We traveled to Perth (via two weeks in South Australia) in order to watch three Matildas Olympic qualifying football matches held in the city across the course of a week. Which naturally led to the question of what to do in between game days… which naturally led to the answer of: go birding at as many good sites around Perth as we could find!
Suburban Birding, Take 1: Lake JoondalupAnd Lake Gwelup
In Perth’s northern suburbs lies the huge Lake Joondalup, with a monster 16km trail that circumnavigates the water. There are a couple of select spots where you can see well across the lake at the hundreds of water birds (dominated by Eurasian Coots and Black Swans), while the rest of the lakeside is fringed with heavy bush and reeds (home to plenty of birds!)
This vibrant male Splendid Fairywren paused to keep an eye on the nearby humans from the safety of the lakeside reeds on the eastern side of Lake JoondalupA total of four Buff-Banded Rails, including this parent and youngster, foraged amongst swampy grasses. East side of Lake Joondalup.One of the photographic challenges with Australian Ravens is trying to showcase those impressive throat hackles. At Neil Hawkins Park on the western side of Lake Joondalup.A Young Australian Shelduck wandering around the shoreline at Picnic Cove on the south-west side of Lake Joondalup, probably wondering where its parents are……to wit, Shelduck parent, perhaps feeling like many a mum and dad doesA male Musk Duck put on quite a show, vocalising weirdly and flicking its tail, as it practised its courtship ritualWestern Corella at Neil Hawkins Park. The long bill and slightly taller crest differentiate this species from Little Corellas and Long-Billed Corellas, and it was a treat to see a couple of them in suburbia in Perth, as it’s (a) actually a fairly infrequent occurrence, as these birds are usually found more in rural areas, and (b) it meant we didn’t have to scour said rural areas to find these guys!Swamp Harriers are a common sight above Perth’s suburban lakes, sometimes upsetting the water bird populations with their predatory ways
Lake Gwelup is quite a bit smaller than Lake Joondalup and is more well-known for its Rainbow Bee-Eater action than anything else. We did see a few Rainbow Bee-Eaters, but concentrated mainly on circumnavigating the lake, morning-exercise-walk-style. Also, it was windy.
The shiny feathers of Straw-Necked Ibis can be seen from coast to coastRainbow Lorikeets are considered a pest in the Perth area as they have drifted over from the eastern states of Australia, and are now taking up valuable nesting hollow space that could be used by WA’s endemic parrots. This pair of lorikeets is getting into a disagreement with a Red Wattlebird.Nankeen Night-Heron, those stealthy hunters of the brackish lake edges
A North-Of-Perth Double: Yanchep National Park and MindarieBeach
Around 40 minutes north of Perth is a national park which is home to Western Australia’s only koala population, as well as a couple of connected lakes, some caves, an old-style traditional inn, a campground and a tree-tops adventure climb. Quite the getaway spot, I guess, and one that features in birding posts on social media now and again.
Galahs posing near the Yanchep InnA female Splendid Fairywren. Despite all the intriguing blue areas on Google Maps, most of the water is swampy or reed-covered and difficult to see. Hence, forest birds rather than water birds.Kanga with joey. The kangaroos at Yanchep are completely non-plussed by humans. Also, how snug does that pouch look!Spotted Dove that looks like it’s had a big night on the turps at Mindarie Beach. Laughing Doves were also present.The stars of the show at Mindarie Beach (well, apart from the resident Osprey) are the White-Winged Fairywrens, and they are the most approachable of this species I’ve ever seen anywhere – exhibit A being this male bird who hung out on the fence on the side of the coastal path without a care in the world.
Say It With Me Now: Herdsman Lake Is Birding Heaven(Suburban Birding, Take 2)
It seems like every second post on Facebook showing Western Australian birds seems to come from Herdsman Lake, and with good reason: it’s awesome. There’s so many great spots, with a walking trail, canals and inlets along the lake side, two bird hides, a terrific boardwalk and more. And oh! the birds! Not only is there a decent variety, there’s also a good chance of rare and desirable species too; heck, even as I write this, people are posting photos of a family of Freckled Ducks – including ducklings – right near the boardwalk (if you don’t know what a Freckled Duck is, worry not, because you’ll likely never see one…).
