After some forty days incubation, the Black Swan family are ready to go!
Good good parenting skills on show for this young family.
Broken Head Nature Reserve
At Broken Head Nature Reserve lush sub-tropical rainforest meets the surf on Australia’s easternmost beach. Just south of Byron Bay, the headlands provide access to a long stretch of beautiful and private beaches, and a wild rocky coastline. The offshore rocks are home to Silver Gulls and cormorants. There is always something of interest to see here.
A Pacific Reef Heron forages in a weedy pond.
Two Sooty Oystercatchers look like they’re shopping for dinner.
Winter Quiet Time
The Byron Bay Wetlands are quiet at the moment. Bird numbers are low and water birds have virtually deserted the ponds. But look carefully and many of the regulars are still around. Lots of Lewin’s Honeyeaters calling, Rainbow Bee-eaters still chirping, Brown Honeyeaters are still active, the Comb-crested Jacanas are on I Cell, the Pied Butcherbird is singing and Rainbow Lorikeets are barn-storming across the sky. Numbers of some species have grown, Grey Fantails abound and there is a Willie Wagtail on every corner. Today a Grey Goshawk made a surprise appearance and the Black Swan is still on the nest.
In the reed beds the grassbirds and Golden-headed Cisticolas (above) are getting active.
This Grey Fantail commandeered this perch above the pond on I Cell and was making repeated scoops across the water for flying insects.
A single Varied Triller counted on a survey on I Cell. Other interesting birds seen included a Black-shouldered Kite, a pair of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos, and a Grey Goshawk.
And a single Shining Bronze-Cuckoo.
And a single Eastern Yellow Robin.
This Grey Goshawk seen unexpectedly in a low bush.
This Black Swan is nesting in the wetlands, the first for several years to do so. Note that this photo was taken with a telescopic lens from over 50 metres away, on a public walkway. Every care taken to ensure that the swan was not disturbed.
A Forest Kingfisher finds a suitable perch.
While the Forest Kingfisher is feeding a Willie Wagtail moves in.
This perch is getting very popular. Now a Little Black Cormorant takes it over.
A Pacific Black Duck enjoying the winter sunshine.
Bangalow Creek Reserve
Byron Creek flows through the town of Bangalow, one of the hinterland towns close to Byron Bay. The Byron Creek Walking Track is accessed from Piccabeen Park, and passes though remnant bush home to the local birdlife. Last weeks visit revealed the usual Lewin’s Honeyeaters, White-headed and Topknot Pigeons, Grey Shrikethrush and Rufous Whistlers, some Noisy Miners and various ducks. Also the Pacific Baza photographed below. There is a small but vocal bat colony in the park.
Grey-headed Flying-fox colony in Piccabeen Park, Bangalow.
An unusual visitor in Bangalow, a Pacific Baza.
Byron Bay Wetlands in March
The weed reduction in I Cell is still working with more water birds than before. Over one third of the area is now open water and Black-fronted Dotterels, Comb-crested Jacanas, and Pied Stilts are back. There was a single Latham’s Snipe on H Cell on the 5th March, the only one I have seen in the past two weeks and perhaps it may be the last to leave for its flight to Japan.
The were two White-bellied Sea-Eagles near the car park last week, and not surprisingly no sign of the Forest Kingfisher family that had been seen there the week before.
There were six Comb-crested Jacanas enjoying some open water on the newly cleared I Cell, the most seen together for a while.
This Dusky Moorhen ventured out on H pond; normally the Moorhens prefer well secluded spots in the melaleuca wetlands.
A happy Willie Wagtail eating breakfast.
Flat Rock Ballina heads to Autumn
March arrives and the migratory birds that use Flat Rock at Ballina are leaving soon for the northern hemisphere. This is an important time for undisturbed feeding before the long journey. While Flat Rock is favoured by many vulnerable species in this part of the coast, the rocks are often frequented by selfie takers, fossickers, and despite the signs, dogs.
Red-necked Stints travel to Siberia to breed. The characteristic red neck develops through March before their departure in April.
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, another species that breeds in Siberia and a regular during the summer at Flat Rock.
Red-necked Stints feeding while a Curlew Sandpiper probes for worms in a rock-pool. The Curlew is showing a hint of colour as departure looms. Nearby, Ruddy Turnstones were feeding.
The Greater Sand Plover has a large, somewhat cumbersome bill. Altogether it is a bulky unit. Presumable this single plover at Flat Rock will soon head to the deserts of central Asia to breed.
A regular resident this Great Cormorant uses Flat Rock as a base It is often seen fishing in waves that break parallel to he rocks.
