This was a backpacking trip with my girlfriend at the time (Olivia) so it wasn’t supposed to involve any birding! However, I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity like this and managed to rack up over 250 species!!!

25th June
The trip started well with a female peregrine over the motorway on the way to Heathrow!!

Flight 1 – LDN Heathrow to Tokyo Narita

26th
We arrived at Tokyo Narita airport around midday allowing a few hours of birding from the terminal before our connecting flight shortly after dark! Up to 3 swallows were seen feeding over the runways, a tree sparrow was sat above one of the windows and a male Reed bunting was calling from the roof. Some distant corvids (raven sp.??) couldn’t be identified as I didn’t have a Japanese field guide!!

Flight 2 – Tokyo Narita to SYDNEY!

27th
Arriving at around 0845 my first bird of the trip was a Willie wagtail on the runway! Between the airport and our accommodation (a hostel on William st.) I got another 6 ticks, including Silver Gull, Magpie Lark, Rainbow Lorikeet and Masked Lapwing!!
The rest of the day was spent exploring the Sydney area including the Bridge, Opera House and Botanical gardens. Sydney is a beautiful city, majority of it is very clean and the gardens and parks are great. Birds seen included Australian Magpie (common), Pied Cormorant and Darter in the Harbour + an immature White-bellied sea eagle over, Sulphur-crested cockatoos were present in the gardens as were several thousand Grey-headed flying foxes!!

28th
Another day spent in and around Sydney included a cruise up and down the harbour and a visit to Taronga Zoo (where we saw the only platypus of the trip!). Birds seen were much the same as yesterday with the addition of Laughing Kookaburra, Both Pied and Grey Currawong, white-browed scrubwren, and a female chestnut teal in the
harbour. 

29th
Another day spent around Sydney, this time we visited Bondai beach area. I don’t have the ability (or inclination to learn) to surf so we just wandered around the bay and shops in fantastic weather. New birds seen included a variety of honeyeaters on the flowering plants in peoples gardens (particularly on the north side of the bay), Several Australian gannet offshore, variegated fairy-wren, and silvereye among others. We also saw a large whale sp. which breached 3 times as it head slowly north offshore, thought to probably be a Humpback!

30th
Today we took a day trip into the Blue Mountains National Park with the tour company Oz Experience. We first headed out towards Winsor, just NW of Sydney, then Govets Leap followed by Katoomba Scenic Cinema, in the evening the tour headed to Featherdale Wildlife Park before returning to Sydney for one last night. Throughout the day I picked up a wide selection of new species, no doubt thanks to a completely different selection of habitats. Among others I saw Black-faced cuckoo shrike, Nankeen Kestrel, White-faced Heron, Crimson Rosella, Australian King Parrot, Eastern Spinebill and Black-shouldered Kite, also, 1 bird thought to probably be a letter-Winged Kite hovering over rough ground close to the road, the bird showed many features of the species but was well out of their usual range according to my field guide?!?   

1st July
0700 we caught our coach (again Oz Experience) that took us out of Sydney and began our journey north, up the east coast. Because of the vast distances we were travelling in a relatively short time span, a lot of our trip was spent sat on these coaches, fortunately the drivers were excellent, all very entertaining and I was able to do some birding out of the window as we travelled!! As we travelled north we stopped at the Bilpin Fruit bowl, which was basically just a fruit + veg shop somewhere to the north of the blue mountains. However there was a bird table in the garden where I picked up a male satin bowerbird, 2 green catbirds, Hooded Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin and lots of Red-browed finches among other species! From here we carried on travelling north to Dunedoo (great name!!!) where we spent the night. On the way I saw a pair of displaying Wedge-tailed eagles, Little Eagle, Pied and Grey Butcherbird and White-winged Chough.

2nd
Today started with a trip to Warrumbungles NP + the best part of 2 hours was spent looking around the area. Emu was a new one for the list as were Bell Miners, 1+ yellow tufted honeyeater, Little Raven and Jacky Winter, We also saw some Eastern Grey Kangaroos!!! From here we headed to Coonabarbara and onto Bindara where we spent the night, on the way along as the amazing scenery (as with many places in this part of Oz) we saw an Adult Spotted Harrier quartering an area by the road, Ground cuckoo shrike and some wild Cockatiels!!

3rd
On the 3rd we left Bindara early and headed towards Byron Bay, Most of the day was spent on the road. However we did make an interesting stop at the historical site at Myall Creek (a old aboriginal site an setting of a mass slaughter) as well as learning a great deal managed to find some Superb fairy-wrens, Tawny grassbird, Noisy Friarbirds, and a brown songlark in the surrounding grasslands!

