Byron Bay Wetlands
The Byron Bay Wetlands consist of reed beds and ponds in a restored melaleuca swampland, formed by the planting of more than half a million trees. The wetland was constructed to provide final treatment for the Byron Bay Sewage Treatment Plant outflow. The success of this restoration project is demonstrated by the over 200 bird species seen here to date.
Link to map and birdlist “Birds of the Byron Wetlands”
Photo: In the wetland’s reed beds, the Golden-headed Cisticola can be recognised by the large dark streaks on its back and distinctive buzzing song, sometimes followed by brief chirps.
Black-winged Stilts add an elegant air to the wetland. Black-winged Stilts can swim but prefer to forage in shallow water.
The colours of the White-necked Heron are shown to advantage in the early morning sun, feeding in a shallow pond.
The iconic Black-necked Stork pays a visit to the wetlands. This bird is a female, as demonstrated by her yellow eye.
Nankeen Night Herons are less frequent visitors and hide amongst the Malaleuca trees. This heron is one of a group of seven that settled in the wetlands over the summer months.
Sacred Kingfishers watch from the trees close to the wetland ponds and drains.
Here in the swamp’s dark waters, the Royal Spoonbill feeds amongst trees that burnt in a recent fire. Fortunately only a small area of the wetland was burnt but the sight of blackened trees that burnt despite feet in water gives the wetland an eerie look.
A frequent visitor, feeding on the wetland’s mud-flats, the little Black-fronted Dotterel.
The Spotless Crake is rarely seen, here keeping close to thick cover at the pond’s edge, on an early morning forage.
A spring arrival at the wetlands, this Buff-banded Rail has been busy in the grass around one of the larger ponds.
Baillon’s Crake is another shy water bird, hiding in the reed beds and at pond edges. Lewin’s Rails and Australian Spotted Crakes are also heard or seen from time to time.
More frequently seen, Comb-crested Jacana, well adapted with its long toes for walking and feeding across the water lilies and weeds.
Masked Lapwings circle the wetlands with their raucous calls. Note the “spurs” responsible for their old name of “Spurwings”
Trawling in a small pond, the presence of a Little Pied Cormorant attests that food (crustaceans and small fish) is available in these dark waters.
A Little Black Cormorant finds a useful dead tree branch overlooking the open waters of I Cell.
Little Grassbirds usually make their presence known by their mournful whistle, often heard at distance across the reed beds. At some times of the year the Little Grassbirds come out in force, skipping across and feeding on their favourite water plants.
The Australian Reed-Warbler, seen in the wetland reed beds, has long legs, a flat head and long bill. It also has a loud and jolly call.
The Tawny Grassbird can be seen in reed beds and long grass. Its cheerful call is a mixture of songs, trills and buzzes that herald an often short and erratic flight.
No Australian waterland would be complete without Pacific Black Ducks. A good view of the wetland’s ducks can be seen from the Bird Hide on the largest and deepest pond, in Cell H.
Australasian Grebe are seen on the Cell H pond, diving for their food.
This fine duck is a Radjah Shelduck, a rare visitor a long way from its northern Australia home.
Gray Teals add a tranquil vibe to the large ponds. This photograph was taken from the Bird Hide on the Cell H pond.
An Australasian Shoveler makes its appearance at the Byron Bay Wetlands after an absence of several years.
Two Wandering Whistling-Ducks grace the waters of E Cell.
The magestic Black Swan, seen at many of the wetland pools.
These Australian White Ibis fly out from the wetland’s ponds, illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun.
The Glossy Ibis is less commonly seen than the Australian White Ibis but call in from time to time. Straw-necked Ibis also make occasional visits here but are most commonly seen flying over to nearby farmlands.
Latham’s Snipes normally appear at the wetland during the month of September, feeding after their long flight back from northern hemisphere breeding grounds.
The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper also makes occaisional visits, passing through on their spring return from Siberia.
A wetland regular, the Plumed Egret (previously known as the Intermediate Egret) feeds on insects, frogs and small fish close to the large ponds.
