When arriving in Cairns I usually get some time to go birding and often choose the nearby Botanic Garden and Centenary Lakes. There is a mix of brackish water and fresh water with lots of birds, tropical vegetation, and occasionally salt water crocodiles.
Here are a few images from February 2017.
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- The lakes are easily reached by taxi or on foot and are a pleasure any time of year. The flowering water lilies are an added bonus to a mid-summer visit. The adjacent botanic gardens has a very nice cafe and has trails as does the lakes area. In addition there is a connect ting boardwalk that takes you through a paper bark woodland as well as a pandas palm wetland. It is worth a visit.
- The ducks and duckling shown here are Rajah Ducks. The seven youngsters are growing in a very public place and will likely be rather tame/accommodating as they get older.
- The orange-footed scrub fowl is always on the move. They are very busy scraping the leaf litter and scattering leaves; so much so that getting a photo is difficult even though they allow rather close proximity.
- The willy wagtail is sort of the chickadee of Australia. They are pleasant, tame, active and seemingly friendly.
- The magpie lark is another of the common residents throughout much of Australia. They are often on the ground strutting about.
On The Road With DEC 