Bird Walks (or Bird Surveys)

The Blackburn Creeklands is blessed with an amazing diversity of native birdlife – more than 90 species of residents and visitors have been identified.  In 2012, a program of Bird Surveys started.   These biannual surveys are conducted on a Saturday morning in Autumn and Spring and are led by experts who are great educators too.  The community is invited to join in – no special expertise is required to participate.

Next Bird Walk

Our next Autumn, 2026 Bird Walk is planned for April, 2026 – date to-be-advised.

In the meantime, please see below for other opportunities for bird watching in the park.

Past Survey Results

Links to prior reports and survey results to date are listed below:

• Spring, 2025:  Saturday, 25th October, 2025
• Autumn, 2025:  Saturday, 26th April, 2025
• Spring, 2024:  Saturday, 19th October, 2024
• Autumn, 2024:  Saturday, 27th April, 2024
• Spring, 2023:  Saturday, 21st October, 2023
• Autumn, 2023:  Saturday, 29th April, 2023
• Spring 2022:  Saturday, 8th October, 2022
• Autumn 2022: Saturday, 30th April, 2022
• Spring 2021: Saturday, 6th November, 2021
• Autumn 2021: Saturday, April 24th, 2021
• Spring 2019: Saturday, October 19th, 2019
• Autumn 2019: Saturday, April 13th, 2019
• Spring 2018:  Saturday, October 6th, 2018
• Autumn 2018: Saturday, April 14th, 2018
• Spring 2017: Saturday, October 21st, 2017
• Autumn 2017: Saturday, April 22nd, 2017
• Spring 2016: Saturday, October 22nd, 2016
• Autumn 2016: Saturday, April 23rd, 2016
• Spring 2015: Saturday, October 24th, 2015
• Autumn, 2015: Saturday, April 18th, 2015
• Spring, 2014: Saturday, October 18th, 2014
• Autumn, 2014: Saturday, April 26th, 2014
• Spring, 2013: Saturday, October 26th, 2013
• Autumn, 2013: Saturday, April 27th , 2013
• Spring, 2012: Saturday, October 27th , 2012
• Autumn, 2012: Saturday, April 28th , 2012

Our 2020 Bird Counts, sadly, had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 precautions.  A Council led survey was run on Saturday, 6th November, 2021 as a close approximation to our usual Spring Bird Survey.   This was conducted in a more limited format for reasons of  insurance and Covid-19 restrictions.  Our 2021 Autumn Survey was undertaken on Saturday, 24th April in between the lockdowns. .

How it’s done

Walks usually start at 07:30 sharp and aim to finish at about 09:00.  The correlation of results over a cuppa usually takes up to a further hour – although most attend, it is an entirely optional “icing on the cake” for the morning.

Groups of about a dozen people head off walking in different directions in the park led by one of our experts.  Each group has a person drafted as recorder with clipboard, pen and bird sighting log forms.  Every bird species encountered by the group is recorded in the log together with the general location of the sighting and the number of birds.  After walking an hour and a half or so, the groups reconvene and the observation logs are consolidated into one – while morning tea is hungrily consumed.

For the inexperienced, it is a highly interesting and educational morning revealing the park’s birdlife as a largely “hidden dimension” most of us see and hear at a more superficial level.   Typically, our experts are able to locate many species usually invisible to the rest of us through their knowledge of bird calls and habits – particularly, the smaller varieties.  There is also the opportunity to ask questions of the experts about the birds we are studying in their natural habitat in the fresh air (beats reading books in a library or trawling the Internet!).

Knowledgeable locals also show us points of interest they’ve previously noticed such as the nesting sites of Tawny Frogmouths.  Naturally, all members of the groups, including sharp-eyed youngsters, can make the initial observations.

You should wear sensible clothing/footwear and bring cameras and binoculars if you wish.  Also, please join us for a morning cuppa afterwards when the results are consolidated.

Other Opportunities for Bird Watching in the Park

Another group conducts monthly surveys in our park on a more scientific basis than our family-friendly Spring and Autumn surveys. These are run by experienced bird watchers and attended by a variety of “birdos” including some excellent photographers. They share their results with us for posting on the Noticeboard and this web-site. Events are usually scheduled for the second Wednesday of the month.

E-mail contact – If you’d like to contact us to express interest in joining birdwatching activities or to report a special sighting, please use the e-mail form below: