Evans Lookout, Blue Mountains

Visited: all year round

Recommendation: This is one of the popular lookouts in the Blue Mountains and for good reason. The views are spectacular and there are wonderful opportunities for seeing wildlife.

Evans Lookout, which is not too far from Blackheath, gives spectacular views of the Blue Mountains. The car park is quite small and it does get very busy quite early, so I always try and get here around seven. A walk down to the lookouts is mandatory, it is so beautiful across the Blue Mountains. The car park itself, however, is a fantastic spot for the Rockwarbler, it's the most reliable place that I know to see them. Try as you might, it is difficult to get them in good light to photograph them. You can also stop at the bigger parking area, the Grand Canyon Walk car park, which is only a few hundred metres back up the main road. There is a really nice trail through the bush connecting the two car parks, which is also a good place for Rockwarblers. They generally stay close to the ground and can be seen bobbing under cars and on the edges of the roads.

A grey backed small songbird with a rusty red breast.

Rockwarbler (Origma solitaria)

The area is also very good for Superb Lyrebirds. I've been there on a number of occasions and had really good experiences with the. Early in the morning, without lots of people you can find them on the road edge around the toilet block. They are particularly active during the winter and early spring.

On my last visit here I spent quite some time watching a male scratching around the edges of the road and even crossing it. You can never get over how beautiful these amazing birds are.

Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)

A brown pheasant like bird with long grey and bronze tail feathers.

There are lots of bush birds in the area and several trails to explore. I have had great views of all sorts of birds but my favourites were of this juvenile Crimson Rosella and Eastern Spinebill. In early spring, the wattle flowers are blooming and attract all sorts of birds. They are, however, particularly stunning in themselves!

A bright red parrot with brilliant blue wing and tail feathers.

Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)

A colourful brown bird with white and black around the head and a red eye.

Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)

A large dark brown lizard with paler blotches all across the body.

Cunningham Skink (Egernia cunninghami)

The area is great in the early morning for birds and later in the day as the rocks warm up, reptiles start to appear on the walk to the main lookout. There are often Jacky Dragons around and I took this shot to show the interesting patterns on the back of them. I find them quite confusing as their colours and size are so variable.

A fabulous find here was a pair of Cunningham Skink. They are one of Australia's largest and most distinctive skinks, famed for its spiny appearance and social behaviour. Its most notable feature is the spiny appearance given by the strong keel on each scale, particularly pronounced on the tail. When threatened, the skink wedges itself into a rock crevice and inflates its body, using these spines to anchor itself firmly, making it very difficult for a predator to dislodge.

Colour is highly variable across its range, which often helps it camouflage with the local rock and soil. It can range from dark brown or reddish-brown to almost completely black. It may have scattered blotches, speckles, or narrow bands of white, cream, or pale brown.

Jacky Dragon (Amphibolurus muricatus)

A common grey coloured lizard with darker, regular markings down the back.

A large arboreal marsupial with brown/grey fur and pink bald nose.

On visiting the area at night, we walked along the track towards Govetts Leap. It was quiet with only an occasional hoot from a Boobook. The only highlight was this gorgeous Brushtail Possum.

Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)