Introduction For bird watchers from the east coast and southern parts of Australia: you are entering the semi-arid climate zone (less than 500mm rainfall), which will allow you to observe many bird species for the first Bird Sites time. These birds are highlighted on the list in green. This may be your first chance to see a Grey-crowned of Zebra Finch Pale-headed Rosella Babbler, a White-winged Fairy-wren, a Splendid Fairy- wren, a Brolga, a Spotted Lightning Bowerbird, a Major Mitchell Cockatoo or a Mulga Parrot. Start at the Visitor Ridge Information Centre and IBC Gardens (territory of Grey-crowned Babblers) Spotted Bowerbird and enjoy finding your way around the eight sites in this guide. Site coordinates: use Zone 55, system GDA94. Red-capped Robin Red-winged Parrot Splendid Fairy-wren Major Mitchell Cockatoos Please note: Mulga Parrot Take extreme care when entering and leaving highways and main roads. Bird sites shown on the map are on lands accessible to the public. Permission should be sought from the owners before entering any private lands. Opal mines are located on private mineral titles and should not be interfered with. Variegated Fairy-wren Site 1 - Old Dam, Castlereagh Highway (Grid ref. 592199mE, 6738598mN) Lightning Ridge bird sites Pull in and rest under the Myall tree next to the shallow pond. Thirty metres to the south, colonies of White-winged Fairy-wrens and Variegated 1 Old Dam Fairy-wrens share the dense 2 Quandong Enclosure growth in the drain flowing Male Mulga Parrot 3 Parrot Ponds under and west from the highway. White-winged Fairy-wren 4 Belah Scrub 5 Black Hand Flora Site Site 2 - Quandong Enclosure, Castlereagh 6 Bore Baths Highway (Grid ref. 595094mE, 6736153mN) 7 Coocoran Lake This site 8 Weetalibah Waterholes gives you the Black-winged Stilt (top) 9 Lunatic Hill Lookout opportunity and Black-tailed Native Hen. to observe typical bird life in the Female Mulga Parrot Western Woodlands. Blue-faced Honeyeaters Note all the (above) and female Quandong Magpie-lark (right) saplings growing since the area has been fenced in. Crested Pigeon Yellow-billed Spoonbill Yellow-billed Willy Wagtails Emu Site 3- Parrot Ponds, 250m west of throughout summer to attract the female who will Site 7- Coocoran Lake shoreline, Castlereagh Highway (590356mE, 6740608mN) build the nest of sticks high up in a tree nearby. Castlereagh Highway (584167mE, 6747675mN) From the ‘T’ intersection at the highway make Grey-crowned Babblers also live in this area. This is the nearest sure you drive around the northern end of point where the the first pond (this was a borrow pit for road highway approaches construction) and travel west a further 200m the Coocoran Lake. crossing the basement of the old, gravelled Park in amongst the Castlereagh Highway and then arrive at the Coolibah Trees and Ponds. This site is a haven for local parrots listen for the Crested such as Blue Bonnets, Bellbird. Pale-headed Rosellas, Eastern Ringnecks and Site 8 - Weetalibah Grass Parrots. Travel up Waterholes, Crested Bellbird and over the dirt bank Castlereagh Highway (Grid ref. 582164mE, 6756028mN) Follow the track 150m west from the higway, crossing the old Castlereagh Highway. The billabong and waterhole were once the centre of Budgerigars aboriginal and early European habitation. A pair of Brolga nest here each year in early summer after Red-rumped Parrot (left), Site 5- Black Hand flora site, Three Mile rains fill the waterholes and creekbed. Are the Mallee Ringneck (upper Road (Grid ref. 593403mE, 6740546mN) resident White-necked Herons around? right) and Blue Bonnet (lower right) Small birds are attracted to this area when the Scaevola are flowering. Site 9 - Lunatic Hill Lookout another 100m west into the Eucalyptus woodland. (Grid ref. 593940mE, 6740354mN) Listen for the Crested Bellbird and look for Listen for the Nankeen Kestrel and look for the Aboriginal scar trees. Site 6 - Bore Baths, Sherman Way (Grid ref. 596788mE, 6744738mN) White-winged Fairy-wren in the saltbush. Site 4 - Belah Scrub (Casuarina cristata) on Look for a mixed collection of local birds in the gravel road to opal miners’ washing tank trees around the bore baths. Look for nesting (Grid ref. 592366mE, 6744280mN) activity in the trees. Have Turn north from Bill O’Brien Way at Benny a nice soak Walford’s Crossing, drive 1.1km and take the in the warm right-hand fork, continue for another 400m. water and a Walk into the Belah Scrub on the left hand side hot shower and sit near the ponds. Walk back across the before you road to 592366, 6744280 and see if you can find the Spotted Bower Bird’s bower. The male leave. Bower Bird constructs the bower and plays in it Red-capped Robin White-winged Fairy-wren Lightning Ridge bird list Observer: ...................................... Contacts Date: ........................... Lightning Ridge Visitors’ Information Centre Phone: 02 6829 1670 o Emu o Galah o Jacky Winter (D) Threatened Species For rare and unusual sightings: o Pink Cockatoo (V) o Red-capped Robin (D) Andrew Ley - Birds Australia, Northern NSW o Australian Wood Duck Many birds in NSW are o Sulphur-crested Cockatoo o Grey-crowned Babbler (V) Group, Armidale, NSW. o Pacific Black Duck threatened by land clearing, o Cockatiel o Chestnut-crowned Babbler o Grey Teal Phone: 02 6722 5358 o Red-winged Parrot fragmentation of habitat, o Chestnut Teal o Crested Bellbird o Pale-headed Rosella changes to wetlands or For AUSTRALIAN BIRD o Pink-eared Duck o Mallee Ringneck o Grey Shrike-thrush predation by feral animals. information, field o Hardhead ATLAS o Blue Bonnet o Plumed Whistling Duck o Restless Flycatcher A number of birds seen at guide books and bird o Red-rumped Parrot o Australasian Grebe o Magpie-lark books, and for more details o Mulga Parrot Lightning Ridge are classified o Hoary-headed Grebe o Willie Wagtail under the Threatened Species about Lightning Ridge, o Black-eared Cuckoo enquire at the ‘Opal Books o Australasian Darter o Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Conservation Act, 1995 as o Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo etc’ shop at Bluey Motel, o Little Black Cormorant o White-winged Triller either Vulnerable (V) or o Great Cormorant o Tawney Frogmouth Endangered (E). 32 Morilla St, Lightning Yellow-billed Spoonbill o White-breasted Woodswallow o Australian Pelican o Spotted Nightjar Ridge. o Masked Woodswallow o Owlet Nightjar Some birds are recognised as o White-faced Heron o White-browed Woodswallow Phone: 02 6829 0380 o Laughing Kookaburra Declining (D) throughout the o White-necked Heron o Red-backed Kingfisher o Grey Butcherbird western woodlands. Produced by: o Eastern Great Egret o Sacred Kingfisher o Pied Butcherbird o Intermediate Egret Birds highlighted in Warwick & Margaret Schofield © o Rainbow Bee-eater o Black-backed Magpie o Australian White Ibis o Brown Treecreeper green inhabit semi-arid Assisted by: o Straw-necked Ibis o Australian Raven environments. o Yellow-billed Spoonbill o Splendid Fairy-wren Tamworth Birdwatchers Inc., Russ o Variegated Fairy-wren o White-winged Chough & Jenny Watts and Kay Wotherspoon, o Black-shouldered Kite o White-winged Fairy-wren o Apostlebird and with the support of the Australian o Black Kite o Spotted Bowerbird Opal Centre at Lightning Ridge, NSW o Little Eagle o Spotted Pardalote Ministry for the Arts and Lightning Mallee o Nankeen Kestrel o Striated Pardalote Ringneck o House Sparrow Ridge Tourism Association o Brolga (V) o Weebill o Zebra Finch o Double-barred Finch o Australian Spotted Crake o Chestnut-rumped Thornbill o Plum-headed Finch o Purple Swamphen o Buff-rumped Thornbill o Dusky Moorhen o Yellow-rumped Thornbill o Mistletoe Bird o Black-tailed Native Hen o Southern Whiteface (D) o White-backed Swallow o Eurasian Coot o Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater o Welcome Swallow o Black-fronted Dotterel Brolga (Vulnerable) o Striped Honeyeater o Tree Martin o Masked Lapwing o Noisy Friarbird o Fairy Martin o Bush Stone-curlew (E) o Little Friarbird o Black-winged Stilt o Australian Reed Warbler o Blue-faced Honeyeater o Rufous Songlark o Common Bronzewing o Yellow-throated Miner o Brown Songlark o Crested Pigeon o Singing Honeyeater o Crimson Chat o Diamond Dove o White-plumed Honeyeater o Common Starling o Peaceful Dove o Brown Honeyeater o Bar-shouldered Dove Grey-crowned Babbler (Vulnerable).