Hunter Bird Observers Club

HomeSteve2024-09-30T15:28:20+10:00

Photo Mick Roderick

Photo Stephanie Owen

Photo Mick Roderick

Photo Jim Smart

Photo Steve Merrett

Photo Rob Palazzi

Photo Rob Palazzi

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Report a sighting

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Welcome! to the Hunter Bird Observers Club based in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.

The Hunter Region is centred on the coastal city of Newcastle (some 160 km north of Sydney). However, the Region spans from Catherine Hill Bay in the south to Diamond Head (Crowdy Bay National Park) in the north, inland to around Cassilis, and also includes the ocean to a distance of 100km offshore. To see a map of the Hunter Region, click here.

The Hunter Region contains many bird watching sites of world significance, including two registered Ramsar sites (Hunter Estuary Wetlands, near Newcastle, and Myall Lakes further to the north) and six Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). Some details about the Region’s KBAs are available under the Field Studies section of this website. More than 450 species have been recorded in the Hunter Region, making it one of Australia’s most prolific birding locations.

Formed in 1976, the Hunter Bird Observers Club (HBOC) is the largest club in the Hunter Region that caters specifically for those with an interest in bird life in its natural habitat. We meet the second Wednesday of every month except January, at the Hunter Wetlands Centre (see Contacts section for a map) and visitors are welcomed. Also we have a regular program of field activities for members and visitors.

The Club has two objectives:

To encourage and further the study and conservation of Australian birds and their habitat
To encourage bird observing as a leisure-time activity

With well over 400 members, the club encompasses people of all ages and levels of experience. It is a very active club with a full calendar of events, a bimonthly newsletter, and interests in research (field studies) and conservation. Those who are keen to see new birds are also well catered for, with the Club’s Hunterbirding internet forum regularly supplying breaking news about where uncommon or rare birds have been seen within the Region.

Bird watching requires minimal equipment, gets you outdoors, encourages you to see more of the country and provides opportunities for research and socialization. If, after exploring our web site, you think you might like to join the club, why not come along to one of our club nights or field trips where you will be made very welcome. There is no obligation to join, so come along and check us out!

Warning for sick migratory birds.

Avian Influenza

Carers and members should be aware of the NSW Government precautions when handling sick migratory birds.
Please download and read the .pdf.

Injured Birds – Please contact

Hunter Wildlife Rescue
0418 628 483
www.hunterwildlife.org.au

If Hunter wildlife Rescue aren’t able to assist you could try calling:
Sugarloaf Animal Hospital for advice Ph. 4955 1833

Recently added:

New Whistler articles – Martindale Valley, Whistling Kites

Cessnock birding guide

Lake Macquarie West birding route

JOIN, RENEW HBOC

Club Shop

HBOC Activities

Pre-Registration is required for all Outings and Camps

Activities continue using the current “Social distancing” guidelines. The Activities File shows all the activities scheduled over the coming months and the arrangements for how to register and where and when to meet.

The activities file is updated every month and also whenever a previously-announced arrangement has had to be altered.

Numbers at our meetings and outings are restricted to whatever are the current NSW limits, and so it is necessary to register for every HBOC event that you wish to attend.

Bird of the month:

October 2024: Eastern Yellow Robin

Every month, we pick out a well-known local bird as our “featured bird” for the month. All current HBOC members receive an email mid-month with information about how to identify the species, where to find it in the Hunter Region, what subspecies occur locally, how its name originated, and adding any interesting snippets about the bird.

This month’s featured bird is the Eastern Yellow Robin, a common breeding resident in our region. It don’t much mind humans and often will continue to forage while people are close by. A regular sighting for a birdwatcher is of an Eastern Yellow Robin clinging to a tree trunk just a few metres away; the bird’s only focus being to find its next meal.

There are two known sub-species, but the Hunter Region is an intergrade zone for them and there possibly are no “pure” birds of either subspecies occurring in our region. The genus name Eopsaltria means dawn harpist, from the Greek ēōs, dawn, and psaltria, a female harp player. This name reflects the prominent vocal role by this species in the dawn chorus (and pre-dawn).

An adult Eastern Yellow Robin (photo: Dawn Riggett)

report a banded bird

report a sighting

HBOC meetings are using Zoom

We have resumed face to face meetings, but with limits on numbers (and you must pre-register, in order to attend). So, HBOC will be continuing to hold hybrid club nights where members can participate using Zoom. A few days before the scheduled meeting, we will send the details and link to all current HBOC members (those with a 2022 membership card) for whom we have email addresses.

Featured Site:

Ash Island Area E Ponds

Ash Island on the outskirts of Newcastle has many attractions for birdwatchers including rainforest areas, freshwater wetlands, mangrove boardwalks and large areas of saltmarsh. But the jewel in the Ash Island crown is the ponds bisected by Wagtail Way (which is named for the Yellow Wagtails that occasionally turn up). These ponds and the surrounding large expanses of saltmarsh sometimes host large numbers of shorebirds and waterbirds.

There are records of 1,000 or more each of Red-necked Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Grey Teal and Chestnut Teal. Many other waterbirds and shorebirds have been found here including Black-tailed Godwit, Australasian Shoveler and Pink-eared Duck and rarities such as Australian Pratincole, Ruff, Buff-breasted Sandpiper.

Wagtail Way can be accessed from Bell Frog Track (watch for Brown Quail, Golden-headed Cisticola and both grassbirds) and from Southbank Track (watch for Striated Heron in the mangroves). In the non-tidal wetlands nearby, Australasian Bittern sometimes is recorded, as are Australian Spotted Crake and Spotless Crake.

Click for larger image

Australasian Shoveler Photo Steve Merrett

Red-necked Avocets Photo Steve Merrett