On my Australia trip in 2003, Brisbane was the first stop after spending a few days in Sydney. At Roma Park, I met Bill Jolley who would be my guide for the next 5 days centered in Bill’s Abberton Bird Lodge and working the area that I noted only as Toowoomba in my Ebird posts all of which were done years after the fact since I was not using Ebird in 2003. In fact all of my Ebird lists for September 7, 2003 through September 10, 2003 all simply say Toowoomba. I know we covered a broad ranging area and sure wish I had those specifics now. It had been great birding with 134 species of which 123 were lifers. I did not care about photos then so I only took a handful. Bill took many and I wish I could count them. After the time with Bill, I drove down to O’Reilly’s and spent 3 days there – my lists only included the 25 lifers found there, but I am sure there were more species and probably in an area broader than O’Reilly’s itself – no photos. When Cindy and I planned this trip, I described O’Reilly’s to her as analogous to some of the lodges we had visited in Ecuador, and she was game, so we planned two nights there and another 3 in Brisbane before flying home. Doing it again I would have added another day at O’Reilly’s since the winding drive to the Lodge takes so long.

The flight from Cairns to Brisbane was a relatively short 2 hours and 15 minutes and got us in just after 2 pm on September 21st. By the time we got the car and drove that winding road which had many stops due to road work following a severe cyclone two years ago, it was already dark. We checked into our very nice room and had an ok dinner, not at the main restaurant which offered only a very expensive buffet. This will (maybe) be the only mention of it, but the food options at O’Reilly’s were limited, expensive and not appealing. If we were in charge, we would make major changes. Everything else was great. With our late arrival and long drive there was no birding on the 21st, just enjoyed the drive until we got to those curves in the narrow road. O’Reilly’s has a not-to-be-missed free guided “bird walk” at 6:15 am each morning. The guide brings treats for the birds, and the birds know what is coming and gather with the guests at the main building. Many photo ops with Satin and Regent Bowerbirds joined by Crimson Rosella’s and Australian King Parrots often landing on heads, shoulders and hands of the guests to get their treats. Australian Brushturkeys join the frenzy at the feet of the guests. The group then moves on to some of the close by trails for more birds which also respond to the food in hand.

Altogether that morning with the group, Cindy and I had 17 species, maybe 4 or 5 of which either landed on Cindy or were fed by her. Many large charismatic beauties like the parrots and bowerbirds and smaller gems like two scrubwrens, robins and a logrunner plus a Wonga Pigeon before the show started. Heard throughout the walk and seen often was the Eastern Whipbird, whose cracking whip call that gives its name is hard to forget. Life photos that morning were Satin and Regent Bowerbirds, Eastern Whipbird, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Yellow-throated and White-browed Scrubwrens and Australian Logrunner. After breakfast (making no more comments on food there), Cindy and I returned to the trails and had a very peaceful enjoyable long morning, seeing some of the same birds and adding others with the highlight being the male Satin Bowerbird at its bower strewn with bright blue pieces of this and that critical to attracting a partner. Additional life photos included a Large-billed Scrubwren, Golden Whistler and a very fun photo of an Australian Rufous Fantail. Frustrating misses were of Wompoo Fruit Dove and Brown Cuckoo Dove both heard in the distance only and a Brown Gerygone which was heard almost constantly but every photo either missed the hyperactive little brown bird or turned out to be yet another Large-billed Scrubwren. The last life photo was of a Eastern Yellow Robin. Lots of photos below.

I had been going nonstop for awhile and after lunch at a limited option cafe, I spent time working on some of the backlogged photos and resting. Cindy found a program that interested her with a film but when she got to the place where it was to be shown, it was locked and nobody was there even though she was on time. She found someone who let her in and she could run the film herself – strange. We gave up and had dinner that night at the restaurant, wishing there were other options.

The next morning we skipped the group walk and hit the trails ourselves including the Tree Top Walk which gave views into the canopy 15 meters above ground. Not as birdy as we would have liked but just being in that forest was really special. I did finally get a life photo of a Brown Gerygone and then thought I had a nice photo of the Australian Logrunner seen the previous day but it turned out to be a life photo of a Russet-tailed Thrush, another one of the species I had seen at O’Reilly’s 23 years earlier. There were two disappointments. A Noisy Pitta was being seen off and on along one of the trails we traveled. We heard it maybe 20 yards away several times but it would not return to the trail where it had been seen 20 minutes earlier – maybe just too many people. Then we heard what was clearly a Green Catbird with its very cat-like calls. We engaged in a fairly long conversation back and forth but we clearly did not know how to say “Please show yourself” in Catbird. Both were heard-only ticks as was a Shining Bronze Cuckoo.

We had the same long winding road to drive to get to Brisbane so we left late morning. The O’Reilly’s total was 31 species with 20 photos, no lifers but 10 life photos – some definite misses but really nice birds and a beautiful place. With another day maybe some of the misses would have been photographed. Food aside (had to say it again), it was a very nice stay and somehow on the way down, the road seemed easier – maybe sunlight makes a difference! On the way to our hotel in Brisbane, the very nice Stamford Plaza, we made a couple of stops including the Wynnum Mangrove Boardwalk. Before the trip I had looked unsuccessfully for a guide for a day in Brisbane. On the Australian Birds Facebook page someone suggested Birding Pals. I had tried that site unsuccessfully elsewhere some years ago so was not optimistic. I tried out one of the AI sites, ChatGpt and was very pleased with recommendations and an itinerary it suggested for birding on my own in Brisbane. I later had a great response from Ross Monks on Birding Pal (stay tuned) and he said two of the sites ChatGpt recommended would be on his itinerary for us, but Wynnum Board walk was fair game.

