Where to Watch Birds

East Point Reserve

East Point rocks! Great place to see waders, only ten minutes from the centre of Darwin

East Point Reserve is often the first place we will take you to on a morning half day trip, being only about ten minutes from the Darwin CBD. The whole of the peninsular was once covered in monsoon forest, until World War II when the area was largely occupied by the Australian military, and a significant proportion of it was cleared. Since the 1960's large sections have been regenerated.

Bernie O'Keefe and Peter and Jan Grenfell at East Point

Monsoon forest specialists such as Rainbow Pitta (our logo), Brown (Grey) Whistler, Green-backed Gerygone, Emerald Dove, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove and Little Bronze-cuckoo are to be found here. There are some enormous nesting mounds created by the Orange-footed Scrubfowl, which can be seen close to the path that meanders through the forest.

There is also large grassy area, popular with a large group of Agile Wallabies who can be seen grazing in the early morning or late afternoon, and sometimes we see Brushtail Possums.

Beach Stone-curlew at East Point rocks © Oz Horine

The shoreline varies from rocky, sandy through to mangrove. There is a superb mangrove boardwalk that takes us easily and safely right through the mangrove habitat to the shoreline. Mangrove Golden Whistler, Black Butcherbird, Broad-billed Flycatcher, Lemon-bellied Flyrobin and Collared Kingfisher all inhabit this area. Then there are the parks and gardens that surround the man-made Lake Alexander, where Striated Heron and Great Egret are often seen. The rocky shoreline is a great place to see shorebirds when the tide is right, especially between September and April, but even during the dry season there are usually some 'overwintering' waders to be seen.

Gilbert's Dragon, Filled Lizard and Yellow-spotted Monitor are some of the non-avian species we regularly see.

With such a mosaic of different habitats, a large list of sightings from East Point is inevitable. Be sure to check the nearby East Point Mangrove Boardwalk as well.

Our Darwin Birdwatching Experience and Fogg Dam Wildlife Experience include this location as part of a guided tour.

Links below are to other excellent birding locations within the Darwin and Palmerston suburban areas.

East Point Mangrove Boardwalk

Leanyer Sewerage Treatment Plant

Holmes Jungle

Knuckey Lagoons

Palmerston Sewerage Ponds

Species seen here recently

Birds ( 132 )

