Day 3 - A day of exploration

Sunday, October 6th, 2013

This 'blogging' can be a very frustrating process. Wifi access at our resort is less than reliable so I've been forced to work offline most of the time. Last night I completed an entry for the day and now I see that I didn't save it. Ach!!

We are loving the Cairns Colonial Club - our residence here. It is a 5 hectare resort-type property comprised of tropical vegetation, pools and 1 and 2 level accommodations. It isn't centrally located and definitely not nearly 5 star, but our room is large, comfortable and we love the jungle vegetation, varied bird life, excellent restaurant and fabulous breakfasts! We've been enjoying choruses of bird songs of every variety from dawn until dusk. Although we recognize many of the flowering plants near our room we have questions about most of the flora in the area. 

                                                                        

Today was a 'down day' - time to relax and enjoy our surroundings. Exploring the grounds of the resort has been fun - it's a maze of pathways throughout a complex of motel-type buildings and lush tropical forests teeming with birds. We enjoyed a late breakfast before taking the shuttle into downtown Cairns for the day. We were able to organize mobile telephone access (thanks Carolin - it works!) and sort out a banking 'glitch' so I could freely access cash. Once funds were flowing again, we were able to get on to some shopping and sight-seeing. 

While exploring central Cairns we came upon a young girl holding a baby fruit bat - otherwise known as a flying fox.

The girl's mother is an animal rescue officer and they were about to take the creature home for nurturing. Apparently this young bat had fallen from its mother's breast and its mother was unable to retrieve it so, without intervention, the youngster was doomed. This is mating season and we were standing under several mango trees loaded with these extremely vocal bats! Here is a small sample.

I was unable to get a shot of any of these flying foxes in flight but can describe that they are much larger than the bats we see in northern BC. In flight, they appear to have a wingspan that is at least as large as the gulls we see at home. According to the lady rescuing the pup, this particular species is endangered and the Cairns City Council is considering removing the mango trees in the city's centre area in order to get rid of the bats. They are noisy critters! I recorded a video of these bats and the racket they're creating but was unable at attach it here. This flying fox encounter reminded me of the times the sky was darkened by flocks of bats honing in on the kumquat tree in our back yard 40 years ago.

After walking the Esplanade and marina areas we ended the day with dinner served on a patio by an Aussie waitress who works at a cat-skiing resort in southern BC during our winters. It really is a small world.