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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