Eagleby Wetlands

Visited: Autumn

Recommendation: A great stop close to Brisbane. It is a mecca for wildlife watchers with lovely trails around the area. It is definitely worth a visit.

I visited Eagleby Wetlands on my way back to Brisbane from Lamington National Park. I found it to be a very pleasant place to bird. There was a large pond with vegetation surrounding it and another more exposed lake. I walked around both a couple of times and there was lots of activity both on the water and in the shrubbery. I liked it very much and while I didn't see any of the rarer or harder to spot birds that other more experienced or local birders had done, I was satisfied with the day's haul.

There were a lot of pigeons and doves in the area and while I have seen a lot of Crested Pigeon, I can never resist their endearing plumage and stature and will always succumb to taking more shots of them. The same can be said of the Spotted Dove and I am disappointed that they seem to always be classed as feral pests.

Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)

Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis)

I always love seeing grassbirds and the cisticola are most easily seen. This guy was warming itself in the early sun after a rain shower. It was just as cute as!

And above, were just as cute pigeons. Crested Pigeons are colourful and endearing with their barred wings and pointed heads.

Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes)

The Grey Butcherbird is like a bit of a ghost. You hear them but are never quite sure what bird the call belongs to, such is the variability of their song. Then you might catch a glimpse of one as it moves through the bush and it is an 'oh yeah' moment. If you are lucky, they might stick around for a photo.

Grey Butcherbird (Cracticus torquatus)

Variegated Fairywren (Malurus lamberti)

Despite it being a wetland, the little bush birds were the star and I shot a decent number of them. Always a bit tricky to identify in the field, good photographs really help. There were 2 species of fairywren there and with a good deal of skulking around (for a change) I got them.

Superb Fairywren (Malurus cyaneus)

My best spot of the day was the Rufous Fantail. I would expect it to be in a more rainforest like environment and so was delighted to find it here. They are difficult to photograph as they flit around in the shadows so my photos were not great but I saw it at least and it is a stunning bird.

Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)

On my way back to the car park, I spotted some Pale-headed Rosellas coming in and out of a nesting hole. They were interested because of the lack of blue on the face and the amount of yellow on the back, quite different from the ones I had seen further north in tropical Queensland.

Pale-headed Rosella (Platycercus adscitus)