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New South Wales
With diverse ecological habitats, New South Wales contains temperate rainforests on the east coast and Dividing Range, and drier eucalypt woodlands to semi-arid lands in the west. There are a number of areas where there is a cross-over of dry land birds and moist climate birds, making for excellent birding – and long lists! The rare Rockwarbler in NSW’s only endemic bird, and other specialties include Superb Lyrebird, the endangered Regent Honeyeater, Superb Fairy-wren, Barking and Powerful Owls, and Bush Stone-curlew. Further north, and close to the coast are Logrunner, Regent Bowerbird and Eastern Bristlebird, and woodland regions can produce Crested Bellbird, Hall’s Babbler and Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush.
Birdwatching Tours
Full Day Best of Sydney Birdwatching – ex SydneyDepart Sydney city, cross the spectacular Sydney Harbour Bridge and onto Sydney Olympic Park/ Bicentennial Park with its important wetland ecosystem offering access to wetlands, saltmarsh and bird hides. Our ornithologist leader will offer a broad range of birding as we explore this rich area. Continue west and climb into the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park. Enjoy morning tea deep in the Australian bush.
Within the Blue Mountains, see wild kangaroos up close as well as excellent views of amazing parrots and cockatoos. The tour combines spectacular waterfalls and lookouts over breathtaking canyons with superb birdwatching opportunities. Many forest and heathland species will be found in this rich area. The day will also include the famous Blue Mountains icon - the Three Sisters. Return to Sydney with life time memories of spectacular birdwatching and Blue Mountains scenery.
Tour Code: BS1SBTo Book or Enquire: Email (Please include Tour Code) Full Day Royal National Park Birdwatching Tour – ex Sydney
A full day tour that includes four of Sydney’s best sites and incorporates subtropical, warm temperate and littoral (coastal) rainforest, wet eucalypt forests, grassy woodlands, heathlands and freshwater and saltwater wetlands. Depart from central Sydney with your ornithologist leader and receive an introduction to Australian birds in Centennial Park.
Continue to the Royal National Park which is the world’s second oldest national park - after Yellowstone in the USA. Regarded as a premium birding location, the Park offers excellent opportunities to view a wide variety of bird species in a range of habitats, from rainforest to heathland. With expert guiding and spectacular scenery, this is a very special day which should produce a good list of interesting species.
Tour Cost: Please enquire about availability and costs as this tour generally operates on a private basis, from one person, to many. Tour Code: BS1RPTo Book or Enquire: Email (Please include Tour Code) 2 Day Sydney & Blue Mountains Birdwatching Tour – ex Sydney
Day1:Depart your Sydney city hotel with your expert birding guide this morning. After crossing the spectacular Sydney Harbour Bridge, see Sydney Olympic Park and visit Bicentennial Park for a guided walk. Enjoy frequent birding stops including prolific birding areas at Mitchell Park, Scheyville and Pitt Town. Climb into the Blue Mountains and travel through the Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park. We will do some birding in the mid-range level of the Blue Mountains before checking into our overnight accommodation in the delightful village of Leura..
Return to Sydney later afternoon.
Tour Cost: Please enquire about availability and costs as this tour generally operates on a private basis, from one person, to many. Tour Code: BS2BMTo Book or Enquire: Email (Please include Tour Code) 3 Day Capertee Valley & Blue Mountains Private Birding Tour - ex SydneyDay 01 Take a train from Sydney to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains - an area of breathtaking views and hidden natural wonders. A giant plateau dissected by deep canyons and gorges with many different habitats including lush rainforest gullies, eucalypt woodland and rocky heathland.
At Katoomba, join your expert birding guide for two full days of the private birdwatching.
From Katoomba, travel north-west to the Capertee Valley, a large enclosed valley with broad river flats flanked by rolling hills and covered with a mosaic of grassy fields and eucalyptus woodland. There is a remarkable diversity of birds and is home to the beautiful and endangered Regent Honeyeater. More than 235 bird species have been recorded in the Valley, including 18 threatened species.
Common species which can be found throughout the valley include Redrumped Parrots, Fuscous and White-plumed Honeyeaters, Brown Treecreeper, Superb Fairy-wren, Jacky Winter, Mistletoebird, Diamond Firetail, Restless Flycatcher, to name a few, and in the summer months you would also be likely to see Rufous Whistler, White-winged Triller, Rufous Songlark, Rainbow Bee-eater, Dusky Woodswallow and, in some years, large numbers of White-browed Woodswallows.
One reason for the valley's popularity with birders is that it's the closest point to Sydney where many of the more typically inland birds can be found relatively easily. These include birds such as Southern Whiteface, Painted Honeyeater, Red-capped Robin, White-browed Babbler, Plum-headed Finch, White-backed Swallow and Brown Songlark. If you're really lucky you could also see Budgerigar, Diamond Dove, Black-eared Cuckoo, Spinycheeked Honeyeater or Gilbert's Whistler, which are all rare this far east and normally associated with drier inland areas.
It can also be a great place to see birds of prey with 17 species having been recorded. Wedge-tailed Eagle, Little Eagle, Brown Falcon, Australian Hobby, Black-shouldered Kite, Nankeen Kestrel, Brown Goshawk and Collared Sparrowhawk are all reasonably common, and with a bit of luck you could see less common raptors such as the Square-tailed Kite, Black Falcon and the beautiful Spotted Harrier.
Overnight in the Capertee Valley.