4th
After spending the night in Byron Bay we headed for Surfers Paradise, this is a busy day for the coach drivers with several drop-offs and pick-ups to do in busy, touristy areas! As a result lots of time was spent sat on the coach not doing or seeing much. However I did see a Brahminy kite low over Byron Bay and a Lewin’s Honeyeater singing + showing well by the entrance of the hostel before we left! Night spent in Brisbane

5th
Unfortunately due to the popularity of the coach system at this time of year we were unable to stay in Brisbane as long as we wanted to (ruling out a visit to O’rilleys). From Brisbane the coach company took us to the home of Steve Irwin . . . Australia Zoo! On the way I saw Hoary-headed grebe and the first Whistling Kite of the trip. At the zoo were a selection of Herons, Ibis and egrets around the Croc pools and some Blue-faced honeyeaters along with some other species. I Was, however, very disappointed with the zoo, there wasn’t much there, there was a lot of construction work going on, it was over-priced and we didn’t see Steve get eaten by a croc (we didn’t see Steve at all). From the zoo we carried on north to mooloolaba (another great name!!!) where we spent the night. Highlight here was a large roost of Parakeets (mostly Rainbow, but also scaly-breasted and some unidentified smaller species) in the palms on the waterfront by the big hotels.

6th
Today we headed to Hervey Bay where we were looking forward to a break from the coaches! Arriving shortly after midday we spent the rest of the day settling in, exploring and being lazy!

7th
another laid-back day spent in the Hervey bay area mostly spent preparing for our trip to Fraser Island. The only new bird seen was little Friarbird.

8-10th
At 0845 we got on the ferry to Fraser Island complete with a small group of people we’d only just met, lots of beer, some Tents and a landrover!! On the way I saw white-necked heron, an Australian hobby (mobbing some WBSEagles) and some Eastern Curlews over the harbour. The next few days were spent camping out on the beaches, relaxing by the freshwater lagoons and exploring the island. Birding was restricted, but I picked up a few new species, mostly on early morning wanderings around our camp. They included, Pied Oystercatcher, Rainbow Beeater, Little and Grey Shrike Thrush, Brush Bronzwing. One of the highlights of this trip were the 2 Dingos we saw, the only ones we saw in Oz and apparently some of the purest population left as many of the others have suffered from interbreeding with domestic dogs. He night of the 10th was spent back in Koala backpackers in Hervey Bay.

11th
We were picked up by the coach at 1230 and travelled throughout the afternoon to Bagara where we spent the night.

12th
A lot of travelling today as we left Bagara and continued north to 1770 and then on to Rockhampton. On this journey, I saw a wide selection of birds as we passed through a variety of habitats. New species included Peaceful Dove, White-breasted woodswallow, 1 Pacific Baza sat on wires by the road and there were 2 Blue-winged Kookaburras near Rockhampton. In Rockhampton we stopped off at the Botanical gardens, here I saw a selection of common passerines and a range of waterbirds including Hoary-headed Grebe and hardhead on the lake. From here we carried on to a small place called Dingo, we spent the night on a cattle station out in the bush!! Nearby, a black-breasted buzzard was feeding on road kill with black kites and some Yellow-billed spoonbills were on a roadside pool. Also saw Australian Bustard as we approached the cattle station.

13th
Most of the morning was sent around the namoi hills cattle station where Appostlebirds were common as were Yellow-throated miners, also saw Zebra Finch. The afternoon was spent travelling to airlie beach, On the way we saw White-Bellied Cuckoo Shrike, with scattered flocks of Plumed Whistling Ducks and Magpie Geese (including 50+ near Makay). We arrived after dark and booked in to Reefo’s backpacker resort, on the outskirts of Airlie Beach where we were greeted by a Common Ringtail Possum wandering around by our cabin!

14th
The day was spent exploring Airlie Beach. We were woken in the morning by an Australian Brush Turkey going through some bins behind our cabin and as I went outside a pair of Radjah Shelduck flew low over, landing briefly. In Airlie Beach there was a male Scarlet Honeyeater near the shopping complex + 3 Lesser-crested terns were lingering offshore. Back our accommodation I got a chance to explore the area properly. The resort itself was very spread out and backed onto a heavily wooded hillside. In the grassy area near our cabin I found a Pheasant Coucal, Yellow-bellied sunbird, Mistletoebird, and Striated Pardalote, while a walk up the hillside produced Nutmeg Mannikin, Varied Triller, a female Fairy Greygone among other things! Back at the Resort the Radjah Shelducks were back and showing well and a Bush Thick-knee was calling just after dusk.

15-17th
At 0900 we got on a boat for a 3 day trip sailing round the Whitsunday islands! Highlights of this trip included Sooty Oystercatcher, Eastern Reef Egret, lots of White-bellied sea eagles, 1 large Turtle (probably loggerhead), 3 Humpback Whales, and some dolphin sp. We also got our first taste of snorkelling on edge of the Gt. Barrier Reef, we saw a huge selection of tropical fish including a large parrotfish which we fed off the back of the boat.
Back at airlie beach on the 17th there was a Boobook calling in the trees at Reefo’s which was seen briefly in flight as were several large Fruit bat sp.

