdwalkz excellent both upper and lower Daintree river via crocodile express River Cruise and Mount Molloy and Julatten which is between Mareeba and Port Douglas

[@Don_from_cairns_australia]

@@birdwalkz upper and lower Daintree River, Mt Molloy & Julatten

[@birdwalkz]

Cool. I'll definitely check those out next time. Thank you 😊

[@zonabrown9241]

❤your videos areawesome❤

[@birdwalkz]

O shucks. Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated

[@DazzaBo]

Probably worth mentioning that saltwater crocs have been removed from Centenary Lakes more than once previously so it's a good idea to stay away from the edge if you can.

[@birdwalkz]

Good to know. I agree, I don't recall seeing any signage. Thank you

[@colleenoliver2673]

Very beautiful country great bird life

[@birdwalkz]

💚

[@debrowe2120]

Another terrific, educational video Rob. I’ve been to all those places but before I was into birds. So frustrating that I live 2,000 km away & could have seen them all for myself. Next best thing is watching your video. Felt like I was walking with you. Thanks so much.

[@birdwalkz]

I know right! I was into hiking a long time before I was interested in birds. I went to so many different places and often ponder what birds I could have seen in those locations. Thanks for joining me on the walk 🙂

[@PhilipHeath-p3b]

Great video loved Cairns

[@giuliavalle5751]

Love love love the video !!! Please produce more !!!! ❤

[@birdwalkz]

Will do. Thank you 😊

[@rogerhigman7568]

Loved this video. It brought back memories (as most of your videos have) of bird watching in Australia in 1987 - including at Cairns Esplanade, Cairns Botanic Gardens and from the train up to Kuranga. Why no mention of the White-tailed Kingfisher? We saw a few in the forest behind the Botanic Gardens.

[@birdwalkz]

Thank you. I imagine the number of birds back then was much more? Unfortunately I didn't see a White-tailed Kingfisher/Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher this time. I saw one previously in the Daintree, but didn't get a good look. Gives me an excuse to go back 😅

[@glenngilbert7389]

Excellent video - well paced and well presented. Definitely want to visit the area

[@birdwalkz]

Thanks Glenn. Enjoy your future visit ☺️

[@niniwang2503]

i was in cairns recently but wasn’t looking hard enough at the esplanade 😢 also didn’t get the chance to visit the botanic gardens nor centenary lakes - maybe next time. great video!

[@birdwalkz]

That's a shame. At least you know for next time 🙂

[@WildCaught73]

Great video Rob, absolutely love the content. We were just up there the other day and got my life count up to 271, adding a whopping 59 species in 7 days. It truly is the spot to go for birders! 😂

[@birdwalkz]

59 lifers! That's amazing! Well done. I went on a tour of Atherton several years back and that was new species overload for me (I was relatively fresh to birding back then). So many great places to visit and Far North Queensland!

[@marisatrigger8517]

Now I really want to head back to Cairns on the next available flight!

[@birdwalkz]

Great idea 👍

[@tomsaunders383]

I have 2ha in Mareeba and have identified 186 birds on my block 6 unidentified. Sunbird babies out yesterday 🎉 Plenty of sites across FNQ

[@birdwalkz]

Your place sounds like bird watcher heaven! I'm try to see sunbird babies, enjoy. Thanks for watching

[@lachlangraham1062]

Great video, enjoyed it.

[@andrewtilsley]

Surely that was a Little/Striated Heron, rather than a Nankeen Night Heron.

[@birdwalkz]

I did agonise over the ID of this one actually. Based on the wing pattern (white dots, that are hard to see in the video) I made a call that it was an immature (not juvenile) Nankeen Night Heron. Happy to stand correct though if got further detail on why it is a Striated. The link below shows an illustration of the forms (there's not many good photos of the immature online). PK Birds has some good reference illustrations and photos. absa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Nankeen-Night-Heron-BIH2-NZ.pdf

[@issy7465]

I reckon magpie larks are more aggressive than magpies. My dog and I are often attacked by them.

[@birdwalkz]

I agree but Magpie-larks attacks don't do as much damage, in most cases 😅

[@umabatata]

Another interesting one from you - thanks. I'm interested to know what your camera set up for these is.

[@birdwalkz]

Thank you. I'm using a Nikon P950

[@amitjain05]

Thanks for the video mate. What gear do you use? It has great quality. Do you mind sharing?

[@birdwalkz]

Hi, I use a Nikon P950. It's a bridge camera with awesome zoom, and it's much lighter than a DSLR/Mirrorless.

[@kikithebird6177]

Great video! What kind of camera do you use? Looking to get a new one that can zoom in on those far away birds! 📸 🐦

[@birdwalkz]

Hi Kiki, I use a Nikon P950 it's lightweight, has perfect zoom for bird photography, and it's not too expensive compared to DSLR/mirrorless.

[@bergbaubergbau]

There is a mistake 4:17. This is not a Nankeen night heron but a Striated heron.

[@birdwalkz]

I did agonise over the ID of this one actually. Based on the wing pattern (white dots, that are hard to see in the video) I made a call that it was an immature (not juvenile) Nankeen Night Heron. Happy to stand corrected though, if you've got further detail on why it is a Striated. The link below shows an illustration of the forms (there's not many good photos of the immature online). PK Birds has some good reference illustrations and photos. absa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Nankeen-Night-Heron-BIH2-NZ.pdf

[@bergbaubergbau]

@@birdwalkz Night herons have a completely different posture and do not move in this way. They are rather clumsy. On the other hand, the athletic behavior filmed here is quite typical of striated herons all over the world. That is why I have no doubts about my correction. However, I had to look up specific physical characteristics in the literature (I have never been to Australia): The lower half of the beak of the bird filmed is yellow and not black, the wings are patterned and not a solid brown, the long white crest feathers are missing, the beak is too long and too thin, the skin between the eye and the beak is not greenish. No other species of heron in the world probably hunts in such a daring manner as in this film, but I am not sure about that.

[@birdwalkz]

@@bergbaubergbau That's fantastic info. Thank you very much. I wasn't aware of the behavioural differences. I think I was a bit biased as I saw an adult Nankeen Night Heron adult just before. I'll keep that in mind for next time. I've added the correction to the video description. Cheers