Birdwatching in Australia

The continent of Australia has more than 800 species of birds and over 300 endemics making it an experience few birdwatchers can resist.
Tropical rainforests and savannahs in the north, dry and hot deserts in the central parts, surrounded by semi-arid scrubland, temperate woodlands along the southern, western and eastern coasts, mixed with mountain ranges, rivers and wetlands makes excellent birding anywhere in this fascinating country. Add to this the island of Tasmania, and numerous other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans it is no wonder that Australia is on top of any birder's list of places to visit.
With a good infrastructure and transportation system it is easy to travel to most places in this big English speaking country and many local Birdingpals are willing to help you make your visit a birding experience you will not forget easily.


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Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers
Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club.
Shortcuts to Local Pals:
New South Wales (NSW) Northern Territory Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia Professional guides

Initial Last Name Area Available Language
A and H Wright Canberra, ACT Anytime English
We love taking visitors around this area. Although we don't get many birders coming this way, it is always good to meet "kindred spirits" and help them find the birds and show them some of the sights of our national capital.
B Wheeler Barham, NSW Anytime English
Wife & myself both keen birders but not super knowledgable. We live SW NSW/NW Vic, Murray River town with Redgum forest & open farmland.
M Berry Broulee/Batemans Bay, NSW Anytime English
We have 100 acres of bushland adjoining the 150 acre Illawong Nature Reserve [which was dedicated as a sanctuary for waterfowl in the 1960's] and we operate a small short breaks accommodation business called "The Bower at Broulee". We offer good opportunities for our visitor's to see a wide range of birdlife, including a Sea Eagles nest within the reserve.
J Hosking Dubbo, NSW Anytime English
I started birdwatching about 20 years ago, mainly because my son, Tim, became interested and because he was only 11, I had to go along. But we both became hooked. Dubbo has a population of about 40,000, in a wheat/sheep area. Dubbo does have a great zoo where threatened species are bred. They have been breeding the Mallee Fowl and releasing them with moderate success. Cats and foxes get them! We have about 250 species in our area. Special ones for me, are the Mallee Fowls. They build mounds and the male does most of the work, and Glossy-black Cockatoos. We have been surveying the glossies since 1994 and counted 404 one night. They are a threatened species too. You cannot help but get a real buzz from seeing about 30-50 glossy-black cockatoos coming into a dam to drink in the evening. We have some very pretty birds, such as the Superb Fairy-wrens, and all our Robins are very pretty.
M Akrill Newcastle/Hunter Valley, NSW Anytime English
Hunter Valley takes in an area from the Pacific Coast to the foothills of the Great Divide. Rain Forest, farm land and more open forest further inland give a diverse mix of birds with a hundred species not to difficult for a day.
C Kinross Orange, NSW Anytime English/French
German
Orange is medium-sized country town, 270 km west of Sydney. It is a mainly agricultural area, but with sufficient bushland, hills, creeks and wetlands in the area to make it interesting. Orange is a good gateway to western and northern New South Wales and to Dubbo, where there is a famous open plan zoo. It is on a good alternative route to Queensland away from main tourist areas. We live on a 57 ha property 12 km from Orange, with about 100 species of birds, plus platypus, water rats and four species of kangaroos and wallabies. We can collect people from the railway station or there is space for camper vans. Whilst I am more than happy to show people around this area, and there are also occasional opportunities to join in research activities such as bird banding (ringing), I cannot advise on general itineraries for people visiting Australia.
C Richardson Griffith, NSW Anytime English/French
I do a lot of travelling in NSW - as work takes me to Broken Hill (some 550km away direct - about 760 by road) several times a year. So I bird and atlas along the way.
D Stephens South Coast, NSW Anytime
J Francis Sydney, NSW Anytime
B Lancaster Sydney, NSW Anytime English
I am happy to take people birding in the Sydney Area and prefer weekdays. I live close to the City Centre (downtown in American) and can pick people up from their hotels. The areas I can cover include the Royal National Park and the Hawkesbury area National Parks. I have been birding long enough to know the good places.
M Skellett Sydney, NSW Anytime English/Spanish
Keen on birdwatching since I was a kid really- I go on birding tours locally quite frequently now.
A Lumnitzer Sydney, NSW Anytime Hungarian/English
some German
Captivated by local birdlife, do most of my watching/photography along the Nepean River area, Pitt Town and Richmond lagoons etc. Available mostly weekends Saturday afternoon/evening or Sundays. Keen photographer, would love to meet like-minded birdphotographer(s) to go shooting with.
M Angus Tweed Heads, NSW Anytime
J Szabo Wollongong, NSW Weekend English/Spanish
French/Russian
Hungarian
M Reed Katherine, North Territory Anytime
D Penny Beerwah, Queensland Anytime English
Sunshine Coast, its a great place as we get birds from the South and birds from the North. Being a meeting place for birds from both latitudes the bird count is quite high. The only downturn is that the numbers seem to be decreasing with each year. This could be explained by the number of people settling here. Loss of habitat, feral cats (and a lot of so called house cats), drought etc. However i guess this is happening all around the world. Anyway its still a great place to bird. During the summer months its a great for the migratory waders.
D Milton Brisbane, Queensland Weekend English/Spanish
Indonesian
Brisbane is in the southern end of the tropical forests and northern end of the temperate forests in eastern Australia and ha about 350 spp that can be seen regularly within 200 km. I am a member of Birds Queensland and a keen birder. I spend most of my free time doing bird-related activities, including shorebird conservation and general birding. My life list is in the mid 4000s and I have birded all the major continents. My Australian list is 662 but I have not pursued many new species in Australia in the last few years. I have a particular interest in pittas and have seen 14 spp so far including all three spp that occur in Australia. I am happy to help people birding around Brisbane and SE Queensland. I have a full-time job and so am often not available during the week, but I know several others who will help by showing visiting birders around.
G Goodyear Brisbane, Queensland Weekend English
D Taylor Brisbane, Queensland Weekend
R Bloss Brisbane, Queensland Anytime English
M Wilson Brisbane, Queensland Anytime English
North side of Brisbane.
P Woodall Brisbane, Queensland Weekend English
some French
IsiZulu