18th          
Most of the 18th was spent travelling to Townsville. We arrived at about 1300 picking up Brolga, Comb Crested Jacana, Great Bowerbird and Black faced woodswallow on the way. We spent 1 night in Townsville.

19-20th
During an early morning around Townsville I saw a Yellow-spotted Honeyeater to add to my ever-growing list. At 1030 we caught a boat to Magnetic Island where we were to spend the night. On the island there was a good selection of birds including, various Honeyeaters, Helmeted Friarbird and some very showy Bush thick-knees in gardens around the island. We also saw some Mammals also, these included some very tame Rock Wallabies and Com Ringtail Possums at Arcadia and best of all … our first wild KOALA near Arcadia in a gum tree!! An early wander the following morning produced 2 Orange-footed scrubfowl, 1 pr Leaden Flycatcher, Striated Heron and a selection of commoner birds in a nearby conservation area + mangroves along the beach! 1200 we arrived back in Townsville for the night before continuing North.

21st
After an uneventful morning we boarded the coach and continued north, arriving at Mission Beach early evening. A wide variety of commoner species were seen on the way along with White-rumped Swiftlet to add to my trip list! 

22-24th
Somehow I managed to negotiate 3 full days at Mission Beach! After visiting the Cassowary information Centre I was a little disappointed to find out the best areas were a lengthy walk away, however, a friendly American offered us a lift to Lacey’s Creek Walk as they were going there anyway! So we squashed into his hire car along with his wife and 2 kids and off we went! We arrived at the site and myself and Olivia headed off along the walk first with the (non-birding) American family following behind, Along the way I picked up Topknot Pigeon and Grey-headed Robin but little else, mainly due to the pace we were walking! As Olivia stomped off in front I had trouble keeping up which I found rather annoying and frustrating, this was made worse by the 20 wait by the car for the Americans to come back and the fact that they saw Cassowary and we didn’t!! As I sat staring out the window on the way back to Mission Beach we suddenly started slowing down as our driver said ‘oh, look kids, its another cassowary!’ I span round to see a sub-adult marching slowly from left to right across the road, feelings soon changed as I watched it disappear into the forest!! A selection of other birds were seen around our Hostel in the afternoon including Emerald Dove and Yellow-bellied Sunbird building a nest above the TV in the Lounge!!!
The next morning I was woken by a Black Butcherbird singing on our neighbours roof and a Yellow Oriole was with Figbirds nearby and some double-eyed Fig Parrots flew over calling. We then got a boat over to Dunk Island where we spent the day. It was a beautiful island covered in rainforest and mangroves with almost no inhabitants! While walking round the island I saw over 30 species including Dusky, graceful and varied Honeyeaters, Grey Goshawk, Noisy Pitta, Spectacled Monarch and Rose-crowned Fruit dove!         
I saw a variety of species On our last day in Mission Beach, the highlight being Beach thick-knee showing well on the beach with Dunk Island as a backdrop for photos!

25th
At 0800 we caught our coach and continued our journey towards Cairns. Not long after leaving mission beach we stopped at some traffic lights by roadworks, here I found a small flock of Double-barred Finch feeding on the roadside!! We made a few touristy stops as we travelled north including a crocodile farm and a bungee jumping site before arriving in cairns after dark. Along the way I saw Fairy Martin, Wompoo Pigeon and Black-necked Stork.

26-29th
A whole day was spent in Cairns, including shopping and a wander along the famous Esplanade. A selection of new waders were seen including Black-fronted Dotterel, Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey-tailed Tattler. There was a Yellow Honeyeater feeding on some flowers and several hundred Metallic Starlings roosted in trees in the Town centre along with Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets.
On our second day in the area we took a trip North into the rainforests of the Daintree and Cape Tribulation. We visited some fantastic places such as Mossman Gorge and saw some great birds, new ones included Shining Flycatcher on the Daintree, Pale-yellow Robin, Grey Fantail and Brown Cuckoo Doves. We also saw another cassowary!! A sub-adult showed well by the Jindalba Boardwalk allowing me to get some photos. 
Like everyone else, we couldn’t visit Cairns without spending a day snorkelling on the Gt Barrier reef! We were out from 0800-1715 on a large boat with many other people. Birds seen included Brown Booby, Sooty, Bridled and Black-naped Tern as well as Common and Black Noddy. A fregata sp seen distantly couldn’t be specifically identified. Snorkelling was an incredible experience, huge clams, thousands of fish and rays were seen. When an Adult Green Turtle swam below us I was able to follow it and swim beside it for ages before it dived and disappeared into the deep, this was one of my highlights of the whole trip!!!
Our last morning in Cairns was mostly spent shopping and relaxing before an early afternoon flight south!

