As you recharge and walk through the Reserve, enjoy the opportunity to engage with the birds of the bush and the bay....how many have you seen or heard?

We have some very talented photographers in our community.  Do you have some great photos to add?  Email them to [email protected]

Some of the local birds are challenging to photograph, so we've left some blanks in the list below. 
​​So go on, show us your photos via the email  above, and if you're happy to, we'll include them here.

Many thanks to Felicity Rahaus for her work in putting this page together.

Superb fairy wren (Malurus cyaneus)

All photos show males.
Males "in eclipse" retain their blue tail. They also keep their greyish legs and feet, but otherwise, they resemble females.  
Male may lose their blue plumage in late summer, going into a moult of brown feathers.
Breeding males moult earlier and regain their plumage earlier than non-breeders.
​Older male wrens (four years or more) do not lose their colour
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollendiae)

The Silver Gull has a white head, tail and underparts, with a light grey back and black-tipped wings. In adult birds the bill, legs and eye-ring are bright orange-red.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)

The general plumage of the Tawny Frogmouth is silver-grey, slightly paler below, streaked and mottled with black and rufous. A second plumage phase also occurs, with birds being russet-red. The eye is yellow in both forms, and the wide, heavy bill is olive-grey to blackish. South-eastern birds are larger than birds from the north. Tawny Frogmouths are nocturnal birds (night birds). During the day, they perch on tree branches, often low down, camouflaged as part of the tree.
Photo credit: Karin Rodger

Pied oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris)

The Pied Oystercatcher is black with a white breast and belly. All oystercatchers have a bright orange-red bill, eye-rings and legs and a red eye. Young birds are similar in appearance to the adults, but lack the intense red-orange colours and are brown rather than black. The Pied Oystercatcher is shy of humans and seldom allows close approach.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Kookaburra nesting starts in September and finishes in January. They nest in hollows found in trees with incubation beginning with the first egg laid, although they can lay up to four. Incubation and feeding of the chicks is carried out by all members of the family group.
Photo credits:   Jim Moxham, Barbara Oates
I hear the familiar call of a family of kookaburra’s, first the low hiccupping chuckle then the raucous laughter, so contagious, happiness bubbles within me. I watch with awe this unique family and then awe turns to disgust as one of the kookaburra’s darts down and snatches a small native rat. That’s one less native rat I will see scurrying across the path in front of me. The kookaburra flies from tree to tree making sure his dinner is lifeless. It is then that I realise it is not disgusting but essential to their life.
- Kath McKean, August 2021

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

The Galah can be easily identified by its rose-pink head, neck and underparts, with paler pink crown, and grey back, wings and undertail. Birds from the west of Australia have comparatively paler plumage. Galahs have a bouncing acrobatic flight, but spend much of the day sheltering from heat in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Huge noisy flocks of birds congregate and roost together at night.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Pelican (Pelicanus)

There are seven species of pelicans in the world, all of which are similar in shape and, with one exception, are primarily white in colour. Males are larger than females. The most characteristic feature of pelicans is the elongated bill with its massive throat pouch. The Australian Pelican's bill is 40 cm - 50 cm long and is larger in males than females. Pelicans have large wings and a wingspan of 2.3 m - 2.5 m.
Photo credits: Helen Marie Jordan, Troy Connell

Eastern yellow robin (Eopsaltria australis)

The Eastern Yellow Robin is a medium sized robin. It has a grey back and head, and yellow underparts. Southern birds have an olive-yellow rump, while in northern birds it is brighter yellow. The throat is off-white and, in flight, there is a pale off-white wing bar. The bill is black. Both sexes are similar in plumage colour and pattern, but the female is slightly smaller. Young Eastern Yellow Robins are rufous-brown. The plumage has some paler streaks, which are confined to the wings when the birds are a little older.
​​The Eastern Yellow Robin is confined to the east and south-east of the Australian mainland
Photo credit: Barbara Oates 

White bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogasta)

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle has white on the head, rump and underparts and dark grey on the back and wings. In flight the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown. The legs and feet are cream-white, with long black talons (claws). The sexes are similar. As in other raptors (birds of prey), Males (2.5 kg - 3.7 kg) are slightly smaller than females (2.8 kg - 4.2 kg).The wingspan is about 1.8 m - 2 m. Young Sea-Eagles are brown as juveniles than slowly become to resemble adults in a patchwork manner, acquiring the complete adult plumage by their fourth year.
Video credit: Jen Rutherford

