Station Creek Conservation Park
6 Nathan Road Wetlands Reserve
9 Osprey House Environmental Centre
10 Tinchi Tamba Wetlands Reserve
12 Seventh Brigade Reserve, Chermside
14 Bunyaville Conservation Park
15 Dowse Lagoon
20 Kedron Brook Wetlands Reserve
Bribie Island
Bribie Island, located 65km north of Brisbane CBD, is the smallest and most northward of the three sand islands of the northern Moreton Bay. It is separated from the mainland by the Pumicestone Passage but remains connected to the mainland by means of a long bridge. Most of the island is an uninhabited National Park with the forest plantation in the middle. This site is very productive, offering a good variety of bird species thanks to a wide range of habitats such as mangroves, beaches, mudflats, freshwater lagoons, open forests and coastal scrub. All are in a walking distance from each other.
The good birding areas on the island include Kakadu Beach Wader Roost, Banksia Beach, Buckleys Hole Regional Park and Bribie Island National Park.
To get there, exit Bruce Hwy (M1) towards Bribie Island past Caboolture and drive east on Bribie Island Rd (85), crossing over the long bridge. Facilities on the island can be found mostly along the western side of the island on the beaches and coastal parks. A useful map of tourist areas can be downloaded from here: https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/bribie-island/pdf/bribie-isl-rec-area.pdf.
Over 220 bird species have been recorded on Bribie Island. Key species are Beach Stone-curlew, other waders, Little Tern, Common Tern and Lesser Crested Tern. Other birds of interest include crakes, Buff-banded Rail, Comb-crested Jacana, Collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Gerygone, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Black-faced Monarch, Spectacled Monarch, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Large-billed Scrubwren and Osprey. Among the rarities are Laughing Gull, Pacific Gull, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern and Australasian Bittern.
Kakadu Beach Wader Roost
Wader roost is located in the southern part of Solander Bay. It is one of the best known and most accessible wader sites in Queensland. This is an artificial roost site, with two pretty bird hides provided. The Interpretive Shorebird Centre is situated nearby. This site was constructed to compensate for the loss of natural roost sites to development at the mouth of the Dux Creek. Soon after this project was completed, thousands of waders feeding on the Pumicestone Passage mudflats have learned to use this site. This is their preferred location for the highest tide levels. When the tide is below 2m, the birds choose the Toorbul roost.
To get there, from Bribie Island Rd (85) turn north onto Sunderland Dr and follow this road to the end, getting to the T-junction with Solander Esp. Turn left and drive a short distance to a carpark by the Shorebird Centre at Kakadu Beach. Walk along the canal past the second bird hide as far as the path goes.
Kakadu Beach wader roost (land strip on the right)
Thirty wader species have been recorded here, with Bar-tailed Godwits appearing in their thousands. Other regular users include Beach Stone-curlew, Great Knot, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Sooty Oystercatcher, Pied Stilt, Red-necked Stint, Lesser Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Red-capped Plover and Curlew Sandpiper.
The list of rarities includes Asian Dowitcher, Sanderling, Double-banded Plover, Banded Plover, Red Knot, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Oriental Plover, Ruddy Turnstone and Latham’s Snipe.
Buff-banded Rails are quite tame here. On one occasion, one made itself available to us for a good photo session, skulking unhurriedly between small shrubs and tussocks of lomandra grass. In the flowering grevilleas along the canal we found White-cheeked Honeyeater, Mangrove Honeyeater, Little Wattlebird and Little Friarbird. A small covey of Brown Quails flushed from the bushes.
We also explored Solander Esp north of Kakadu Beach, especially at the creek mouth near Col Fisher Park. On the beach, Beach Stone-curlews are sighted regularly; we found three of them resting in front of the mangroves. Little Egret, Striated Heron and Eastern Reef Egret were foraging on the mudflats. Australian Gull-billed Terns, Caspian Terns, Little Terns and Brahminy Kite were flying over the Pumicestone Passage. Tawny Frogmouth had a nest and a roost by the beach in the southern part of Col Fisher Park. The park lawns were covered with Little Corellas and Galahs.
Harbour Promenade, Banksia Beach
To get there, take Sylvan Beach Esp just after crossing the long bridge, and drive north. Turn right into Marina Blvd, then left into Harbour Promenade and drive north to the end of the road at the mouth of Dux Creek.
This is a well-known roost of Pacific Golden Plovers. These birds have been using it for several decades, initially at the rough paddock opposite the Marina Office, now mostly on the canal wall as the paddock gave way to canal housing.
Common Sandpiper returns like a clockwork to the same spot along the wall every summer. Appearing occasionally on this rocky site are Double-banded Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler, Beach Stone-curlew, Striated Heron and Australasian Pipit.
Buckleys Hole Regional Park
This small, 88ha Park is probably the best birding
