Trekabout Photography Workshops - Eleven Day North Queensland Bird and Nature Photography Tour and Workshop with Dick Jenkin and Mark Rayner
Workshops, Tours, Adventures with Accredited Professional Photographer Mark Rayner and the Dream Team
Eleven Day “North Queensland Bird and Nature Photography Tour and Workshop”
When: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 April 2021
Next Workshop TBA
Where: CAIRNS/DAINTREE/ATHERTON TABLELANDS
Click here to book.
Please check back for additional dates. If you subscribe to the TREKeZine RSS feed, you will be automatically notified when more workshop dates are released.
When: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 April 2021
Next Workshop TBA
Where: CAIRNS/DAINTREE/ATHERTON TABLELANDS
Click here to book.
Please check back for additional dates. If you subscribe to the TREKeZine RSS feed, you will be automatically notified when more workshop dates are released.
Join experienced adventuring professional travel photographer and bird photography expert Mark Rayner and Australian bird expert Dick Jenkin on a bird and nature photography adventure not to be missed.
Itinerary and Program of Events
Day One-
Arrive in Cairns and check into our Hotel. In the afternoon, we will visit the Cairns Esplanade for the first of our sessions with the migratory waders along the fore-shore. This is one of the few places where you can get very close to these birds that are normally quite flighty.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Two-
A day boating to the outer reef for the opportunity to get some close-up photos of nesting and roosting sea birds on Michaelmas Cay. The most common being Sooty Tern, Lesser-crested Tern and Common Noddy with a sprinkling of Brown Booby and Frigatebirds. Bridled and Black-naped Terns and other rarities can sometimes be present as well.
For those wanting to totally chill out, there will be time for relaxing, swimming and snorkelling.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Three-
Today we plan to visit the new Cairns Aquarium complex, which only opened late 2017 and whilst there are no birds, the fish and the setup is amazing and we will get some awesome images and videos (mobile phone works well for these!)
The Esplanade and Centennial Lakes is also on the agenda for another session with the birds.
Overnight: Cairns
Arrive in Cairns and check into our Hotel. In the afternoon, we will visit the Cairns Esplanade for the first of our sessions with the migratory waders along the fore-shore. This is one of the few places where you can get very close to these birds that are normally quite flighty.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Two-
A day boating to the outer reef for the opportunity to get some close-up photos of nesting and roosting sea birds on Michaelmas Cay. The most common being Sooty Tern, Lesser-crested Tern and Common Noddy with a sprinkling of Brown Booby and Frigatebirds. Bridled and Black-naped Terns and other rarities can sometimes be present as well.
For those wanting to totally chill out, there will be time for relaxing, swimming and snorkelling.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Three-
Today we plan to visit the new Cairns Aquarium complex, which only opened late 2017 and whilst there are no birds, the fish and the setup is amazing and we will get some awesome images and videos (mobile phone works well for these!)
The Esplanade and Centennial Lakes is also on the agenda for another session with the birds.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Four-
Today’s journey begins with an early morning drive up to Kuranda where we will have a private visit to the aptly named Cassowary House, where we hope the namesake bird will be present.
Also, around should be Spotted Catbird and Victoria’s Riflebird (one of four Australian Birds of Paradise species), with the diurnal Musky Rat Kangaroo often feeding on the forest floor.
After breakfast in Kuranda we will visit Birdworld, “Australia’s largest collection of free flying birds” for some close up photography opportunities.
Our afternoon destination is the small historic village of Yungaburra, in the Atherton Tablelands, our base for the next 4 nights. On route, we will visit a couple of birding sites where we should find a variety of water birds and surrounding bush birds to capture images of.
Overnight: Yungaburra.
Today’s journey begins with an early morning drive up to Kuranda where we will have a private visit to the aptly named Cassowary House, where we hope the namesake bird will be present.
Also, around should be Spotted Catbird and Victoria’s Riflebird (one of four Australian Birds of Paradise species), with the diurnal Musky Rat Kangaroo often feeding on the forest floor.
After breakfast in Kuranda we will visit Birdworld, “Australia’s largest collection of free flying birds” for some close up photography opportunities.
Our afternoon destination is the small historic village of Yungaburra, in the Atherton Tablelands, our base for the next 4 nights. On route, we will visit a couple of birding sites where we should find a variety of water birds and surrounding bush birds to capture images of.
Overnight: Yungaburra.
