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 present. 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.

A Red-browed Finch feeding.

This Pheasant Coucal was waiting in the car park when I arrived.

One of the Brush Cuckoos calling in the melaleuca wetlands.

Three Latham’s Snipes and a Masked Lapwing 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-winged 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.

Winter in the Byron Bay Wetlands

Most days the wetlands seem quiet at this time of the year but every now and then there will be a buzz of birds that signals spring is not far away. Willie Wagtails and Grey Fantails are most obvious inhabitants but many of the small birds can be seen with some patience: Grassbirds, Fairy-wrens, Cisticolas, Whistlers, Silvereyes, Red-browed Finches, Brown and Lewin’s Honeyeaters, Kingfishers, Flycatchers are all there. Water birds are still thin but represented the last weeks by Herons, Egrets, Royal Spoonbills, Ibis, Comb-crested Jacana, a solitary Black-fronted Dotterel and a few Ducks. A White-bellied Sea-Eagle has been very attentive and was seen last week flying with an eel or snake dangling below it.

On cold, windless days the birds are moving slowly and make good targets for photographers. This Grey Shrike-thrush was unsually cooperative.

A single pair of Black Swans is seen most days at the Byron Bay Wetlands, checking out the various ponds; presumably the same two birds?

This Straw-necked Ibis was a flyover. The Straw-necked Ibis rarely use the wetlands but are often present in the surrounding farm lands.

The Comb-crested Jacanas are hiding in the Malaleuca tree swamp, over the last year not often seen.

The Plumed Egret, a less frequent visitor than the larger Great Egret normally in residence.

This White-necked Heron, the Egret above and a White-faced Heron were feeding in D cell.

Winter colours at Byron Bay

The average June day temperature in Byron Bay is about 20 C and in recent years it is often one or two degrees higher than that. So it is not surprising that even mid winter days can have a spring like feel. Lots of active birds, bright colours and song. Here are a few photographed over the last week.

At Arakwal National Park on the south side of Byron Bay the banksias are in full flower. Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Rainbow Lorikeets , Brown Honeyeaters and Little Wattlebirds squabble over banksias dripping with nectar.

A Brown Honeyeater at Arakwal National Park in Byron Bay.

At nearby Tallow Creek, at the old waste treatment plant, this Azure Kingfisher was patrolling around the disused ponds.

On the north side of Byron Bay, at the Belongil Wetland, Grey Teals join the other ducks to be seen on this pond; Australian Wood Ducks and Pacific Black Ducks. The Wandering Whistling Ducks and the Radjah Shelduck have left.

This Rainbow Bee-eater has its back to the wind on Belongil Beach north of Byron Bay.

Close by this Sacred Kingfisher was feeding at the edge where the sandhills meet the beach, an area much changed by the recent cyclone.

Autumn in the Byron Bay Wetlands

Autumn brings changes in the wetlands. The Latham’s Snipes have gone to begin their journey north. The Nankeen Night Herons have left, perhaps heading north as well? Orioles, whipbirds and wattlebirds are scarcer than usual. The post cyclone rain and continuing falls are keeping the ponds topped up, with no exposed mud flat. And so there are very few water birds.

The Melaleuca is flowering and with it have come the honeyeaters; teams of Brown Honeyeaters, Scarlet Honeyeaters, Noisy Friarbirds, Blue-faced Honeyeaters plus large flocks of lorikeets, predominantly Rainbow but some Scaly-breasted as well. A Grey Goshawk has been particulary busy the last few days. Grey fantails and many Willie Wagtails to be seen.

A big positive is that the weevil treatment for the Salvinia weed overgrowing many ponds is starting to work. It was a treat to see three Forest Kingfishers feeding at a pond that had been previously choked with Salvinia.

The Forest Kingfisher is always a photogenic treat, here it was with two others feeding around a pond rejuvinated by the successful treatment of the Salvinia weed that had been choking it.

This Grey Goshwawk was particularly active this week in the Melaleuka woodlands of F Cell.

