North Queensland Road Trip Winter 2020 – Southern Cape York

Black-breasted Buzzard (above). After visiting Lake Tinaroo (see following post) we headed north to Cape York, stopping to admire the vast tracts of savannah woodland from a lookout near Lakeland.

We had two nights in Laura. Our earlier fears that we would be swamped by a post-Covid 19 lockdown exodus of visitors north had been put to rest by now. Here and at Lake Tinaroo we had the campground to ourselves. Black-backed Butcherbird is a Cape York endemic and we saw the first of many in the campground here.

I would have liked to spend time camping in Lakefield National Park but was told it was unsuitable for caravans. So we ventured into the southern sector of the park for a day trip from Laura. Here we tracked down the white-bellied (evangelinae) race of the Crimson Finch, endemic to southern Cape York and tipped to be split in the not-too-distant future. We found it at campsite five at Twelve Mile Lagoon campground, on the banks of the Normanby River (below). Thanks to Kath Shurcliff and David Houghton for the tip.

A pair of Lovely Fairywrens were in the same riverside thickets as the finches.

White-gaped Honeyeater was common here.

A pair of Radjah Shelducks were along the river.

Less expected here was a Sarus Crane.

We called in on the historic Old Laura homestead near the park entrance – well worth a visit.

We then headed further north on the Peninsula Development Road (with caravan in tow) to Musgrave Roadhouse and camped behind it next to a lagoon. Here we were entertained by Freshwater Crocodiles close up; the crocodiles and Saw-shelled Turtles are fed by roadhouse staff.

Great Bowerbird was common around the campground.

In this area we had an excellent encounter with a nesting pair of Red Goshawk, as related in an earlier post. Plenty of raptors were in the woodlands including an adult Black-breasted Buzzard which showed well as it soared overhead.

Red Goshawk (above), Black-brested Buzzard (below)

A Peregrine Falcon was encountered.

In the woodlands were large numbers of Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, near the eastern extremity of its range here.

We called in on Lotus Bird Lodge, which is closed but allows visitors. Large numbers of waterbirds were on the lagoon including thousands of Plumed and Wandering Whistling-Ducks.

Agile Wallaby was abundant throughout the savannah.