Day Five-
This morning we will head up to a private property near Ravenshoe where we will concentrate on finding the higher altitude North Queensland endemic birds such as Golden Bowerbird (a great chance of capturing this awesome bird at his amazing bower), Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Atherton Scrub-wren, Mountain Thornbill, Chowchilla, Bridled Honeyeater, Grey-headed Robin and Bower’s Shrike-thrush.
Lunch will be time for a relax at the neighbouring property where garden birds abound, followed by an afternoon visit to a private lagoon teeming with birds.
Overnight: Yungaburra
Day Six-
Starting the day a little bit later than yesterday, we take a short drive to the Curtain Fig Tree for some rainforest birds and of course the tree itself.
After breakfast we will visit nearby Lake Barrine, one of the picturesque Volcanic Crater Lakes in the area, taking a boat cruise around the lake in search of water birds. The rain forest surrounding the lake also holds many bird species and the 1000-year-old Twin Kauri Pines are amongst Australia’s largest trees.
We will finish the day with a leisurely stroll along the creek where we are staying, our main target will be platypus.
Overnight: Yungaburra.
This morning we will head up to a private property near Ravenshoe where we will concentrate on finding the higher altitude North Queensland endemic birds such as Golden Bowerbird (a great chance of capturing this awesome bird at his amazing bower), Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Atherton Scrub-wren, Mountain Thornbill, Chowchilla, Bridled Honeyeater, Grey-headed Robin and Bower’s Shrike-thrush.
Lunch will be time for a relax at the neighbouring property where garden birds abound, followed by an afternoon visit to a private lagoon teeming with birds.
Overnight: Yungaburra
Day Six-
Starting the day a little bit later than yesterday, we take a short drive to the Curtain Fig Tree for some rainforest birds and of course the tree itself.
After breakfast we will visit nearby Lake Barrine, one of the picturesque Volcanic Crater Lakes in the area, taking a boat cruise around the lake in search of water birds. The rain forest surrounding the lake also holds many bird species and the 1000-year-old Twin Kauri Pines are amongst Australia’s largest trees.
We will finish the day with a leisurely stroll along the creek where we are staying, our main target will be platypus.
Overnight: Yungaburra.
Day Seven-
Today we will check out a few other birding spots within short drives from Yungaburra. Depending upon what we have already seen and photographed we may visit destinations such as Hastie’s Swamp, Wongabel State Forest, Mt Hypipamee and Nerada Tea Plantation.
Overnight: Yungaburra
Day Eight-
Checking out from Kookaburra Lodge we will make our way to the quaint little village of Daintree, our home for the next two nights. Our accommodation has a huge veranda overlooking the picturesque Daintree River.
On the way, we will check out some water holes near Mareeba Wetlands where we may be lucky in finding the enigmatic Black-throated Finch.
Travelling on via Mount Molloy, we will also check out a site for the rare Blue-faced Parrot-Finch.
Overnight: Daintree
Day Nine-
We will start the day right from our door step with an early morning boat cruise on the Daintree River where we will be able to get closer than normal to some of the shyer birds, such as Black Bittern, Great-billed Heron (if we are very lucky), Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, and Shining Flycatcher. Not to forget the crocodiles!
The rest of the day will be spent exploring around Daintree Village.
There are plenty of birds near our lodge and in the afternoon, we will do another boat trip for a second chance at anything we may have missed in the morning.
Overnight: Daintree
Day Ten-
This morning we say farewell to the Daintree and drive back towards Port Douglas and spend the morning photographing in the extensive Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary.
Then we will journey back to Cairns where we will visit some more great birding locations in the afternoon.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Eleven -
Transfer to the airport for flights home
Itinerary subject to change or rearrangement due to weather conditions or at the whim of the birds.
Today we will check out a few other birding spots within short drives from Yungaburra. Depending upon what we have already seen and photographed we may visit destinations such as Hastie’s Swamp, Wongabel State Forest, Mt Hypipamee and Nerada Tea Plantation.
Overnight: Yungaburra
Day Eight-
Checking out from Kookaburra Lodge we will make our way to the quaint little village of Daintree, our home for the next two nights. Our accommodation has a huge veranda overlooking the picturesque Daintree River.
On the way, we will check out some water holes near Mareeba Wetlands where we may be lucky in finding the enigmatic Black-throated Finch.
Travelling on via Mount Molloy, we will also check out a site for the rare Blue-faced Parrot-Finch.
Overnight: Daintree
Day Nine-
We will start the day right from our door step with an early morning boat cruise on the Daintree River where we will be able to get closer than normal to some of the shyer birds, such as Black Bittern, Great-billed Heron (if we are very lucky), Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, and Shining Flycatcher. Not to forget the crocodiles!
