Michaelmas Reef is just a short trip off the coast from Cairns. It’s a National Park and bird sanctuary, and it’s clear the birds appreciate it.

There’s a couple of park mooring balls, and a bunch of private ones for the tour boats that come out each day. But early in the morning and in the afternoon there is nobody here but us cruisers and birds. On shore there is just one small roped off area for us to land and view the birds from. The rest of the island is their private domain.

It was fun watching the male wander off and bring back sticks and small piles of grass while the female tucked and arranged everything around her.

No shortage of plastic bits to include in the nest building.