Michaelmas Cay

Visited: all year round

Recommendation: When ever you visit the cay, you are guaranteed a thrilling time. There are often thousands of birds here and you can get very close to them. It is very exposed, so go in cooler months.

Michaelmas Cay is a small sand bar in the ocean east of Cairns. A short 45 minute boat ride will get you there and normally I am the only birder on board. Situated on the Great Barrier Reef, most people go snorkelling to see the reef and marine animals. The boat operators are always really helpful and take me onto the Cay in a small boat. There is only a small patch of sand that you can stand on to look at the birds. I have been at different times of the year but the best I found was in the spring when the birds have returned to nest and it is not yet too hot. 

There are some birds that visit to roost as well as those that actually nest on the Cay and at its peak of activity, it is frantic. I had a hard time deciding where to look and what to take photos of. So, I'll start with those birds obviously nesting and regular visitors to the sand. The Brown Booby were there in numbers and there were lots of juveniles in various stages of development and plumage. Even the larger, older ones were fairly sedentary, just sitting waiting for a parent to return to them. I loved looking at them in their different states of dress. I had never been as close to these kind of seabirds before.

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)

Common Noddy were also nesting on the beach and this time I found some with eggs. I always think noddies look very serious with those eyebrows. It is worth going at different times of the year so you can see these attractive birds courting, nesting and rearing chicks. 

Common Noddy (Anous stolidus)

Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis)

There were several other terns around but nothing like the numbers of the crested. I saw the Bridled, Little and Sooty either on the beach or circling it.

Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anathetus)

There were also several Great Frigatebirds here as well. I always think they look like prehistoric creatures. Surely they are descendants of the Tetradactyl! 

Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor)

I see Lionfish here as well. They are a genus of highly recognizable and often dramatic-looking marine fish, primarily known for their striking appearance and venomous spines, which makes them easily identifiable. Lionfish do come in different colours and patterns, although the overall theme of bold stripes against a paler background remains consistent. The most common colour combinations involve red, brown, or maroon bands/stripes against a white, cream, or pale background.

Interestingly, Lionfish can also slightly change their colour intensity or shade based on their mood, stress levels, time of day, or to better blend into their surroundings. For example, they might darken their colours when agitated or interacting with other fish, or become paler at night or when resting. While the zebra-striped appearance is characteristic of most lionfish, the specific shades of red, brown, black, and white, as well as the patterns of their spots and bands on their bodies and fins, can vary significantly between species and even individual fish.

Lionfish (Pterois volitans)

A huge draw to Michaelmas Cay is also the opportunity to scuba dive or snorkel along the top of the Great Barrier Reef. A common sight are various Anemonefish. From the iconic Clownfish to the dramatic Red and Black Anemonefish, they are colourful and wonderful to see and photograph. 

The family of Anemonefish contains around 30 species and up to 12 can be found in the waters around Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. They have a symbiotic relationship with the anemone that makes them immune to their venom.