Just north of Byron Bay in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is Tyagarah beach, best known for nature loving sunbathers. The reserve is another rich bird watching place with bush extending north to Brunswick Heads.
Byron Bay Wetlands in November
Some rarer birds have been seen in the first days of November. A Pale-vented Bush-hen was seen during a nature walk and very unusually a Diamond Dove seen in Cell E. The Radjah Shelduck is still here, looking a bit lost at this stage. The Brush Cuckoo and the Pheasant Coucal are constantly calling. And there are a number of birds still on their nests, including the White-winged Trillers and the Mistletoe birds.
Fernvale
Fernvale is a rural area south of Murwillumbah and close to the Mooball National Park in northern New South Wales. Its open valleys are surrounded by steep slopes covered in rainforest. A survey of a Fernvale property found a rich variety of bird species and included 130 Plumed Whistling-Ducks on a farm dam.
Byron Bay Wetlands in October
More birds are arriving in October as the weather warms. Water birds are increasing; one reason is better management of the wetland ponds to allow larger areas of mudflat for waders to feed. There are more cuckoos, with almost constant calls of Pheasant Coucals during the day. The highlight was the presence of over a dozen Latham’s Snipe in E Cell and more in other wetland ponds. Despite regular watches in the evenings of the full moon, no Bitterns have been heard to date this year.
Spring in the Byron Bay Wetlands
As September moves on spring activity has increased, birds are active with nest building and courting. The Latham’s Snipes have arrived; the one photographed below was one of three flushed from the D and E Cells of the Byron Bay Wetlands. Despite lower water levels and more mudflat the Snipes are the only migrant birds seen on the wetlands so far this year. A number of Pied Stilts have moved in as well as up to a dozen Black-fronted Dotterel. A Black-necked Stork was seen visiting but so far has not turned up for a photo session with yours truly. And there is an increased presence of foxes as waterbird numbers increase.
Bush Regeneration with Flowers
Most of the wonderful bush regeneration sites in the Byron Hinterland in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales attempt to faithfully recreate the original habitat and bush, and many are spectacular successes. But last week’s Byron Bird Buddies survey was at a site where flowering plants (mainly native or cultivars of natives) and smaller native shrubs and trees dominate. The result was a very different avifauna, dominated by honeyeaters and small birds.
Byron Bay Birds on the day of the Glossy Count
Our mission to find any Glossy Black-Cockatoos feeding in the Byron Bay region provided a chance to see the area’s varied bird life. The Great Glossy Black-Cockatoo Count is an Australia wide survey undertaken the first week of spring to find out where these special birds are present. Although no Glossies were found in Byron Bay on the day, that is still important information, and in fact signs were seen that they had been feeding recently at nearby Brunswick Heads. The day turned out to be a good day for spotting the local birds and for photography.
Tallow Creek
Tallow Creek in Suffolk Park, north New South Wales is a hot spot for birds. It also provides a virtual photographer’s backdrop of scenes, settings and lighting with soft light mellowed by the reeds and waters of the creek.
Visit to Booyong Flora Reserve
The Booyong Flora Reserve in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is part of the one percent that remains of what once was the “Big Scrub”, extending from Lismore to Byron Bay. A short visit to this island of rainforest resulted in sightings of Golden Whistlers, Grey Shrike-thrush, Brown Greygone, Large-billed Scrubwren and a White-bellied Sea-Eagle.
Byron Bay Wetlands in September
It has been a busy start to September in the Wetlands. Plenty of nest building and family raising action to be seen. Azure Kingfishers in a courting dance, Superb Fairy-wrens building nests, Tawny Grassbirds chasing and buzzing through the reeds, Masked Lapwings protecting their three chicks, a Pheasant Coucal calling. Also an unexpected visitor, a Radjah Shelduck a long way from its northern tropics home.
Wallum Development in August
There were over 50 species of bird counted at the Byron Bird Buddies monthly survey in August. Another outstanding result on a beautiful day of birds, wild flowers, butterflies and funghi.
Wandering Whistling-Ducks
Wandering Whistling-Ducks are sometimes seen in northern New South Wales but are more common further north. So it is something of a surprise that large numbers of Wandering Whistling-Ducks have arrived in Pottsville, northern New South Wales. Yesterday over 70 were to be seen on a small pond close to the Cudgera Creek in west Pottsville.
Strange lodgings - Bush Stone-curlew
Locating all the Bush Stone-curlews in Byron Bay as part of the monitoring program is a major effort. Some have chosen strange places to hide.
Coraki Lagoons
Beef and dairy farming dominate the plains that border the Richmond River between Casino and Coraki in Northern New South Wales. The original bush cover is represented by a few remnant stands and some roadside and riverside trees. There are many ponds and horseshoe lagoons, formed as the river meandered across the plains. Last week these had good populations of water birds, with woodland birds in the surrounds.
But the highlight was the sight of a Black Falcon. After hearing a strange and unknown call, the falcon emerged from high in a nearby tree, completing several tight circles and the chance of a photo.
Wallum Development in June
Its now near the end of June and the volunteers protecting one of New South Wales north coast last Wallum heathlands are still there, guarding the entrance to the site. It should be our elected politicians who protect Australia’s heritage for future generations. One day!
The June bird survey again found a wide range of amazing birds with over 40 species counted. This month it was the little pardalotes that took centre stage.
Another Byron Hinterland estate
Drive inland 30 minutes from Byron Bay township and you find yourself on winding roads through beautiful rainforest. This week’s Byron Bird Buddies survey was at another bush regeneration estate, reclaimed from land that had been cleared many years ago for dairying and growing bananas. The variety and quality of the new forest is impressive, the result of 30 plus years of toil. The estate abuts the Goonengerry national park and we were rewarded with the call of an Albert’s Lyrebird nearby.
Byron Hinterland rural estates
The Byron Bay rural, rainforest and mountain hinterlands provide refuge for the rich and famous as well as those seeking a gentle and grounded lifestyle. Amongst the rural properties many seek to restore and regenerate the original rainforest cover, most of which was removed for farming last century. Some estates are large with several hundred hectares replanted; some are managed by teams of gardeners. Others are smaller, created by the labor of nature enthusiasts. The Byron Bird Buddies survey a number of these estates to monitor their progress as they to return as havens for rainforest birds.
Byron Wetlands in May
April’s high rainfall continued into the first two weeks of May and the wetland ponds are full, covering the mud-flats that would normally attract shore or water birds. This has left the wetland mainly in the hands of its forest and woodland inhabitants, still plenty to see.
Bush Stone-curlew Monitoring Program
Bush Stone-curlews are endangered in New South Wales. In the Northern Rivers region these birds are monitored and protected where necessary. After an elaborate courtship dance the Bush Stone-curlews nest on the bare ground, laying one or two eggs. The eggs hatch after 30 days but the chicks take another nine weeks before the are able to fly.
During this period the young are especially vulnerable to disturbance and predation by foxes, cats and dogs. Fencing around nest sites and awareness programs are being organised during the spring to summer breeding season.
Byron Bay Wetlands in April
More photos from the wonderful Byron Bay Wetlands. More than 220 species of bird have been recorded since the Wetlands were created and counts at the Byron Bird Buddies surveys are regularly in the 70 - 100 species range.