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Proposed Visit to Michaelmas Cay, Sunday 15 January 2012
Introduction
Sooty Tern
(Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway)
Michaelmas Cay is an excellent and accessible spot for breeding and other seabirds, 35 km from Cairns. See Tim Dolby's Blog for details of the birds that breed there and others that may be seen. A day trip there by Birdlife Northern Queensland (!) is planned for Sunday 15 January 2012.
The Trip
Dominic Chaplin, 0419 028 077, has been discussing options for the trip with Peter the Skipper of the Sea Star. The regular trip costs $175 but spends only 2.5 hours on Michaelmas Cay as it also visits Hastings Reef for snorkelling and diving. The alternative is to charter the boat and just visit the Cay. This would cost $3,000, so Dominic Chaplin, 0419 028 077, needs to know the number of participants to see whether this is feasible.
Peter tells Dominic that Red-footed Boobies have regularly been seen on recent trips. This is a great opportunity to visit the Cay at the height of the seabird breeding season and Peter says that we can get close to the breeding activity using their small dingy. So let Dominic Chaplin, 0419 028 077, know if you are interested and join us on what promises to be a great day.
Red-footed Booby, White Phase
(Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway)