Marie Read's Photo Adventures--Australia
Cockatoos, currawongs, and cassowaries, almost live from Australia
Report 29--Back to the Beginning
Report 28--Finding Food in Flowers
Report 27--Lucky Echidna
All reports are available from the menu on the left.
Wildlife photographer Marie Read has invited us to join her as she travels Australia in search of birds and other creatures.
The first stop was the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park, considered one of Australia's top wildlife viewing spots.
Next,
Marie is traveling the length of Queensland following the southern
hemisphere's spring southward, from the steamy rainforests of the
Daintree to the rocky gorges of Carnarvon National Park to the Sunshine
Coast's sandy beaches.
The adventure ends with a stay on South Australia's wildlife jewel, Kangaroo Island.
Kakadu National Park
A World Heritage site located in Australia's
Northern Territory, Kakadu has been inhabited continuously for more than
40,000 years. The area's features include cave paintings, rock carvings, and archaeological
sites which record the lifestyles of the region's inhabitants,
from the hunter-gatherers of prehistoric times to the Aboriginal people currently inhabiting the region.
It is a unique example of complex of ecosystems, including tidal flats, floodplains, and lowlands. The wide range of habitats shelters a wide range of rare or endemic species of plants and animals, a target-rich environment for Marie's skill behind the camera.
Daintree National Forest
The Daintree Rainforest is located in tropical Far North Queensland. It is one of the most diverse and beautiful areas in
the world. Daintree contains the highest number of plant
and animal species that are rare, or threatened with extinction, anywhere
in the world.
Carnarvon National Park
Carnarvon Gorge
is an oasis in the semi-arid
heart of Queensland. Located in the Carnarvon Gorge Section of
Carnarvon
National Park, the towering white sandstone cliffs form a spectacular
gorge with many narrow and vibrantly colored side gorges lush with
green.
Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast
is a long stretch of land along the eastern edge of Australia. It is a
popular tourist destination with miles of sandy beaches that offer a
great collection of shorebirds. Just offshore is Australia's famed
Great Barrier Reef.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third largest island and is home to some spectacular birds. Species to be expected include:
- Bush Stone-curlew
- New Holland Honeyeater
- Western Whipbird
- Purple-gaped Honeyeater
- Red Wattlebird
- Brown-headed Honeyeater
Marie Read is an acclaimed wildlife photographer and nature writer. Marie worked for
eight years as a graphics researcher and publications editor at the
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. She is now a full-time photographer and author.
Her photographs have been featured in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife (UK),
Bird Watcher's Digest, Discover, and Natural
History, as well as in Audubon, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund
calendars. Marie's articles have appeared
in Birder's World and Women in the Outdoors.
She is author of Secret Lives of Common Birds and co-author of Common Birds and Their Songs.