Flat Rock is also a favourite spot for Crested Terns. Other terns seen on the day were Common Terns and the endangered Little Terns.
As the sun started to set this Beach-stone Curlew arrived, searching for its favourite food, crabs!
Byron Bay Wetlands in February
The Wetland’s management are continuing to wrestle with massive infestations of water weeds. Spraying with weed killer in Cell I has made a significant improvement, with large patches of open water returning bordered by a growing ring of mudflats. The pond is now attracting numbers of waterbirds including Pacific Black Ducks, Grey Teal, Australian White Ibis, Royal Spoonbills, Black-fronted Dotterels, Red-kneed Dotterels, Pied Stilts, Comb-crested Jacanas, and good numbers of Latham’s Snipes.
A Grey Teal in Cell I, with a Masked Lapwing and Latham’s Snipe behind.
This Black-fronted Dotterel was on Cell H, which is still heavily infested with Salvinia weed. It looks as though the weevils introduced to control the weed are fighting a loosing battle at the moment.
Red-browed Finch feeding on the path between I Cell and J Cell.
This Pheasant Coucal was waiting in the car park when I arrived.
One of the Brush Cuckoos that has been calling in the melaleuca wetlands.
Three Latham’s Snipes and a Masked Lapwing enjoying the open water on Cell I.
Mount Jerusalem
Mount Jerusalem National Park is 50km inland from Byron Bay and lies within the International Birdlife Nightcap Range Important Biodiversity Area (IBA). It is part of the outer rim of the the Tweed/Mount Warning volcano caldera, a volcano that was active 23 million years ago. Water runoff from the park drains into three catchments, the Tweed River, Brunswick River and the Wilson/Richmond River.
On a short walk from the car park, down Middle Ridge Road, we heard Brown Cuckoo-Doves, Spotted Pardalotes, White-throated Scrubwren, Crimson Rosellas, Brown Thornbills, Golden Whistlers, a Grey Shrike-thrush, and saw the two Pacific Baza photographed below. Middle Ridge Road is on rocks formed in the Triassic period, the Chillingham Volcanics which have reappeared as the newer volcanic rock above them was eroded away. It has open wet sclerophyll eucalypts on one side and a more rainforest type flora on the other.
A Pacific Baza, still in juvenile plumage, seen on Middle Ridge Road in Mount Jerusalem National Park.
The two juvenile Pacific Bazas together.
Sandhills Wetland opened in Byron Bay
The restored Sandhills Wetlands recently opened close to the Byron Bay town centre. The area was heavily mined for sand in the 1960s and this destroyed the original wetlands. Across the 1.8 hectare site are three ponds, a network of shared paths and seating. The new wetlands aim to improve water quality of the outflow onto the beach and to provide environment for wildlife. The Byron Bird Buddies are surveying to establish the initial bird populations. Forty species were counted at last weeks survey.
Welcome Swallow have moved into the new wetlands along with Australian Ibis, Masked Lapwings, with visits from herons, Royal Spoonbills and a Little Egret.
A view across the largest pond of the new Sandhills Wetland. Good numbers of Figbirds, Noisy Friarbirds, Little Wattlebirds as well as Noisy Miners and Common Mynas were counted.
It was encouraging to see some small birds including White-browed Scrubwrens and Superb Fairy-wrens.
The wetlands will clean up waterways used by some regular visitors to the Byron beaches including the Beach Stone-curlews.
Red-Kneed Dotterel at Byron Bay Wetlands
The water weed Salvinia invaded the waterways of the Byron Bay Wetlands, covering most of the free water areas, making them unusable for the waterbirds that normally visit. Salvinia is a very hard pest to get rid of and efforts to date have not been that successful.
A few weeks ago Cell I of the wetlands was sprayed with an approved weed killer. The results have been promising with the opening of a large area of free water. Even more encouraging has been the return of a limited number of water birds, including two Red-Kneed Dotterels, a bird that has not been seen in the wetlands for several years.
A pair of Red-kneed Dotterels return to the Byron Bay Wetlands after several years absence.
The view across Cell I after spraying to control the Savlinia weed that had totally covered it.
A Comb-crested Jacana comes out of the Melaleuca swamp to feed on top of the remaining Salvinia water week on Cell I.
Scarlet Jezebel
The Scarlet Jezebel belongs to a butterfly family found in Australia and New Guinea. The Scarlet Jezebel is seen in Australia’s northern states. The caterpillars feed exclusively on mistletoes.
A Scarlet Jezebel Butterfly, photographed in Byron Bay.
This Scarlet Jezebel is laying its eggs below a patch of mistletoe. Hopefully the caterpillas will climb to the mistletoe to feed.
