Cairns Botanical Gardens

Every Tuesday there is a guided bird watching tour in the gardens at 7:30am. The instructions are to meet at the Friends House (not the Visitor Centre). This does not mean a Quaker meeting house, but the HQ of the Friends of the Botanic Gardens Cairns.

We arrive in good time and in rain. There's a man with binoculars and a camera. This is the right place. He turns out to be our guide. Another Friend keeps a tally of bird species seen. Three damp hours later the total is 49. We didn't see all of them ourselves, but we did see a good many, and photographed a fair few.

Whilst the emphasis was on birds, we were introduced to some of the plants growing in the gardens and some of the critters we happened across.

Bush Stone-curlews are common around Cairns.

The fruit of a Sausage Tree.

A Willie Wagtail.

Torresian Imperial Pigeons are known to the local birders as TIPs.

A caterpillar of the Cairns Birdwing Butterfly.

When gently prodded with a finger the caterpillar defends itself by displaying colourful but ineffective 'teeth'.

Red Ginger flower

A seed pod.  I've forgotten the name of the tree.

Nankeen Night-heron.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

A Cane Toad nestled in the grass.  Despite this being a notorious pest, the guide left it alone after we took our photographs.  When they were first introduced to Australia many birds died after eating the poisonous amphibian.  They have since learned to turn the toad over and avoid the poison glands on the shoulder.  Evolution in action!

Ant Plant

An unidentified but attractive flower

The guide did tell us what this is, but I've forgotten.

A wet Little Pied Cormorant.

A Sahul Sunbird perched on a Jade Vine.  The bird is a native to tropical Queensland.  The plant, which occurs naturally in the Philippines, is cultivated in the gardens.

The walk concluded at a cafe. We were more than ready for a hot coffee out of the rain.