During March and April of 2008 my wife Cheri McConnell and myself (Mike Judd), both novice birders, undertook to visit Australia.  We had lots of pans in the fire, seeing (and sometimes even identifying) birds being but one.  I can confirm that bird identification is more than tricky at 100 kph while driving on what to my instincts was surely the wrong side of the road. (Not to worry though, Aussie drivers were more than happy to provide rapid feedback when I reverted to old habits.).  We did, however, get close enough to a few birds to get a photo which we share with you here.  While I added about 174 species to my life list, I am sure a more accomplished 'twitcher' would do even better, perhaps about twice that number.  But we sure ate well.


Large and loquacious, the Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is everywhere and conspicuously so.  The song is arguably one of the sweetest on the continent. Several races with pattern variations are recognized.



Pied Cormorants (Phalacrocorax varius) were common enough by the sea.  They dress as well as penguins, I would say.



Whistling Kites (Haliastur (Milvus) spenurus) filled the air in the dozens south of Darwin.



The Jabiru (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is now called the Black-necked Stork (sniff!)



Pied Herons (Ardea picata) on the floodplains of the Northern Territory near Humpty Doo.



Comb-crested Jacana or Lotusbird (Rostratula benghalensis) in the NT outside of Humpty Doo.  They are one of the hallmark species for the tropical floodplains.



Masked Lapwings (Vanellus miles) are easily seen in the north and east of Australia.



Royal Spoonbills (Platalea regia) are said to be more gregarious than their yellow-billed cousins.  These enjoyed the floodwaters near Fogg Dam, a marvelous place to see wildlife outside of Darwin, Northern Territory (NT).



Birdwatchers, swimmers, hikers and just about everyone are kept on alert in the NT and coastal Queensland for the Estuarine Crocodile.  'Salties' are much larger and more aggressive than our American Alligator or the freshwater Johnson's Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) found in parts of its range.



Honeyeaters are one of the larger groups of birds in Australia. Most are less accommodating to identification than the group of Blue-faced (Entomyzon cyanotis) individuals who were habituated to the outdoor dining at Katherine Gorge National Park (or Nitmiluk, the original Aborignal name) in NT.



The Silver-backed Butcherbird (Cracticus argenteus) is a smaller representative of another wide-ranging group that includes the familiar Magpie.  Not apt to show up at a seed feeder, I would guess.



Wedge-tailed Eagles (Aquila audax) have prospered with the rabbit population though they are largely scavengers.  Better looking in the air and yet not so lovely as the fairly common White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster).



OK, I grant you these Flying Foxes (Pteropus vampyrus) (probably) being rehabilitated in Kuranda Queensland are not really birds.  They are very personable though.   One of about sixty species with good eyesight and a lack of echolocation.  They are commonly clumped in trees at places like the Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens.



Azure Kingfishers (Alcedo azurea) are not uncommon on the north and eastern coastal areas.  Australia has 8 named Kingfishers plus two Kookaburras.  This one was seen along the Daintree River.



The Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehallandiae) is found on the far south coast, including Tasmania, where we saw several just off the highway.



Crested Pigeons (Ocyphaps (Geophaps) lophotes) are easy on the eyes and ears and found thoughout most of the country.



The nicely named  Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) is a national favorite.  It is the largest of the wagtails, which are a delight to watch as they forage for insects.



This male Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaguineae) came for breakfast to the porch of the Mossman Gorge Bed and Breakfast every morning though his mate was a good deal shyer.  Their sounds take me back to early Tarzan movies.



Why you don't swim in the rivers or the ocean up north...a 11' Salt water crocodile(Crocodylus porosus) along the banks of the Daintree River in northern Queensland.  A nearly silent solar powered boat got us very close to wildlife.



Unlike most birds the female Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) is more colorful than the green male.  This captive we saw at the Daintree Mangrove Wildlife Sanctuary, a unique and wonderful setting for a bed and breakfast experience.  Australia has a wonderful abundance of colorful parrots, cockatoos, lorikeets and rosellas which are readily seen though some only as flashes of color going by.



Australian Pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) are a bit larger than the white or brown pelicans of North America.



The Little Penguin Eudyptula minor is a resident nester of the southern coast and various colonies are well known tourist destinations such as Phillips Island S of Melbourne in Victoria.  We saw ours on at the neck that separates North & South Bruny Islands below Hobart Tasmania.  Ten larger penguin species have been recorded 1 - 26x, sometimes as beach-washed individuals.



A well used boardwalk and blind are set up to enable human-bird encounters with less disruption to the smaller species.  During summer a ranger program is in place.  Being there in fall, we found groups of well meaning tourists walking the beaches at night with their torches on in search of penguins which is guaranteed to keep them in the water extra hours.  The young become increasingly loud in their calls and wander out onto the boardwalk from the burrows.  I might have made the same mistake myself without the guidance of the staff at the nearby Explorers cottage where we stayed on South Bruny.



Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) are readily seen throughout the country.



Exquisite Black Swans (Cygnus atratus)...gee, I thought they only lived moats surrounding castles in England.  Turns out they are quite common along the eastern seaboard.



We were fortunate to see 4 Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae at close range at Wilson's Promontory NP south of Melbourne but they did not stick around for picture taking.  This decidedly calmer group was at Cleland Wildlife Park outside of Adelaide.  The park is run as part of the government of South Australia park system rather than a private concession.



The other large bird of the county the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is very restricted in range to the tropical north coast of Queensland.  Where found, there is ample signage cautioning visitors to keep a tree, backpack or other substantial object between the bird and oneself as apparently attacks have occurred and the birds are capable of eviscerating a person...yuck!



Nonetheless the folks in Australia are committed to their survival in the wild and often bring a somewhat humorous approach to the task.  'Slow Down!'  in the Daintree National Park of Queensland.


Names as per Simpson & Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 7th edition, 2004 and may be out of date