The rest of the day will be spent exploring around Daintree Village.
There are plenty of birds near our lodge and in the afternoon, we will do another boat trip for a second chance at anything we may have missed in the morning.
Overnight: Daintree
Day Ten-
This morning we say farewell to the Daintree and drive back towards Port Douglas and spend the morning photographing in the extensive Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary.
Then we will journey back to Cairns where we will visit some more great birding locations in the afternoon.
Overnight: Cairns
Day Eleven -
Transfer to the airport for flights home
Itinerary subject to change or rearrangement due to weather conditions or at the whim of the birds.
About Dick Jenkin:
Dick is passionate about birds and has spent his entire life pursuing countless species all over the globe. More recently, having observed all but six regular Australian birds, he has decided to revisit his secret places with camera in hand. Dick is now a full-time photographer pursuing this new goal.
Together with his wife Lynn, also a passionate photographer, he is setting about making bird photography more accessible to everyone.
In short, if there is a bird in the bush, Dick knows what it is and how to find it. His knowledge will be invaluable as we bring you this bird and nature photography workshop in North Queensland.
Dick is passionate about birds and has spent his entire life pursuing countless species all over the globe. More recently, having observed all but six regular Australian birds, he has decided to revisit his secret places with camera in hand. Dick is now a full-time photographer pursuing this new goal.
Together with his wife Lynn, also a passionate photographer, he is setting about making bird photography more accessible to everyone.
In short, if there is a bird in the bush, Dick knows what it is and how to find it. His knowledge will be invaluable as we bring you this bird and nature photography workshop in North Queensland.
Photographic Prerequisites:
This amazing photography tour workshop is designed to suit the beginner or serious enthusiast.
A digital SLR or mirrorless interchangeable lens camera camera is recommended. Best lenses to bring include a longer zoom or prime. Lenses such as Canon 100-400, Nikon 80-400, Tamron or Sigma 150-600 are ideal as are 400, 500 and 600 primes. 1.4x and 2x teleconverters are also very useful.
A sturdy monopod or tripod is recommended, preferably fitted with a gimbal head. For the reptile and other animal sessions a shorter zoom or macro lens would be ideal.
A standard zoom (24-70) would also be advisable as some landscape opportunities will present. An external flash could be useful in certain circumstances.
Some of the topics that will be covered:
• Bird Photography techniques
• Wildlife
• Composition
• Lighting
• Exposure and metering techniques
• Streamlining your digital workflow and image post-processing techniques
This amazing tour always fills up quickly, so please book your spot asap.
Cost for the 11 day tour : Twin Share $ 5300.00 per person
Single Supplement $900.00
$1000.00 per person deposit required to secure your position.
(please note a 3.2% handling fee applies to credit card payments)
Balance payable 30 days before workshop.
Click here to book.
Inclusions :
Exclusions:
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is recommended and remains your responsibility.
This amazing photography tour workshop is designed to suit the beginner or serious enthusiast.
A digital SLR or mirrorless interchangeable lens camera camera is recommended. Best lenses to bring include a longer zoom or prime. Lenses such as Canon 100-400, Nikon 80-400, Tamron or Sigma 150-600 are ideal as are 400, 500 and 600 primes. 1.4x and 2x teleconverters are also very useful.
A sturdy monopod or tripod is recommended, preferably fitted with a gimbal head. For the reptile and other animal sessions a shorter zoom or macro lens would be ideal.
A standard zoom (24-70) would also be advisable as some landscape opportunities will present. An external flash could be useful in certain circumstances.
Some of the topics that will be covered:
• Bird Photography techniques
• Wildlife
• Composition
• Lighting
• Exposure and metering techniques
• Streamlining your digital workflow and image post-processing techniques
This amazing tour always fills up quickly, so please book your spot asap.
Cost for the 11 day tour : Twin Share $ 5300.00 per person
Single Supplement $900.00
$1000.00 per person deposit required to secure your position.
(please note a 3.2% handling fee applies to credit card payments)
Balance payable 30 days before workshop.
Click here to book.
Inclusions :
- 10 nights accommodation
- All Dinners
- All Lunches
- All Breakfasts
- All Ground transport
- Charter boat fee
- Entry fees and boat cruises
- Guiding and tuition
Exclusions:
- Alcohol
- Items of a personal nature
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is recommended and remains your responsibility.