FLIGHT 3 – Cairns to Brisbane

FLIGHT 4 – Brisbane to Adelaide

29-30th
As stepped off the plane late on the 29th we were met by Brenda and Curley, members of my family I hadn’t seen since I was a baby before they emigrated to Australia!! We were taken back to their house in Lyndoch near Adelaide.
Being some distance from the east coast there was a different range of species and sub-species and on the 30th I added Adelaide Rosella, Long-billed Corella and White-plumed Honeyeater to my list among others.

31st
After expressing an interest in visiting Kangaroo Island Brenda, and Curley offered to take us! After going in to Adelaide in the morning we headed south to Cape Jarvis. Along the way I saw, Black-faced Cormorant, Red-rumped Parrot and Pacific Gull along with more common species. Arriving on Kangaroo Island after dark I was impressed to find Fairly Penguins everywhere! Even in the garden of our Hostel they were waddling around!

1-2nd August
We had 1 and a bit days to explore Kangaroo Island, and its wildlife. I found the island surprisingly different to the mainland, there were birds and animals everywhere! Throughout the day we saw Australian Shelduck, Grey Teal, Common Bronzewing, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Tawny-crested honeyeater, Koala, New Zealand Fur seals, Cape Barren Geese, Australian Sea lions, Purple-crowned Lorikeet and lots more Fairy Penguins around Penneshaw after dark!
Little was seen the next morning apart from an Australian Gannet and a few Crested Terns on the return crossing back to the mainland. As we travelled back up north towards Adelaide Little Corella was the only new bird seen.

3rd    
Early on the 3rd we said our goodbyes to Brenda and Curley and boarded the coach to start our journey back towards Sydney! The rest of the day was spent travelling apart from a touristy stop at the Naracoorte Caves. A spectacular cave system, well worth a visit + a selection of common Birds in the Car park!!

4th
After spending the night nearby, our coach made a few stops in the Grampians National Park area, at Reid’s lookout and the impressive McKenzie Falls. Here I added White-eared & Brown-headed Honeyeater, Scarlet Robin and White-throated Treecreeper to my list! From here we travelled on to Tower Hill. Koalas were very common as were Emus, I also saw Fan-tailed cuckoo and White-naped Honeyeater among other species.

5th
After an early start we headed to Logan Bay, a Whale Watching site. We spent some time here but with no Whales to watch we continued east along the Great Ocean Road towards Melbourne. Along the way we stopped off at various sites such as London Bridge, the 12 Apostles and Loch ard Gorge. Along the way I saw Singing Bushlark, White-fronted Chat, Singing Honeyeater, Rufus Bristlebird (2 singing in car park at loch ard gorge) a female Swamp Harrier, and a Black-browed Albatross flew east offshore.

6-8th
A few days were spent in Melbourne to give us both a break from travelling, little Birding was done but I did see a Little Wattlebird by Ramsey Street while visiting the Neighbours set!

9th
Leaving Melbourne early morning we travelled for most of the day arriving at Karoonda Park near Gelantipy, this is where we spent the night. A wander around the grounds of the park produced 2 male Gang-gang Cockatoos among other species. A spotlighting trip was organised by our accommodation. In just under an hour driving round on a Landrover we saw Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Red-necked Wallaby, Common Wombat, Brush-tailed Possum and Black Swamp-wallaby!

10th
Before leaving Karoonda park at 0800 I managed to fit in an hours birding! I picked up a male Rose Robin as well as Gang-gang Cockatoo, Grey-shrike thrush and Brown Thornbill. As we travelled towards Canberra a Superb Lyrebird flapped pathetically across the road in front of us and a Wonga Pigeon flew over, little birding was done tho.

11th
Our last full day down under! We left Canberra early and headed back towards Sydney. With a quick stop at Duris Beach to see some tame Kangaroos and a visit to the Kaima Blowhole (a hole in the rock which shoots a jet of water into the air like a geyser whenever a big wave comes in) we arrived in Sydney early evening.

12th
Back to the Airport for 0900 flight!!

FLIGHT 5 – Sydney to Tokyo Narita

13th
We had an overnight stop in Japan so we stayed at the Holiday Inn by the Airport. I had no Japanese field guide with me so I had to make notes on everything I saw and was able to look it up when I got home. A Great Egret flew over, and an Oriental Turtle Dove and Oriental Greenfinch were singing in the garden, 6+ Grey Starlings sat on wires and a distant Corvid looked like a raven of some sort!

FLIGHT 6 – Tokyo Narita to LDN Heathrow

14th
Home!

Total of 250 Species! For more pics + a complete list click here!!

Summary

ALL PICS taken using a Fugi Finepix 2800 digital camera