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  South-east Queensland is one
of the richest regions of Australia in terms
of bird species. Every raptor of Australia
and around half of all Australian bird
species has at some time been seen here.
Many southern species reach their northern
limits here and many northern species reach
their southern limits here or just below the
border, and there are a few species that are
found only in the border regions. Summer and
winter migrants and nomadic species add to
the diversity. Rainforests with easily accessible walking trails are just a 90 minute drive from Brisbane and harbour many species, including regent and satin bowerbirds, green catbird, paradise riflebird, Albert's lyrebird, noisy pitta, eastern whipbird, Lewin's honeyeater, monarch flycatchers, scrubwens, crimson rosella, wompoo and rose-crowned fruit pigeons, brush turkey and many, many more. Also nearby are wetlands (which can include great and intermediate egrets, glossy ibis, white-necked heron, royal and yellow-billed spoonbills, black-winged stilts, whistling ducks, black swans, Australasian grebes, cormorants, darters, pelicans, purple swamp hen, comb-crested jacana, magpie geese, black-necked stork, many others) and eucalypt forests (several honeyeaters, fairy-wrens, Australian magpie, butcherbirds, olive-backed oriole, magpie lark, laughing kookaburra and other kingfishers, eastern and pale-headed rosellas, rainbow and scaly-breasted lorikeets, fan-tailed cuckoo and many more). Not all species will be seen on any particular day, and some will only be seen in certain seasons (e.g. channel-billed cuckoo, common koel and dollar bird are summer visitors only). Your main guide will be Dr Ronda Green, who has conducted extensive research over the years in bird behaviour and ecology in Australian forests, especially those of south-east Queensland. You may like to assist our research on dispersers of rainforest seeds by helping us find out what the fruit-eating birds are feeding on and where they spend their time when not feeding. We also contribute other sightings, especially of less common species, to databases, and send information to researchers studying particular species.  We take a
variety of guests on this tour, from
complete novices to experienced birders. So
that we can plan the best experience for you
(and since our group size is small enough to
do this) let us know at your time of booking
whether your primary interests are:
      Our most
frequent destination is Lamington
National Park, usually with a brief
visit to wetlands on the way but we can
also concentrate on wetlands, mangroves,
eucalypt forests or other habitats of
your choosing. Some guests opt to come
along for two or more birding day-tours
with us, visiting different sites
each day, or to join our 30day
Australian wildlife overview tour, which
includes many opportunities for birding
in a variety of habitats. If you would
like a controlled interaction with
some colourful birds, we can make O'Reilly's
(at the edge of Lamington National
Park) our destination for the day.
Feeding birds used to be a
free-for-all affair, but this could
have negative effects on the health
and behaviour of the birds being fed
and on the surrounding ecosystems,
so now it is done only in the
presence of a ranger and following
guidelines developed by Michelle
Plant while conducting her
thesis research on this subject. The
walks from here (including the
famous treetop walk, best
experienced early in the morning
before the crowds arrive) and the
gardens around the lodge are also
superb places to see a variety of
rainforest birds and some from open
habitats (e.g. fairy-wrens, eastern
spinebill).
   Binna
Burra is a quieter lodge at
the edge of the rainforests of
Lamington National Park. Because
birds are not fed, they tend not to
come as close, but there is still a
great variety to be seen (and heard)
along the rainforest walks, the
rainforest edge, and the
neighbouring eucalypt forests. There
is no canopy walk here, but
there are also no strings of tourist
buses arriving throughout the day.
 
  We
visit and enjoy both
destinations frequently, so just
let us know your preference. If
you wish to spend a night or
two, both Binna Burra
and O'Reilly's
have wonderfully comfortable and
scenic lodge accommodation
and also a campsite (permanent
safari tents available at Binna
Burra, or BYO tent to either
place).
We can instead (or in addition if you book two or more days of birding) spend the day exploring eucalyptus forests and/or wetlands and/or coastal habitats 
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We also see plenty of
birds on: other day-tours,
longer tours, educational camps,
excursions and presentations, conference tours, customised tours
If you'd really like to
maximise your Australian birding experiences, try
combining an 6 or 8 day outback tour with a side-trip
to Girraween, a CoochieMudloe Island day tour, and two
birding days n the rainforest with an overnight stay
at Binna Burra or O'Reillys. We would suggest March or
October as the best compromise between the outback not
being too hot, summer migrants being present, many
birds actively breeding and vocal, and either many
flowers or many fruits attracting many birds. We need
a few months advance notice to arrange these
back-to-back tours, so let us know if you'd like to
make plans for next spring or autumn.
Also see our pages on: wildlife of the Scenic Rim, Australian birds, and species seen on our tours
We generally don't take young children on birding tours that include other birding guests, in case the youngsters disturb birds others are trying to watch (some children - and of course some adults - find it very difficult to stand still for long and don't realise how loud their own voices are). However, we do enjoy including children in our tours generally, and if your child has a special interest, or if you would like a small group tour for a family (or a couple of families) or other group including children for a birding tour we are very happy to do this. We can also split the group with two guides when we enter the forest or wetlands.
If you'd really like to
maximise your Australian birding experiences, try
combining an 6 or 8 day outback tour with a side-trip
to Girraween, a CoochieMudloe Island day tour, and two
birding days n the rainforest with an overnight stay
at Binna Burra or O'Reillys. We would suggest March or
October as the best compromise between the outback not
being too hot, summer migrants being present, many
birds actively breeding and vocal, and either many
flowers or many fruits attracting many birds. We need
a few months advance notice to arrange these
back-to-back tours, so let us know if you'd like to
make plans for next spring or autumn. Also see our pages on: wildlife of the Scenic Rim, Australian birds, and species seen on our tours
We generally don't take young children on birding tours that include other birding guests, in case the youngsters disturb birds others are trying to watch (some children - and of course some adults - find it very difficult to stand still for long and don't realise how loud their own voices are). However, we do enjoy including children in our tours generally, and if your child has a special interest, or if you would like a small group tour for a family (or a couple of families) or other group including children for a birding tour we are very happy to do this. We can also split the group with two guides when we enter the forest or wetlands.
With
small
group sizes (usual
maximum
is ten), this
is not a
hurried
herding of
tourists on
and off buses,
into souvenir
shops, etc.
You will have
ample
opportunity to
tell us your interests, and let us know any time
you want to
stop for
photos or
anything else
of interest.
Feel free to
ask as many
questions as
you like - if
we don't know
the answers we
will suggest
ways of
finding out.We uphold the ideals of ecotourism and all our tours have achieved achieved advanced eco-accreditation