Tours

TRACKS BIRDING & PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS

Ever wanted to meet a Grasswren face to face? Dreamed of photographing a Palm Cockatoo in the wild? How about seeing your first Banded Fruit-dove amongst Monsoon Forests of Kakadu? Being a local bird photographer I have extensive knowledge of Northern Australia including Cairns, Iron Range, Mount Isa, Channel Country, Darwin, Kakadu and the Victoria River Regions. I can help you find and photograph that bird you've always dreamed of seeing, join Tracks Birding & Photography Tours for a once in a lifetime, unforgettable Bird Photography Tour.

ADVANTAGES WITH TRACKS BIRDING:

  • Specialising in Private and/or Small Group Bird Photography Tours (Guest Minimum 2 / Maximum 4)
  • Tracks Birding (Laurie Ross) is the only full time/true Bird Photography Guide in Australia
  • Guide is a well known and published Professional Bird Photographer
  • Photography hide setups available for incredible photographic opportunities
  • Flexible dates - Book when it suits you (Subject to availability)
  • A strong understanding of the needs of photographers
  • Extensive local knowledge from over 17 years of birding in Australia
  • See unique, rare & endemic birds from around the Australia
  • Amazing photographic opportunities
  • Finding time to appreciate the beautiful outback landscapes while touring
  • Flexible Itineraries (Can modify to suit any birds you need to photograph)
  • Have the opportunity to explore remote parts of Australia that not many tour companies visit
  • Share my passion for finding and photographing birds
  • Birds, Birds, Birds & more Birds!

INCLUSIONS: During your time on Tour

  • Hotel Pick up / Drop off
  • Transport in modern 4wd vehicle
  • Air Conditioned accommodation included - No camping like other tours
  • All meals while on tour
  • Enjoy high quality meals at great local cafe's & restaurants - in the field when necessary
  • Sunscreen / Insect Spray
  • First aid kit on hand at all times
  • All refreshments including soft drinks, water, tea & coffee
  • Alcoholic beverage with dinners
  • Professional guide (Who is also a professional photographer)
  • All National Park entry fees
  • All the latest local field guides (Digital & Printed)
  • Overnight tours - All meals during our time on tour

BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY and/or BIRDING WITH A CAMERA TOURS with one of Australia's leading bird finders and photographers;

JUST ABOUT ALL MY TOURS ARE PRIVATE SO DATES ARE TOTALLY UP TO YOU

IRON RANGE Small Group BIRDING WITH A CAMERA TOUR | 7th - 13th January 2026 (7 Days / 6 Nights)

Trip Begins - Cairns, QLD

Trip Ends -  Cairns, QLD

DAY 0 - Arrival into Cairns, you will need to make yourself to Cairns a day before the tour (Flights to/from Cairns are not included)

Accommodation - Not included

Meals: Not included

Day 1 : We will be heading to Cairns airport nice and early to catch our morning flight to Lockhart River, where we will be spending the next week.

Once we arrive Lockhart we will collect our 4wd and be ready to head out.

For the next 7 days we will be exploring a range of habitats in and around Iron Range National Park, Lockhart River and Portland. Habitats include the dry woodlands for species like Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo and one of the more difficult birds the Yellow-legged Flycatcher.

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TOP END GROUP BIRDING WITH A CAMERA TOUR | 30th July - 5th August 2024 (7 Days / 6 Nights)

ITINERARY:

30/07/2024 DAY 0 - Arrival day into Darwin, please make sure you arrive into Darwin today for an early pick up tomorrow.

31/07/2024 DAY 1 - Laurie will pick you up after an early breakfast. We’ll visit Buffalo Creek, where, depending on the tide, we have a chance of glimpsing Chestnut Rail. It spends most of its time hidden in dense mangroves, but we’ll certainly hear it calling and with luck might see it. Other mangrove species will entertain us, including Black Butcherbird, Mangrove Gerygone, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Yellow White-eye, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Mangrove Robin and possibly White-breasted Whistler. On the nearby beach we may see the huge yet elusive Beach Thick-knee. Our next spot will be one of the local reserves containing Monsoon Forest, here we will be in search of Grey Whistler, Arafura Fantail, Arafura Shrike-thrush, Green-backed Gerygone, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove and our main target Rainbow Pitta. Last spot before lunch will be the Darwin Botanic Gardens where we will be looking for Rufous and Barking Owls hopefully on their day roosts

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TOP END GROUP BIRDING WITH A CAMERA TOUR | 24th August - 30th August 2025 (7 Days / 6 Nights)

ITINERARY:

23/08/2025 DAY 0 - Arrival day into Darwin, please make sure you arrive into Darwin today for an early pick up tomorrow.

