Wild Watch Australia

Bird Watching Tours

Private tours with tailor-made itineraries.

Tour Suggestions    

Wild Watch Australia offers a wide range of bird watching tours as well as wildlife, rainforest and photography tours, either scheduled or tailor-made to suit your interests. Tours are usually fully accommodated and all-inclusive but can also be with guiding only, either in vehicles approved for commercial tours or in the clients own vehicle. These can be from one day to several days or even several weeks in duration either in the tropical north Queensland region or inter-state. Other destinations include the Northern Territory, Darwin, Kakadu/Litchfield NPs, Lamington NP, Tasmania, Victoria, the Grampians, Little Desert, Hattah-Kulkyne, Wyperfeld and South Australia etc.

All tours are led by experienced professional naturalist, Jonathan Munro.

The tropical North Queensland/Cape York regions. A wide range of destinations and habitats are offered in this area including Cairns, Daintree, Southern Tablelands; Atherton and Evelyn Tablelands/Cairns Highlands, Ravenshoe and the Misty Mountains, Kuranda, Yungaburra, Ingham, Lucinda, Halifax, Moresby Range/Etty Bay, Cooktown, Cape York/Lakefield/IronRange NPs, Valley of Lagoons, the Gulf Savannah, Georgetown, Normanton/Kurumba and Lawn Hill.

Scheduled Bird Watching and Wildlife Tours….

Queensland Wet Tropics Diversity Tour

10-day/9-nights Fully-accommodated/all-inclusive.
Dates: 16th – 25th August, 2020
Includes early morning 2 hour Daintree River cruise and full day trip to Michaelmas Cay and Hastings reef on the Outer Great Barrier Reef.

Price: AUD$4,500.00 per person. Single supplement AUD$630.00. maximum 8 persons

Western Gulf Savannah; Georgetown, Normanton, Karumba and Lawn Hill.

10-days/9-nights. Fully-accommodated/all-inclusive.

Price: AUD$5,500.00 per person. Single supplement AUD$790.00

Iron Range/Lakefield/Musgrave.

Fly/Drive. 8-days/7-nights. Full-accommodated/all-inclusive.

Price: AUD$5,500.00 per person. Single supplement AUD$550.00.

Outback Gulf Savannah and Wetlands Bird Watching and Wildlife tour.

5-days/4-nights. Fully-accommodated/all-inclusive.

Price: AUD$ TBA


Some suggestions, which make the most economical and productive use of time in the tropical North Queensland and Cape York regions include the following:

Bird Watching and/or Bird Photography Tours in the Tropical North Queensland region

Fully accommodated 4-days/3-nights

Regions include:

Cairns, Atherton Tablelands, Warrigal Highland Rainforest Preserve, Misty Mountains and Daintree regions. Includes 2 hour early morning Daintree River Birding cruise. Accommodation at two locations.

Species include:

Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Victoria’s Riflebird, Chowchilla, Bower’s Shrike-thrush, Pied Monarch, Atherton Scrubwren, Fernwren, Macleay’s and Bridled Honeyeater etc.


Tropical North Queensland Endemics Tour

Fully accommodated 7-days/6-nights. Accommodation in 4 locations.

Areas covered include:

Cairns, Ingham, Atherton Tablelands/Cairns Highlands, Warrigal Highland Rainforest Preserve, Ravenshoe, Misty Mountains, Julatten, Carbine Tablelands and Daintree regions. Includes 2 hour early morning Daintree River Birding cruise. Add a day for Great Barrier Reef trip to Michaelmas Cay, the seabird island refuge and marine park. We would expect 225-240 species in peak season on a 7-day tour

Species include:

Cassowary, Emu, Golden, Satin, Great and Tooth-billed Bowerbirds, Victoria’s Riflebird, Wompoo, Superb and Rose-crowned Fruit-doves, Crimson Finch, White-browed Robin, White-browed Crake, Black-necked Stork, Australian Bustard, Lesser Sooty and Rufous Owl, Brolga and Sarus Cranes, Blue-faced Finch, Noisy Pitta, White-eared Monarch, Red-backed and Lovely (Fairy) Wrens etc.


Cairns and near Atherton Tablelands

Full-day. Lowlands, foothills and uplands.

Habitats include:

mud flats and mangroves along Cairns Esplanade and forshore, freshwater lagoons and swamp, feather palm and paperbark forest, upland rainforest, dry sclerophyll woodland and savannah woodland. Includes lunch at the Mareeba Wetlands

Species include:

Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Double-eyed Fig-parrot (race Macleayana), Crimson Finch, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Little and Forest Kingfishers, Mangrove Robin, White-breasted Wood-swallow, Olive-backed (Yellow-bellied) Sunbird, Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorrikeets, Black Butcherbird, Yellow Oriole, Metallic Starling, Rainbow Bee-eater, Magpie-lark, Spangled Drongo, Bar-shouldered Dove, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Brown-backed and Varied Honeyeaters, Green Pygmy-goose, Comb-crested Jacana, Australian Darter, Brush Turkey, Tawny Frogmouth, Osprey, Welcome Swallow, Helmeted Friarbird and Peregrine Falcon.


Daintree and Northern Tablelands

3-days/2-nights. Includes 2 hour Daintree River birding/wildlife cruise.

Habitats include:

Riparian/riverine, mangrove, estuarine, lowland and upland rainforest, dry sclerophyll woodland and freshwater wetlands

Species include:

Great-billed Heron, Striated Heron, Double-eyed Fig-parrot (race Macleayana), Yellow Oriole, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Little, Azure Forest and Sacred Kingfishers, White-eared Monarch, Lovely Wren, Shinning Flycatcher, Papuan Fromouth, Black-necked Stork, Cattle Egret, White-breasted Sea-eagle, Brahminy Kite, Osprey, Grey-crowned Babbler, Apostlebird, Galah, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Pale-headed Rosella, Red-tailed Black-cockatoo and in season Black Bittern, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Koel etc.


Ravenshoe and the Misty Mountains

Fully accommodated 3-days/2-nights at ‘The Pond Cottage’.

Habitats include:

Highland Rainforest, Wet and Dry Sclerophyll Woodland, Savannah/Savannah Woodland extensive freshwater wetlands, billabongs and riverine. Warrigal Highland Rainforest Preserve and surrounding region.

Species include:

Victoria’s Riflebird, Golden, Satin, Tooth-billed and Great Bowerbirds, Little Lorrikeet, Chowchilla, Bower’s and Grey Shrike-thrush, White-throated (Little) and Brown (Black-backed) Treecreepers, Grey Goshawk, Pacific Baza (Crested Hawk), Pale-headed and Crimson Rosellas, King Parrot, Red-winged Parrot, Bridled, White-cheeked, Fuscous, Scarlet, and Macleay’s Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebill, Varied Sitella, Crested Shrike-tit, Red-tailed Black-cockatoo, Owlet Nightjar, Apostlebird, Grey-crowned Babbler, Topknot and White-headed Pigeons, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Eastern Yellow, Pale-yellow and Grey-headed Robins, Fernwren, Atherton Scrubwren, White-browed Scrubwren, Painted Button-quail, Bassian and Russet-tailed Thrushes, Black-faced and Pied Monarhs, Mountain and Buff-rumped Thornbills, Common Bronzewing and Squatter Pigeons, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brolga and Sarus Cranes, Australian Bustards, Emu, Magpie Geese, Green and Cotton Pygmy-geese, Hardheads and whistling ducks etc


Lakefield National Park and Musgrave

Fully accommodated 5-days/4-nights.

Habitats include:

extensive freshwater wetlands (billabongs), floodplain, savannah, savannah woodland, monsoon (gallery) forest, riverine/riparian, mangroves and the inter-tidal zone.

Species include:

Golden-shouldered Parrots, possible Palm Cockatoo, Black-backed Butcherbird, Red Goshawk, Black-breasted Buzzard, Emu, White-streaked, Banded, Red-headed, Rufous-throated, Rufous-banded and Bar-breasted Honeyeaters, Star, Masked, Black-throated, the white-bellied form of Crimson Finch and occassional Gouldian Finches, Red-browed Pardalote, Comb-crested Jacana (the Lotusbird), Radjah Shelducks, Wandering and Plumed Whistling ducks, Pink-eared Duck, Common Bronze-wing, Black-necked Stork, Black-winged Stilt, Australian Pratincole, Oriental Plover, Southern Boobook, Barking and Grass Owls, Papuan Frogmouth, Owlet, Large-tailed and Spotted Nightjars, White-breasted Sea-eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brolga and Sarus Cranes and numerous waders


Iron Range and Lakefield National Park

Fly one way, drive the other. Fully accommodated 8 days/7-nights. 4-nights Iron Range, 3-nights Musgrave.


