Summary: Small lake by the ocean worth a quick visit if you’re birding in the area Dates of visit: Oct 3 2021, Sep 11 2022, Oct 25 2022 Swan Lake is a man-made lake that is wedged uneasily between some busy roads and commercial areas in the Port of Brisbane precinct. In 2013 it wasContinue reading “Swan Lake, 2021-2022”
Author Archives: birdspots
Archerfield Wetlands, 2022
Summary: Excellent, large site for a variety of bird species, with good light and easy paths Dates of visits: Oct 2021 to Oct 2022 Archerfield Wetlands is a sizeable site of 150 hectares featuring eucalypt forest, open grassland, freshwater wetlands and creeks. It lies on Oxley Creek, a few kilometres upstream from its well-known “bigContinue reading “Archerfield Wetlands, 2022”
Canberra Trip, Nov 2022
Canberra! Some say it’s the nation’s capital. A city of students and public servants, with a reputation for being kind of boring, and bloody cold to boot. But what if – hypothetically – you undertook a super-impulsive last-minute long weekend birding trip there? Would it be… worthwhile? Where would you go and what birds wouldContinue reading “Canberra Trip, Nov 2022”
Lake Galletly, 2021-2022
Summary: Excellent compact site with bird hides for uncommon duck and water bird species Dates of visit: Jun 27 2021, Oct 17 2021, Mar 20 2022, Jul 17 2022, Aug 23 2022, Oct 30 2022 Lake Galletly, within the grounds of the UQ Gatton Campus, is a well-known birding site (at least to seasoned birders)Continue reading “Lake Galletly, 2021-2022”
Oakey, 2021-2023
Summary: Awesome country birding along an exposed dirt road, with good nearby parks too Dates of visits: May 22 and Aug 5, 2021, Aug 23 2022, May 12-14 2023 A visit to Oakey, just west of Toowoomba on the Darling Downs in Queensland, is something of a rite of passage – or perhaps a pilgrimageContinue reading “Oakey, 2021-2023”
Norfolk Island, Oct 2022
Summary: Lovely isolated island with a couple of alluring endemic species and excellent seabird watching from windy headlands Date of visit: Oct 6 to 11, 2022 Norfolk Island is an Australian external territory in the Pacific Ocean island about 1450km east of Brisbane. It makes for an intriguing birding destination due to a couple ofContinue reading “Norfolk Island, Oct 2022”
Flagstaff Hill, Port Douglas, Nov 2021
[A stop on the Cairns + Atherton + Daintree, 2021 trip] Port Douglas is a resort town about an hour north of Cairns and might not be somewhere you’d be inclined to do a lot of serious birding, what with the beaches, the resort shops and Sunday markets, golf courses, and plenty of options for boat cruisesContinue reading “Flagstaff Hill, Port Douglas, Nov 2021”
Daintree River Cruise, Nov 2021
[A stop on the Cairns + Atherton + Daintree, 2021 trip] The Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland is truly enormous at 1200 square kilometres and is a very special place indeed. One of the highly recommended ways to explore it is via a boat cruise on the Daintree River, and for birders especially this is aContinue reading “Daintree River Cruise, Nov 2021”
Mt Lewis, Nov 2021
[A stop on the Cairns + Atherton + Daintree, 2021 trip] Mount Lewis is a region of highland rainforest within the huge Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of northern Queensland. There is only one road in, Mount Lewis Rd, starting just a kilometre or two north of Julatten. The road has two major sections: from the Mossman-MountContinue reading “Mt Lewis, Nov 2021”
Kingfisher Park Lodge, Nov 2021
[A stop on the Cairns + Atherton + Daintree, 2021 trip] The famed Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge in Julatten, Queensland is truly a very special place. This is reflected in its eBird all-time species count, which places it as the #4 birding hotspot in all of Australia. What’s interesting though is that if you filter eBird’s top AustralianContinue reading “Kingfisher Park Lodge, Nov 2021”
Bird Spots 