Tides were wrong so the possible shorebirding did not materialize, but I found a lifer Mangrove Gerygone and got a life photo of an Australian Tern. The big surprise was the little blob on the sand that I could barely photograph turned out to be a life photo, albeit a poor one, of a Torresian Kingfisher. Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia with a population of almost 3 million. With sunny weather and located near The Gold Coast and on the Brisbane River, it is a modern city with many high rise towers and an active port and active waterfront. Our hotel was located just off the river and our room had terrific views of the river and two attractive bridges. Its feature restaurant, was the La Boca Bar and Grill, an Argentinian wood-fired dining and asado grill which is also where we had a pre-paid buffet breakfast each morning. The food was pretty good but they definitely would benefit from some new design input. We had dinner there the first night choosing small plates including some empanadas and some Wagyu beef sliders – nice. The room was not large but the view was great, the beds were great, it was quiet and comfortable.

September 24th was the day I was going out with Ross Monks. Thinking there might be too many little brown birds. Cindy chose to explore the city instead. She would have enjoyed most of the day especially since Ross’s spouse Thea joined us. He was the more ardent and better birder, but she was much better than she claimed and they were both excellent company and we had a great day starting at the Oxley Creek Common which was interestingly the top place to visit according to my new friend ChatGpt. I met them at Oxley at 7:30 am and in the 3+ hours there, we covered a lot of ground, meaning walked, 5+ miles. The count was 50 species, 24 photos 3 lifers and 9 life photos. Lifers were Double Barred Finch, Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo and Variegated Fairy-wren. . Lots of good photos but my favorite photo there was probably a life photo of an Olive Backed Oriole – a cool bird that is hard to get into the open.

Other life photos were Plumed Egret, Brown Honeyeater, Yellow Thornbill, Gray Butcherbird and Red-browed Firetail. It was a very good morning for Fairywrens as we saw and photographed three species and had at least a dozen individuals.

After the long morning at Oxley Creek we had lunch at a preserve that unfortunately I cannot recall right now and maybe will add the name later. Forgot the name but do remember the steak sandwich and fries (chips). Interestingly Ross is a big steak sandwich fan and all three of us had one – very good by my standards and I think Ross approved but I learned that he keeps track of such meals and has a rating system. One more stop for the day – the Sandy Camp Road Wetlands, another spot recommended by ChatGpt. Twenty-six species with 10 photos. There were no lifers and only a single new life photo but some good birds seen again and some nice photos to end the day. The life photo was an Australian Reed Warbler – new for my 2026 Australia trip and a better than expected photo since it was pretty far away.

Here are a few more photos that I like and concluding the day with a photo of a pretty ho-hum species – the Noisy Miner, but for much of the trip, together with the Australian Ibis, this was the species that was not only everywhere but also easily seen and always heard. Maybe a “junk bird” and a pest but if you birding in Australia, you will see it.

Birding with Thea and Ross on their home turf was a great way to end the birding part of my trip. Good birds, new birds, new photos, good habitats, good company with good stories, great attitudes, knowledgeable, comfortable – the kind of folks you would want to bird with all the time as friends. It turned out it was not quite the end of my birding in Australia. After another good dinner along the riverfront in Brisbane, Cindy and I spent the next day in urban Brisbane including a morning at the City Botanic Gardens which was quite different from that first day birding at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, although Australian Ibises were commonplace at both places as were those Noisy Miners. The Brisbane gardens were not as open, more dense and tropical vegetation, shaded trails and a surprise new and last bird for my Australian list – a Buff Banded Rail – seen and photographed previously in Indonesia but new for Australia, species #218 for this visit and #320 for my Australia life list and #773 for 2026 worldwide. Usually not an easy bird to see as it can be secretive and hidden in the grasses and reeds. It popped out of a dense thicket and stayed in the open for long enough for the photo. Thank you.

Our departing flight was from Brisbane on Air Canada, departing a little after 10:00 am on September 26th. It was a long flight to Vancouver, B.C. but thanks to the time “gained” by crossing the International Dateline going east, we arrived in Canada around 6:30 am also on September 26th – thus more than 3 hours “before” we had departed. A fairly brief layover and then a very short flight on a plane that looked like it was left over from the 20th Century, we were back home in Seattle just before 10:00 am, so still “before” we departed. A very long day but arriving in daylight and midday made the transition easier and we returned to somewhat normal eating and sleeping schedules fairly well. I am fortunate to usually avoid major jet lag. Cindy is less fortunate but did pretty well. Usually when I return from a trip I get on the scale with trepidation knowing I had put on some weight from the quantity if not the quality of food. This trip had more food than usual, and better quality than usual as well, including more desserts and pastries than usual and more drinks with dinner than usual – but we had done a lot of walking – certainly several miles a day on average. I had only gained a couple of pounds and got rid of them over the next few days.

Rather than add a summary here I have decided to add a “Bonus Post” – look back after being home commenting on people, places, birds and some favorite birds. It will be posted soon.