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.

Check our personalized year round birdwatching tours for small groups in Australia

Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. 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 Local information
		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.
		A	Overs	Canberra, ACT	Anytime	English
		I'm a keen birder and have a broad knowledge of Australian natural history. I'm available for guiding in the Canberra region (and beyond, e.g. southern and central western NSW, depending on what you want to see!). Diverse habitats close by including wetlands, woodlands and forests. For the avid twitcher, 100 species in a day is possible in Canberra. I run beginners outings for our local group and have plenty of experience in guiding for international visitors. For those interested in bird banding, I also operate a couple of banding projects in the region. Happy to discuss your birding needs should you be visiting Canberra for work or pleasure.
		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.
		M	McNeice	Bulahdelah, NSW	Anytime	English
		I have always been interested in Birds, wildlife and nature and know most of the local birds. We live on a 50 acre property adjoining Myall Lakes National Park. Bird clubs that camp here have seen and listed up to 112 different birds. We have accommodation available. We are 15 mins from main north south Pacific Highway(1).
		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.
		M	Angus	Tweed Heads, NSW	Anytime
		J	Szabo	Wollongong, NSW	Weekend	English/Spanish French/Russian Hungarian
		M	Jarvis	Darwin, North Territory	Weekend	English
		I am a keen birdwatcher and live close to some great birdwatching areas. I can show you waterbirds, waders, bushbirds, including many Australian endemics in monsoon forest, open woodland and mangrove habitats.
		M	Reed	Katherine, North Territory	Anytime
		G	Wardle	Atherton, Queensland	Anytime	English
		Birdwatcher for 32 years. The Atherton Tablelands is one of the best places in Australia for birds. A birdo friend visited recently and we saw 149 species in 3 days and we missed quite a few!
		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
		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). Just a note to thank you for the great birding day! It reconfirms for me the great knowledge that local birders have about where to go and what we will encounter there. Your knowledge and easy going style are great attributes that I'm sure have served you well. Thanks again mate! I hope to see you again... maybe even here in "my backyard". Doug Nail, California.
		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.
		B	Hambling	Brisbane, Queensland	Anytime	English
		M	Capell	Bundaberg, Queensland	Anytime	English
		Have been a keen birder for over 40years; over 300 species can be found within a 2hr drive of Bundaberg, close to great wader roosts of the Great Sandy Straits.
		C	Barnes	Bundaberg, Queensland	Anytime
		T	Langworthy	Cairns, Queensland	Anytime
		J	Seale	Cairns, Queensland	Anytime	English
		I have been interested in birds since childhood in England. Since 1969 I have lived in New Zealand (1 year), Sydney (for 29 years) and Papua New Guinea (5 years). I arrived in Cairns in early 2004 and have worked as a bird and wildlife guide. I am now retired and spend my time birding around Cairns and helping the local bird club, Birding Cairns. I can be found on the Esplanade on most afternoons where I like to meet visiting birders and watch the waders and other water birds there. In Cairns, I started an email/website service for rare and interesting sightings (see www.cairnsbirds.blogspot.com) which also has a list of places to see birds, a bird guide and accommodation section and a bird list of the local area. I also conduct free birdwalks around the Botanic Gardens/Lakes area each Tuesday morning. Cairns is a wonderful destination for visiting birders and I look forward to meeting many of you here.
		E	Duignan	Cairns, Queensland	Weekend	English
		I live within the Wet Tropics of North Queensland and formed The Bird Observers here in 1996. Although I'm not currently involved with the club, I am still a keen birdo and amateur photographer. I have just returned from Malaysia, where I gave a presentation to the Malaysian Nature Society in Ipoh. I still work full time hence my being available weekend only.
		K	Shurcliff	Cooktown, Queensland	Anytime	English Bahasa Indonesia
		A	Forsyth	Daintree, Queensland	Anytime
		I	Davies	Fraser Island, Queensland	Anytime	English partner has French/Afrikaans
		www.Fraserisland.com and www.kingfisherbay.com for regional information. Ivor is a keen birder and photographer always interested in birding with friends in this very productive birding region.
		D	White	Gold Coast, Queensland	Anytime
		C	Greet	Hervey Bay area, Queensland	Anytime	English
		Our 25 acres property has over 70 bird species and the area has over 350 species noted. Hervey Bay is 350 km from Brisbane and is serviced by air, for those wishing to find airline information the airport is listed as Fraser Coast. We welcome visitors and have a couch for roosting or one queen sized bedroom, visitors can also park their camper van on the property. We have a good knowledge of the area and are pleased to take people to other birdwatching areas. We do not charge for anything and really enjoy showing people our corner of the planet. Feel free to contact us regarding any issue about visiting Australia and where we can we will provide the information.
		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	English
		Have been a birder for 21 years, living here on the Sunshine Coast for the past 15 years. Have birded in all Australian States and have an Australian list of 626 birds, as well as having birded in Malaysia, India,Canada and Europe.The Sunshine Coast and hinterland has highland and lowland rainforest (Noisy Pitta, Logrunner, Russet-tailed Thrush etc.), euc. forest/woodland, rocky coastal headlands (Wandering Tattler, Eastern Reef Egret), river eustuaries, and a number of freshwater wetlands. I am retired so have time available to assist visiting birders, and have own transport.