The Pacific Golden Plover is a migratory shore bird, arriving back from the northern hemisphere, stopping off at the wetlands for a top up feed.
White-faced Herons are a common sight, visiting all the wetland ponds.
Two Black-necked Storks on I Cell, making the most of heavy rain following a cyclone. Spectacular if infrequent visitors.
The Whistling Kite. Some other raptors regularly seen include White-bellied Sea-Eagles, Black-shouldered Kites, Swamp Harriers and Grey Goshawks
Australia’s largest eagle, the Wedge-tailed Eagle is often seen across the valleys of Byron Shire and occasionally make a visit to the wetland.
A Black-shouldered Kite surveys the ponds and reed beds from its central perch.
A Swamp Harrier flys low over the wetlands.
This Australian Hobby watches on from the road at the wetland border.
Grey Goshawks are usually present, often in the far reaches of the wetland area. This one was in the F Cell Melaleucas during their autumn flowering, no doubt attracted by all the honeyeater action amongst the blossoms.
A White-bellied Sea-Eagle lands after sending ducks flying and swamphens scurrying as it passed over the open waters of H Cell.
The smallest of the eagle family, the Little Eagle, makes even rarer visits to the wetland. Here attracted by the Silver Gulls that frequent the adjacent Waste Treatment Plant, this Little Eagle has one of them firmly in its grip.
This spectacular Azure Kingfisher adds a flash of colour, perched above one of the wetland’s water channels.
The open space and good views that followed the fire in 2024 are appreciated by this adult Forest Kingfisher. The adult has white lores (in front of the eyes), the two lores when seen from the front are often described as “traffic lights” that identify a Forest Kingfisher.
Willie Wagtails ever present, with their happy voices and friendly nature.
This time it is a Great Egret moving to a new spot to feed. The Great Egret can be distinguished from the smaller Egrets by its height and the kink in its neck when it flys.
White-throated Needletails are from the Swift family, a group of birds that fly swiftly and feed at great heights, rarely descending to rest. They follow storms across the country feeding on insects blown by the storm’s winds, here seen above the wetlands largest pond.
A colourful Eastern Rosella. Other parrots seen from time to time include Glossy and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Galahs, Little Corellas, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Lorikeets and Crimson Rosellas.
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos feed on banksias and eucalypts on the fringes of the wetlands.
The reed beds are home to the finches; including this Chestnut-breasted Mannikin, Red-browed Finches and the Double-barred Finch.
A Double-barred Finch, feeding over the fence from the wetland in the adjoining sports fields.
The Red-browed Finch, usually seen in the long grass and woodland edges.
The White-throated Gerygone; its beautiful descending twinkling song often forms part of the wetland’s bird song chorus.
Whistlers, including this female Rufous Whistler, the Golden Whistler and the Grey Shrike-thrush are regulars in the Malaleuca woodlands of the wetland precinct.
The more colourful male Rufous Whistler looks on.
A Grey Shrike-thrush, photographed in a small patch of sub-tropical rainforest on the opposite side of Cell H to the wetland’s bird hide.
A Little Shrike-thrush, photographed in the F Cell melaleucas.
A Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, gathering material to build its nest.
This juvenile Black-faced Monarch, yet to develop its characteristic black face, indicates breeding in the wetland area.
The male Cicadabird finds a high perch to project its Cicada-like call across the wetland
A female Cicadabird, a plainish bird from a distance, is recognised by its Cicada-like call.
This Restless Flycatcher is often seen and heard outside the Wetland’s Interpretive Centre and meeting room. Leaden Flycatchers are also often seen.
This Eastern Whipbird was one of four chasing and calling in an early season courtship ritual.
The Varied Triller is northern bird that comes as far south as the north New South Wales coast. It has a very distinctive short trilling sound.
A rarer wetland visitor, the White-winged Triller, caused a surprise by nesting close to the wetland gate.
Cuckoos are regularly present include this Shining Bronze Cuckoo, the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, the Brush Cuckoo, and Pheasant Coucal.
The Brush Cuckoo has a distinctive call of clear and piercing descending notes. Despite this it can be hard to spot in the Malaleuca woods.
