see white birds such as Little Egrets, Plumed Egrets, Great Egrets, Royal Spoonbills and Pied Stilts scattered on the Lake Barfield shores. The most common waterbirds here are Black Swan, Wandering Whistling-Duck, Plumed Whistling-Duck and Magpie Goose. Comb-crested Jacanas can be seen on nearly every patch of water lilies. When the lake is drying up, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Black-fronted Dotterels and Red-kneed Dotterels appear in large numbers to forage on the exposed mud. Rarer species around the lake include Nankeen Night-Heron, Radjah Shelduck and Buff-banded Rail.
Common bush birds around the lake and in the coastal scrub include Olive-backed Sunbird, Leaden Flycatcher, Yellow Honeyeater, Little Bronze-cuckoo, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo and Black-faced Monarch. Look for Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Bush Stone-curlew under the trees.
The breakwater wall is often covered with Little Black Cormorants, Little Pied Cormorants, Great Pied Cormorants and Crested Terns. At high tide, Grey-tailed Tattlers and Pacific Golden Plovers roost there.
Macs Truck Stop Wetland
This is a small wetland on Bruce Hwy (A1) about 20km south of Mackay. If coming from Mackay, the site is located 5.6km south of the Sandy Creek bridge. It is hidden behind a large BP service station with a truck stop area. GPS coordinates are 21o17’54’’S and 149o10’15’’E. Drive onto Macs Truck Stop Service Rd, stop behind the service station and walk along the fence in the easterly direction. The wetland will be on your right. Alternatively, take the next unnamed service road further south and drive east about 500m. The wetland is readily viewable from this point.
Over 80 bird species have been recorded here. Key species are Magpie Goose, Brolga, Glossy Ibis, Whiskered Tern and Bar-breasted Honeyeater. Other birds of interest include Plumed Whistling-Duck, Wandering Whistling-Duck, Comb-crested Jacana, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Red-kneed Dotterel, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and Swamp Harrier. Rarities at this site include White-browed Crake, Black-necked Stork, Red-necked Avocet and Australasian Shoveler.
When water levels in the wetland are low, the area is completely overgrown by vegetation (grasses and sedges) so the site is indistinguishable from the surrounding farmland. The giveaway sign are Magpie Geese that hang around in their hundreds to feed on the tubers. We counted about 400 geese. A pair of Brolgas were sticking out their necks from the long grass. The swamp was full of Plumed Whistling-Ducks and Wandering Whistling-Ducks with their ducklings. We also added Glossy Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Great Egret, Plumed Egret and Comb-crested Jacana to our list. On a small solitary tree in the middle swamp, Australasian Darters had a nest with two large fat chicks.
The grasses near the swamp yielded Brown Quail, Australasian Pipit, Golden Headed Cisticola (plenty), Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and Pheasant Coucal.
We checked two small, fenced off settling ponds behind the truck stop and found a White-browed Crake feeding in the cumbungi.
A colony of Welcome Swallows is established in the BP service station. Their nests are interspersed with the nests of House Sparrows.
Bar-breasted Honeyeater has been reported to breed in a row of paperbark trees and bottlebrushes behind the service station. Also, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher was recorded at this site in 2016.
Bar-breasted Honeyeater
Mcewens Beach
This small coastal settlement is located 15km south of Mackay. It is surrounded by swamps and woodlands of Bakers Creek Conservation Park that are recognised as nationally important wetlands. The mudflats and mangroves serve as feeding and roosting grounds for large numbers of waders.
To get there, approximately 10km south of Mackay turn east into Mcewens Beach Rd and drive 6km to the village. Facilities are located in the foreshore parkland and include picnic tables and toilets.
Over 130 bird species have been recorded in this area. Key species are the waders, Black-necked Stork, Brolga, Glossy Ibis, Radjah Shelduck, White-browed Robin, Yellow Honeyeater and Little Bronze-cuckoo. Other birds of interest include Latham’s Snipe, Magpie Goose, Mangrove Gerygone, Fairy Gerygone, Torresian Imperial-Pigeon, Common Cicadabird and Bar-breasted Honeyeater. Among the rarities are White-browed Crake, Oriental Plover, Beach Stone-curlew, Australian Bustard, Mangrove Golden Whistler, Lemon-bellied Flycatcher and Mangrove Robin.
At the outskirts of the village, 1-2 km before the dwellings begin, an extensive swampy area spreads out along Mcewens Beach Rd. GPS coordinates are 21o14’23’’S and 149o11’40’’E. Shallow wetlands with mangroves and dead trees standing in the flooded grounds are a good habitat for waders, in particular Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank. Regularly 20-30 birds of each species are counted each summer. Pied Stilts breed here. Other waders in the area include Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Red-kneed Dotterel and Black-fronted Dotterel. Large flocks of Grey Teals often roost on dead tree stumps.
A shallow grassy swamp near the bridge attracts Brolgas, Magpie Geese, Glossy Ibises and Black-necked Storks. In the mangroves near the bridge, look for Mangrove Gerygone. If you are lucky, you may get a sighting of Mangrove Golden Whistler or Mangrove Robin. Azure Kingfisher likes to hunt near the bridge.
In the village, you’ll be welcomed by Radjah Shelducks, Plumed Whistling-Ducks and Bush Stone-curlews. They forage on the grass among the houses, blending into the background as if they belonged there.
In the village, get to the beach near the swimming enclosure. It is usable at high tide, otherwise there is no water behind the fence. At low tide, sandflats along the beach serve as feeding grounds for the waders. The most visible are Australian Pied Oystercatchers, dotted in pairs along the shoreline. Common waders also include Whimbrel, Great Knot, Far Eastern Curlew and Pacific Golden Plover. Among rarer waders here are Terek Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Red Knot and Black-tailed Godwit. Other birds of interest on the sandflats include Eastern Reef Egret, Little Egret, Little Tern, Common Tern and Caspian Tern.
Mangroves near the boat ramp on Bakers Creek will offer you a chance to spot Mangrove Robin. Nearly guaranteed are Mangrove Honeyeaters and very noisy Pied Butcherbirds.
It is worth checking the coastal scrub along the beach, especially thickets of cotton trees. Common birds here include Yellow Honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater, Helmeted Friarbird, Fairy Gerygone, Olive-backed Sunbird and Little Bronze-cuckoo. Wherever figs are fruiting, look for Torresian Imperial-Pigeons and Channel-billed Cuckoos. Flocks of Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos are regularly moving through the village and coastal scrubs in search of casuarina cones and seasonal fruit.
Mackay
Mackay is a large coastal town located on the Central Coast of Queensland, about 1,000km north of Brisbane. Pioneer River flows through town. Off the coast, you have Great Barrier Reef and inland to the west there is the Eungella National Park. The town itself is a worthy birding destination, especially for its numerous wetlands and beaches which are good for the waders and waterbirds.
Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
The 33ha gardens are located at the southern entrance to Mackay, 5km from the CBD. The main feature if this site is a large, long lagoon, in parts covered densely with water hyacinths and water lilies. The edges are fringed with long grass and sedges. A concrete pathway runs around the lagoon. The gardens were opened only recently (2003) and trees are still maturing. The site showcases native flora from the Mackay region and Whitsundays.
