TWITCHING AND BIRDING… CAUSE THE TERRITORY IS A BIRDER'S PARADISE
It doesn’t matter where you go in the Territory, there seems to be bird life all around. From birds calling first thing in the morning (although you might not enjoy that…) to the magical hour of dusk where there is a frantic rush for each individual bird to finish up its foraging and head back to the roost where it will sleep until the crack of dawn.
Living in the Territory sets you up for birdwatching as most of the regular camping spots and weekend getaways are within national parks and reserves with birds and nature surrounding you. One special area – Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve – is home to a range of waterbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds that use the overflow of the dam wall, the shallow swamps, extensive reedbed systems and floodplain. The site is just a 50 minute drive from Darwin, is free to enter and can be accessed throughout the year. The floodplain is bordered by a stand of monsoon rainforest, where a suite of colourful and exciting birds live, including Rose-crowned Fruit-dove and Rainbow Pitta, two of Darwin’s specialities. Ask any birder that has not seen these species and they will be thoroughly gripped off with your sighting. Take a walk through the forest and you might also see Spangled Drongo, Shining Flycatcher, Green-backed Gerygone, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin and many other birds that will excite the eyes.
During the build-up and wet season, the reedbeds along the dam wall can be a place of much focus for the serious birdwatcher, or Twitcher, as Oriental Reed Warbler perches and calls from thick cover. This is a species with a distribution that spans from breeding grounds in southern Siberia through to central and southern China, and Australasia where it reaches the Top End and the Kimberley region for the non-breeding season. This bird can migrate thousands of kilometres and when it turns up in northern Australia, birdwatchers get excited as it is a rare bird to see. Look hard though, because this species looks remarkably similar to its Australian cousin, the Australian Reed Warbler. Differing only by lighter upperparts, a thicker bill and by call, the Oriental Reed Warbler is a tough bird to twitch using an untrained eye.
Twitching aside, the start of a birding career can be full of excitement, questions and many hours watching and waiting for that special bird to show. It will be hot and there will be mosquitoes, but when you finally catch a glimpse of your target species, you’ll forget about everything else and simply exist in your birding moment. Go on, grab a pair of binoculars and field guide and get out there!
Amanda Lilleyman is an ornithologist and specialises in migratory shorebird ecology in Darwin. You can find her along beaches searching for her favourite bird – the Black-tailed Godwit.
