Warrina Lakes monthly birding outing: June 2026
- Ceri Pearce
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
Ceri Pearce | Cassowary Coast Area Coordinator and Birds With Altitude Project Leader
Heavy rain during the early hours of Sunday morning had many of us contemplating a sleep-in. Fortunately, conditions improved by dawn and, when six participants gathered at the Warrina Lakes carpark at 7:00 am, the skies were overcast but dry.
Equipped with raincoats, umbrellas and gumboots, we set out prepared for wet weather. Apart from a brief shower about an hour into the walk, the rain held off for the rest of the morning. In fact, the recent rain seemed to wash the landscape clean and, when occasional sunbeams broke through the clouds, the birds looked as though they had been freshly polished.
Green Orioles and Mistletoebirds provided the soundtrack of the morning, their calls coming from all directions. A Rainbow Bee-eater was hawking insects around the carpark, while Australian Swiftlets flew low overhead throughout the morning, also taking advantage of the insect activity.
It was a three-kingfisher morning. Laughing Kookaburras engaged in a noisy singing contest, Forest Kingfishers were regularly seen dropping to the ground to capture prey, and a stunning Little Kingfisher sat in full view, illuminated by shafts of sunlight. Its brilliant colours had several of us regretting our decision to leave our cameras behind.
Flycatchers were also well represented, with female Leaden Flycatchers and male Shining Flycatchers appearing around the forest and wetland margins. A Pale-vented Bush-hen scooted past at ground level near the back ponds.
In one particularly active patch of habitat, a Leaden Flycatcher was seen giving a female Little Bronze-Cuckoo a rather hard time. Nearby, a procession of Dusky Honeyeaters, Large-billed Gerygones, Mistletoebirds, Green Orioles and a Barred Cuckoo-shrike kept everyone busy scanning the canopy. A Shining Bronze-Cuckoo was also heard calling from deeper within the forest.
As we circled the main lake, a Black-necked Stork flew in to inspect the sedge swamp behind the lake. Shortly afterwards, we startled a Great-billed Heron, which launched itself into flight, drawing admiring comments about its impressive wingspan.
While the main lake still supports a significant infestation of Salvinia, some progress has been made in clearing the weed. Waterbirds included 11 Wandering Whistling-Ducks, a few Pacific Black Ducks, and a family of Comb-crested Jacanas comprising two adults and three juveniles.
Despite the threatening forecast, it proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable morning. Over three leisurely hours of birding, we recorded 50 bird species, either seen or heard. A complete list can be found in Birdata. As always, the outing concluded with a relaxed social morning tea.
As cameras were left at home due to the weather, the accompanying bird images have been kindly provided by BirdLife Photography to add a splash of colour to this report.
