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).

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.

Bell Miner

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.

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. Tour Price : $250pp AUD (including GST)

Waders Tour

Red-Necked Avocets

 

Australia has an amazing number and diversity of waders with over 70 species recorded. The Newcastle area & the Hunter Valley has some of, if not THE, best wader watching in New South Wales and over 40 species have been recorded in the valley. These waders include both migratory and resident species such as the local Latham’s Snipe, Eastern Curlew, Marsh, Common, Curlew & Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Newcastle is the best place in the state to see Broad-billed Sandpipers.

Other common waders include Grey-tailed Tattler, Great & Red Knot, Red-necked Stint, the magnificent Comb-crested Jacana, Pied & Sooty Oystercatchers, Red-necked Avocet, Red-capped, Double-banded & Lesser Sand Plover, Masked Lapwing and the stunning Black-fronted & Red-kneed Dotterel. Recent rarities have been Painted Snipe, Hudsonian Godwit, Pectoral Sandpiper & Banded Stilt. Others in the past have been Ruff, Asian Dowitcher, Sanderling, Beach Stone-curlew, and Long-toed Stint could be possibly seen on our tour.

Many of these waders are seasonal although some stay around all year long. In late Spring and early Autumn, although many will have left, those that remain are in spectacular Summer plumage.

Waders are notoriously difficult to identify and several of the places to watch waders are tidal and difficult to access. However, your guides are familiar with every species of wader that have occurred in Australia. Therefore, with our identification expertise and local knowledge we can sort them out, maximise our time in the best places and have the closest views of some of these waders.

Double Banded Plover

Also in the area will be Australasian Pelican, several species of cormorant & heron, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns and the magnificent White-bellied Sea-Eagle. This is also the most Southerly location for Mangrove Gerygone. When the tide is high we will stop off along the coast to look for White-winged Black and Eastern Common Terns among the Crested Terns. Seabirds such as Artic Skua and Wedge-tailed & Short-tailed Shearwaters are all frequent visitors to Australia during summer. Many of them can be seen from the Hunter coastline throughout this season. This area is also good for a number of waterbirds and land birds including Black-necked Stork, raptors, swallows, chats and Yellow Wagtail.

Cost $250AUS pp

Specialty Tour

White-headed Pigeon

 

This is a speciality trip searching for some of the regions rare, special and unique birds. The birds we will look for include one of the rarest and localised birds in the world, the Rufous Scrub-bird. The Rufous Scrub-bird is one of only 2 species in this family, it often skulks around the rainforest undergrowth and is difficult to see. However, our area is the best place to see these elusive birds and the other Noisy Scrub-bird is even harder and more restricted!! Given the right place at the right time we have a reasonable chance of seeing one.

Laughing kookaburra - World's largest Kingfisher

We will also concentrate on looking for some of the other highly specialised and difficult to see birds of Australia that occur in this region. These birds include the Paradise Riflebird (the southernmost Bird of Paradise in the world), Superb Lyrebird (the world’s largest passerine) and the shy but stunning Noisy Pitta. Other specialities include Bassian Thrush, which is an endemic Zoothera Thrush a much sought after genera, the stunning Spectacled Monarch & Rose Robin.

It is essential for this trip that we are at the site for first light, this is when all of the specialities are at their most active.

In a 1 day trip we will concentrate on the Scrub-bird and the Riflebird and hope to see the other specialities while we are searching for them. The area we will go to is 1.5-2 hours drive and the trip includes a very early start. It is an area of pristine montane rainforest and wet sclerophyll woodland. We will get to the Scrub-bird site for dawn and spend the first few hours searching. While it is still early we will also spend some time looking for the Riflebird in particular. We will then spend the rest of the morning searching for the other diurnal specialities in good areas of rainforest.

Other species that we could come across during our seaching include: Australian Brush-Turkey, Emerald & Brown Cuckoo Dove, Topknot & Wonga Pigeon, Pacific Baza, Black-shouldered Kite, Grey Goshawk, Australian Kestrel & Hobby, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian King Parrot, Red-rumped Parrot, Brush, Fan-tailed & Shining Cuckoo, Australian Koel, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Southern Boobook, Tawny Frogmouth, Australian Owlet Nightjar, White-throated Needletail, fairy-wrens, treecreepers, pardalottes, scrubwrens, White-throated Gerygone, thornbills, many species of honeyeater, Flame and Eastern Yellow Robins, Eastern Whipbird, Varied Sitella, Crested Shrike Tit, whistlers, Leaden Flycatcher, fantails, cuckoo-shrikes & trillers, butcherbirds & corvids, Green Catbird, Satin Bowerbird.

Because these birds are so difficult and there are lots of other species, a 2 day tour is highly recommended. This will give us 2 dawn starts and I full evening, increasing our likelihood of success.

