Where to Watch Birds

Sandy Creek

This section of Sandy Creek is accessed behind Darwin Regional Hospital by driving down to the end of Hippocrates Road and parking off the road towards the creek. There are a number of tracks in the area, all good for birding as they follow riverine, marsh, open woodland, mangrove and shoreline habitats.

If you follow the track along the creek in a northerly direction it will take you through a section of open woodland behind the hospital. The usual bush birds are seen here including Long-tailed and Double-barred Finches. Closer to the creek in amongst the pandanus you will find Crimson Fiches and sometimes a large flock of Chestnut-breasted Mannikins. It is good to search the mannikins because Yellow-rumped Mannikins are occasionally seen with the Chestnut-breasteds here.

Continuing on this track it takes a turn to the west through mangroves and a little bridge crosses the creek. I have seen Little Kingfishers here on a few occasions and there is often a Large-billed Gerygone nest in the mangrove branches overhanging the creek.

Our Darwin Birdwatching Experience and Fogg Dam Wildlife Experience sometimes visit this location as part of the guided tour.

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

East Point Reserve

East Point Mangrove Boardwalk

Rapid Creek

Lee Point

Buffalo Creek

Leanyer Sewerage Treatment Plant

Holmes Jungle

Knuckey Lagoons

Palmerston Sewerage Ponds

Species seen here recently

Birds ( 91 )

Orange-footed Scrubfowl
Megapodius reinwardt

Brown Quail
Coturnix ypsilophora

Magpie Goose
Anseranas semipalmata

Radjah Shelduck
Tadorna radjah

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

Striated Heron
Butorides striata

Australian White Ibis
Threskiornis molucca

Straw-necked Ibis
Threskiornis spinicollis

Eastern Osprey
Pandion cristatus

Whistling Kite
Haliastur sphenurus

Brahminy Kite
Haliastur indus

Black Kite
Milvus migrans

Brown Goshawk
Accipiter fasciatus

Collared Sparrowhawk
Accipiter cirrocephalus

Grey Goshawk
Accipiter novaehollandiae

Bush Stone-curlew
Burhinus grallarius

Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles

Eastern Curlew
Numenius madagascariensis

Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos

Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres

Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus banksii

Galah
Eolophus roseicapillus

Little Corella
Cacatua sanguinea

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Cacatua galerita

Rainbow Lorikeet
Trichoglossus haematodus

Red-collared Lorikeet
Trichoglossus rubritorquis

Varied Lorikeet
Psitteuteles versicolor

Red-winged Parrot
Aprosmictus erythropterus

Pheasant Coucal
Centropus phasianinus

Little Bronze-Cuckoo
Chalcites minutillus

Brush Cuckoo
Cacomantis variolosus

Oriental Cuckoo
Cuculus optatus

Azure Kingfisher
Ceyx azureus

Little Kingfisher
Ceyx pusilla

Blue-winged Kookaburra
Dacelo leachii

Forest Kingfisher
Todiramphus macleayii

Sacred Kingfisher
Todiramphus sanctus

Collared Kingfisher
Todiramphus chloris

Rainbow Bee-eater
Merops ornatus

Dollarbird
Eurystomus orientalis

Great Bowerbird
Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis

Weebill
Smicrornis brevirostris

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

Banded Honeyeater
Cissomela pectoralis

Brown Honeyeater
Lichmera indistincta

White-throated Honeyeater
Melithreptus albogularis

Blue-faced Honeyeater
Entomyzon cyanotis

Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides

Little Friarbird
Philemon citreogularis

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

Green Oriole
Oriolus flavocinctus

White-breasted Woodswallow
Artamus leucorynchus

White-browed Woodswallow
Artamus superciliosus

Black Butcherbird
Cracticus quoyi

Spangled Drongo
Dicrurus bracteatus

Mangrove Grey Fantail
Rhipidura phasiana

Northern Fantail
Rhipidura rufiventris

Torresian Crow
Corvus orru

Leaden Flycatcher
Myiagra rubecula

Shining Flycatcher
Myiagra alecto

Paperbark Flycatcher
Myiagra nana

Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca

Lemon-bellied Flycatcher
Microeca flavigaster

Golden-headed Cisticola
Cisticola exilis

Tree Martin
Petrochelidon nigricans

Mistletoebird
Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Double-barred Finch
Taeniopygia bichenovii

Long-tailed Finch
Poephila acuticauda

Crimson Finch
Neochmia phaeton

Yellow-rumped Mannikin
Lonchura flaviprymna

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Lonchura castaneothorax

Butterflies ( 4 )

Pale Triangle
Graphium eurypylus

Orange Lacewing
Cethosia penthesilea

Common Crow
Euploea core

Lesser Wanderer
Danaus chrysippus

Reptiles ( 1 )

White-bellied Mangrove Snake
Fordonia leucobalia