birding-aus

Griffith area

To: Peter Ewin <>, Stephen <>, "" <>
Subject: Griffith area
From: Tim Dolby <>
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2015 04:14:01 +0000
Hi Stephen,

Just noticed Peter message, he basically says the same thing as me. I wrote my 
post while he posted his -  so here's some more details.

You might find my trip report quite useful on Cocoparra,  Binya and Pulletop to 
the north east of Griffith, and Leeton and Fivebough Wetland to the south-east 
of Griffith - they are basically a country stone’s throw away, see 
http://tim-dolby.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/birding-riverina-cocoparra-fivebough.html/.

Immediately around Griffith, there are also a few good spots. North-west of 
Griffith there are a series of lakes and swamps:

Campbells Swamp (-34.227554, 146.031274) has some interesting birds, with 
Australian Little Bittern, Australasian Bittern, Magpie Goose, Pink-eared and 
Freckled Duck, Australasian Shoveler, Baillon's, Australian Spotted and 
Spotless Crake, Black-tailed Native-hen, Red-kneed Dotterel all regularly 
recorded, and even a chance of White-bellied Sea-Eagle.

Lake Wyangan (-34.235396, 146.019558) – best at the south end - can be good, 
with chance of Plumed Whistling-Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Australian Darter 
and all the cormorants, Spotted Harrier, and a range of others raptors i.e. 
Osprey was recorded their in 2011and it’s also good for thornbill, such as 
Inland, Chestnut-rumped, and Yellow.  In terms of parrots, Major Mitchell, Blue 
Bonnet, and Australian Ringneck are all on the list.

Depending on water levels, Nericon Swamp (-34.217121, 146.040757) can be good, 
and it is a good spot for White-fronted Chat, Zebra Finch,  honeyeater such as 
Singing, Spiny-cheeked and Striped Honeyeater,
Just north-east of town, the Griffith Golf Course (-34.264558, 146.061938) is 
also quite good for Blue Bonnet, Yellow-throated Miner, Spiny-cheeked and 
Striped Honeyeater, Southern Whiteface and Apostlebird.Major Mitchell has been 
recorded there – although I’m not sure how recently, and Ground Cuckoo-shrike 
has also been recorded.

South of Griffith, the Murrinbidgee River at Darlington Point (-34.564538, 
146.003448) is interesting and is another spot – I’ve seen Superb Parrot here, 
and in the adjacent Willbriggie State Forest.

Note that there are also two brochures on the 'Bird Routes of Griffith' and 
'Bird Trails of the Riverina and South West Slopes of NSW'. These may be 
available the tourist Information office in Griffith – you could give them a 
call. There is also a brochure on ‘Bird trails of the Riverina and South West 
Slopes of NSW’ see 
http://www.cootamundra.nsw.gov.au/f.ashx/RSWSNT-BirdTrailsBooklet.pdf

Interested to know how you go. Cheers,

Tim

________________________________________
From: Birding-Aus  on behalf of Peter Ewin 

Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2015 11:21 AM
To: Stephen; 
Subject: Griffith area

Stephen,
Depends how far you want to go and if you any species in particular (I will 
concentrate on parrots but these areas are generally good bird watching spots):

The closest point to town is scenic hill - likely to see Ringnecks, Red-rumps 
and Galahs - if you head down to the golf/course airport likely to add a few 
extra species and probably the best spot in the district to see Pink Cockatoos

Out at Lake Wyangan there are a number of wetlands (probably limited water) - 
Campbells Swamp, Nericon Swamp and the Lake itself. There are a number of 
options theer and a good mix of birds - Cockatiels are a possibility

The best spot locally is Binya SF and Cocoparra NP and NR east of Yenda - many 
options here, have a look at some of the birding websites/books for details. 
Good chance for Mulga Parrots and Turquoise and (at this time of year) 
Blue-winged Parrots are a possibility. Good sites are the 'Painted Honeyeater 
site' south of Burley Griffin Way, Spring Hill, Store Creek and Mailman's Gap 
area in the north (the local NP in Griffith can give you more details on this).

To the south there are a number of reserves along the Murrumbidgee River 
(former SFs) - at the right time of year Superbs are relatevely easy to find 
(though a bit late now) and Yellow Rosellas are common.

There are many options further afield - Pulletop NR, the various sites around 
Rankins Springs, Loughnan NR (and few other smaller reserves near Hillston). 
The main thing is that the MIA is a higly cleared landsacpe so usually any 
remnant patch of bush (if big enough) is worth a look. Also just walking around 
town, particularly near the hill there are quite a few common birds around.

Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Peter

> From: 
> To: 
> Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2015 09:42:30 +1000
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Griffith area
>
> I am soon going to Griffith, NSW, and I'd like to know of good birding spots
> in the area. I'm especially interested in parrots. I'll be grateful for any
> tips.
>
> Stephen
>
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