My local patch, the Arundel Wetlands (also known as Tea Tree Blvd Wetlands) is a part of the Coombabah Wetlands. It is a great location for birding with a variety of different habitats including ponds, reed beds, saltwater creek and mangroves, and wetland forests. Some well defined and maintained tracks provide an easy walk and access to most locations around the wetlands.
The common water birds such as Pacific Black Duck, Hardhead, Australian Wood Duck, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Ducky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Australasian Swamphen, Australasian Grebe are seen virtually every visit.
Egrets are common and on a good day you can get the white egret trifecta with Great Egret, Intermediate Egret and Little Egret. The White -faced Heron and White-necked Heron are always around if a little harder to locate sometimes.
The Ibis trifecta is possible on a good day with Australian White Ibis the most common, Glossy Ibis come and go as does the Straw-necked Ibis.
At the right time of the year Latham’s Snipe are common. Australian Painted-snipe have been seen. Black-necked Stork come and go. Red-kneed Dotterel and Black-fronted Dotterel are now resident as are the Pied Stilt.
Royal Spoonbill are usually around and when conditions are a bit tough out west a Yellow-billed Spoonbill has been seen.
Raptors are well represented with the Whistling Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Black Kite (in season) all common. On a good day a number of other Raptors can also be seen.
Lots of different Honeyeaters are present with the Striped Honeyeater usually around somewhere. The other smaller birds are well represented with a trifecta of Superb, Red-backed and Variegated Fairy-wrens a possibility.
A number of dead trees provide good hollows for Cockatoos’ Corella’s, and Lorikeets.
A couple of hour walking trip can usually see you locate 50+ different species of birds along with the resident Grey Kangaroo and Red-necked Wallabies. With great views and photo opportunities.
My Arundel Wetlands Bird Count stands at: 138
Birds
Pelicans
Australian Pelican – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Cormorants
Great Cormorant – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Little Black Cormorant – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Little Pied Cormorant – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Darters
Australasian Darter – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Terns
Caspian Tern – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Stilts
Pied Stilt – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Dotterels
Black-fronted Dotterel – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Red-kneed Dotterel – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Lapwings
Masked Lapwing – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Painted-snipes
Australian Painted-snipe – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Jacanas
Comb-Crested Jacana – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Snipe
Lathams Snipe – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Sandpipers
Marsh Sandpiper – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Ducks, Swans and Geese
Black Swan – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Magpie Goose – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Wandering Whistling Duck – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Australian Wood Duck – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Pink-eared Duck – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Australasian Shoveler – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Chestnut Teal (male) – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Grey Teal – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Hardhead (male) – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Pacific Black Duck – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Radjah Shelduck – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Grebes
Australasian Grebe – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Herons and Bitterns
White-faced Heron – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
White-necked Heron – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Nankeen Night Heron – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Striated Heron – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Egrets
Great Egret – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Intermediate Egret – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Eastern Cattle Egret – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Little Egret – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Spoonbills
Royal Spoonbill – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Yellow-billed Spoonbill – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Ibis
Australian White Ibis – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Straw-necked Ibis – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Glossy Ibis – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Storks
Black-necked Stork – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rails and Crakes
Buff-banded Rail – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Baillon’s Crake – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Lewin’s Rail – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Spotless Crake – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Water hen’s
Australasian Swamphen – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Eurasian Coot – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Dusky Moorhen – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Megapodes
Australian Brush-turkey – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Raptors
Eastern Osprey – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
White-bellied Sea-eagle – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Whistling Kite – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Brahminy Kite (immature) – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Black Kite – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Brown Goshawk – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Grey Goshawk – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Black-shouldered Kite – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Pacific Baza – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Australian Hobby – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Frogmouths
Tawny Frogmouth – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Cockatoos
Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Galah – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Corellas
Long-billed Corella – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Little Corella – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Parrots
Australian King Parrot – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Rainbow Lorikeet – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Scaly-Breasted Lorikeet – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rosella
Eastern Rosella
Pale-headed Rosella – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Pigeons and Doves
Rock Dove
Spotted Dove – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Crested Pigeon – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Peaceful Dove – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Bar-shouldered Dove – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove (immature) – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Topknot Pigeon – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Cuckoos
Fan-tailed Cuckoo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Brush Cuckoo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Pheasant Coucal – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Eastern Koel – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Channel-billed Cuckoo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Kingfishers
Laughing Kookaburra – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Forest Kingfisher – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Sacred Kingfisher – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Azure Kingfisher – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Bee-eaters
Rainbow Bee-eater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rollers
Dollarbird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Swifts
White-throated Needletail – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Fork-tailed Swift – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Swallows and Martins
Welcome Swallow – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Fairy Martin – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
White-breasted Woodswallow – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Thornbills
Brown Thornbill
Gerygones
White-throated Gerygone – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Mangrove Gerygone – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Pardalotes
Striated Pardalote – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Fairy-wrens
Superb Fairy-Wren – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Red-backed Fairy-wren – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Variegated Fairy-Wren – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Honeyeaters
Lewin’s Honeyeater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Yellow-faced Honeyeater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Scarlet Honeyeater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Brown Honeyeater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Eastern Spinebill – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Striped Honeyeater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Blue-Faced Honeyeater – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Little Wattlebird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Miners
Noisy Miner – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Friarbirds
Noisy Friarbird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Little Friarbird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Cuckoo-shrikes and Trillers
Cicadabird – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Butcherbirds and allies
Pied Currawong – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Pied Butcher Bird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Grey Butcher Bird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Australian Magpie – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Ravens and Crows
Torresian Crow – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Orioles and Figbirds
Australasian Figbird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Olive-backed Oriole – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Spangled Drongo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Monarchs and Flycatchers
Magpie Lark – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Restless Flycatcher – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Leaden Flycatcher – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Black-faced Monarch (immature) – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Fantails
Grey Fantail – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rufous Fantail – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Willie Wagtail – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Australasian Robins
Eastern Yellow Robin – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rose Robin – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Whistlers
Rufous Whistler – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Golden Whistler – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Shrike-thrushes
Little Shrike-thrush – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Grey Shrike-thrush – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Mistletoebird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
White-winged Triller – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
White-eyes
Silvereye – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Old World Warblers
Golden-headed Cisticola – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Australian Reed-Warbler – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Tawny Grassbird – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Rufous Songlark – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Mynas and Starlings
Common Myna – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Grass-finches, Parrot-finches and Mannikins
Double-barred Finch – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Red-browed Finch – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Mammals
Eastern Grey Kangaroo – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Red-necked Wallaby – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Koala – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
European Hare – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Reptiles
Freshwater Snake – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Lace Monitor – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Eastern Water Dragon – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Eastern Bearded Dragon – Arundel Wetlands, QLD