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
Cormorants
Little Black Cormorant – Arundel Wetlands, Arundel, QLD
Little Pied Cormorant – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Darters
Terns
Stilts
Dotterels
Lapwings
Painted-snipes
Jacanas
Snipe
Sandpipers
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Ducks, Swans and Geese
Hardhead (male) – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Radjah Shelduck – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Grebes
Herons and Bitterns
Egrets
Spoonbills
Ibis
Storks
Rails and Crakes
Baillon’s Crake – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Lewin’s Rail – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Spotless Crake – Arundel Wetlands, QLD
Water hen’s
Megapodes
Raptors
Collared Sparrowhawk – Arundel Wetlands, QLD, Australia