of NSW – Lake Macquarie 5 BELMONT WETLANDS STATE PARK White-breasted Woodswallows This reserve is a large area of natural congregate in trees and on the bushland, sand dunes and powerlines along the Cold Tea Creek Track reedy marshes between Redhead and in early August before dispersing into surrounding Belmont. The runs through habitat for the spring and summer months. the Park, however the best birdwatching is from Waterbirds such as the Black Swan, Chestnut Teal North East the unsealed fire trails. The Kalaroo Fire Trail and Royal Spoonbill use the lagoon. Caspian Terns runs the length of the Park roughly parallel and White-bellied Sea Eagles are often seen fishing in to the Fernleigh Track, and can be accessed the Lagoon. Ospreys fish in the deeper waters of Cold Tea from Kalaroo Road near Railway Creek, and can be found perching and/or feeding on the Lake Macquarie Crescent, from the Merleview Fire power poles beside the canal. A variety of other raptors Trail off the end of Merleview Street, Caspian Tern may be seen. or from Belmont Lagoon (see access details There are no toilet facilities. in the Belmont Lagoon section). The Kalaroo and www.visitlakemac.com.au Birding Route Merleview Fire Trails support a good variety of birds including the Variegated Fairy-wren, Dusky Woodswallow and Brush Bronzewing. Occasional visitors to the Park include the Brown Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Spangled Drongo and Crested Shrike-tit. The Red- HUNTER REGION Whiskered Bulbul may occasionally be seen along the Merleview Fire Trail entry point.

There are no toilet facilities. Lake Macquarie www.belmontwetlands.com.au 6 BELMONT LAGOON Belmont Lagoon is an area of open water habitat situated between the ocean and the Lake. The Belmont Lagoon Spit is a good place from which to observe waterbirds, and can be accessed from the track along Cold Tea Creek – a modified creek which runs east-west across the southern part of the lagoon. The Cold Tea Creek track is accessible from Capri Close, off Pacific Highway, or from the corner of Beach Street and Ocean Park Road – take the footbridge across the creek to join the Track. Brown Honeyeater

Factfile Crested Shrike-tit (Falcunculus frontatus)

Prepared (April 2019) by Mandy McDonald for: Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc. PO Box 24 New Lambton NSW 2305 Birding Routes are available to download from the HBOC website www.hboc.org.au HBOC meets at 7:00pm on the second Wednesday of each month (except January) at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, off the roundabout at Sandgate Road, Shortland. Also, monthly outings on first Tuesday and third Sunday of each month – This medium sized bird has a striking black and white striped head and check our website for details. neck, a small crest that is often held flattened over crown, a black or green throat, and a short heavy bill with hooked tips. Found in eucalypt forests and woodlands, forested gullies and along rivers in drier areas it forages in trees tearing at or probing bark for insects with its short strong bill. Design & artwork by

Conservation Matters 0420 821460 photographers: the following acknowledge HBOC gratefully Merrett, McDonald, Steve Marg Clarke, Dean Ingwersen, Mandy Alwyn Simple. Roderick, Mick Rob Palazzi, Murray, Trevor April 2019 v1.1 This map is not to scale North East Lake Macquarie Birding Route and is for illustrative purposes only Redhead in the south (off Alison Street), or from Ocean Street Dudley in the north. The main track runs north-south through the reserve. From the Dudley entrance there are also tracks leading to Redhead Lagoon Glenrock State Conservation Area (to the west) and to Viewpoint B89 Pacific Golden Plover (to the east). Awabakal Viewpoint offers B57 1 extensive coastal views, including the A43 possibility of whales. Look out for White-bellied Sea Eagles cruising Charlestown up and down the coast. Bell Miner There are no toilets facilities. Painted Button-quail A37 1 GLENROCK STATE www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au CONSERVATION AREA 3 REDHEAD LAGOON B89 Pacific This park in northeast Lake Macquarie This is a perched freshwater lagoon at the Hwy and Newcastle comprises over 500 Warners Bay northern end of Awabakal Nature Reserve. White-bellied hectares of native vegetation, headlands It can be accessed via Ocean Street Dudley as Sea-Eagle Redhead Lagoon and beaches, creeks and waterfalls and described above. The loop track circumnavigating the . The northern section lagoon is 2.4 km of mostly flat terrain. Grey Goshawk has Bennetts of the park can be accessed via Hickson been seen here in addition to a variety of waterbirds and Green Street, off Scenic Drive, Merewether Eleebana bush birds in the surrounding forest. Waterbirds include Musk 3 – this entrance provides good Duck and Australasian Grebes. Sacred Kingfishers are often opportunities for viewing White-bellied seen around the lagoon over summer. Sea Eagles and birds of the coastal scrub Pacific and heath. In the south, the best access 4 GREEN POINT FORESHORE RESERVE Hwy 2 is from the Yuelarbah Carpark, off This Reserve is situated on the Lake Macquarie foreshore B89 Burwood Road, Kahibah. Signage at the between Valentine (access from Dilkera Avenue) and Belmont Awabakal Nature Reserve carpark provides clear directions for the (car park off The Shores Way). The Foreshore Walk follows Redhead picnic area on Flaggy Creek (wheelchair the Lake edge for 3.5 km from end to end. Bush birds are accessible, 600 metres) and through to common at this site. White-bellied Sea Eagles nest in the Glenrock Lagoon and the beach (2km). Reserve and are often seen flying above. Barking Owls and Noisy Pitta Powerful Owls are often seen in the Powerful Owls have been recorded roosting in the Littoral Green Point Foreshore Reserve vicinity of the carpark. Birds commonly Rainforest, approximately 600m into the Reserve from the Belmont Wetlands State Park seen and heard along the Yuelarbah Valentine entrance. 4 Track include Eastern Whipbirds and The Reserve can also be accessed from Green Point Drive, 5 Golden Whistlers. Regent Bowerbirds, Belmont, where Brown Quail occasionally forage in the low Bell Miners and Powerful Owls frequent Belmont shrubs and grass alongside the cycleway. Across the open the rainforest along the creek. Other grassy area the cycleway heads north through a Paperbark birds to look out for include Rose Robins A43 forest where Noisy Pitta and Bassian Thrush are often seen. (in winter) and Lewin’s Rail around Further along the cycleway, there is the possibility of Painted 6 Glenrock Lagoon. Button-quail in the drier There are no toilet facilities. Belmont Lagoon forest at the end of www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au Leichhardt Road. There are toilets at 2 AWABAKAL NATURE RESERVE The Shores Way entrance. This Reserve contains one of the largest There are also toilet and Good examples of coastal woodland, heath, wetlands and pockets of littoral rainforest remaining coastal heath communities BBQ facilities at the Sea still exist in the urban north-east of Lake Macquarie. This guide describes birding sites in the region. It is a good location for Eagle Park picnic area. between Glenrock and Belmont Lagoon. observing heathland birds such as www.visitlakemac.com.au The sites listed in this brochure are under the management of National Parks & Wildlife Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, New Service, Lake Macquarie Council or a State Park Trust - it is recommended that the Holland Honeyeater and Bar-shouldered relevant websites be visited for more detailed maps and up-to-date access information. Dove. The reserve can be accessed from Black Swan