Where to Watch Birds

Marrakai Track

This gorgeous Red-headed male Gouldian Finch appeared on a branch right next to our vehicle as when we stopped to watch some Long-tailed Finches on the Marrakai Track. We didn't even have to get out of the vehicle. Photo © Mike Jarvis

The Marrakai Track is an unsealed road that runs between Arnhem Highway and Stuart Highway about 85 kms from Darwin. The Arnhem Highway junction is two kms before Corroboree Park, on the left, and takes you through open savannah woodland, floodplains and river crossings. Four wheel drive is recommended, though two wheel drive may be ok if careful. Take care especially during the wet season and early dry as washouts on the side of the road could do serious damage to your front end if taken to fast. Most of it passes through private land and you must stick to the road. Do not cross fences. Pastoral leasees regularly have trouble with shooters trespassing on their land and will be upset with anyone taking liberties.

My usual strategy is to drive slowly with the car windows down listening for bird calls, and stopping whenever there are calls or bird activity, then get out and walk. There is usually very little traffic along the Marrakai, but take care to keep to the left and wind windows up when vehicles pass so your vehicle doesn't fill with dust.

Northern Salmon Gum on the Marrakai Track - good Gouldian Finch habitat!

Almost anywhere along the track can be productive. Areas of open forest with trees having rough bark eg Darwin Woollybut Eucalyptus miniata and Stringybark Eucalyptus tetradonta, are good locations for Black-tailed Treecreeper and Varied Sittella. Where you see the smooth, orange bark of the Northern Salmon Gum Eucalyptus tintinus signifies likely Gouldian Finch country. Very early in the dry season there are remnant pools of water on the side of the road which attract finches and honeyeaters, so look ahead for these and approach slowly.

From about December to April, the Margaret River (30 kms from Arnhem Highway) is flowing and too high to cross. Here there are large thickets of the native bamboo Bambusa arnhemica which provides ideal habitat for Buff-sided Robin and this is the best location to find this stunning bird. We have seen Black Bittern here too.

Merton's Water Monitor on teh bank of the Adelaide River, Marrakai Track © Mike Jarvis

If you can cross the Margaret River, continue on a short distance and you will come to the Adelaide River. Both these riverine habitats are great for Shining Flycatchers, Broad-billed Flycatchers, Paperbark Flycatchers and Leaden Flycatchers. Look out for Arafura Fantail, Northern Fantail and Azure Kingfisher also. From this point you can either continue on for another ten kms or so to the Stuart Highway or back track to Arnhem Highway.

Other good birding locations to visit in the outer Darwin area are:-

Howard Springs

McMinn's Lagoon

Fogg Dam

Adelaide River Bridge

Marrakai Track

Experience the Wild tours that take you birding in this area are the Woodland and Wetland Experience, Kakadu Nature's Way (5 day), Best of Top End Birding and Top End Birding Adventure (photography tour).

Bush breakfast at one of our favourite early morning birding locations on the Marrakai © Mike Jarvis

Species seen here recently

Birds ( 126 )