Byron Bay birds
Photos taken around the bay in recent weeks.
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove photographed on the “old”" New Brighton Road pathway.
A Red-backed Fairy-wren taken at the "old” New Brighton road pathway.
Golden-headed Cisticola singing loudly from a tree top in the Byron Bay Wetlands.
Summer arrives at Byron Bay Wetlands
Summer arrives at Byron Bay Wetlands. Out in the bay the East Australian Current is running close to the coastline and because it is two to three degrees Celsius warmer than normal, this adds to the intensity of rain and persistent thunderstorms.
At the wetlands weeds have overgrown large areas of free water; this has happened at an incredible pace. Salvinia has covered H cell, normally the largest area of water, with a thick blanket of weed. Frogbit has taken over in parts of the melaleuca swamps. Bare mudflat has all but disappeared, reducing the desirability for water birds and shore birds, sightings are very low. However numbers of woodland and forest birds on the site are holding up, with last weeks survey counting 72 species in total on the morning. (A map of the wetlands can be seen at the Byron Bird Buddies website.)
This White-bellied Sea-Eagle regularly scows the wetlands creating havoc amongst the inhabitants. Here it is watching from a perch in the rainforest section adjacent to H cell.
We counted 12 Latham’s Snipe in the wetland during the national Snipe survey in November and at last week’s survey the count was still10 birds, 9 of them in the reedy end of E Cell and one in H Cell.
Seven Nankeen Night Herons graced the wetlands last year. So it was exciting to count seven again this week, including one immature bird. After flushing from the pond the Nankeen Night-Heron shown retreated to the line of trees behind E Cell.
Salvinia molesta is a Brazilian water fern introduced to enhance goldfish bowls and now a scourge for Australian waterways. The photo shows the brown weed completely covering what is normally the largest area of open water, H Cell, a feat it achieved in a few weeks. The infestation is being treated with a weevil but progress has been slow. Frogbit has covered areas within the Melaleuca swamps and these are currently being sprayed.
There have been a lot of Brush Cuckoos calling across the wetlands.
But they are not always welcome, as this Leaden Flycatcher sends the intruder on its way.
Laughing Kookaburras are getting the same treatment. There were at least three pairs of Leaden Flycatchers in breeding mode within the melaleuca swamps.
This Black-shouldered Kite was very possessive about its perch overlooking E Cell, seeing off a second Kite who tried to muscle in.
A young Australian Magpie making a lot of noise.
One of the many Lewin’s Honeyeaters that inhabit the wetlands, feeding in the carpark.
Evening at Tallow Beach
The evening light in Byron Bay can be magical. The old sewerage works at Tallow Beach is a good place to take advantage of the light and also to see some interesting birds. The photos below were taken there just before sunset a few weeks ago.
Pied Oyster Catchers
Brahminy Kite
Little Egret
Beach Stone-curlews
Royal Spoonbill
Varied Triller
A young Varied Triller waits for a feed.
Black Bittern at Byron Bay Wetlands
A single Black Bittern was recorded at the Byron Bay Wetland many years ago. The Byron Bird Buddies regularly take part in the national Bittern Surveys, listening across the wetlands on the evening of the full moon in late spring, but for a long time without success. So the recording below was very closely examined, compared to others on birding apps and at the website Xeno Canto. The conclusion was Black Bittern; calling from around the car park area or from Cells I and J of the wetland.
The bird was heard on three successive nights at the end of October and then again in the early morning of the 10th of November.
Sound Recording taken at Byron Bay Wetlands boundary:
Black Bittern photographed on the bank at Yellow Waters, Kakadu in the Northern Territory, August 2018.
Byron Bay Wetlands September 2025
Spring has officially arrived and the quiet of winter replaced by a buzzing in the reed beds; cisticolas, grassbirds, reed-warblers and fairy-wren. Water flow into E Cell has been turned off and an area of mud-flat has returned, attracting small numbers of Pied Stilts, Black-fronted Dotterel, Royal Spoonbills, herons, egrets, ducks and ibis. And the Latham’s Snipes have arrived from north Asia for the Australian summer.
The Forest Kingfishers have been very active across all the wetland ponds over past weeks.
An early arrival was the Fan-tailed Cuckoo; their calls were heard throughout the wetlands at the start of September.
Two or more Pheasant Coucals have made the wetlands home. This one photographed on the track between I and J Cells.
Also very active, patrolling the banks of the large H Cell pond, was this Azure Kingfisher.
Up to thirty Welcome Swallows flitting across H Cell. Sometimes joined by a smaller number of Fairy Martins.
Only three Latham’s Snipes have arrived on the wetland so far, with five counted at the adjoining Byron TAFE pond and eight on Belongil pond.