Tour Prices : 1 Day $400pp AUD
2 Day $750pp AUD
(including GST)

 

Night Tour

 

We will spend most of the night spotlighting in known areas for some of the most elusive night birds in Australia including Sooty, Masked and Powerful Owls, Southern Boobook, Tawny Frogmouth, Australian Owlet Nightjar & White-throated Nightjar.

This is also a great opportunity to see some of the strange & wonderful mammals of Australia.

Masked Owl

Masked Owl

Papuan Frogmouth

Parrot Tour

Rainbow Lorikeet

Galah

King Parrot

 

Australia is home to an amazing collection of parrots and seventeen of these are located in our tour area. On this tour we concentrate on finding as many of these as possible and depending on the time of year, we should find most of them.

The first bird we look for is the large, white Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, which we should locate quite easily. This will be followed by Eastern Rosella and Rainbow Lorikeet.

A short drive will take us to see Red-rumped Parrots and during the day we should see Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Galah, King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Little Corella and possibly Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo and Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

In winter we travel away from the coast later in the afternoon and search for Swift Parrot, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Musk and Little Lorikeet as well as Glossy Black Cockatoo.

There are numerous other parrot species just outside our tour area such as Turquoise Parrot, Cockatiel and the elusive Ground Parrot. Therefore this tour can be taken as a two or three day tour if requested.

In recent years we have planned and organised longer trips to the remote outback of Central Australia to search for the elusive Princess Parrot as well as longer trips to Northern Australia to see Palm Cockatoo, Red-cheeked Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Hooded Parrot, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Double-eyed Fig Parrot and Pale-headed Rosella.

We can even organise a private Night Parrot search if you’re dedicated enough!

Tour Price :$250pp AUD
(including GST)

 

Custom Tour

Gouldian Finch

Painted Honeyeater

 

Please inquire about us organising and leading tours for you anywhere around New South Wales, Australia or our local part of the World. (PNG, Solomons, Lesser Sundas, New Britain & New Ireland).  On this tour we target the specific species you NEED to see, whether they be local, or in remote areas of the country such as Tasmania, South West WA, Cairns or the outback.

Locally, we can search for the extremely local and elusive Origma (Rock Warbler). Origma is the only endemic New South Wales' species and is very difficult to find. We can then travel a short way to another area where we can see Superb Lyrebirds, Spotted Quail-Thrush, Eastern Whipbird, Satin Bowerbird and Southern Emu Wren amongst many other localized species.

Nationwide we can cover the country searching for rare endemics such as Orange-bellied Parrot, Black Grasswren, Grey Honeyeater, Buff-breasted Button Quail, Princess Parrot, Scarlet-chested Parrot, Noisy Scrub bird, Red-lored Whistler, Gouldian Finch and Painted Honeyeater.

We can even organise a private Night Parrot search if you’re dedicated enough!

We have conducted these tours from 1 day to over 1 month and there’s no Australian endemic that we won’t help you find. Just email us your list and tour dates and we’ll plan a cost efficient tour for you.

 

Pied Oyster Catcher

North of Sydney Tour

Nankeen Kestrel

 

We visit an area S/W of Newcastle or can meet you at this site which lies 30 Kms from the centre of Sydney. This tour is held in a large area of heathland and open Eucalypt woodland interspersed between wet gullies & deep waterways. There is a myriad of walking tracks and picnic areas that open up the area. The enigmatic and local Origma (or Rock Warbler) occurs in the area and we will look for this species on the sandstone outcrops. Other special birds of this area are Superb Lyrebird, the stunning Spotted Quail-Thrush, the weird Southern Emu-Wren and the elusive Chestnut-rumped Hylacola. Walking around the tracks we will see an excellent selection of the species typically found in these habitats: Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk, the magnificent White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Brown Quail, Painted Button-Quail, Common Bronzewing, Rainbow Lorikeet, Eastern Rosella, Horsfield's & Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, White-throated Nightjar (if we stay til dusk), Variegated Fairy-wren and White-throated Gerygone.

Crested Pigeon

After lunch we will move to another area further from Sydney with different birds. This area has a wide range of vegetation types including casuarina stands and pockets of rainforest in the dry sclerophyll. The special birds here are shy and elusive and include Lewin’s Rail, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Origma & Spotted Quail-Thrush. Glossy Black Cockatoos are nomadic, quiet & don’t fly around much. However, our chances of seeing them are increased by knowing their habits and calls. The forest in this area is also good for Superb Lyrebird, Gang Gang & Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Brush Cuckoo, Bassian Thrush, the handsome Yellow-tufted Honeyeater & Large-billed Scrubwren. There is also a sandstone scree area here which is a regular site for Origma. The whole area has patches of dry woodland which are good for the handsome Spotted Quail-Thrush. Lewin’s Rails feed on the mud at the side of the creek and the best time to look for them is just before dusk.

Tour Price :$250pp AUD
(including GST)