Willie wagtail (Ripidura leucophrys)


The Willie Wagtail is the largest, and most well-known, of the Australian fantails. The plumage is black above with a white belly. The Willie Wagtail can be distinguished from other similar-sized black and white birds by its black throat and white eyebrows and whisker marks. The name wagtail stems from the constant sideways wagging of the tail. Young birds resemble the adults, but have paler, slightly rusty edges to the feathers of the wings. The Willie Wagtail has a beautiful song that can be heard clearly in the still of the night. Their call is available in the link here: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/spe.../Rhipidura-leucophrys
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Black swan (Cygnus atratus)

In adult Black Swans the body is mostly black, with the exception of the broad white wing tips which are visible in flight. The bill is a deep orange-red, paler at the tip, with a distinct narrow white band towards the end. Younger birds are much greyer in colour, and have black wing tips. Adult females are smaller than the males.
Photo credit: Helen Marie Jordan

Great egret (Ardea modesta)

The Great Egret's overall plumage is white, and, for most of the year, when not breeding, the bill and facial skin are yellow. The feet are dark olive-grey or sooty black, as are the legs. During the breeding season, the bill turns mostly black and the facial skin becomes green. Also at this time, long hair-like feathers (nuptial plumes) hang across the lower back, and the legs become pinkish-yellow at the top. Young Great Egrets are similar to the adults, but have a blackish tip to the bill.
Photo credit: Alison Normanton

Pied currawong (Strepera graculina)

The Pied Currawong is a bird of opportunity, have you heard their call?
This link has their call and other info: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Strepera-graculina
Locally the Pied Currawong poses a threat to small bush birds and their young.
It is important to maintain mid-storey habitat for the smaller birds to continue their breeding and survival in the local environment.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

New holland honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae)

This beautiful bird always has plenty to say and is one of Australia’s most energetic birds.
Listen to its call through the link: https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/.../Phylidonyris...
Fuelled up on high-energy nectar from flowering trees & shrubs, they are always active and pugnacious.
Whether pursuing a flying insect or chasing other honeyeaters away, this bird is seldom still.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Grey strike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica)

Seen in the Settlement Point bushland. 
The Grey Shrike-thrush is a rather drab coloured bird, although the plumage varies throughout its extensive range. Birds are mostly grey in the east, with an olive-grey back, and pale grey-white cheeks and underparts. In the north, the plumage is predominantly brown, and western birds are grey with buff underparts. Adult males are browner on the mantle than the female and young birds have varying amounts of rufous on the cheeks and wings.
​
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Yellow tailed black cockatoo (Zanda funerea)

These large birds feed on the seeds in the cones of the pine trees which were planted in Corinella early last century. 
Take care when walking beneath the pines if you can hear crunching and cracking noises above.  Look up and you will see black tailed cockatoos.  Watch that they don't drop a cone or two. 
Photo credit: David Ambry
I am alerted by a familiar, mournful, wailing call. I tilt my head just in time to see three magnificent yellow tailed black cockatoos flying just above me before coming the rest in a nearby banksia tree, they crackle, call and tear at the branches with their powerful beaks like no other bird I have seen.
- Kath McKean, August 2021

Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)

The Australian Magpie is black and white, but the plumage pattern varies across its range. Its nape, upper tail and shoulder are white in males, grey in females. Across most of Australia, the remainder of the body is black. In the south-east, centre, extreme south-west and Tasmania, the back and rump are entirely white. The eye of adult birds is chestnut brown.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

White ibis (Threskiornis molucca)

For thousands of years ibis have been sacred to Indigenous communities and are excellent indicators of wetland health. 
The Australian White Ibis is identified by its almost entirely white body plumage and black head and neck. The head is featherless and its black bill is long and down-curved. During the breeding season the small patch of skin on the under-surface of the wing changes from dull pink to dark scarlet. Adult birds have a tuft of cream plumes on the base of the neck. Females differ from males by being slightly smaller, with shorter bills. Young birds are similar to adults, but have the neck covered with black feathers. In flight, flocks of Australian White Ibis form distinctive V-shaped flight patterns. Another common name for this bird is Sacred Ibis, but this more appropriately refers to a closely related African species.
Photo credit:  Barbara Oates

