Birding

The following notes are taken from the National Parks and Wildlife Service's website about Yuraygir National Park. The Park extends both north and south of the village of Red Rock, and shares many habitats and species. You can easily wade across the Corindi River into the park at low tide. For more details about the park and its flora and fauna, click the link below.

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/parks.nsf/parkContent/N0040?OpenDocument&ParkKey=N0040&Type=Xo

The flowering heathland areas support many nectar eating birds, with late winter to early spring considered a prime time for observation.

Wet heathlands and swamp edges are favoured habitat for two threatened species: the ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) and the eastern grass owl (Tyto longimembris). The brolga (Grus rubicundus) and the black-necked stork or jabiru (Xenorhychus asiaticus) are two rare water birds found in swamp and freshwater habitats at Yuraygir.

Both the pied oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) and the sooty oystercatcher (Haematopus fulginosus) are seen on rock platforms and intertidal areas. The mongolian plover (Charadrius mongolus) black bittern (Dupetor flavicollis) and the osprey (Pandion halietus) can also be seen in estuarine areas of the park.

The glossy-black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) is often seen in the forested areas, especially among the she-oaks whose cones provide their main food source.

Other interesting birds include the rare masked booby (Sula dactylatra), recorded in the waters beside Yuraygir, the little tern (Sterna albifrons) which nests on beaches within the park, and the red-backed button quail (Turnix maculosa) and red-chested button-quail (Turnix pyrrhothorax) which occur in grassland areas.

The little tern (Sterna albifrons) migrates from eastern Asia, arriving here each summer. They are mainly seen from September to April. Their favoured habitat is coastal waters, shallow inlets and salt or brackish lakes. Their nests are very vulnerable to disturbance as they consist of a scrape in the sand, into which two or three speckled eggs are laid. This means that humans, vehicles, feral animals and domestic dogs and cats can easily damage their nesting areas. Some known breeding areas have been fenced off by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.