More than 250 species of birds have been recorded in the central Blue Mountains area. Here you’ll find many different habitats in close proximity – it’s possible to visit lush rainforest gullies and eucalypt woodland within minutes of walking on a windswept rocky heathland.
With more than 250 species recorded, the Blue Mountains include many colourful parrots, abundant honeyeaters and such wonders of the bird world as the Superb Lyrebird and Satin Bowerbird. Whistlers, fantails, treecreepers, thornbills and scrubwrens are among the most common birds here. Other specialities of the area include the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed and Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Flame and Scarlet Robins, Satin Flycatcher, Beautiful Firetail, Pilotbird and Red-browed Treecreeper. And the Blue Mountains is possibly the best place in the world to see the locally endemic - and very charming - Rockwarbler.
Overnight in delightful Leura.
Day 03 More birding in the Blue Mountains this morning, with opportunities to view some of the iconic vistas which make the Blue Mountains a very special place.
Your guide will then take you to Katoomba where you will join your train at 1.00pm to return to Sydney.
Tour Code: BS3CBTo Book or Enquire: Email (Please include Tour Code) 5 Day Hawkesbury Valley, Capertee Valley & Blue Mountains Private Birding Tour
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 Crimson Rosella - seen regularly on this tour. |
Day 2 SYDNEY TO THE CAPERTEE VALLEY
We depart the Hawkesbury area and travel up the "Bell's Line of Road" across the Blue Mountains to windswept heathland for Tawny-crowned, White-eared Honeyeaters and the tree ferns and temperate rainforest for Rufous Fantail, Rose Robin, Yellow-throated Scrubwren.
Lunch at Mt Wilson. We continue to the Capertee Valley – officially the widest canyon in the world – for some early evening birding.
2 nights accommodation in the Capertee Valley.
Day 3 THE CAPERTEE VALLEY
Today a full day to explore the Capertee Valley and its abundant birdlife, including Diamond Firetail, Little Lorikeet, Turquoise Parrot, Red-rumped Parrot, Plum-headed, Zebra and Double-barred Finches, Hooded Robin, White-browed Babbler, Painted, Black-chinned and Striped Honeyeaters. Best of all we'll have a chance at seeing the valley's "star" bird, the endangered Regent Honeyeater.
The Capertee Valley is also a great spot to see kangaroos, wombats, and a variety of reptiles such as Bearded Dragons and Lace Monitors. We will have access to private properties normally inaccessible to birders.
In the afternoon we'll sit beside a waterhole to watch the many honeyeaters, finches and parrots coming to drink.
Second night in Capertee Valley.
Day 4 CAPERTEE VALLEY TO THE KATOOMBA
 Musk Duck |
After breakfast we leave Capertee Valley and head to Lake Wallace near Lithgow, where the very unusual Musk Duck can be seen among other species. We may also visit the Lithgow sewage ponds for Blue-billed and Pinkeared Ducks, Australian Shovelers and Hoary-headed Grebes.
Then to the rocky escarpments, forests and heathlands of the upper Blue Mountains and the chance of Superb Lyrebird, Rockwarbler, Yellow-tailed and Glossy Black and Gang-gang Cockatoos, Red-browed Treecreeper, Pilotbird, Beautiful Firetail, Flame and Scarlet Robins.
After dinner we have the option of a spotlight walk to see tree-dwelling mammals such as Greater Gliders and the chance of a Boobook or Sooty Owl. Motel accommodation in Katoomba or Leura.
 The famous Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains |
Day 5 KATOOMBA TO SYDNEY
Before breakfast we'll walk out to the famous Three Sisters rock formation and look for the charming Rockwarbler, endemic to the Sydney region.
One of the great things about the Blue Mountains is the proximity of many habitats within a short distance, and today we explore some of these habitats with the aim of seeing more of the characteristic and beautiful species that can be found in the area (such as those listed above).
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We'll visit a Satin Bowerbird's bower with its amazing collection of blue decorations and possibly see the male bird in attendance.
Working our way back down to lower altitudes we arrive back in Sydney in the afternoon.
Tour Cost:Please enquire about availability and costs as this tour generally operates on a private basis, from one person, to many.
Tour departs on request on any day, subject to availability of Guide.
Tour Code: BS5HC
To Book or Enquire: Email (Please include Tour Code)
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Nature Tours
 Mount 'N Beach Safaris |
Day / Evening Wildlife Tour – ex Sydney
 Emu |
For the ultimate Australian wildlife experience, we put the 'wild' back into 'wildlife' taking travellers in search of iconic wildlife in a noon till evening safari to the Southern Highlands, 90 minutes from Sydney.
Highly personalised, with a Naturalist Guide on hand to interpret all you see, this is a unique experience to encounter Australian wildlife in its natural environment.
 Emu Chicks |
See kangaroos, emu and wombats from our comfortable 4WD vehicles; search for koalas in towering Grey Gum forests on our koala walks; follow the river in search of platypus. Night-spotlighting for possums, gliders and wombats after dinner.
Includes lunch or afternoon tea and dinner, travelling in 4WDs customised for exceptional wildlife viewing – with onboard field guides, binoculars, spotlights, TV/DVD, 25x zoom video, & retractable sunroof for optimum viewing. Maximum 10 passengers.
 Koala |
Tour Cost:Full Day Tour AUD $295.00 p/p.
Lunch & Dinner included (April to September); Afternoon Tea & Dinner included (October to March). Tour departs Mon, Wed, Thu & Sat at approx. noon, returns approx. 10pm.
Tour Code: NS1WS
To Book or Enquire: Email (Please include Tour Code)