Orange-footed Scrubfowl
Megapodius reinwardt

Magpie Goose
Anseranas semipalmata

Radjah Shelduck
Tadorna radjah

Emerald Dove
Chalcophaps indica

Pacific Emerald Dove
Chalcophaps longirostris

Peaceful Dove
Geopelia striata

Bar-shouldered Dove
Geopelia humeralis

Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus regina

Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula bicolor

Tawny Frogmouth
Podargus strigoides

Large-tailed Nightjar
Caprimulgus macrurus

Fork-tailed Swift

Apus pacificus

Brown Booby

Sula leucogaster

Australasian Darter

Anhinga novaehollandiae

Little Pied Cormorant

Microcarbo melanoleucos

Australian Pelican

Pelecanus conspicillatus

Black-necked Stork

Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus

Eastern Great Egret

Ardea modesta

Intermediate Egret

Ardea intermedia

Striated Heron

Butorides striata

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

Eastern Reef Egret

Egretta sacra

Australian White Ibis

Threskiornis molucca

Straw-necked Ibis

Threskiornis spinicollis

Black-shouldered Kite

Elanus axillaris

Square-tailed Kite

Lophoictinia isura

Whistling Kite

Haliastur sphenurus

Brahminy Kite

Haliastur indus

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

Brown Goshawk

Accipiter fasciatus

Collared Sparrowhawk

Accipiter cirrocephalus

Australian Hobby

Falco longipennis

Bush Stone-curlew

Burhinus grallarius

Beach Stone-curlew

Esacus magnirostris

Australian Pied Oystercatcher

Haematopus longirostris

Sooty Oystercatcher

Haematopus fuliginosus

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Grey Plover

Pluvialis squatarola

Red-capped Plover

Charadrius ruficapillus

Lesser Sand Plover

Charadrius mongolus

Greater Sand Plover

Charadrius leschenaultii

Oriental Plover

Charadrius veredus

Masked Lapwing

Vanellus miles

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

Little Curlew

Numenius minutus

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Eastern Curlew

Numenius madagascariensis

Terek Sandpiper

Xenus cinereus

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Grey-tailed Tattler

Tringa brevipes

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Common Redshank

Tringa totanus

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Great Knot

Calidris tenuirostris

Red-necked Stint

Calidris ruficollis

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Calidris acuminata

Little Tern

Sternula albifrons

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Caspian Tern

Hydroprogne caspia

Whiskered Tern

Chlidonias hybrida

White-winged Black Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

Common Tern

Sterna hirundo

Lesser Crested Tern

Thalasseus bengalensis

Crested Tern

Thalasseus bergii

Silver Gull

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo

Calyptorhynchus banksii

Galah

Eolophus roseicapillus

Little Corella

Cacatua sanguinea

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Cacatua galerita

Red-collared Lorikeet

Trichoglossus rubritorquis

Varied Lorikeet

Psitteuteles versicolor

Red-winged Parrot

Aprosmictus erythropterus

Pheasant Coucal

Centropus phasianinus

Channel-billed Cuckoo

Scythrops novaehollandiae

Little Bronze-Cuckoo

Chalcites minutillus

Brush Cuckoo

Cacomantis variolosus

Oriental Cuckoo

Cuculus optatus

Barking Owl

Ninox connivens

Forest Kingfisher

Todiramphus macleayii

Sacred Kingfisher

Todiramphus sanctus

Collared Kingfisher

Todiramphus chloris

Rainbow Bee-eater

Merops ornatus

Dollarbird

Eurystomus orientalis

Rainbow Pitta

Pitta iris

Mangrove Gerygone

Gerygone levigaster

Large-billed Gerygone

Gerygone magnirostris

Green-backed Gerygone

Gerygone chloronota

Striated Pardalote

Pardalotus striatus

White-gaped Honeyeater

Lichenostomus unicolor

Bar-breasted Honeyeater

Ramsayornis fasciatus

Rufous-banded Honeyeater

Conopophila albogularis

Rufous-throated Honeyeater

Conopophila rufogularis

Dusky Honeyeater

Myzomela obscura

Red-headed Honeyeater

Myzomela erythrocephala

Brown Honeyeater

Lichmera indistincta

White-throated Honeyeater

Melithreptus albogularis

Butterflies ( 4 )

Blue-faced Honeyeater

Entomyzon cyanotis

Helmeted Friarbird

Philemon buceroides

Silver-crowned Friarbird

Philemon argenticeps

Little Friarbird

Philemon citreogularis

Grey-crowned Babbler

Pomatostomus temporalis

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Coracina novaehollandiae

White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike

Coracina papuensis

White-winged Triller

Lalage sueurii

Varied Triller

Lalage leucomela

Grey Whistler

Pachycephala simplex

Little Shrike-thrush

Colluricincla megarhyncha

Australasian Figbird

Sphecotheres vieilloti

Yellow Oriole

Oriolus flavocinctus

White-breasted Woodswallow

Artamus leucorynchus

White-browed Woodswallow

Artamus superciliosus

Black Butcherbird

Cracticus quoyi

Silver-backed Butcherbird

Cracticus argenteus

Spangled Drongo

Dicrurus bracteatus

Arafura Fantail

Rhipidura dryas

Northern Fantail

Rhipidura rufiventris

Broad-billed Flycatcher

Myiagra ruficollis

Leaden Flycatcher

Myiagra rubecula

Shining Flycatcher

Myiagra alecto

Magpie-lark

Grallina cyanoleuca

Lemon-bellied Flyrobin

Microeca flavigaster

Yellow White-eye

Zosterops luteus

Tree Martin

Petrochelidon nigricans

Mistletoebird

Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Double-barred Finch

Taeniopygia bichenovii

Long-tailed Finch

Poephila acuticauda

Crimson Finch

Neochmia phaeton

Australasian Pipit

Anthus novaeseelandiae

Butterflies ( 4 )

Fuscous Swallowtail

Papilio fuscus

Orange Lacewing

Cethosia penthesilea

Meadow Argus

Junonia villida 6

Common Crow

Euploea core

Mammals ( 4 )

Northern Brown Bandicoot

Isoodon macrourus

Common Brushtail Possum

Trichosurus vulpecula

Agile Wallaby

Macropus agilus

Dingo

Canis lupis dingo

Reptiles ( 2 )

Gilbert's Dragon; Ta-ta Lizard

Amphibolurus gilberti

Frilled Lizard

Chlamydosaurus kingii