The local “birdos” always hold their end-of-year final bird outing and morning tea at the Garden and there were several very special sightings.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

Garden volunteer and group member Cheryl Cooper, arrived early as there had been some sightings of the powerful owl family recently.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Cheryl told News Of The Area.

“Not one but three powerful owls, an adult and the two almost fully grown chicks, and on display at lower levels than usual.

“Certainly this was my best sighting of the owls this year.

“Normally they would have moved on, but they seem to be staying in the garden for longer and longer each year as, clearly, the garden provides all their needs.”

Fortunately, the family stayed around for the main birder group, who crept down quietly and had some great views of the birds.

“It was a pretty hot day, and it felt fairly quiet, bird-wise, but the final bird tally for the day was still 47 observed.”

This included wood ducks with ducklings, other water birds, green catbirds, dollar birds, yellow-tailed black cockatoos feeding in one of the trees and, of course, the satin bowerbirds.

Then there was more excitement when a nesting pair of Pacific Bazas was spotted.

“Bazas are a small raptor, and they love frogs so the garden, with some of its wetland areas, is an ideal home for them,” Cheryl said.

Many watched enchanted as an adult Lewis honeyeater fed her chick in the shade and then the final fabulous sighting was one of the garden’s three koalas.

By Andrea FERRARI