MELBOURNE: A Birding Destination
Like no Other
MELBOURNE: A Birding Destination
Victoria, Australia’s smallest mainland state boasts some terrific birds and a wide variety of habitats. From the eastern temperate rainforests to the dry mallee scrub of the north-west, over 490 bird species have been recorded in this state.
Melbourne, the state capital, is surrounded by excellent birding sites. Close to the city are forest-clad hills, home to Superb Lyrebird, Pink Robin, Pilotbird and other moist forest specialists. A visit to Werribee Treatment Plant is a must for any birder travelling to Victoria. This extensive area of lagoons and mudflats is one of Australia’s premier birding destinations and plays host to many species of waders/shorebirds, and water birds.
East of Melbourne, the forests and heath lands of the Gippsland area contain Glossy Black Cockatoo, Ground Parrot and Eastern Bristlebird. North of the city, the dry box-ironbark forests of Chiltern are home to woodland birds such as Turquoise Parrot, Spotted Quail-Thrush, Regent Honeyeater and Speckled Warbler.
South west of Melbourne, a trip along the Great Ocean Road will be rewarded with spectacular scenery and some great birding. This area is the best place for the enigmatic Rufous Bristlebird. If you go all the way to Port Fairy you may be able to join a pelagic trip on which many species of albatross, petrels, prions and other seabirds can be observed. Finally, in the far north west of the state the “mallee” (dry eucalypt scrubland) attracts several habitat-restricted species: Malleefowl, Regent Parrot, Red-lored Whistler, Mallee Emu-Wren and Striated Grasswren.
A TEAM OF EXPERT BIRDING GUIDES
If you only have a day or two, birding around Melbourne can result in an amazing variety of birds. A great variety of habitats can easily be covered in a day’s birding and will result in sightings of many different bird species: waterbirds, raptors, parrots, cockatoos, lorikeets, honeyeaters, robins, treecreepers, flycatchers, fairy-wrens, finches and many, many more.
Let one of our experienced, knowledgeable and friendly guides show you their favourite birding spots and adjust the day to your wishes. As a starting point, please browse the sample itineraries below, then contact us to discuss. We look forward to hearing from you and showing you our special birds!
SAMPLE ITINERARIES
FOR MELBOURNE BIRDING
Please find below some suggested itineraries for day tours. Our local guides are available to take you out birding for any duration. If you like to maximise the species list we can visit as many habitats as possible in order to achieve between 100-120 species, more in our spring and summer when migratory shorebirds are present. If you prefer to have a relaxed day’s birding we’ll show you the highlights of our local area, visiting a few different parks and reserves each with its own unique birdlife. Prefer to focus on bird photography? Our experienced, knowledgeable and friendly local guides would be happy to show you their favourite birding spots and adjust the day to your wishes.
If you have more time, let’s consider a multi-day birding trip further afield, such as:
Chiltern
Mount Pilot National Park: one of the best remaining examples of Box-ironbark Forest. It is home to birds such as the stunningly beautiful Turquoise Parrot, the endangered Regent Honeyeater, Mistletoebird, White-browed Babbler, Speckled Warbler and Painted Honeyeater;
Great Ocean Road
One of the most scenic locations in Australia. The focus of this tour is the bird life however you will be awestruck at every turn by the rugged coastlines, the pristine forests and the biodiversity that will reveal itself to you. Birds include Rufous Bristlebird, Southern Emu Wren, Gang Gang Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Hooded Plover.
‘Mallee' reserves of NW Victoria
Visit two of the best National Parks containing Mallee eucalypt scrubland habitat, and explore some the River Red Gum forests along Australia’s largest river, the Murray. Birds such as Malleefowl, Mallee Emu-wren, Major Mitchell’s (Pink) Cockatoo, Regent Parrot and many more can be found here.
The riverine floodplain forests of the Vic-NSW border region
With birds such as Superb Parrot, Diamond Firetail, Painted Buttonquail, Pied Honeyeater and other good species can be found, with the highlight being a night spotlighting session for the highly endangered Plains Wanderer on the vast plains surrounding these rivers.
Itinerary #1: Full-Day Best of Melbourne Birdwatching
Features:
• Visits the waterfowl spectacle of the Western Treatment Plant and the dense forests of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, with many other habitats along the way.
• Personalised service, travel in comfortable and reliable air-conditioned vehicle.
• Wonderful photographic opportunities.
Inclusions:
• Hotel pickup and drop off
• National Park fees
• Use of Spotting Scope, Field Guides
• A bird checklist
• Guiding by one of our professional and friendly guides
Some key species:
Superb Lyrebird, Eastern Yellow Robin, Crimson Rosella, Red-necked Avocet, Galah.
Featured Birds and Wildlife
ITINERARY:
6 am – You will be picked up at your city hotel and taken to Dandenong Ranges National Park, approximately 40 minutes east of Melbourne. The park has an amazing upper canopy of Mountain Ash, Eucalyptus regnans, the tallest flowering plant in the world. The mid canopy features some amazing tree ferns and bracken. This is the home of arguably the best songbird on the planet, the Superb Lyrebird. We will hike approximately 1km, 0.6 miles into a site where we stand a good chance of seeing and hearing this incredible bird.