A young Brush Cuckoo gets its dinner from its diminutive foster parent, a Superb Fairy-wren.
Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoos are not as common here as the Shining Bronze-Cuckoo but sometimes turn up at the start of summer.
The Little Friarbird is normally a winter visitor to the wetlands, migrating from the south.
A Noisy Friarbird feeding on nectar in the wetland’s Malaleuca forests.
The friendly Eastern Yellow Robin. Often first noticed by its “fire-alarm” like call. Seen flying low down to the ground on bush tracks then back into the neighbouring scrub.
Mistletoebirds are small but spectacular with their red waistcoat and black belly stripe. Usually the wetlands are home at number of nesting pairs of there pretty birds.
This Spangled Drongo looks as if it has had its beak in the mud, but otherwise its plumage is glowing.
The “machine gun” like call of the Lewin’s Honeyeater is one of the most common heard across the wetlands.
The Scarlet Honeyeater seen above, together with Brown Honeyeaters, abound when the Malaleucas flower. Other common honeyeaters include the White-cheeked Honeyeater and Lewin’s Honeyeater.
When the Melaleucas are at their peak flowering the Blue-faced Honeyeaters arrive.
The Little Wattlebird is one of the large honeyeaters, common on the coast in the Byron area. Most often seen in the wetland feeding on the Swamp Banksias..
The eastern sub-species of Silvereye, Zosterops lateralis cornwalli, is one of several races of Silvereye seen in the Byron area. Here a young Silvereye waiting for its dinner.
The beautiful Rainbow Bee-eater finds plenty of insects to eat and are regulars in the wetland area.
A Pheasant Coucal preens its extensive gownlike coat, and makes its call, sounding like the glug,..glug..glug of a blocked drain.
A less common visitor from the north, the Little Bronze Cuckoo. The Northern Rivers region attracts a lot of species like the Little Bronze Cuckoo that are at the southern end of the species’ range.
Striped Honeyeaters are often present, seen or heard with their distinctive call.
Grey Fantails have a constant presence in the Malaleuca woodlands surrounding the wetlands.
A White-browed Scrubwren. These birds forage low in the scrub and debris below the Malaleuca trees.
The little Brown Thornbill is one of the “little brown birds” seen in the wetland, along with the less common Large-billed Scrubwren.
The Yellow Thornbill, an occasional visitor.
A female Superb Fairy-wren.
This female Red-backed Fairy-wren was chasing insects with its male companion in the pond-side reeds and grasses.
The male Red-backed Fairy-wren.
The White-headed Pigeon, a common bird here due to the proliferation of a new source of food, the introduced Camphor Laurel tree, which grows lke a weed in the Byron shire.
The Bar-shouldered Dove. Other pigeons include the Spotted Turtle-Dove, Crested Pigeon, Topknot Pigeons and less commonly Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves and Peaceful Doves.
This Brown Cuckoo Dove has found some berries, probably on its way to the rainforests on the ranges behind Byron Bay.
Welcome Swallows swoop above the wetland ponds catching insects and then taking a quick drink on the wing. These two gathering nesting material.
A young Fairy Martin waiting for its insect dinner, caught by its parents in the waters and reed beds of the wetland.
The White-breasted Woodswallow waits on wires above the wetland carpark for a tasty insect to fly by.
The Torresian Crow dominates the Crow population in the Northern Rivers.
The Pied Butcherbird, the master songster that brings elegant music to the wetland.
Magpie Larks seem particularly fond of ponds overgrown with aquatic weeds.
Pied Currawongs seem to prefer the wetland perimeter, watching for small reptiles and other prey.
Council staff keep the grass paths and entrances to the wetland mowed, providing food for this Australian Pipit.
An Australian Brush Turkey takes a tour of the Malaleuca swamp.
Not so welcome in a wildlife reserve, this fox splashes after a group of ducks, who fortunately were able to make a rapid departure.
After the sunset, a group of wetland inhabitants, Royal Spoonbills and Black-winged Stilts, move to the centre of Cell E pond to roost together, a safe place to spend the night.