Frilled Necked Lizard

10th September Chook found a large Frilly the first one after winter seams a bit early as it is normally after we have had rain and we have not had any since May was a nice big fella have also seen a few small baby ones since .

Dad and Chicks

21st September Emu Dad has had a busy week fending off the females advances and looking after his 5 chicks all going well they are spending there days around the visitor centre feeding and resting in the shade of dads shadow.

Thursday the 27th August our male Emu has turned up with 7 chicks in tow at the visitor centre. Female and Young male from 2 years ago are not impressed . They look to be about a week old very cute . Have just found a big python up the top of one of the trees birds are not happy with it beig there .

Gouldian Finch Sightings in Mareeba

Exciting news flash !

We have received photos of Gouldian Finches seen in the back yard of a Mareeba resident ! For the past 9 years the WCTQ have been breading and releasing Gouldian Finches to try and re establish a population in the area.

And now the sightings and photos of a male and female with bands on have been found. Checking the records it was found that both birds were released in October 2007. The male was an adult and the female a juvenile when released.

This is very exciting news !

Red - backed Kingfisher

Early winter arrival.

On April 24th 2009 a male and female Red-backed Kingfisher arrived.

Winter residents at Jabiru Safari Lodge at Mareeba Wetlands.

BB the bower bird

BB was a rehabilitated Great bower bird who was released at the wetlands earlier this year.

He was supposed to fly off with our other bower birds and be free !!

Unfortunately BB didn't want to leave and became our resident Bower bird. He was very friendly, greeting people as they arrived, swooping over their heads. He loved toes especially painted toe nails and would chase kids around the visitor centre. But BB was becoming a pest, he was starting to enjoy peoples lunches and had taken to living in the visitor centre. He was not looking like he would leave "home" any time soon. So BB was taken for a ride over to Pandanus Lagoon and told to fly away and be a bower bird !

That was 2 weeks ago and so far he has not returned to the visitor centre, so we hope he has now found a home.

Whenever we hear a bower bird we call out BB!!

Bath time for our resident emus in the pond near the visitor centre. Have had plenty of people on our early birding tours and getting good sightings of 60 plus birds in the last few days these numbers will increase as the water birds return . This morning 13 sarus crane flew over the centre heading east came from pandanus lagoon where they roost at night .