Grey Teals (as well as a Shoveler and a few Little Black Cormorants) getting all stirred up by a nearby Swamp HarrierA mixture of White and Straw-Necked Ibis; just a portion of the many ibis that call Herdsman Lake homeAn adorable Pink Eared Duckling, viewed from the boardwalk at the southern endGreat Crested Grebes are elegant large water birds that are often photographed by appreciative birders at Herdsman Lake Eurasian Coots: “Now son, don’t forget you’ve got to chew your food thoroughly.”Laughing Doves demonstrating the delicate art of making more Laughing DovesAn Australasian Darter drying off; I love the purplish sheen on its feathers hereThere is a section of Herdsman Lake to the north-west where it feels like every second bird you see is a Willie WagtailOne of the many bird-rich inlets on Herdsman LakeA male Galah getting chompyGrey Butcherbird catches a hairy caterpillar in one of the many stringybark trees around the boardwalkA Little Egret having a little rest on a little branch
How Can You Resist A Stroll Around King’s Park While Staying In Perth(Rhetorical Question, No Need To Answer)
Our accommodation was “fortuitously” within walking distance of King’s Park, which is a sprawling reserve and botanic gardens on the west side of Perth’s CBD. It’s a decent spot for birding, and has sweeping views over the Swan River and the Perth skyline as a bonus.
A Ringneck after an early morning bath at King’s ParkRed Wattlebirds were the dominant honeyeater at King’s Park, and barely gave humans a second look. You could basically get as close as you wanted!White-Cheeked Honeyeaters were numerous too, but most tried to keep under the radars of the Red Wattlebirds, because sometimes the wattlebirds chased them off with much territorial squawking and flappingWood Ducks using a handy ramp to emerge from the water – near the fountain at King’s ParkPacific Black Duck. Close. Very close. Perhaps too close.A Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo with its zygodactyl feet (two toes facing forward and two backward). Now there’s a good word to use in Scrabble!One of the nice things about birding in a botanic garden is the lovely flowers, which unlike some birds, hold nice and still for photos. Usually.
It’s Time To Chase Some Seabirds: Woodman Point and Penguin Island
We ventured south of Perth to Woodman Point, a little headland which is reliable for shorebirds and terns, before taking the first ferry across to Penguin Island, which is unreliable for penguins (you should see the litany of disappointed TripAdvisor reviews of the place…!) We were mainly there to see Bridled Terns anyway, and were happily impressed by the vibe of this small island which housed a great number of nesting seabirds of many types.
Caspian Tern coming in for landing while a couple of Crested Terns watch on unimpressed, at Woodman PointWe had seen a Grey Plover on our previous trip to South-West WA, but about a thousand times further awayA Bridled Tern, a new bird for us, greeting us as we disembarked the ferry at Penguin Island. Okay, it’s a subtle form of greeting.Silver Gulls, like the Bridled Terns on Penguin Island, lay eggs pretty much wherever they want toCrested Terns, by contrast, nest in bigger more self-contained groupsThe far side of Penguin Island, with some classic WA rockscapes and blue, blue seasSooty Oystercatchers are well-named for their sooty good looks“Ahhh, who cares if there are photographers watching, let’s get it ON!” – Silver GullsFrom the island’s excellent lookout vantage point you can see down across the headlands and sand flats, and perhaps take photos of Pelicans in flightRock Doves were dotted about the island, perhaps imagining they are powerful and dignified ocean-going seabirds and not goofy-looking opportunistic scavengers
Go West, Young Man: Beekeeper Rd and Northam
Our longest foray from Perth was an early morning trip out west to Beekeeper Road near the town of York, about an hour and a quarter drive. Our main target was Western Shriketit, and this was a semi-reliable spot for them… and what do you know, we found some! And the location turned out to be a reasonably pleasant one for some early morning sunlit birding. Then we passed by the large town of Northam to pay a visit to Australia’s only naturally wild population of Mute Swans (they’re introduced white swans, not the native black ones).
Western Shriketit, seen here briefly investigating a gum tree’s trunk, then not seen again… never mind, such is the nature of Shriketits, you should count yourself lucky to have an encounter at all! (At least, I do…)It was a real pleasure to see several Rufous Treecreepers again after enjoying watching their foraging antics at Dryandra Woodlands a year earlier.Yellow-Plumed Honeyeater was the dominant honeyeater in the dry forest habitat of Beekeeper RoadMute Swans are classically European-looking, and that’s because they are from Europe. These are descendants of swans that were introduced to Northam in the 1950s.A group of Reed Warblers were hanging out near the Mute Swans, sometimes emerging from the reeds to enjoy the sunshine
And So Lo We Did Enjoy Our Time Birding In and Near Perth
One of the nice things about birding as a hobby is that you can do it almost anywhere; and it’s especially interesting when you can find birds far away from your home city. Having spent a fairly limited time birding in Perth previously, we were also able to sate our curiosity about some of the good locations around, which we had seen on various birding Facebook groups. And while some of these locations proved just so-so for us (Yanchep NP and Lake Gwelup come to mind here), our explorations did cement for us just how great Herdsman Lake is, and Penguin Island provided a delightful change of pace from forest and lake birding. Every birding location has its unique characteristics and quirks; if I lived in Perth, I’d definitely obsessively visit several of the ones mentioned over and over (just sayin’)
Bird Spots 