Iron Range ~ Part Two

Wednesday afternoon we had a long over due Lifer Lunch at the café up in Portland Roads. We all had prawns that were fresh from the ocean in front of us (the view there is unbelievable). They were cooked to perfection, and as good as any shrimp I have ever had anywhere. A piece of cheesecake was the actual Lifer Pie and it was delicious as well. I am very grateful.

Happy Lifer Selfie for several lifers! Fantastic, local prawns and a wonderful view of the Coral Sea.

Heading back toward the Iron Range, we stopped at a spot that Anne had mentioned in her notes to me as a possible nesting spot for Eclectus Parrot. We found the tree and as we stood there, I saw the female fly in and disappear into the hole. Magnificent. We ended up seeing her three more times there. I do not think that she liked us watching the tree, so we moved on. I am very grateful for seeing that bird. Since I began birding, Eclectus Parrot had loomed as some exotic, seemingly unattainable resident of the jungles of Cape York. Well, I am here, and I am grateful! As the week progressed, we saw this Ecectus couple again and got a few photos from a discreet distance.

Eclectus Parrots, male and female (the female is red)

Meanwhile later in the week… I am sitting again overlooking the Coral Sea in Portland Roads at the café with the insanely wondrous prawns. Yes, we came back here. This morning brought Northern Scrub-robin and Magnificent Rifebird into my heart.

Northern Scrub-robin scurrying along the rainforest floor

Magnificent Riflebird

And a Lesser Frigatebird just glided onto our list and into my heart as well! I jumped up in the middle of my lunch and with prawny-hands grabbed up the camera and got a few shots. We had Great the other day down in Lockhart River and now we have the Lesser. Sweet. I am grateful.

Lesser Frigatebird came to lunch... sort of.

Birding Lunch

I will stop here on the second installment of this piece-meal blog. I am writing this from Matilda in a caravan park in Cairns. This feels quite normal to me with my coffee and my MacBook early in the morning. Here are two more photos just because I liked them.
Stay tuned, there is more to come.

Frill-necked Monarch falling off a branch. 

One can never see too many Pittas. This is a Noisy Pitta although he was very quiet that morning.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.