Helmeted Guineafowl
Numida meleagris

Brown Quail
Coturnix ypsilophora

Magpie Goose
Anseranas semipalmata

Plumed Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna eytoni

Radjah Shelduck
Tadorna radjah

Pacific Black Duck
Anas superciliosa

Partridge Pigeon
Geophaps smithii

Diamond Dove
Geopelia cuneata

Peaceful Dove
Geopelia striata

Bar-shouldered Dove
Geopelia humeralis

Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula bicolor

Fork-tailed Swift
Apus pacificus

Australasian Darter
Anhinga novaehollandiae

Little Pied Cormorant
Microcarbo melanoleucos

Little Black Cormorant
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris

Pied Cormorant
Phalacrocorax varius

Australian Pelican
Pelecanus conspicillatus

Black-necked Stork
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus

Black Bittern
Ixobrychus flavicollis

White-necked Heron
Ardea pacifica

Eastern Great Egret
Ardea modesta

Intermediate Egret
Ardea intermedia

Cattle Egret
Ardea ibis

Pied Heron
Egretta picata

White-faced Heron
Egretta novaehollandiae

Nankeen Night-Heron
Nycticorax caledonicus

Australian White Ibis
Threskiornis molucca

Straw-necked Ibis
Threskiornis spinicollis

Black-shouldered Kite
Elanus axillaris

Black-breasted Buzzard
Hamirostra melanosternon

White-bellied Sea-Eagle
Haliaeetus leucogaster

Whistling Kite
Haliastur sphenurus

Black Kite
Milvus migrans

Brown Goshawk
Accipiter fasciatus

Collared Sparrowhawk
Accipiter cirrocephalus

Grey Goshawk
Accipiter novaehollandiae

Swamp Harrier
Circus approximans

Wedge-tailed Eagle
Aquila audax

Little Eagle
Hieraaetus morphnoides

Nankeen Kestrel
Falco cenchroides

Brown Falcon
Falco berigora

Australian Hobby
Falco longipennis

Black Falcon
Falco subniger

Brolga
Grus rubicunda

Chestnut-backed Button-quail
Turnix castanotus

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

Northern Rosella
Platycercus venustus

Pheasant Coucal
Centropus phasianinus

Eastern Koel
Eudynamys orientalis

Little Bronze-Cuckoo
Chalcites minutillus

Pallid Cuckoo
Cacomantis pallidus

Brush Cuckoo
Cacomantis variolosus

Azure Kingfisher
Ceyx azureus

Blue-winged Kookaburra
Dacelo leachii

Forest Kingfisher
Todiramphus macleayii

Red-backed Kingfisher
Todiramphus pyrrhopygius

Sacred Kingfisher
Todiramphus sanctus

Rainbow Bee-eater
Merops ornatus

Dollarbird
Eurystomus orientalis

Black-tailed Treecreeper
Climacteris melanura

Great Bowerbird
Ptilonorhynchus nuchalis

Red-backed Fairy-wren
Malurus melanocephalus

White-throated Grasswren
Amytornis woodwardi

Weebill
Smicrornis brevirostris

Green-backed Gerygone
Gerygone chloronota

White-throated Gerygone
Gerygone albogularis

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

Banded Honeyeater
Cissomela pectoralis

Brown Honeyeater
Lichmera indistincta

White-throated Honeyeater
Melithreptus albogularis

Blue-faced Honeyeater
Entomyzon cyanotis

Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides

Silver-crowned Friarbird
Philemon argenticeps

Little Friarbird
Philemon citreogularis

Grey-crowned Babbler
Pomatostomus temporalis

Varied Sittella
Daphoenositta chrysoptera

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

Rufous Whistler
Pachycephala rufiventris

Little Shrike-thrush
Colluricincla megarhyncha

Grey Shrike-thrush
Colluricincla harmonica

Australasian Figbird
Sphecotheres vieilloti

Green Oriole
Oriolus flavocinctus

Masked Woodswallow
Artamus personatus

Black-faced Woodswallow
Artamus cinereus

Little Woodswallow
Artamus minor

Pied Butcherbird
Cracticus nigrogularis

Spangled Drongo
Dicrurus bracteatus

Arafura Fantail
Rhipidura dryas

Northern Fantail
Rhipidura rufiventris

Willie Wagtail
Rhipidura leucophrys

Torresian Crow
Corvus orru

Leaden Flycatcher
Myiagra rubecula

Shining Flycatcher
Myiagra alecto

Paperbark Flycatcher
Myiagra nana

Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca

Jacky Winter
Microeca fascinans

Lemon-bellied Flyrobin
Microeca flavigaster

Buff-sided Robin
Poecilodryas cerviniventris

Horsfield's Bushlark
Mirafra javanica

Golden-headed Cisticola
Cisticola exilis

Rufous Songlark
Cincloramphus mathewsi

Tree Martin
Petrochelidon nigricans

Mistletoebird
Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Double-barred Finch
Taeniopygia bichenovii

Long-tailed Finch
Poephila acuticauda

Masked Finch
Poephila personata

Crimson Finch
Neochmia phaeton

Gouldian Finch
Erythrura gouldiae

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Lonchura castaneothorax

Amphibians ( 1 )

Green Tree Frog
Litoria caerulea

Butterflies ( 1 )

Lesser Wanderer
Danaus chrysippus

Insects ( 2 )

Painted Grasshawk
Neurothemis stigmatizans

Graphic Flutterer
Rhyothemis graphiptera

Mammals ( 3 )

Agile Wallaby
Macropus agilus

Antilopine Wallaroo
Macropus antilopinus

Dingo
Canis lupis dingo

Reptiles ( 2 )

Johnstone's Crocodile
Crocodylus johnstoni

Merten's Water Monitor
Varanus mertensi