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July is another dry month and gives us delightfuly cool nights and misty mornings. Our winter weather is mild and is one of the many reasons for visitors to come here at this time.
As I predicted for June we did get good sightings of the Wompoo Fruit-Doves in Barratt Creek, a tributary of the Daintree River. These sightings will continue throughout July. These beautiful pigeons live inside the rainforest and are rarely seen but are often heard high up in the trees with their "human" tenor voice, "Wollock a Wooo". Wompoo Fruit-Doves feed on the ripe fruit of the Blue Quandong tree. These common trees, usually large with a conspicuous trunk, small green leaves with occasional red ones and of course the blue fruit. Being pioneer species the Quandongs are found on the edge of the rainforest and when the Wompoos are feeding they can easily be seen.
The sugar cane harvest is finally under way in the Daintree Valley which incidently does not have a railway like other parts of Cairns. Many insects and small mammals lose their home during the harvest and become a food source for raptors. It is now that the raptors are visible in and around the newly harvested fields. The most common is the Black Kite which is a very dark bird with a distinct notch in it's long tail. Black Kites can be found throughout the old world in flocks of 20 or more. Other noticeable raptors include our more local Whistling Kite with the long rounded tail and the spectacular Brahminy Kite with it's white head and breast contrasting with the chestnut body and wings. Also at dawn raptors will be seen cruising the roads looking for a free meal in the form of road kill. This can include dead Cane Toads and the birds of prey have mastered the art of eating the flesh while leaving the poison gland alone.
July is another reliable month for seeing crocodiles and other reptiles from tour boats on the Daintree River. Reptiles come out into the sunny areas to gain heat from the sun. Provided the banks of the river are not too hot crocodiles will stay in the same spot for hours without moving. To make sure of seeing crocodiles on the Daintree River coincide your visit with a lowish tide. Look up Cairns tides in the local paper. Daintree Village is 3 hours behind the Cairns tide times and the river at the ferry crossing 1 hour behind the Cairns tide times.
Mammals are hardly ever seen during the day. The exception can be the very beautiful Spectacled Flying-fox found in Quandong trees and flowering plants by night. However, in Daintree Village, they can be seen in long flying columns at dawn and dusk. During winter the flying-foxes tend to spread out to feed, coming together in small camps to sleep by day. These camps have tended to gather around Barratt Creek in past winters.
A short stroll around the Daintree Village can yield up to 6 different species of Kingfishers, that is twice as many kingfishers as can be found in the whole of North America and six times as many kingfishers as can be found in Europe.
Chris Dahlberg is a retired army surveyor with an interest in the natural world and a lifelong hobby of boating. It was only natural of him to take people out on a boat to see wildlife in an area he once mapped. Chris has been taking people out at dawn since July 1992 and has earned the name the "Birdman of Daintree". He has been in many documentaries about the Daintree.
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