Just out of town near the Captain Cook Highway is the Wildlife Habitat, and on Wednesday we all go there for Breakfast with the Birds. They have several large aviaries with different types of habitat. The Cafe is in the Wetland habitat, and there are wooden tables in a paved area where we can eat. The buffet is set up in an adjacent area where the birds can't get in, but there are plenty of birds around our table. Rainbow Lorikeets are really cheeky and put their heads in our juice glasses to drink the juice. There's a Stone Curlew walking around the tables, and lots of spoonbills roosting in the morning sunshine on the cover overhead.
Pete and Sue and I go on all the tours and presentations. I buy a checklist from the Cafe so I can mark birds off as I see them. The tours of the Rainforest and Wetlands are led by one of the staff, who is pushing a trolley full of different types of food. I'm really interested to see what they feed the different types of birds. There's chopped fruit, moistened dog kibble, kangaroo meat, different types of grain, nectar power and liquid nectar. Our guide says the first feed is done at 6 am and this is just a top up. She points out birds for us and identifies them as she does her rounds and answers questions. She's very knowledgeable. The birds are remarkably tame and she says most of them are either rescued wild birds that can't be released, or they have been reared in captivity. They have some beautiful eclectus parrots and lots of other birds -- too many to list here. They have the only pair of breeding jabirus in captivity and we see them do a greeting dance as the male returns to the nest.
Then it's time for the koala presentation, and a different staff member talks about koalas and there's a photo opportunity (for a price). Then he does a reptile presentation with a python and a small saltwater crocodile (with sellotape around it's nose). More photo opportunities. The next tour is the Grasslands and we see a dozen newly hatched Magpie Geese goslings - very cute. Our guide on this tour is also topping up the food trays. They have emus and kangaroos and wallabies and koalas and a tree kangaroo. I have kangaroo food to give away but all the animals are so well fed they're not interested.
I'm having so much fun I 'decide to stay for a 1:30 pm Behind the Scenes talk, and I persuade Sue to stay too. Pete goes back to town with the others. We have lunch at the Cafe and Vo Vo the Magpie Goose wants to sit on our table and won't take no for an answer. We sit and watch the kangaroos until it's time for our tour. It's just me and Sue. Our guide takes us out the back. We see the weaning pens where a couple of wallabies are resting. One has been hand reared and is now out of the pouch and living in the pen until he's old enough to join the mob. Another is a female who's lost some fur because she's been harassed by males wanting to mate. We see the tree kangaroo breeding pen. Then we visit a container with rescued animals in hospital cages. There's a very cute kangaroo joey in a tote bag lined with towels; and a striped ringtail possum who's been hand reared and is very tame.
We also visit the food preparation area where all the feed is made up, and see their eucalpyt plantation. They go through a huge amount of gum tree branches, feeding the koalas, who only eat the tips and are quite fussy.
Our guide has a Masters degree in biology and did her thesis on wallabies in New Zealand. She says most of the staff have degrees or have done TAFE courses in vet nursing or wildlife rehab.
It's all really interesting and I'm glad we stayed for the extra tour. We catch the local tourist shuttle bus back to our hotel. It's State of Origin football tonight so the boys are at the pub. Again.
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