Iron Range

Fly-in/Fly-out. Fully accommodated 5-days/4-nights.

Habitats include:

monsoon (gallery) forest, riparian/riverine, estuarine, heathland, dry sclerophyll woodland, mangroves, freshwater lagoons and paperbark swamps.

Species include:

Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Double-eyed Fig-parrot (race Marshalli), Magnificent Riflebird, Trumpet Manucode, Yellow-billed and Azure Kingfishers, Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, Marbled Fogmouth, Red-bellied and Noisy Pittas, Frilled and Black-winged Monarchs, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, White-faced Robin, Green-backed, Tawny-breasted and White-streaked Honeyeaters, Tropical Scrubwren, Mangrove Robin, Collared Kingfisher and Grey Goshawk.


Lower Cape York Bird Watching Tour

Fully accommodated, 7-days/6-nights. Daintree, Cooktown and Lakefield National Park. Accommodation in three locations. Includes early morning 2 hour Birding Daintree River cruise.

Habitats include:

riparian/riverine, mangrove, estuarine, lowland and upland rainforest, dry sclerophyll woodland and freshwater wetlands.

Species include:

Great-billed Heron, Striated Heron, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Noist Pitta, Yellow Oriole, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Little, Azure Forest and Sacred Kingfishers, White-eared Monarch, Lovely wren, Shinning Flycatcher, Papuan Fromouth, Black-necked Stork, Cattle Egret, White-breasted Sea-eagle, Brahminy Kite, Osprey and in season Black Bittern, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Koel etc. Habitats for Lakefield/Lotusbird Lodge include extensive freshwater wetlands (billabongs), savannah, savannah woodland, monsoon (gallery) forest, riverine/riparian, mangroves and the inter-tidal zone.

Species also include Golden-shouldered Parrots, possible Palm Cockatoo, Black-backed Butcherbird, Red Goshawk, Black-breasted Buzzard, Emu, White-streaked, Red-headed, Bar-breasted and Banded Honeyeaters, Star, Masked, Black-throated, the white-bellied form of Crimson Finch and occassional Gouldian Finches, Red-browed Pardalote, Comb-crested Jacana (the Lotusbird), Radjah Shelducks, Wandering and Plumed Whistling ducks, Pink-eared Duck, Common Bronze-wing, Black-necked Stork, Black-winged Stilt, Australian Pratincole, Oriental Plover, Southern Boobook, Barking and Grass Owls, Papuan Frogmouth, Owlet, Large-tailed and Spotted Nightjars, White-breasted Sea-eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brolga and Sarus Cranes.

Please Note:

*** Please note that a number our bird species migrate to south-east Asia and beyond. Most do not return to the Tropical North Queensland region until around the end of August/early September and depart again in late February to mid-March depending on weather conditions prevailing at the time. There are exceptions; the Buff-breasted Paradise-kingfisher seldom arrive before the first week in November and most adults have usually departed by late February/early March. The Red-bellied Pitta of the monsoon forests of Iron Range/Cape York frequently arrive very late around early to mid-December. A few individuals appear to over-winter as we have found and photographed them in August and September. We have not however, heard over-wintering birds calling……!


Georgetown and the Gulf Savannah

Fully accommodated 4-days/3-nights. Can be added to 1, 2 or 5.

Habitats include:

savannah/savannah woodland, freshwater wetlands etc.

Species possible include:

Masked, Black- throated, Zebra, Double-barred, Plum Headed and occassionally Gouldian Finches, Pictorella Mannikin, Red-backed Kingfisher, Varied Lorrikeet, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, Squatter and Spinifex Pigeons, Ground Cuckoo-shrike.


Lawn Hill, Normanton/Kurumba, Georgetown and the Western Gulf Savannah.

Fully accommodated 10-days/9-nights


 Wetlands and Waterbirds Tour

Valley of Lagoons and Minnamoolka Swamp.