24/08/2025 DAY 1 - Laurie will pick you up after an early breakfast. We’ll visit Buffalo Creek, where, depending on the tide, we have a chance of glimpsing Chestnut Rail. It spends most of its time hidden in dense mangroves, but we’ll certainly hear it calling and with luck might see it. Other mangrove species will entertain us, including Black Butcherbird, Mangrove Gerygone, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Yellow White-eye, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Mangrove Robin and possibly White-breasted Whistler. On the nearby beach we may see the huge yet elusive Beach Thick-knee. Our next spot will be one of the local reserves containing Monsoon Forest, here we will be in search of Grey Whistler, Arafura Fantail, Arafura Shrike-thrush, Green-backed Gerygone, Rose-crowned Fruit-dove and our main target Rainbow Pitta. Last spot before lunch will be the Darwin Botanic Gardens where we will be looking for Rufous and Barking Owls hopefully on their day roosts

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CAIRNS AND SOUTHERN TABLELANDS | 6D / 5N Tour

Day 1 - Today is arrival day in Cairns, for the next two days we will be spending time exploring Cairns city itself. Sites we will visit include the famous Cairns Esplanade which is a fantastic place for shorebirds including Terek Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Australian Pelican, Grey-tailed Tattler, Greater & Lesser Sandplover, Red-necked Stint, Black-tailed & Bar-tailed Godwits, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern, Caspian Tern and if we’re lucky a Beach-stone Curlew. The mangroves at the Northern end of the Esplanade are great for Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Varied Honeyeater, Mangrove Robin, Torresian Kingfisher and maybe a Satin Flycatcher.

Just North of town is Centenary Lakes where we find fresh and saltwater lakes, here we might see Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Australian Brush-Turkey, Cicadabird, Dusky Myzomela, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeaters, Large-billed Gerygone, Black Butcherbird, Magpie Goose, Little Kingfisher, Nankeen Night-heron, Radjah Shelduck, Metallic Starling, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Green Oriole maybe a day roosting Papuan Frogmouth.

Accommodation - The Novotel, Cairns (Or similar)

Meals: (B, L, D).

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IRON RANGE NATIONAL PARK, LOCKHART RIVER and PORTLAND QLD | 7 Days / 6 Nights

Trip Begins - Cairns, QLD

Trip Ends -  Cairns, QLD

DAY 0 - Arrival into Cairns, you will need to make yourself to Cairns a day before the tour (Flights to/from Cairns are not included)

Accommodation - Not included

Meals: Not included

Day 1 : We will be heading to Cairns airport nice and early to catch our morning flight to Lockhart River, where we will be spending the next week.

Once we arrive Lockhart we will collect our 4wd and be ready to head out.

For the next 7 days we will be exploring a range of habitats in and around Iron Range National Park, Lockhart River and Portland. Habitats include the dry woodlands for species like Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo and one of the more difficult birds the Yellow-legged Flycatcher.

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TOP END TOUR including Kakadu NP | 8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 : Pick you up from your accommodation in Darwin between 6 - 7 am. We will spend the morning exploring the many nature reserves around Darwin. The main species we will be targeting are Rufous Owl, Barking Owl, Tawny Frogmouth, Rainbow Pitta, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Bush-stone Curlew, Brown Whistler, Northern Fantail, Forest Kingfisher and Little Corella. We will also spend time in the Mangroves trying to photograph Red-headed Myzomela, Mangrove Gerygone, Mangrove Golden Whistler and Torresian Kingfisher.

Lunch will be had at one of Darwin's great cafes before we spend the afternoon photographing anything we missed in the morning and depending on tides photographing some of the mangrove and shorebird species out at Lee Point and Buffalo Creek.

Driving Time - 1.0 Hours

Accommodation - Argus Hotel, Darwin City

Meals included: (L, D).