Although the Superb Lyrebird is our target species there are many other birds which live here including Eastern Whipbird, Laughing Kookaburra, Eastern Yellow Robin, Galah, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo and King Parrot to name a few.
After a few hours here we will head an hour south west to the Western Treatment Plant where we will add to the species list with waterfowl, shorebirds, bush birds, raptors and more. We will lunch on the go so our birding is not interrupted.
At the end of the day we will head back to Melbourne where you will be dropped off at your hotel at 6 pm.
Itinerary #2: South West Coastal Tour
Features:
• Visits the waterfowl spectacle of the Western Treatment Plant and the eastern part of the scenic Great Ocean Road, with many other habitats along the way.
• Personalised service, travel in comfortable and reliable air-conditioned vehicle.
• Wonderful photographic opportunities.
Inclusions
• Hotel pickup and drop off
• National Park fees
Some key species:
Rufous Bristlebird, Southern Emu-wren, Hooded Plover, Black-faced Cormorant, Chestnut-rumped Heath-wren, Striated Fieldwren, Shy Albatross, Australian Gannet
Featured Birds and Wildlife
ITINERARY:
6 am – You will be picked up at your city hotel and taken to Angelsea, a bit over an hour’s drive south west of Melbourne. We will begin by searching for the Rufous Bristlebird, a species which has a very small range due to its habitat requirements. This charismatic species is a bit of a skulker, however, be patient and you may be rewarded by some wonderful views.
We will then visit a surf beach where nothing really stands between us and Antarctica. We will search the beaches for Hooded Plover, Sanderling and Double-banded Plover. We will scour the rocky outcrops for Black-faced Cormorant, a marine species of cormorant rarely seen close to shore. We will look out to sea where in windy wintery conditions various species of albatross can be seen.
From here we will explore a magnificent example of coastal heathland which provides the perfect habitat for Striated Fieldwren, Southern Emu-wren and Tawny-crowned Honeyeater. Eastern Grey Kangaroos often watch on as we seek out these target species.
We will then move on to a fantastic patch of Ironbark Forest where we will search for Some of the honeyeaters, whistlers and parrots that are often encountered. Species such as Blue-winged Parrot, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Rufous Whistler, White-eared Honeyeater, Crimson Rosella, Spotted Pardalote and many others call this forest home. We then head on to the Western Treatment Plant for ducks, shorebirds, waterfowl raptors and more. Lunch will be had at the plant where we can add to our species list as we eat.
At the end of the day we will head back to Melbourne where you will be dropped off at your hotel at 6 pm.
Itinerary #3: Four Habitats Tour
Our 4 Habitats Tour is a great way for any birder to see a good variety of birds in one day close to Melbourne. The four main habitat types that we will visit are farmland, dry eucalyptus forest, coastal salt marsh and wetlands.
• Visits the waterfowl spectacle of the Western Treatment Plant and the You Yangs Regional Park, with many other habitats along the way.
• Personalised service, travel in comfortable and reliable air-conditioned vehicle.
• Wonderful photographic opportunities.
Inclusions:
• Hotel pickup and drop off
• National Park fees
Some key species:
Wedge-tailed Eagle, Whistling Kite, Rainbow Bee-eater (summer), White-winged Chough, shorebirds, Pink-eared Duck, Musk Duck, crakes, spoonbills and many more. Expect over 100 species.
Featured Birds and Wildlife
ITINERARY:
7 am – You will be picked up at your city hotel or place of accommodation near Melbourne. We will first head to You Yangs Regional Park with an optional coffee stop on the way. You Yangs Regional Park is a dry eucalyptus forest which attracts many types of birds including a variety of honeyeaters such as White-plumed Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater and Yellow-faced Honeyeater. Quite often Australia’s largest raptor, the Wedge-tailed Eagle will soar overhead as it searches for prey. Other raptors we may encounter include Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk, Whistling Kite and Brown Falcon. In Spring/Summer, the park is home to some northern migrants including Rufous Whistler, Rainbow Bee-eater, White-winged Triller, Olive-backed Oriole and some of the cuckoos such as Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Shining Bronze-cuckoo, Horsfield’s Bronze-cuckoo and Pallid Cuckoo. Another bird that is frequently seen here is the White-winged Chough which lives in large groups and builds wonderful mud nests. Some mammals that we may see are Black Wallaby, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Koala.
11 am – We will drive the short distance over to the Western Treatment Plant where we will spend the rest of the day. This site holds an incredible amount of waterfowl, bush-birds and raptors all year round. During our Spring/Summer, the plant is home to up to 30 species of shorebird which migrate from the northern hemisphere. We will scan the many ponds for ducks, cormorants and grebes including Pink-eared Duck, Australian Shoveler and the incredible Musk Duck. We will search the many reed beds for Australian Spotted Crake, Buff-banded Rail and Spotless Crake. We will endeavour to find Royal Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Spoonbill and up to 100 other species in Melbourne’s premier birding destination. We will have lunch at a place where the birds are plentiful so that we won’t miss a thing. We will continue birding until 4 pm and have you back at your accommodation at 5 pm.
CONTACT US
Our team at birdingmelbourne.com is part of the Bellbird Tours network of birding guides. We have local birding guides who are experts in various locations across Australia including Adelaide, Perth and Sydney among others.
