Daintree Rainforest Birds
There were lots of rainforest birds living along the river. Some of our favorites were the azure kingfisher, the white headed sea eagle, the sacred kingfisher, and the leaden flycatcher.
Waterbirds
Waterbirds were also abundant on the river. We enjoyed observing spoonbill, heron, egret, and cormorants.
Egret Roost
As the sun began to go down, the egret started to return to their roost. It began slowly with small flocks flying low across the water. Soon there were hundreds of birds all roosting together in some small trees near the shore. It was an amazing sight to see so many birds grouped together in the trees.
Roosting Egret
Sunset on the Daintree River
The sunset was spectacular from the river.
Shedding Snake
Our guide spotted a yellow bellied racer who had just shed its skin. You can see the old skin hanging and the thorny branch under the snake that he used to help remove the old skin.
Helicopter to Hayman Island
We flew in a small airplane from Cairns to Hamilton Island. From there we expected to take a small boat to our final destination, Hayman Island. We were surprised when they told us we would be traveling in a helicopter.
The views over the water were beautiful. As we approached Hayman Island, we were amazed at how large the resort complex actually was.
Hayman Island Resort
We ended up in a huge room with beautiful views of a large lily pond and a serene beach. We had a living room, dining room, and two bathrooms.
Gorgeous Gardens
There are about 40 acres of botanical gardens surrounding the Hayman Island Resort. Strolling through the garden paths always turned up something interesting.
Garden Bounty
The butterfly garden was delightful. There were also lots of interesting fruits, cones, and pods on the plants
