New England Birding.

The Oxley Highway goes from Port Macquarie, through Wauchope, Walcha, and joins the New England Highway at Bendemeer, near Tamworth. It has some great rugged bush and winding roads through the mountains.

Ellenborough Reserve

This is a nice camping spot by the river. Good for walking, birding and fishing.

Ellenborough River

Red-browed Finch

Brown Cuckoo-Dove

Stockyard Creek

There is a nice rest area here where there were dozens of Satin Bowerbirds grazing on the grasses.

Male Satin Bowerbird

Female Satin Bowerbird

White-browed Scrubwren

Mummel Gulf National Park

Mummel Gulf is way up on top of the mountain, with huge trees and fern trees scattered throughout.

big trees

Cudgen Creek.

Cudgen Creek at Kingscliff on the North Coast of New South Wales has always been a favourite place of mine. In the afternoon I went for a walk along the creek from the breakwater as far as the track goes along the northern edge of the creek.

Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)

There were quite a few Blue-faced Honeyeaters in the flowering banksia trees. This one is a young one with the green around the eyes. As they get older the green becomes blue.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

There is an Osprey nest at the breakwater just near the coast guard building. I saw about four Ospreys in the vicinity and they seemed to love roosting on top of the crane that is doing work on the bridge.

Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius)

A big tick for me, the Bush Stone-curlew. And it was just in the park by the beach at North Kingscliff. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the signs saying do not go near the Bush Stone-curlews. I rushed back to my car, grabbed my camera and rushed back. Luckily I just had enough sunlight before it went behind the houses.

Blackbird Flat.

I went up the Macleay Valley west of Kempsey to get a way from the long weekend hordes on the coast. It was nice and quiet. A bit of rain and not many people. A very relaxing weekend spent reading and walking.

Macleay River

Lewin’s Honeyeater

female Australian King-parrot

I wish I had tried a bit harder to get a better shot of this Rose Robin, but it was flittering around all over the place and the light was crap and … excuses excuses..

Rose Robin (Petroica rosea)

There was a bit of flood damage along the banks of the river from the wild weather last week. The river seemed to have rose about a meter or two.

Along the Macleay River bank.

blackbird flat bird list

Yellow-tailed Black-cockatoo
Grey Fantail
Australasian Figbird
Cattle Egret
Crimson Rosella
Australian King-Parrot
Noisy Miner
Australian Magpie
Pied Currawong
Lewin’s Honeyeater
Rose Robin (Petroica rosea)