Tours and Guiding

Morning Walks Around the Lodge

Carol and Andrew Iles - Birding Guides conduct morning walks in and around the Lodge grounds, the walks usually last 2.5 to 3hrs and are for guests only.

Cost:

From 1st July 2019 to 21st January 2021- $55 per person, minimum 2 people

Morning walks are dependent upon guide availability, minimum numbers, favourable weather conditions and cannot be guaranteed to run everyday.

What can you expect on a morning walk?

A good variety of species as we walk for 2.5 to 3hrs through the rainforest, open woodland and riverine habitats in and around the Lodge. Usually about 50 species are seen but this can vary depending on the season, weather conditions and fruiting and flowering trees and bushes. The primary focus is on finding and identifying bird species whether you are a beginner or just looking for particular species. Photographers are welcome but must be aware that birdwatching takes preference and we may not be able to hang around for that perfect shot. For a more detailed list of birds you are most likely to see on the morning walk click this Eremaea eBird Link. You can choose month or complete list for all years, current year or last 10 years.

Hire a Bird Guide

If you have limited time in our area then the best way to maximise your chances of seeing those special birds is to hire a bird guide and make use of their intimate knowledge of the local birds and where to find them. Carol and Andrew Iles - Birding Guides offer guiding to suit your needs. You can hire a guide for a full or half day. Travel will be in your own vehicle which means costs are very affordable and we can personalise your tours to find target species. We are happy to guide beginners and experienced birders. Due to the popularity of our guiding services we now only cater for guests staying at the Lodge and no longer accept external clients. We will be retiring from guiding from January 2021.

Costs for hiring a guide are :

From 1st July 2020 to 20th January 2021 -

1. Half Day - $180 for one person, plus $50 for each extra person, up to 5 hours

2. Full Day - $280 for one person, plus $70 for each extra person, up to 10 hours

If you are staying at the Lodge for a few days and would like guiding have a look at our packages which can be found on our Package Specials page.

Because of the high demand for our excellent guiding services we often get booked-up well in advance so please enquire as soon as you can.

What can you expect on a full day's guiding?

Carol and Andrew Iles - Birding Guides specialise in friendly, personalised guiding and can adjust a trip to concentrate on the species you would most like to see. A day can be a relaxed affair or full-on, but the main aim is to have an enjoyable time finding birds and other wildlife in our part of Tropical North Queensland.

The birds seen on any tour will vary according to the weather and the time of year. If you have specific species you wish to see, do your research and ask questions in advance of your trip; it can save you a lot of disappointment later on.

Here are the standard day tours that we are asked to do most often:

1. Rainforest - Depending on the season, spend the day searching for the Wet Tropic endemics and other good birds like Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Blue-faced Parrot-Finch and Lovely Fairy-Wren. A day would normally start around Kingfisher Park and other sites at the same elevation, 400-500m. Next it is up Mount Lewis Road to try for the higher altitude species like Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Chowchilla and Fernwren. Then after checking the list spend what is left of the day trying to clean-up on desired species.

2. Dry Land - The day is spent exploring the drier areas away from the Lodge. There are lots of sites to choose from and where the trip goes depends on the latest sightings, our intimate knowledge of the area and the guest's individual requirements. The area covered will generally include Mt Molloy, Lake Mitchell, Mary Farms, Mt Carbine and the McLeod River. Apart from the more common species, including Northern Fantail, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Australian Bustard and Blue-winged Kookaburra, there is always the chance of species like Black-throated Finch, Squatter Pigeon, Square-tailed Kite, Brown Treecreeper, Grey-crowned Babbler and White-gaped Honeyeater.

3. Rainforest and Dry - The most popular day out is a combination of rainforest and dry country. It is the most hectic of the trips as there is a lot of ground to cover, which means, of course that there is a limit to the time you can spend to find each species. A typical day will start in rainforest at 400-500m looking for some of the endemic birds plus others like Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo and Lovely Fairy-Wren. Then it is up Mount Lewis Road, to around 900m, to try for the higher altitude species like Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Chowchilla and Fernwren. After lunch we head out for the drier parts; Mt Molloy area for Squatter Pigeon, Red-winged Parrot and Double-barred Finch, then on to Mary Farms and Mt Carbine for Australian Bustard, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo and Tawny Frogmouth. In season displaying Bustard is a great way to end the day.

Specials

BIRDWATCHING PACKAGES

For 1 Person

3 nights in a Standard Self-contained Unit plus two full days bird guiding, in your own vehicle

From 1st July 2020 to 20th January 2021 - $955.00

For 2 People

3 nights in a Standard Self-contained Unit plus two full days bird guiding, in your own vehicle

From 1st July 2020 to 20th January 2021 - $1190.00

3 nights in a Standard Self-contained Unit plus one full day bird guiding, in your own vehicle, and one morning walk around the Lodge area

From 1st July 2020 to 20th January 2020 - $960.00

Please ask for a quote for 3 or 4 people

The availability of a package is dependent on the availability of a guide.

What can you expect on a morning walk?

A good variety of species as we walk for approximately 3hrs through the rainforest, open woodland and riverine habitats in and around the Lodge. Usually about 50 species are seen but this can vary depending on the season, weather conditions and fruiting and flowering trees and bushes. The primary focus is finding and identifying bird species whether you are a beginner or just looking for particular species. Photographers are welcome but must be aware that birdwatching takes preference. For a more detailed list of birds you are most likely to see on the morning walk click this Eremaea eBird Link. You can choose month or complete list for all years, current year or last 10 years.

What can you expect on a full day's guiding?

We specialise in friendly, personalised guiding and can adjust a trip to concentrate on the species you would most like to see. A day can be full-on or a relaxed affair, but the main thing is to have an enjoyable time in our part of Tropical North Queensland.

Here are the 3 standard day tours that we are asked to do most often:

1. Rainforest - Spend the day searching for the Wet Tropic endemics and other good birds like Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Blue-faced Parrot-Finch and Lovely Fairy-Wren. A day would normally start around Kingfisher Park and other sites at the same elevation, 400-500m. Next it is up Mount Lewis Road to try for the higher altitude species like Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Chowchilla and Fernwren. Then after checking the list spend what is left of the day trying to clean-up on desired species.

2. Dry Land - The day is spent exploring the drier areas away from the Lodge. There are lots of sites to choose from and where the trip goes depends on the latest sightings, our intimate knowledge of the area and the guest's individual list. The area covered will generally include Mt Molloy, Lake Mitchell, Mareeba Wetlands, Mary Farms, Mt Carbine and the MacLeod River. Apart from the more common species, including Northern Fantail, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher, Australian Bustard and Blue-winged Kookaburra, there is always the chance of species like Black-throated Finch, White-browed Robin, Squatter Pigeon, Square-tailed Kite, White-gaped Honeyeater and Cotton Pygmy-Goose.