A young Superb Fairy-wren with adult colour just starting to appear forages for insects in the bark.

Many Scarlet and Brown Honeyeaters in the white flowers of the Melaleuka.

Lots of Willie Wagtails, all as busy as usual.

Numbers of Grey Fantails have increase dramatically as April draws to a close.

The Blue-faced Honeyeater is an occaisional visitor to the wetlands.

Three Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos make a timely visit to check out some tasty Swamp Banksia.

A Mistletoebird visits a Mistletoe plant growing on a Melaleuca in the F Cell ponds.

One of the few water birds present at the moment, the White-faced Heron.

Barred Cuckoo-shrikes

A flock of fifteen to twenty birds caught our attention at this week’s survey at Tyagarah, in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales. They were diving and weaving with flocks of Figbirds and hard to identify. After considerable discussion, barring seen in some of the photos indicated the birds were Barred Cuckoo-shrikes, unusual to see near the coast.

An immature Barred Cuckoo-shrike at Tyagarah, in Northern New South Wales. All but two of the other birds in the photos taken of the cuckoo-shrikes showed immature birds like this one, with several photos showing seven or eight cuckoo-shrikes in the same shot.

Bird in flight. These unfamiliar birds caused a lot of head scratching with their rapid movement through a stand of large eucalyptus trees.

The bird on the right looked different to the other, it could possibly be a Barred Cuckoo-shrike in juvenile plumage? The CSIRO Australian Bird Guide says that juvenile plumage is only worn briefly and not much is known about it.

This was the only adult seen in all the photos and unfortunately this was the best photo I had of it.

Byron Bay Wetlands after the Cyclone

Cyclone Alfred brought 120 km per hour winds and hundreds of millimetres of rain to the Northern Rivers Region last week. Fortunately the damage overall has been minor compared to the 2022 floods but still many houses and farms were badly affected. At the wetlands the visual damage was limited to broken branches and debris. The effect on the birds is harder to discern.

These two Black-necked Storks seemed very happy with the extra water in I Cell at the Byron Bay Wetlands. Their colours sparkling in the newly arrived autumn sun.

The Little Shrike-thrush (now called the Arafura Shrikethrush), a less often seen bird in the wetlands but reasonably common in the Byron area.

Still some cukoos around the area as demonstrated by this Shining Bronze-Cuckoo seen in F Cell. But the Pheasant Coucals seem to have disappeared at this time.

More from Byron Wetlands in February

The majestic female Black-necked Stork made a visit to the Byron Bay Wetlands last week. A few hours earlier, a Wedge-tailed Eagle circled the large pond in Cell H. Breeding activity continues, as demonstrated by the presence of numerous cuckoos and lots of feeding activity. Silvereyes have joined the list of parents feeding their young; and a juvenile Black-faced Monarch indicates breeding in the area.

More information about this significant wetland at Byron Bay in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales can be seen at the Byron Bird Buddies website.

This female Black-necked Stork was directly in front of the birdhide and was startled by my arrival. It took off towards the south, slowly circling and gaining altitude before it finally headed off in a northerly direction.

The Black-necked Stork at the Byron Bay Wetlands, close to the H Cell birdhide.

A more common majestic sight in the wetlands, the elegant Black Swan.

This juvenile Black-faced Monarch has still to develop the distinctive black face of the adult bird.

Scores of Silvereyes were feeding on insects in the trees bordering I Cell. And there were numerous parents attending to the needs of their offspring.

This female Rufous Whistler and male companion below were also making the most of the insects feeding on the I Cell trees. Caterpillars seemed to be a popular snack.

The male Rufous Whistler was there too, keeping its distance in the background.

Later on, as the sun was setting, some fifteen White-breasted Woodswallows were gathering on the wires above the wetland carpark, using it as a base to pursue the flying insects.

Both Pied and Grey Butcherbirds are seen in the wetlands, with this Pied Butcherbird a less frequent visitor.