If you think more about birds than social media when you hear the word ‘tweet’, you may enjoy a spot of birdwatching. Ipswich offers an incredible array of birdlife, with some 337 species identified in the area.
Download the Bird Places of Ipswich Brochure (PDF, 2.3 MB) and take a look at the table below to get an idea of what you may spot in the different locations:
| Place | Address | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Chelmsford Avenue or Quarry Street | Easy paths and tracks. Bush birds including king parrots, variegated fairy-wrens and honeyeaters can be seen. | |
| 39 Haig Street, Brassall | Easy paths. Bush birds including wrens, honeyeaters and speckled warblers can be seen. Sometimes waterbirds can be seen in the pond. | |
| 243 Riverside Drive, Muirlea | River birds including darters, cormorants, kingfishers, ospreys, brahminy kites, white-bellied sea-eagles can be seen. Rainforest walks with birds of wetter forests such as varied trillers, little shrike-thrush, wonga pigeons and occasionally powerful owls can be seen. | |
| Colleges Crossing Recreation Reserve | 408-492 Mt Crosby Road, Chuwar | Water birds including ducks, pelicans, brahminy kites and ospreys can be seen. |
| Walter Zimmerman Park | Kirkston Place, Pine Mountain | Easy tracks. Bush birds such as common bronzewings, lorikeets, parrots, speckled warblers, varied sittellas, white-throated cuckoo-shrikes, fuscous and black-chinned honeyeaters can be seen. |
| End of School Rd, Redbank Plains; south of Redbank Plains Road | Walking tracks through varied bush allow you to see wrens, honeyeaters, parrots, speckled warblers and spotted quail-thrush. | |
Hardings Paddock Campground - Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate | Carmichaels Road, Purga (off Ipswich Boonah Road) | Gamlen Circuit (3.5km) is excellent for spotting bush birds including wrens, honeyeaters, grey-crowned babblers, speckled warblers and spotted quail-thrush. |
Flinders Plum Picnic Area - Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate | Mt Flinders Road, Peak Crossing (follow the dirt road to the end) | For a good bird walk follow Sandy Creek eastwards for a couple of kilometres. Bush birds along the creek include raptors. |
| Middle Road, Purga | Boardwalks through Swamp Tea Tree. Birds can be seen along the boardwalk edges including finches, thornbills, speckled warblers and tawny frogmouths. | |
| Raysource Road | Turn west from Haigslea Amberley Rd, 2.5 km north of Walloon. Park at junction of Raysource Road and Haigslea Cemetery Road. Walk west and south on dirt roads. Please be aware of approaching vehicles on the road. Do not enter any private properties. | The Western Walk takes you to a dam with waterbirds including nankeen night herons. Bush birds along roads include grey-crowned babblers, speckled warblers, wrens and owlet-nightjars. |
| Bundamba (Daly's) Lagoon Wetlands | Ripley Road about 9 km south of Ripley. Park and view from the road verge. Do not enter any private properties. | Waterbirds include ducks, egrets, white-bellied Sea-eagles, darters and cormorants. A small swamp further along the road which is a private property has waterbirds including jacanas, moorhens, swamphens, Australasian grebes and buff-banded rails. |
Clubs
If you’d like to get involved in birdwatching with others, there are a number of clubs and associations covering the Ipswich area. Birds Queensland organises regular events for its members and Birdlife Southern Queensland welcomes new members into its feathered fold.
Safety tips
Like any activity that involves venturing out into nature, when out birdwatching it’s wise to take a number of simple steps to keep yourself safe. Before you head off be sure to notify someone of your planned destination and check weather forecasts and fire and weather warnings. Wear appropriate clothing and pack sunblock, plenty of water and food. Bring your fully-charged mobile along and make sure it has pre-entered emergency contact details.
Code of conduct
While most birdwatchers are respectful of the environment and other people when out in nature, it’s always worth remembering key behaviour we all need to practice in order to protect the environment so we can continue to enjoy watching our feathered friends:
- Tread lightly and stay on designated trails at all times, making sure not to cut corners.
- Do not disturb or remove any plants, animals, rocks or artefacts from cultural sites.
- Leave no trace - remove all rubbish you take in and respect the environment.
- Always read and obey all signage along your path.
- Be courteous and prepared to share tracks with other recreational users, keeping an eye out for cyclists and joggers who may approach unexpectedly.
- Respect neighbouring private properties by staying within the reserve boundaries.
- In case of accidents or other emergencies call 000 or 112 immediately.