Under clear blue skies and crisp Tablelands air, ten people gathered for July’s monthly survey at Hasties Swamp National Park – one of Far North Queensland’s premier birdwatching destinations.

Warrina Lakes equals a mere 0.0000019% of Australia’s landmass – yet it hosts an astonishing slice of our national birdlife: truly a case of “punching above its weight” in the birds-per-hectare stakes!

When you’re a birder – or a bird photographer – you inevitably check the weather before heading out. Sunday 6 July’s forecast wasn’t promising, and it sent me digging into the stats: on average, Innisfail gets rain on 196 days a year. That’s more than every second day – no wonder our group outings often battle gloomy skies!