It’s A Bird’s Life at Lara Wetlands

Lara Wetlands is a bush camping ground on a cattle station south of Barcaldine. The Wetlands are fed by a century old artesian bore and the unpowered camping is quite delightful. The water is knee deep all the way across the lake and is full of dead ghost gums that have been standing since 1908. It provides a wonderful habitat for over 127 species of birds. We keep a detailed Bird List at the Wetlands Office for you to read and enjoy and also have our Wetlands registered on ebird.com.  Both professional and amateur ‘Birders’ love visiting the Wetlands and photographing the amazing array of feathered visitors.

 

 

Photography by Austravel photography, Judy Strek, Kruising around Australia.

All around the water’s edge Red Kneed and Black Fronted Dotterel are feeding and they will come up to a few metres away.

Pink Eared Duck come in really close to the water’s edge and at times walk in the shallow water sieving for food.

As for the Blacked Tail Native Hen’s they’ve got their ‘Turbo’ switched off and come in close and pose for shots.

Each afternoon about 5.30pm you can hear the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo’s coming in to water at the same spot each day;  about 5 come in most days, and all the ‘point and shoot’ mob are waiting.

There are bush birds in the surrounding area. Highlights were the improbably gawky Masked Lapwing chicks, an emu that brought 3 chicks to water every morning and evening, a Peregrine Falcon that landed in the tree, you can see nesting of Tree Martins darting in and out of tiny holes, the antics of the Apostlebirds, the White-plumed Honeyeaters that are constantly busy just everywhere you looked, the Red-winged Parrots that are also stunningly beautiful against the blue skies and white timber, the Spotted Bowerbird hopping down to water and Striped Honeyeater.

The thermal artesian hot pool was also a highlight and probably worth a visit out west for that alone!