A Birder's Guide to Australia: Lamington National Park

Check my birding map for specific location.

Lamington National Park is an interesting place. Most people (including me) only really know one place in it, particularly for watching wildlife. And that is O'Reilly's holiday park. I think it is the only such place in Australia. There is a long history and story about how it came to pass that a National Park has a holiday village in the middle of it. But here it is and it offers easy access to an amazing rainforest and the animals within.

It is a long, windy uphill road to get there and once at the top there is nowhere else to go but O'Reillys. I was grateful to find it welcoming and not too expensive. Unfortunately, I was there in the school holidays so it was quite busy. Noisy children and bird photography do not generally mix. So, I was up before light every day and into the forest. I loved listening to the dawn chorus and having bats whizzing past my face in the gloom. Everything was heightened at that time of day. Even the rain was atmospheric and brought the place alive.

Most of my time was spent in the forest and the most sought after birds were the bowerbirds. Both the Satin and Regent were common here, depending on the season. I was fortunate to find the bower of a male Satin Bowerbird early on and spent many hours sitting at a distance watching him repair and decorate it. Every now and then a ray on sunshine would sneak through the canopy and light him up.

Satin Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)

There were not too many Regent Bowerbirds present in the early springtime that I was there but I still found the male and female. The gold on the back of the male was another one of those times that the glowing plumage of a bird outshines the photograph. I liked the female too. She was a variable brown colour and every bit as interesting.

Regent Bowerbird (Sericulus chrysocephalus)

One of the most distinctive sounds in the forest was the Eastern Whipbird. Unsurprisingly, the bird is named so because the call sounds like a whip cracking. It is one of the most wonderful sounds in Australia. Unfortunately, they are very secretive and do not readily pose for photographs. So I was thrilled not only to catch one out in the open but also to photograph it in the process of unleashing that whipcrack. I also saw juveniles who hopped around on the verge of the forest and so were a bit easier to see.

Eastern Whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus)

Another rainforest skulker is the Australia Logrunner. A very pretty bird (both male and female) with striking plumage but often difficult to spot as they spend their time scratching around in the leaf litter. I found it very beneficial to just sit quietly and wait. It paid off as I found a pair, watched their routine and was able to return to them several times.

Australian Logrunner (Orthonyx temminckii)

The biggest surprise for me was that there were Albert's Lyrebird wandering around the camping car park. Seemingly unconcerned about humans, they just went about their business looking for bugs in the soil and allowed me to watch, follow and photograph them.

Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti)

One of the most popular visitors to O'Reillys was the King Parrot. Common in the trees and feeders, they could often be seen landing on people's shoulders and heads. Something as a professional birder I disapprove of severely but I must admit I loved it when they landed on me!

Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis)

Other notable mentions are the Eastern Spinebill, Paradise Riflebird and Golden Whistler, all of which could be seen with a little patience in the area. Such terrific birds and great photo opportunities.

Eastern Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris)

Paradise Riflebird (Ptiloris paradiseus)

Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)

The real highlight for me was when the most experienced guide took me into the forest to find a Sooty Owl. I doubted we could find it and even more that I would get a decent photo. But we did and I did. I couldn't believe that I only took half a dozen shots in semi-darkness and managed to get it in focus. A magical moment for sure.