include Olive-backed Sunbird, Yellow Honeyeater, Helmeted Friarbird, Australasian Pipit and Great Bowerbird. If you are travelling from the south, get your first glimpse of White-gaped Honeyeaters here.
Lake Proserpine
Also known and signposted in the field as ‘Peter Faust Dam’, the lake is situated 26km west of Proserpine. This fantastic fishing destination is also a good birdwatching site. The dam is surrounded by dry bushland and farmland.
To get there, from Bruce Hwy (A1) at Proserpine take Main St. It will change name several times (to Faust St, Crystalbrook Rd and finally to Station Rd). Facilities along the lake include shaded picnic tables, barbecues, toilets, carpark and boat ramp. No camping is allowed.
About 100 bird species have been recorded around Lake Proserpine. Key species are Great Crested Grebe, Glossy Ibis, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Magpie Goose, Comb-crested Jacana, White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Osprey. Other birds of interest include Pheasant Coucal, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Forest Kingfisher, Common Cicadabird, Helmeted Friarbird and Bar-breasted Honeyeater. Rarer birds in the area include Australian Bustard, Squatter Pigeon and White-gaped Honeyeater.
Great Crested Grebes breed on the lake and can often be found fishing among dead trees at the northern end of the dam. In the shallow end of the dam, look for Cotton Pygmy-goose, Comb-crested Jacana, Pied Stilt, Black-fronted Dotterel, White-necked Heron and Great Egret. Whiskered Terns may be flying over the water.
Bush around the recreational area may produce Little Shrike-thrush, Leaden Flycatcher, Bar-breasted Honeyeater and White-throated Honeyeater.
Past the boat ramp, Station Rd runs through the bush and long grass where you may find Black-faced Monarch, Brown Gerygone, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Pheasant Coucal and Black-shouldered Kite.
Crystalbrook Rd runs through sugar cane plantations along Proserpine River. Apart from thousands of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins, you may encounter here Emu, Australian Bustard, Pale-headed Rosella, Pheasant Coucal and Nankeen Kestrel.
Bowen-Ayr Coast
This area covers the coast and its corresponding hinterland from Proserpine to south of Townsville.
1 Bowen
5 Ayr Area
9 Bowling Green Bay National Park
10 Wongaloo (Cromarty) Wetlands
11 Nome
Bowen
Bowen is the oldest town in North Queensland. It is located near Bruce Hwy (A1) in the Whitsunday region, half-way between Mackay and Townsville. The range of habitats in the area includes mangroves, beaches, freshwater lagoons, woodland and the Bowen Saltworks; the latter are good for the migratory waders.
There are two turnoffs leading to town from Bruce Hwy: Lower Don Rd when approaching from the north and Don St when approaching from the south.
Mullers Lagoon Park
This 23ha area is the best and most popular birding site in Bowen. It consists of a large freshwater lagoon and 12ha of the local botanical gardens. The site supports a wide variety of ever-changing selection of the waterbirds and waders.
The site is located in the centre of town near Woolworths, at the corner of Herbert St and The Soldiers Rd. Main access is from Soldiers Rd. Site facilities include a picnic area with toilets, benches, picnic tables and barbecues. A walking track runs on the southern border of the lagoon and through the peninsula.
Over 140 bird species have been recorded in Mullers Lagoon Park. Key species are Radjah Shelduck, Black-necked Stork, Red-necked Avocet, Nankeen Night-Heron and Cockatiel. Other birds of interest include waders, Bush Stone-curlew, Pallid Cuckoo, Torresian Imperial-Pigeon, Grey Butcherbird, Great Bowerbird, Yellow-throated Miner and Red-winged Parrot. Rarities include Chestnut Teal, Sooty Oystercatcher, Plum-headed Finch and Little Eagle.
A 1.5m-long old freshwater crocodile likes to rest on the banks of the lagoon. It is tame and nice.
In the evening, a white cloud of Cattle Egrets and Australian White Ibises descends to roost in the park. Bush Stone-curlews breed on site and are tame. The lagoon is a reliable site for Radjah Shelduck, a small flock is resident here. A family of Black-necked Storks is a regular feature of the park; they have a nest in the area.
A mixed breeding colony of waterbirds is established on the island in the middle of the lagoon, mostly Australian White Ibises and Little Black Cormorants. Among them you may spot the nests of Nankeen Night-Herons, Australasian Darters, Royal Spoonbills, Plumed Egrets and Little Pied Cormorants. The place is appropriately noisy and smelly. In the lagoon vegetation, Plumed Whistling-Ducks, Pacific Black Ducks and Australasian Grebes are nesting.
Breeding colony on the island in Mullers Lagoon
In the dry, waterbirds congregate here in huge numbers, particularly Grey Teals and both species of Whistling-Ducks. In August 2015, about 5,000 Plumed Whistling-Ducks completely covered the islands and filled the lagoon. Also in the dry, waders appear to take advantage of the emerging mudflats, particularly large flocks of Red-necked Avocets, Black-fronted Dotterels and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Other waders recorded around the lagoon include Latham’s Snipe, Marsh Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper.
Don River Mouth
Don River mouth is a good wader site. It can be reached from Queens Beach Esp. To get there, if driving from Mullers Lagoon Park, drive north on The Soldiers Rd, turn left into Tollington Rd which will change the name to Golf Links Rd, turn right into Mount Nutt Rd and proceed onto Queens Beach Esp, driving to the carpark at the end of the road. GPS coordinates here are 19o58’02’’S and 148o13’22’’E.
Look for the waders along the beach, they often roost and feed at the river mouth. Common species here include Far Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel, Grey-tailed Taller, Pacific Golden Plover,
