Yellow Oriole

Although it looks green this is actually a Yellow Oriole and the valley is now echoing with their lovely warbling songs - they have a variety of calls and sometimes, especially at dawn, when we hear them calling to each other one will change it's song and the next one will try to imitate the change.

We've had a little rain over the past few days but much of the surrounding country is now starting to look dry and the grass is browning-off. Lovely and green at Daintree Valley Haven though as we are watering several hours a day.

Soon the local cattle-farmers will burn-off their grasslands to get rid of weeds ready for the new season's growth. It's an amazing sight as the cattle paddocks grow right up to the rainforest a little way up the valley hillsides but as soon as the fire reaches the treeline it immediately dies as the forest is so dense that there is no dry ground-cover under the canopy to feed the fire. So farmers and rainforest live happily together.