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OUTBACK CHANNEL COUNTRY | 8 Day / 7 Night

Tour Begins - Mount Isa, QLD

Tour Finishes -  Mount Isa, QLD

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 : Make your own way to Mt Isa in Queensland where the tour begins. Mount Isa is by direct flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane by Qantas, Virgin and Rex. Depending on what time you get into Mount Isa will depend on how much birding / photography will be done but hopefully we will be able to get out and look for our first Grasswren, the Kalkadoon Grasswren (Amytornis ballarae).
Driving Time - 1.0 Hours
Meals: (B, L,)
Accommodation : Ibis Styles Verona - Mount Isa, QLD

Meals included: (L, D).

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CAIRNS, TABLELANDS & CAPE YORK | 14 Days  / 13 Night

CAIRNS, TABLELANDS & CAPE YORK | 14 Days  / 13 Nights

Tour Begins - Cairns, QLD

Departure -  Cairns, QLD (Flight from Lockhart to Cairns included)

Day 1 - Today is arrival day in Cairns, for the next two days we will be spending time exploring Cairns city itself. Sites we will visit include the famous Cairns Esplanade which is a fantastic place for shorebirds including Terek Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Australian Pelican, Grey-tailed Tattler, Greater & Lesser Sandplover, Red-necked Stint, Black-tailed & Bar-tailed Godwits, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern, Caspian Tern and if we’re lucky a Beach-stone Curlew. The mangroves at the Northern end of the Esplanade are great for Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Varied Honeyeater, Mangrove Robin, Torresian Kingfisher and maybe a Satin Flycatcher.

Just North of town is Centenary Lakes where we find fresh and saltwater lakes, here we might see Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Australian Brush-Turkey, Cicadabird, Dusky Myzomela, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeaters, Large-billed Gerygone, Black Butcherbird, Magpie Goose, Little Kingfisher, Nankeen Night-heron, Radjah Shelduck, Metallic Starling, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Green Oriole maybe a day roosting Papuan Frogmouth.

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OUTBACK GRASSWREN TRIP | 15 Day / 14 Nights

Tour Begins - Mount Isa, QLD

Tour Finishes -  Alice Springs, NT

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 : Make your own way to Mt Isa in Queensland where the tour begins. Mount Isa is by direct flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane by Qantas, Virgin and Rex. Depending on what time you get into Mount Isa will depend on how much birding / photography will be done but hopefully we will be able to get out and look for our first Grasswren, the Kalkadoon Grasswren (Amytornis ballarae).

Driving Time - 1.0 Hours

Accommodation : Ibis Styles Verona - Mount Isa, QLD 

Meals included: (L, D).

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CAIRNS to MOUNT ISA and CHANNEL COUNTRY | 16 Days  / 15 Nights

CAIRNS to MOUNT ISA and Channel Country | 16 Days  / 15 Nights

Tour Begins - Cairns, QLD

Departure -  Mount Isa, QLD

Day 1 | Arrival into Cairns. For the next two days we will be spending exploring Cairns city itself. Sites we will visit include the famous Cairns Esplanade which is a fantastic place for shorebirds including Terek Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Australian Pelican, Grey-tailed Tattler, Greater & Lesser Sandplover, Red-necked Stint, Black-tailed & Bar-tailed Godwits, Gull-billed Tern, Little Tern, Caspian Tern and if we’re lucky a Beach-stone Curlew. The mangroves at the Northern end of the Esplanade are great for Rose-crowned Fruit-dove, Varied Honeyeater, Mangrove Robin, Torresian Kingfisher and maybe a Satin Flycatcher.

Just North of town is Centenary Lakes where we find fresh and saltwater lakes, here we might see Orange-footed Scrub-fowl, Australian Brush-Turkey, Cicadabird, Dusky Myzomela, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Yellow Honeyeaters, Large-billed Gerygone, Black Butcherbird, Magpie Goose, Little Kingfisher, Nankeen Night-heron, Radjah Shelduck, Metallic Starling, Double-eyed Fig-parrot, Green Oriole maybe a day roosting Papuan Frogmouth.

Read more


 

Contact Us:

Phone numbers:
Australia +61 476 110 084 / 0476 110 084

Photo Website: www.laurieross.com.au

E-mail:[email protected]

Tracks Birding & Photography Tours © | Helping guests find birds since 2016

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