Australian Good Birding Guide: Southern & Central Queensland. Ted Wnorowski
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Campgrounds
This is a good spot for Spectacled Monarch. Search for it in patches of casuarina along the track.
Other birds here include Mangrove Gerygone, Nankeen Night-Heron, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Rufous Fantail, Golden Whistler, Southern Boobook and Grey Goshawk.
Bicentennial Walks
This is a 3.8km walking route through the paperbark swamp, eucalypt forest and wallum heath. In the latter, you may encounter masses of honeyeaters such as White-cheeked Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater and Little Wattlebird. Look also for Variegated Fairy-wren, Red-backed Fairy-wren, White-browed Scrubwren and Brown Thornbill. The eucalypt forest may yield Common Cicadabird, Varied Triller, Rufous Fantail, Golden Whistler, Shining Bronze-cuckoo and Collared Sparrowhawk.
Toorbul Wader Roost
Toorbul is a small township located 63km north of Brisbane CBD on the western side of the Pumicestone Passage, with Bribie Island to the east. This site attracts large numbers of waders and perhaps even larger numbers of birders due to its easy access. The Queensland Wader Group regularly organises wader ID workshops in this location.
To get there, exit Bruce Hwy (M1) 50km north of Brisbane onto Pumicestone Rd and drive east for 14km to Toorbul. Turn left at the T-junction with Freeman Rd and drive to the Esplanade. You’ll see the Toorbul store on your left. You’ll find there a range of take-away foods including their famous fish and chips. A park on the waterfront is equipped with picnic tables, barbecues, shelters and toilets.
There are four main roosting sites along the Esplanade in Toorbul. Three are located south of the Toorbul store, and one to the north of the store, at the northern end of the Esplanade.
Pelican Point: This roost is situated 1.1km south of the Toorbul store near the wader display board. The birds actually like roosting under the board. Site coordinates are 27o02’40’’S and 153o06’25’’E.
Sandfly Bay: This site is located 700m south of Pelican Point. Site coordinates are 27o02’41’’S and 153o06’42’’E. It is a small bay fringed with mangroves on both sides. Birds are using this site when they are disturbed in other spots.
Main Toorbul Roost: The main roost is located 200m further south from the previous site. Suite coordinates are 27o02’52’’S and 153o06’50’’E. Waders here can be easy observed from behind a specially constructed levee. Walking on the levee is forbidden. Eager local rangers can give you a hefty fine if this restriction is not observed. This site is a fantastic place to observe the waders at close proximity and take photos.
Toorbul North Sandspit: This spot is situated along the Esplanade 800m north of the Toorbul store. The sandbar is located opposite Carnegie St. Site coordinates are 27o02’63’’S and 153o06’50’’E.
The whole Esplanade is excellent for viewing the foraging waders on the incoming or outgoing tide.
Over 180 bird species have been recorded in Toorbul. Key species are waders – as many as 33 species are on the site birdlist. Other birds of interest include Mangrove Gerygone, Buff-banded Rail, Royal Spoonbill, Mangrove Honeyeater, Striped Honeyeater, Australian Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern and Little Tern. Rarities include Shining Flycatcher, White-winged Black Tern, Black-necked Stork and Peregrine Falcon. A long list of rare waders includes Asian Dowitcher, Little Curlew, Long-toed Stint, Beach Stone-curlew, Common Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Grey Plover.
The bulk of the waders in the roost typically comprises Bar-tailed Godwits, Great Knots, Grey-tailed Tattlers, Whimbrels, Eastern Curlews and Pied Stilts. There is also a good chance to find Common Greenshank, Red Knot, Terek Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Australian Pied Oystercatcher and Black-tailed Godwit among them. A large flock of Black Swans is often feeding in the bay nearby.
Whimbrels and Bar-tailed Godwits at the Toorbul roost
At the southern side of the Toorbul Main Roost you’ll find a small creek. Look for Beach Stone-curlew in the creek mouth, it is its favourite spot. Several times we came across a family of Buff-banded Rails in the same location. Other birds along the creek include Azure Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Pheasant Coucal, Striped Honeyeater and Southern Boobook.
Toorbul North Sandspit often has different waders than the other three spots. Pacific Golden Plovers are regularly found there. Other birds include Great Egret, Little Egret, Royal Spoonbill and Striated Heron. In the creek flowing behind the buildings at the north end of the Esplanade, Black Bittern and Nankeen Night-Heron have been recorded a few times.
Bishop’s Marsh
This site is located 6km west of Toorbul at the corner of Pumicestone Rd and Volz Rd. Site coordinates are 27o62’08’’S and 153o03’10’’E.
Bishop’s Marsh is a large shallow swamp on a private property. It is worth stopping on the road on your way to or from Toorbul however the wetland may disappear during a prolonged drought. The swamp supports a large variety of waterbirds and waders such as Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Pied Stilt, Black-fronted Dotterel and Red-kneed Dotterel. Occasionally, you may see Black-necked Stork, Latham’s Snipe, Glossy Ibis or Pink-eared Duck here.
Check the paddocks around the swamp; Brolga is a regular here. The paddocks may also produce Horsfield’s Bushlark, Australasian Pipit, Golden-headed Cisticola and large flocks of Straw-necked Ibises.
Swamp Harrier can sometimes be seen patrolling the swamp.
Sheep Station Creek Conservation Park
This 230ha Park is located at Morayfield, 40km north of Brisbane CBD and 7km southwest of Caboolture. It is the largest remnant of natural forest within the quickly developing Caboolture Shire. Sheep Station Creek runs through the Park on its way to the Deception Bay via Caboolture River. The ridgetops are covered with an open forest dominated by gum-topped box and ironbarks. The upper slopes have spotted gums, pink bloodwood and white mahogany. On the lower slopes and along the creek you’ll find forest red gums, scribbly gums and brush box with an understory wattles, black she-oaks, grasses and herbs.
The main attraction of this site is a small flock of Swift Parrots (2-5 birds) that regularly travel that far north from Tasmania for the winter. This is the northernmost range of this species.
There are several entry points to the Park from the surrounding streets. The main and most accessible entrance is from the west via Phelps Rd off Caboolture River Rd. To get there, exit Bruce Hwy (M1) onto Uhlmann Rd (60) to the west and continue on Morayfield Rd (60) until you’ll see the Morayfield shopping complex where you turn left into Caboolture River Rd. Alternative entrances are from McLoughlin Rd from the east, Williamson Rd from the south and Mackney Rd from the north. Park your car at the end of either of these roads and enter the park on foot.
There are three trails here, Grey Gum Circuit (4.4km), Spotted Gum Trail (1.2km one way) and Ironbark Ridge Trail (1.1km one way). The latter features a spectacular 400-year-old ironbark tree. No other facilities are provided. The trail map can be found here: https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/uploadedFiles/moretonbay/living/recreational-trail/sheepstationcreek.pdf.
The Park is a good biding spot, particularly for the dry woodland birds that otherwise are quite rare around Brisbane. Over 160 species are on the Park’s birdlist. Key species are Swift Parrot, Black-chinned Honeyeater, Fuscous Honeyeater, Crested Shrike-tit, Little Lorikeet, Painted Button-quail, Dusky Woodswallow, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike and Powerful Owl. Other birds of interest include Australian King-Parrot, Pale-headed Rosella, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Spectacled Monarch, Striped Honeyeater, Forest