D Gravatt Brisbane, Queensland Anytime English
French (pas bien!)
Retired biologist and experienced nature guide. Access to rainforest (eg.Lamington National Park), eucalyptus forests, agricultural lands, and coastal areas (heath-lands of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast).
R McNeill Brisbane, Queensland Anytime English
I have been obsessed with birding since the age of 11 and for the better part of 30 years have been enjoying the pursuit. I am an American who has lived and worked in New Jersey, South & North Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, Honduras, New Zealand and now am ‘settled’ in Australia...living just north of Sydney for over two years. I have been birding in over 40 countries am a co-founder of Ventures, Birding and Natural History tours. Today I have sold out for the corporate life, necessary to fund the my far flung pursuits.. We own a home on 40 acres near some great birding locations and have some meggas both in the yard and within a few months k's from our house. On our property is a small guest cottage that we are in the process of fixing up and one thought would be to make it available to visiting birders, I am also in the process of cutting some trails through the forest. We would charge a small fee, only enough to cover the costs of power, water and laundry and would still offer guiding...or hook them up with a mate who can provide professional services.
C Barnes Bundaberg, Queensland Anytime
M Overend Buderim, Queensland Anytime
T Langworthy Cairns, Queensland Anytime
J Seale Cairns, Queensland Anytime
K Shurcliff Cooktown, Queensland Anytime English
Bahasa Indonesia
A Forsyth Daintree, Queensland Anytime
D White Gold Coast, Queensland Anytime
G Palmer Jinboomba, Queensland Anytime
C Hopkins Kenilworth, Queensland Anytime English
My mum and I are wilvos and we would like as many helpful links as we can get to preserve and better our areas bird life. We live in the wounderful Mary Valley on the hinterland of the sunshine coast QLD Australia.
J Kooistra Kureelpa/Sunshine Coast, Queensland Weekend English/Dutch
I am a keen and competent birdwatcher and live about 100km north of Brisbane. National Parks and plenty of other areas nearby from bush to beach. Have recently moved here and have over 60 species seen from my back verandah.
J Nott Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat, Queensland Anytime English
I only bird Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat.
R Lamb Malleny/Sunshine Coast, Queensland Anytime
K Cross Mapleton, Sunshine Coast, Queensland Anytime English/French
German
Mapleton is 100km north of Brisbane. I'm adjacent to National Parks and Forests. Over 100 spp for the yard plus nice mammals. Hosted many Birdingpals previously and overseas visitors especially welcome. Been birding 20 years - so I know the birds of my state and where to see them very well.
N Timperley Noosa, Queensland Anytime
G Hill Noosa, Queensland Anytime
J Hall Sunshine Coast, Queensland Anytime English
J Dening Sunshine Coast, Queensland Anytime English/French
German
Queensland's Sunshine Coast lies about an hour north of Brisbane in a latitudinal band which experiences the overlap of southern Australian birds and northern Australian birds, with a reported regional species list of more than 300. Habitat varies from coastal estuarine to coastal heathland to rainforest and upland eucalypt forest.
J England Sunshine Coast, Queensland Anytime English/
I live on the Sunshine Coast with access nearby to rainforest and coastal areas. I have been birdwatching for 18 years and have some of the specialities in my area such as Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Topknot Pigeon, etc.
D Biggs Townsville, Queensland Anytime English/Afrikaans
C Shaw Brighton, South Australia Anytime English
I travel around Australia regularly but when I'm home in Adelaide I'm usually available. There are lots of interesting bird areas close to the city and for visitors with even a few hours to spare there is lots to see. I've been bird watching for more than twenty years all over the country so while I don't claim to be an expert of South Australian birds, together I'm sure we can have a pleasant time and see some of the commoner species that frequent the area. I get my e-mails every day so I might even be able to help you in another part of the country too.
D Robertson Eden Hills/Adelaide, South Australia Anytime English
American/Kiwi
M Morgan Coles Bay, Tasmania Anytime English
We are very amateur bird watchers, who run a comfortable waterfront B & B on the Freycinet Peninsula. Happy to suggest birding spots in Tasmania at any time, but can only join birders for walks in the National Park during our low season from May till October.
C Coleborn Launceston, Tasmania Anytime English
I am happy to show people around the north, and advise on the south of Tasmania. Most of the Tasmanian endemics can be seen in the north, with the exception of the Forty-spotted Pardalote.
J Hunter Sheffield, Tasmania Anytime
M Ramsey Broadford, Victoria Weekend
R Nowotny Melbourne, Victoria Anytime English/French
D Torr Melbourne, Victoria Anytime English
J Broadberry Melbourne, Victoria Anytime
J Barkla Melbourne, Victoria Anytime English
I am a passionate world birder and photographer. The area I am heavily involved in protecting and know intimately is the RAMSAR site known as the Melbourne Water Western Treatment Plant in Werribee, where one third of Australia's birds have been recorded.
A Farias Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria Anytime English/Portuguese
Italian/Spanish
Bergamasco/Gallego
Very good knowledge of Birds and areas around the country. Please note that I?m not a professional guide, Therefore I don?t charge any fees, all that I ask in return is that you do the same to me when I visit your country. I do not have a car driver license, I ride a motorcycle, so if you want me to show you around you need to drive. If you give me some notice I can arrange to guide you anywhere in the country. I prefer if you send me a wish list so we can get as many ticks as it?s possible in one trip... Please Birders and twitchers only, No Dudes!
D Hadden Kimberley, Western Australia Anytime English
With the publication of Christidis and Boles we now have a second endemic for the Kimberley. The White-lined Honeyeater has been split and we now have the Kimberley Honeyeater. It can be seen at the same place as the endemic Black Grasswren which is up at the Mitchell Plateau. Other good Top End birds found in the 900km stretch of the Kimberley from say Broome to Kununurra are White-quilled RockPigeon, Sandstone Shrikethrush, Partridge Pigeon, Yellow-rumped Mannikin, Gouldian Finch, Star Finch, plus of course the amazing waders at Roebuck Bay. Because the distances are so great from my house I usually give people detailed maps of where to find these birds.
P Jacoby Perth, Western Australia Anytime English
B Jayne Perth, Western Australia Anytime
W Maddeford Perth, Western Australia Anytime English
R Hanley Perth, Western Australia Anytime English/German
Indonesian
Professional biologist with broad interest in natural history and keen bird watcher can provide advice on good places to visit in Western Australia and has links to local birdwatching organisations.


