Ayers Rock? Well it's hugely impressive to see up close but no good for birding, so we were glad to arrive in Cairns and start birding in the lush and humid climate on the coast. Favourite site of the day had to be the Esplanade which, once the tide had gone out revealing a good expanse of mud, also provided the setting for huge numbers of waders. Some familiars here but also plenty of new species including Gray-tailed Tattler, Red-necked Stint, Great Knot and Far Eastern Curlew, while two Black-necked Storks probed about and Australian Pelicans cruised by offshore.We also visited the bird-rich park at Century Lakes where we saw more great birds including Yellow Oriole and its parasitic species Brush Cuckoo, a small flock of Metallic Starlings in the trees overhead, a Brush Thick-Knee amazingly camouflaged against the leaflitter as it held a stationary pose amongst the trees. We also enjoyed watching the incredible-looking Australian Brush-Turkey which was scraping up leaves with its feet to control the tempeature of its nest, and the Orange-footed Scrub-Fowl which was also kicking up the leaves to look for food. Bird species total: 3476, 187 to go!Posted Cairns 20th October