Grey butcher bird (Cracticus torquatus) 

The adult Grey Butcherbird has a black crown and face and a grey back, with a thin white collar. The wings are grey, with large areas of white and the underparts are white. The grey and black bill is large, with a small hook at the tip of the upper bill. The eye is dark brown and the legs and feet are dark grey. Both sexes are similar in plumage, but the females are slightly smaller than the males. Young Grey Butcherbirds resemble adults, but have black areas replaced with olive-brown and a buff wash on the white areas. The bill is completely dark grey and often lacks an obvious hook. They are sometimes mistaken for small kingfishers.
Photo credit:

Brown thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)

The Brown Thornbill is a small bird, but is one of the medium-sized and more common of the thornbills. It has olive-brown to grey upperparts, with a warm reddish-brown forehead scalloped with paler markings. The rump has a reddish-brown patch, the tail is grey-brown with a black band and a pale tip, and the underparts are off-white, streaked blackish on the chin, throat and chest. The eye is dark red. The sexes are similar and young birds are only slightly different to adults, with a duller eye.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)

The Eastern Spinebill is most easily recognised by its very long, fine, down-curved beak and energetic flight, during which its white outer tail feathers are prominent. Males have a grey-black crown which extends in a black line on either site of the breast. The breast and throat are white, with a rufous patch in the centre of the throat. The wings and lower back are dark grey and the underparts and upper back are buff. Females are similar to males but have less distinct markings.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)

The Rainbow Lorikeet is unmistakable with its bright red beak and colourful plumage. Both sexes look alike, with a blue (mauve) head and belly, green wings, tail and back, and an orange/yellow breast. They are often seen in loud and fast-moving flocks, or in communal roosts at dusk.
, Photo credit: Barbara Oates, Evan Bekiaris

Eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius)

These brightly coloured birds are often seen on the ground, feeding on the seeds of the indigenous grasses Kangaroo (Themeda triandra) and Wallaby (Rytidosperma caespitosum) grass which grow in remnant patches on the reserve.
They fly in pairs or small flocks, and are commonly heard around late afternoon to dusk.

Australian raven (Corvus coronoides) 

Australian Ravens are black with white eyes in adults. The feathers on the throat (hackles) are longer than in other species, and a bird tends to extend these when calling, while holding its head and body in a horizontal position. Australian Ravens are usually seen in pairs. Another aid to identification of this species is the absence of wing-flicking while calling. Young birds resemble the adults, but have dark eyes, shorter throat hackles and often the presence of a pink, fleshy gape. This species is sometimes called a crow.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena)

The Welcome Swallow is metallic blue-black above, light grey below on the breast and belly, and rust on the forehead, throat and upper breast. It has a long forked tail, with a row of white spots on the individual feathers. The outer tail feathers (streamers) are slightly shorter in the female. Young Welcome Swallows are buffy white, instead of rusty, on the forehead and throat, and have shorter tail streamers.
Photo credit:

Striated pardalote (Pardalotus striatus)  

The Striated Pardalote is more common than people usually think, with its call the first indication of the presence of this brightly coloured little bird. There is considerable variation in plumage characteristics across the range of this species. All birds have white eyebrows with a yellow spot in front of the eye, olive-grey backs and a white stripe in the wing. In different parts of the country, the wing stripe may be narrow or wide, the coloured spot at the front end of this stripe may be red or yellow, and the black crown may have or lack fine white stripes. Both male and female are similar in plumage. Young birds also resemble the adults, but are notably paler, particularly on the crown and face.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Brown goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus)

This beautiful bird of prey can be seen swooping from tall trees on the reserve around dusk. 
Among it's targets are rabbits, so it helps to keep this invasive pest species in check.   
Photo credit:

Little wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera)