Professional Guides

Initial Last Name Area Available Language
M Jerram Katherine, Northern Territory Anytime English
P Waanders Waikerie, South Australia Anytime English/Dutch
Spanish/German
French
We'd been to Gluepot twice before, but despite three days of searching and following tips, we missed a number of crucial birds. Peter did an excellent job of finding all five lifers on our list, and then found us another 4 lifers we hadn't expected to see! Neil Boyle, Canada, November 2005
Many thanks for a great day birding, 22 trip ticks including 12 lifers, it will take some beating! The most pleasurable thing was being able to get great views of all the birds. Richard Banham, UK/Spain, November 2006
Thanks for doing such a good job of guiding us - yes, I do know who to recommend as a bird guide in South Australia! Stephen F. Bailey, Rockjumper birding tour guide, USA, December 2006
Peter Waanders is a long time Birdingpal guide, well known in his own country and by myself or birders from around the world. Knud Rasmussen, Birdingpal
S Ambrose Sidney, South Wales Anytime English
A McBride Sidney, NSW Anytime English
I bird around NSW, Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Zealand, etc. Will also go anywhere if briefed and scout out an area to find the 'most wanted'.

Local Information
Name Description
Australian Bird Study Association Club
Bird Observers Club of Australia Club
Bayside Branch, BOAC Club
Canberra Ornithologists Group Club
Cumberland Bird Observers, Sydney Club
Hunter Bird Observers Club, Newcastle NSW Club
Murrumbidgee Field Naturalists Club
Glossy Black Conservancy Association
BOCA Birding Maps Sites
Red Mill House Daintree Birding Bulletin
Tom & Marie Tarrant's Birding Southern Queensland
Tasmania Sites
Birding-Aus Australia's wild birds
Birdwatching Australia Sites
David Taylor Photos around Brisbane
David Stewart's Bird Sounds
Tony Palliser's Pelagic
Frank O'Connor's Pelagic
Chris Dahlberg's Pelagic
Birding Hotspots around the world Sites
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Australia
Local weather Yahoo
Electronic maps MapQuest
Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc.
Field guides recommended by Birdingpals
Printable bird check list
Trip Reports from Australia
Read a Birdingpal's Trip Report from Australia

Last update 24/06/2009