Water birds in Centennial Park

I have the great fortune of living within walking distance of Centennial Park. This means easy access to Summer movie screenings and festivals, a spot for weekend picnics, a default place to go running, and of course, great bird-watching.

In the past nine months I have done a lot of birdwatching here, and one thing I've noticed is that the birds are always changing. Morning and evening are the best times to watch, though a great diversity of birds (and bats!) can be seen all day long. First-time visitors to the park might go for breakfast at the Cafe, then pick up the bird-watching guide at the brochure rack next to the coffee kiosk before starting on a morning of birding. The brochure includes a checklist of commonly seen species, with pictures, and it's a good place to start if you aren't familiar with the local species.

The parklands also maintains a Birdwatching website with information about birdwatching breakfast tours (only $25!) and volunteer opportunities (including bird-spotting), as well as an active blog with great posts about birds. I have never done a birdwatching tour in Centennial Park, but my experience is a lot like the one described in this blog post. I'm still an amateur, and I don't have any of the equipment a birdwatcher might use, so I think a birdwatching tour like this is in my future.

My Centennial Park bird list includes the following species:

• Australian Magpie
• Australian Raven
• Australian White Ibis
• Black Swan
• Common Myna
• Crested Pigeon
• Domestic Goose
• Dusky Moorhen
• Eurasian Coot
• Grey Teal
• Hardhead Duck
• Little Black Cormorant
• Little Corella
• Long-billed Corella
• Magpie-lark
• Masked Lapwing
• Noisy Miner
• Pacific Black Duck
• Pied Currawong
• Purple Swamphen
• Rainbow Lorikeet
• Rock Dove
• Royal Spoonbill
• Silver Gull
• Sulfur-crested Cockatoo
• Welcome Swallow
• White-faced Heron
• Willie Wagtail

And even with this list of nearly 30 species, I still have a ways to go. The park has such a wide range of habitats - from lakes, to swamps, to forest - that you can tick off quite a wide diversity of species in one short visit.

A pair of Little Corellas in a tree

Centennial Park is a great place to see water birds. In this shot I captured Silver Gulls, a Dusky Moorhen (left), a Purple Swamphen (right), and a Eurasian Coot (in the water)

The ones I love most are the ones listed in red, which are commonly spotted waders / water birds. While I see the swans, ducks, geese, ibises, coots, moorhens and swamphens on a regular basis in the park, the spoonbills, herons, masked lapwings, and cormorants are a little harder to spot. I sometimes see masked lapwings in mud flats near other birds. The little cormorants can be spotted swimming in the water, diving then resurfacing at a great distance away; or flying quickly across the water. For the heron and spoonbill, look near the shore in the tall grasses and shallow water, in areas away from people. 

Pacific Black Ducks, with a Little Black Cormorant swimming by

White-faced heron near the shore

Royal Spoonbill wading on the lake's edge

Trip to Blackheath

Last September, Matt and I took a trip to Blackheath in the Blue Mountains. Highlights included the amazing view from our balcony overlooking the Kanimbla Valley, high tea in the Megalong Valley, and, you guessed it, birdwatching near Govett's Leap lookout.

Bridal Veil Falls

The Crimson Rosellas were out, and this trip marked our first glimpse of these beautiful red and blue birds. We did a sunset hike to Bridal Veil Falls, where a small flock of Crimson Rosellas was quite active.

Crimson Rosella

Crimson Rosella

Crimson Rosella (Imm.)

It turns out they're fairly common in this area. They also make pretty sounds, which my bird guide describes as "bell-like whistles." Whatever that means. I still haven't been able to train my ear to identify birds by their calls. I'm quite musical, but I imagine it could take years of practice. Just when you think you have it down, some new forest bird makes a noise and you've forgotten it all again.

If you're planning a trip to Blackheath soon, you might check out the birdlist for the area on Eremaea. Their logo is, in fact, the Crimson Rosella. I've found that this site is a really good way to prepare for bird-watching before visiting a new area.

The list says that Rockwarblers, Glossy-black Cockatoos, and Superb Lyrebirds are also common between the Govett's Leap and Evans Lookouts. We went to both lookouts and didn't see much the day we were there, though we did spy some Sulfur-crested Cockatoos and a cute little lizard. Also prevalent were road signs warning us of the indigenous wildlife.

Cockatoo near Govetts Leap Lookout

Lizard at Evans Lookout

Tea in the Megalong Valley introduced us to the crafty little White-winged Choughs, who tried to steal our kidney pies when we weren't looking. But we weren't fooled by their innocent stares. We were amused that the local cat was already whipped, letting the birds take over his territory without a fight.

 All in all, it was a great trip, but just ok in terms of bird-watching. Looking back I wish I had taken the time to find other birds in the area, but I was still in the early stages of my bird affair. Looking back on these photos though, one thing is certain: I need to invest in a better camera!