PHOTOS from Lamington NP

This was the only scene shot that I took at O'Reilly's on this trip. The photo was taken from the balcony at the restaurant, and I thought was impressive because of the sunlight illuminating the shower of rain across the valley.

There were Red-necked Pademelons (Thylogale thetis) everywhere at O'Reilly's. You could spot them almost any time of the day around the cafe and living areas, but they came out in great numbers to forage in the paddock behind, at dusk. This photo shows a mother with her out-of-pouch, but still suckling, joey, photographed near the camping area.

A Red-necked Pademelon (Thylogale thetis), close-up of head, chewing on grass stems.

Red-legged Pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica) keep to the dense forest and were not seen around the living areas at O'Reilly's. This one was photographed along one of the paths as it paused for grooming. We were very lucky to see it! Note the white stripe on its face, red fore-paws and rump, red on the front of its head, and no red on the back of its neck, all of which serve to distinguish it from its more common cousin, the red-neck.

We were thrilled to see Albert's Lyrebirds (Menura alberti). These birds have a very limited distribution and there is probably nowhere that you are more likely to see them than in Lamington National Park. Note the somewhat spindly tail of the male bird, used in its elaborate mating displays.

This female Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti) was very busily engaged in foraging on the forest floor, using the strong digging action of her powerful legs. The sexes are alike except for their tails.

The male bird was constantly performing for the female, cycling through a medley of mimicked and native sounds while lifting his wings up and down. Unfortunately she appeared to be unimpressed by his pre- mating season display, and just continued digging, regardless.

I debated whether to include this photo of a Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) or one in more natural surroundings, This photo won because of the absolutely glorious colouring of this individual. It had come in to feed at the feeding station at O'Reilly's. Most of the rosellas that fed there seemed to be in very poor condition.

This little brown thornbill was foraging with a small group in the early morning light, in a teatree in the main car-park at O'Reilly's.

The whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) is another species that is difficult to photograph because it forages in dense undergrowth. But you always know if they are around by their distinctive whipcrack calls.

This juvenile whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus) was photographed on the boardwalk at O'Reilly's. It appeared to be suffering from some sort of mental disorder for a wild bird, as it showed no fear of humans, even sitting on my camera lens as I tried to take photos. Note the small white patch on its cheek which will get bigger as it ages.

These birds forage on the ground and we often encounter them on the paths in forest areas. This one, photographed on the lawn at O'Reilly's, has just pulled a grub out of the soil.

We always think we are lucky if we manage to photograph Rufous Fantails (Rhipidura rufifrons). They are constantly on the move as they flit and fan their tails and dance about in dark spots with dense vegetation in the forest understorey.

Adult (right) and juvenile Red-browed Firetails. These colourful finches are very common up and down the east coast of Australia. I am not sure what the message was in this interaction, but after having its beak tapped, the juvenile very promptly waddled off a few metres.

This cranefly (Family: Tipulidae) appeared to be performing a dance on the rainforest floor, dipping its abdomen down to touch the litter and then immediately flying up, and repeating the process over and over again. I suspect it was a female depositing eggs. The whole process was so rapid that I couldn't tell what sort of insect it was, and I was very lucky to get one of my photos in focus, as she paused briefly.

Logrunners are difficult to photograph because they are only found in the dark rainforest understorey, and they are constantly moving, scratching, scratching away in the search for insects in the leaf litter. The female is the one on the left, with the red breast. In this species the male is less colourful, with a white breast.

Male golden whistlers (Pacycephala pectoralis) have got it all, really - both glorious colouring and the sweetest of voices. This species was everywhere at O'Reilly's, in the rainforest and around the people areas.

Female Golden Whistlers (Pachycephala pectoralis) have sweet voices but lack the colourful plumage of the males.

This is a juvenile golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) - you can tell from the two-toned beak. Juveniles are similar in feather colouring to females, but we have found that baby birds often have pink-coloured beaks. As they mature, their beak colour darkens, but there is a period of time before they are fully mature when they will still have a half-pink beak.

Who doesn't like blue wrens? This male was photographed in O'Reilly's paddock, surrounded by red-necked pademelons, at dusk on our first day there. Note the raindrops on the grass - it had rained for much of the afternoon.

A Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis). We see these small, and very appealing birds everywhere we go. They spend a lot of time in this sort of pose, often on a vertical tree-trunk, looking downwards, watching, waiting for movement that would reveal the presence of an insect.

A White-browed Scrubwren foraging for insects. These small birds were ubiquitous in the park, but I came home surprisingly short of good photos of them. This was the best.

This Lewin's honeyeater ((Meliphaga lewinii) struck quite a picturesque pose, I thought, close to the balcony. The verandah of the restaurant at O'Reilly's was quite a convenient vantage point because it put us at the same level as the birds - up in the tree-tops.

This Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris) was sunbaking near the restaurant balcony, but still felt it was necessary to stay in touch with its friends and rivals by calling - note its half-open beak.

Close-up of the head of a brush turkey. These large native ground birds are common in the park. This one was photographed near the shop area at O'Reilly's.

