Register / Login
Home
Business Directory
Classifieds
Jobs
Calendar
GateWAy Blog
Information
Photo Gallery
Contact Us
Bird watching Lake Seppings & Oyster Harbour Print E-mail
Birdwatching at Lake Seppings

 

Australasian GrebeLocation: Golf Links Road near Middleton Beach - parking is available at the start of the loop trail.

A good place to look for water birds, Lake Seppings is also home to many bush birds. More than one hundred different species of birds have been recorded on and around the lake. With the recent completion of the Lake Seppings Bird Walk it is now possible to walk around the entire lake. A viewing platform is located at the northern end of the lake and a bird hide is found on the western shore, approx. 1.4 km from the parking area.

On the lake Musk Duck, Blue-billed Duck, Australian Pelican, Black Swan, Hoary-headed Grebe and Eurasian Coot are regularly sighted. Several species of cormorants are often seen sitting on posts drying their wings. Occasionally a Darter is present.

White-faced Heron, Australian White Ibis and Yellow-billed Spoonbill occur along the shallower margins on the western side of the lake.

Purple Swamphen, Spotless Crake and Buff-banded Rail are found amongst the rushes. In spring and summer the migratory Clamorous Reed-Warbler can be heard singing in the reeds. Also look for the more secretive Little Grassbird.

Bush birds are found in the vegetation surrounding the lake. Look for New Holland honeyeaters, red wattlebirds and western spinebills feeding on blossoms. Red-capped parrots and western rosellas are quite easily spotted as are silvereyes, thornbills and fantails.

Birds such as the Golden Whistler and the White-breasted Robin are permanent residents. Red-winged fairy-wrens and red-eared firetails, both endemic to Western Australia, breed near the lake.

Welcome swallows are often present, usually seen flying low over the lake hunting for insects. Tree martins roost near the lake.


Birdwatching at Oyster Harbour

 

immature Pacific Gull
immature Pacific Gull

 Emu Point

A favourite place for pelicans, this area is also a regular haunt for cormorants, Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers, Crested and Caspian Terns, and Pacific Gulls. During the summer months the exposed mudflats provide feeding grounds for numerous White-faced Herons, and the occasional Yellow-billed Spoonbill. Migratory waders from Siberia can also be observed. They include Common Greenshanks, Grey Plovers, and Red-necked Stints.

 
adult Pacific Gull
adult Pacific Gull

Lower King - Esplanade / Lower King Bridge

In summer when the tide is low, this is a good place to observe waders. Whimbrels, Red-necked Stints, Common Greenshanks, and Grey Plovers can be seen forageing on the mudflats. Year-round White-faced Heron, Australian Pelican, Pied Oystercatcher, as well as several cormorant and tern species are easily spotted. Cormorants often rest on the jetty. Keep an eye out for Osprey and White-bellied Sea-Eagle as they hunt for fish.

Pelicans

Kalgan River Mouth

Look for pelicans, cormorants and terns resting on rocks on the south side of the bridge. At low tide during the summer months numerous waders including Red-necked Stints, Common Greenshanks, Knots, Sand Plovers, Grey-tailed Tattlers and Red-capped Plovers feed on the mudflats. Ospreys are also seen on a regular basis. Welcome Swallows are often seen underneath the bridge.

Last Updated on Monday, 22 March 2010 13:37