Two or three Spangled Drongos were making their presence known.
By far the most common honeyeater of the last few weeks, the Brown Honeyeater. There are also some White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Scarlet and Blue-faced.
The Brown Cuckoo-Dove a regular but occasional visitor.
White-necked Herons can be seen most days, on D and E Cell ponds or at the back of H Cell.
The Black-fronted Dotterels had not been seen since Autumn, but have moved back in the past weeks.
A Figbird showing some spring colour
A Plumed Egret (old name Intermediate Egret) on E Cell.
Magpie-larks are also finding something to eat on the exposed mudflats.
Many Australian Reed- Warblers across all the ponds this spring.
Last week it was dozens of Golden-headed Cisticola making their presence known.
And of course noisy Tawny Grass birds, here enjoying a beautiful spring morning.
The gang has arrived. Thirty five Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos descend on the eastern treeline of the wetland.
The always present call of the Bar-shouldered Dove, a very attractive bird if caught in the right light.
Another Bird Survey in the Byron Hinterland
Back to the area that was surveyed two weeks ago and there was more raptor action at the site, with six species of diurnal raptor seen. In addition there were nest boxes containing mating pairs of Barn Owls for the evening shift. Analysis of the owl scats (pellets) show that they are mainly eating Black Rats and mice.
Photographs of this Shining Bronze-Cuckoo taken by other surveyors showed it had a green crown, indicative of the New Zealand sub-species. Closer examination showed other features that also pointed to this bird being the New Zealand Shining Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites lucidis lucidis) which winters in the Solomon Islands and New Britain then migrates south to breed in the New Zealand summer. Some of these birds take a route down the Australian east coast during August to November and the bird photographed appears to be one of them. The Australian subspecies does not show this migratory behaviour.
Always an impressive sight, the Wedge-tailed Eagle.
The Grey Goshawk. It looks like this is a young bird although it could possibly be the white version of the Grey Goshawk (the White Morph)? Both Grey and White morphs of this bird are seen in this area. It is believed that the white version has developed so that the Goshawks can hunt undetected within a flock of white cockatoos.
Tallow Creek near Byron Bay
The Tallow Creek bridge and old sewerage ponds in Suffolk Park near Byron Bay is not only a fruitful place for birding but also good for bird photography. There is often favourable early morning and evening light for photography over the lagoon. The paths are wide and the trees quite low providing helpful perches at a manageable height. There is limited parking and access from Broken Head Road near the holiday park.
An unusual sight here, this female Regent Bowerbird was quite a surprise as I walked back to the car.
Inquisitive Lewin’s Honeyeater poses on a handy branch near the old sewage ponds.
The Australian Reed-Warbler. The reed beds are busy with reed-warblers, grassbirds and fairy-wren.
A Red-backed Fairy-wren photographed in the reeds near the sewerage ponds - in an exposed position with good lighting.
The female Red-backed Fairy-wren was nearby.
There were Superb Fairy-wrens feeding nearby.
Rainbow Bee-eater with fly.
Little Wattlebirds are regulars in this area.
Whales and Dolphins at Cape Byron
It is not just the birdlife that is special in Byron Bay. The broad sweep of ocean visible from the Cape Byron Lighthouse is often alive with sea life, whales, dolphins, sea turtles.
Thirty or forty whales were visible from the Byron Lighthouse last week, their presence confirmed by widespread spouts and breaches across the bay.
A pod of dolphins came in close to the cliffs below the lighthouse, a spectacular sight in the sunlight.
Byron Bay Wetlands in August
Spring is in the air as August ends. We are still waiting for the first Latham’s Snipe but other birds are making their spring return. The White-breasted Woodswallows are lining up and the first Pheasant Coucal appeared last week.
On the wire at the wetland entrance were the White-breasted Woodswallows, some dozen in total back on patrol.
The Tawny Grassbirds seem to be more active, their clumsy buzzy flight and busy songs and trills a give away of their presence in the reeds.
This Fan-tailed Cuckoo had a lot to say but not to anyone in particular. The arrival of the Pheasant Coucal and a busy Shining Bronze-Cuckoo were adding to the spring flavour of the day.
This Restless Flycatcher was putting on a spectacular show.
Another spring arrival, this Black-faced Monarch was also making its presence known.
Sadly the largest pond in the wetland - H Cell - has been partly taken over by this invasive weed - Salvinia. This and other weeds are a major challenge for the wetland. The Dusky Moorhen does not seem to mind.
Happily a big positive on H Cell was the visit of a pair of Australasian Shovelers, the male seen here.
A busy Brown Thornbill.