About Kingfisher Birding
The Wet Tropics. Our Backyard.
Twenty-five years in the rainforest.
About Kingfisher Birding
Twenty-five years in the rainforest.
Our team
The team
Clayton Smith leads our birding. Twenty-five years in these rainforests, he reads the country and finds the birds. David Lyons runs the operation and is on every tour as driver and host.
Both of us in the field on every expedition.
Clayton Smith and David Lyons, Cattana Wetlands.
Pickup matters.
Pickup is part of the experience. Air-conditioned comfort, plenty of room for optics and tripods, and a covered trailer for multi-day expeditions when we're carrying scopes, hides, and field gear.
Our vehicle and equipment trailer, parked at Kuranda.
Our Guides
The Guides
Clayton Smith - Lead Guide
Our lead guide has spent over twenty-five years in these rainforests. He reads the conditions on any given morning and puts birders in front of species they've travelled halfway around the world to find.
Whether you want encyclopaedic depth on every species or simply want to stand quietly while the dawn chorus settles over you, Clayton works with both.
David Lyons - Guide & Host
David's role is two-part. He runs everything around the field: the permits, logistics, vehicles, and the email that lands at 11pm asking whether the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfishers are back yet. And he's on tour with Clayton, driving and looking after guests through the day.
Clayton leads on species ID; David handles the field operations, guest welfare, and everything that keeps the day running.
How We Operate
Three Things We Don't Compromise On
Timing Over Convenience
Wildlife doesn't work around check-in times. Dawn departures, flexible scheduling, and real-time routing based on conditions and recent sightings. If something exceptional is happening in a particular location that morning, we go there.
Permits & Access
Much of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area needs permits to access properly. We hold the permits and approvals to operate across its national parks, and we know where to be, and when.
Two Guides in the Field
Every multi-day tour has both of us in the field. That keeps forest movement quiet, wildlife encounters genuine, and the days flexible, which is the difference between a good tour and an exceptional one.
Ready to plan your visit?
Every tour is private. Every itinerary is flexible. Every guest gets the version of the Wet Tropics the locals know.