		K	Cross	Mapleton, Sunshine Coast, Queensland	Anytime	English
		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.
		A	Walker	Mission Beach, Queensland	Anytime	English
		Semi retired birder happy to show visitors Cassowary and other uncommon species in our quiet neck of the rainforest.
		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.
		J	Lowry	Townsville, Queensland	Anytime	English/German
		R	Lloyd	Adelaide, South Australia	Anytime	English
		I live in Hallett Cove in the southern beach-side suburbs of Adelaide. I am an experienced birder with an Austrailan list well in excess of 600 and a world list of around 2000. I am happy to take people out at no cost expect to cover any petrol costs. Adelaide is very under-rated for birding and it is easy to get 100 plus in a day without too much trvael. 180 is possible for the dedicated birder depending upon the time of year and prevailing weather conditions. I can also target special birds if required. I am usually avaiable on weekends and can make myself avaialable during the week, work permtting as I do travel a lot with work principally to China. I prefer experienced birders but I am happy to help new birders as well. I have guided a number of visitors around the Adelaide area in the past. My contact numbers are: 61 8 8322 4235 Home 61 8 8392 8291 Work Mob 61 (0) 419 808 308
		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.
		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!
		M	Ramsay	Bunbery, Western Australia	Anytime	English a little Spanish
		Formerly a field technician in Alaska specializing in bears geology. Background keen birder just back from a trip to Shark Bay counting shorebirds. Bunbury is coastal with a wetlands, some shorebirds and some bush birds.
		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	Weekend	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.
		M	Stanley	Perth, Western Australia	Weekend	English
		Familiar with best birding spots in and around Perth and locations for SW Australia endemics. Can provide practical advice on trip planning as well as company for half, one day and weekend trips from Perth.
		M	Lauva	Perth, Western Australia	Anytime	English some Latvian
		Keen amateur. Enjoy photography. Happy to accompany you or just map out where you could go. Let me know what endemics you would like to see. Perth has several wetlands good for birding year round. Various bush habitats for many species of parrot, honeyeaters, shorebirds at the right time. Am happy to travel 100km (a comfortable day's birding from Perth). Can give advice on birding in the S/W of WA, and point you towards people who know a lot more than me. Will introduce you to our very active local birds association where you can join weekly organised walks and meet people with wide knowledge of WA birding.
		J	Graff	Perth, Western Australia	Anytime	English
		I'm happy to show visitors around, looking for SW endemics or any of our other local birds. Available weekends and some weekdays. Also happy to just give advice on where to find species if you'd rather go and find the birds on your own.
Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		M	Jerram	Katherine, Northern Territory	Anytime	English
		I have lived in the Northern Territory for 25 years and conducted tours and run a tour company for 12. My specialty is exploring the riverine areas of this vast region, athough I spend alot of time bushwalking and 4 wheel driving as well. I take guests out for anywhere from 1 to 10 days, from Darwin, Katherine (local region plus Flora Nature Reserve and Nitmiluk NP), across to Kununurra, (Gregory NP), down to Mataranka (Elsey NP) and up through KAKADU. Birding tours can encompass a mix of canoe/kayak access, walking and driving. The Kathering Region is home to many endemic, uncommon and endangered species. I am able to customise an itinerary which will be focused on these species, or a species which is of particular interest to you. These include; Red Goshawk (Elsey NP Region), Hooded Parrot (Local Katherine/Nitmiluk/Kakadu Regions), Purple-crowned Fairy-wren (Gregory NP Region), White-throated Grasswren (Kakadu Region), Great-billed Heron (Local Katherine), Black Bittern (Local Katherine), Rainbow Pitta (Kakadu and Darwin Region), Gouldian Finch (Local Katherine/Nitmiluk/Kakadu Regions), Banded Fruit Dove (Kakadu).
		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
		Dr Ambrose has been a keen birdwatcher for over 40 years. He also has a Ph.D (doctorate) in Zoology and Bachelor of Science (1st Class Honours) majoring in Zoology, both degrees obtained from the University of Western Australia. Although Dr Ambrose conducts tours only in Sydney, he has resided in Perth (Western Australia), Armidale (northern New South Wales), Melbourne (Victoria) and Canberra (Australian Capital Territory). He can advise you of good bird-watching spots and possible birding contacts in those locations. Visit our web site
		A	McBride	Sidney, NSW	Anytime	English
		Alan has been leading birding tours around Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, south-east Asia and the Sub-Antarctic islands of Australia and New Zealand for over 30 years. He started the world famous Wollongong and Sydney pelagic trips back in 1978, taking them into deep water and beyond the Continental Shelf for the first time and has since been on well over 850 pelagic trips from Australia, New Zealand, North America, UK, Europe as well as many of the worlds great ocean voyages around the world. Alan organised and led the first full birding tour group to the Sub-Antarctic islands and was a pioneer in organising bird tour groups around Australia in the 70Â's, (which he has been around more times than he can remember - although he will have it written down somewhere). Visit my web site

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
	Illawarra Bird Observers Club	Club
	Glossy Black Conservancy	Association
	BOCA Birding Maps	Sites
	Red Mill House	Daintree Birding Bulletin
	Tom & Marie Tarrant's	Birding Southern Queensland
	Tasmania	Sites
	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	Google
	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 22/08/2010