Birding at Lake Cargelligo

2007 New South Wales trip report #10

We had a leisurely breakfast in the morning sun just outside our cabin. The birding started before a single mouthful. Crested Pigeons, Magpie Larks and Australian Magpies inhabited the lawn in front of our accommodation. Galahs flew overhead as did a small flock of Straw-necked Ibis. Later several White Ibis also flew overhead.

Lake Cargelligo Caravan Park, NSW

While eating breakfast I added Noisy Miners, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Welcome Swallows and House Sparrows to the list. A Striped Honeyeater called nearby, two Major Mitchell Cockatoos flew overhead and two Red-rumped Parrots landed in the tree behind our cabin.

After our meal we packed provisions for a picnic lunch and headed down the main street to visit the tourist information centre. It was closed for another half hour! Plan B immediately kicked in and we drove down to the lakeside to do a half hour of birding.

Pied Butcherbird, Lake Cargelligo, NSW

Here the birding really took off. I was seeing birds so quickly I had to ask my wife to record them in my notebook! Here is a list of the species seen:

• Black Swan
• Pied Butcherbird
• Yellow-billed Spoonbill
• Royal Spoonbill
• Pacific Black Duck
• Grey Teal
• Black-winged Stilt
• Red-capped Plover
• Red-kneed Dotterel
• Masked Lapwing
• Australian Pelican
• Whistling Kite
• Little Egret
• Little Pied Cormorant
• Little Black Cormorant
• Darter
• Silver Gull

In a very short time I had added twenty species to my trip list. Some of the species I had never seen in the state of NSW before. (This is not all that surprising when one considers how little birding I’ve done there over the years, something I must correct.)

It was a good start to the day.