The Little Wattlebird is a medium to large honeyeater, but is the smallest of the wattlebirds. It is mostly dark grey-brown above, with faint white shafts on each of the feathers. The underparts are grey and are heavily streaked with white. The streaks are finer around the throat, becoming more blotched on the sides of the belly. In flight, there is a large rufous patch in the wings. The eye is blue-grey. Birds of Western Australia have a red eye and a silver patch on the side of the throat; these are sometimes regarded as a different species. The sexes are similar. Young Little Wattlebirds resemble the adults, but are duller, have less streaking and a have a browner eye.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Magpie lark (Grallina cyanoleuca)

The Magpie-lark is distinctively marked in black and white. The thin whitish bill and pale iris separate it from other similarly coloured species. The adult male Magpie-lark has a white eyebrow and black face, while the female has an all-white face with no white eyebrow. Young birds have a black forehead, a white eyebrow and a white throat. The Magpie-lark is often referred to as a Peewee or Pee Wee, after the sound of its distinctive calls.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Pacific gull (Larus pacificus) 

The Pacific Gull is a very large black-backed gull with a massive yellow bill, broadly tipped with scarlet. The upper wings and wingtips are wholly black with a narrow white inner trailing edge, the tail is white with a broad black band near the end. The legs are yellow to orange-yellow. Juvenile Pacific Gulls are mottled dark brown with pale face and the bill is pink with a black tip. The immatures have dark brown wings, whitish mottled body and a black-tipped yellow bill. There are two forms of the Pacific Gull: the eastern form (race pacificus) has a white eye and a complete red tip to the bill while the western form (race gergii) has a red eye and an incomplete red tip to the bill.
Photo credit: Barbara Oates

Little pied cormorant (Microcarbo melanoleucos) 

Also known as the little shag, this shorebird can be seen standing in groups on the rocky outcrops around the Corinella Foreshore.
It feeds on fish, shrimps and other crustaceans which it catches by diving deeply under water.
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Photo credit:

​Grey fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa)

The Grey Fantail is most easily recognised by its constantly fanned tail and agile aerial twists and turns. Both sexes are similar in appearance: grey above, with white eyebrow, throat and tail edges. This species is quite inquisitive and will closely approach an observer.
Photo credit:

Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)

The Caspian Tern is the largest tern in Australia, with long, slender backswept wings and a slightly forked tail. The heavy bill is red with a dusky tip. When breeding the tern is white, except for a black crown from bill to nape and a short shaggy black crest. The mantle and upperwings are grey and the flight feathers are darker. The eye is dark brown and legs are black. When not breeding, the crown is finely streaked white. The sexes are similar. Immature birds are similar to non-breeding adults. Younger birds are mottled grey and brown.
Photo credit:

Scrubwren (Sericornis frontalis)

White-browed Scrubwrens are mostly dark olive-brown above, while the throat is buff grey and the flanks, belly and rump are dull rufous. They have a white line above the eye and another below the eye. The area around the eye between the lines is black, becoming greyer near the ear. The eye is light cream. Males and females are similar, but the females are slightly duller, particularly on the face. Subtropical and tropical populations are more yellow underneath, males having an almost black facial mask. Other populations along the southern coastline have dark streaking on the throat. Young White-browed Scrubwrens are similar to the adults, but are generally duller, with more chocolate-brown backs and duskier faces.
Photo credit:

White-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)

The White-faced Heron is mostly light blue-grey in colour, with a characteristic white face. In flight, the dark flight feathers of the wing contrast with the paler grey plumage, making this bird easily identifiable when viewed from below. It has a long, slim neck and a pointed grey-black bill. The legs are long and dull yellow in colour. Sexes are similar. When breeding, the birds have long feathers (nuptial plumes) on the head, neck and back. The White-faced Heron has a slow bouncing flight. Young White-faced Herons are similar in appearance to the non-breeding adults (no nuptial plumes), but are duller, with little or no white on the face. They often have a reddish colour on the underparts
Photo credit:  Barbara Oates

 Royal Spoonbill (Platalea regia)

The royal spoonbill  also known as the black-billed spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands
Photo credit:  Barbara Oates

Mistletoe bird  (Dicaeum hirundinaceum)

Occurring throughout mainland Australia and some islands further north, the small Mistletoebird is the only Australian representative of the flowerpecker family, Dicaeidae, and is also known as the Australian Flowerpecker. They feed mainly on the berries of the mistletoe and play important part in the dispersal of mistletoe
Photo credit:  Barbara Oates