The Eight Habitats Tour

Azure Kingfisher

We start the day early with a short drive to an area of coastal rainforest which is home to numerous bird species. The area consists of temperate coastal rainforest, open woodlands and coastal heath. A short walk gives us great views of the rainforest canopy in the valley below. Birds include Grey and Rufous Fantail, Eastern Rosella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pied Currawong, Superb Blue-wren, Yellow-faced, Lewin's, Scarlet Honeyeater, Grey and Pied Butcherbird, Olive-backed Oriole, Willie Wagtail, Eastern Yellow Robin, Eastern Spinebill, Bell Miner, Little Wattlebird, Laughing Kookaburra, Brown Gerygone, Striated Pardalote, White-headed Pigeon and if we're lucky, the beautiful Regent Bowerbird or Pacific Baza.

From here we drive to Ash Island, which is a significant habitat for migratory waders and shorebirds consisting of areas of mangroves, saltmarsh, dry-littoral rainforest and areas of inter-tidal forested woodlands. This island is home to over 200 species of birds and thousands of migratory waders in the summer months (October-April).

Bell Miner

Birds we are likely to see include Brown Quail, Australian Pelican, White-faced Heron, Australian-white and Straw-necked Ibis, Black-shouldered Kite, Brown Goshawk, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Australian Kestel, Black-winged Stilt, Welcome Swallow, Masked Lapwing, Silver Gull, Sacred Kingfisher, Mangrove Gerygone, Brown & Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Magpie Lark, Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike, Australian Raven, Australian Pipit, White-faced Chat, Tree & Fairy Martin, Black-fronted Dotterel, Australian Reed-Warbler, Little Grassbird, Golden-headed Cisticola and Eastern Curlew.

In the summer months we can add to this list, Black-tailed & Bar-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Terek Sandpiper, Grey-tailed Tattler, Great & Red Knot, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed & Curlew Sandpiper, Red-capped Plover, Red-necked Avocet and Pacific Golden Plover.

From here we travel to two areas of paperbark swamp, reed beds, dry sclerophyll forest and wetlands. Over 170 species have been observed in these areas and we should see Magpie Geese, Wandering Whistling Duck, Australian Wood Duck, Grey & Chestnut Teal, Australian Grebe, Black, Pied & Little Pied Cormorant, Little, Cattle, Intermediate & Great Egret, Rufous Night Heron, Swamp Harrier, Australian Spotted Crake, Purple Swamphen, Azure Kingfisher, Glossy Ibis, Royal & Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Dusky Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Noisy Friarbird, Australian Magpie, Noisy Miner, Yellow-faced & White-cheeked Honeyeater, White-breasted Woodswallow, Red-browed Firetail & Silvereye as well as Japanese/Lathams Snipe in summer.

Rufous Night-Heron

On the final leg of this tour we climb up into the mountains. It is here we experience dense woodlands & rainforest gullies. With the calls of Bell Miners and Eastern Whipbirds all around us we explore the rainforest & look for species such as Golden Whistler, Rufous & Grey Fantail, Logrunner, Bassian Thrush, Green Catbird, Wonga Pigeon and Pied Currawong as well as the world's largest passerine - the Superb Lyrebird.