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Veined with waterways and retaining a remarkable number of forested spaces (including more than 10 national parks), Sydney is one of the world’s greenest metropolises. This means that, despite housing more than five million people, Greater Sydney is also a haven for wildlife – especially the avian variety.
No matter where you live in Sydney, it’s only a short drive to a birdwatcher’s paradise. And it’s not just the national parks – plenty of suburban reserves tucked away amid the relentless housing and industrial sprawl provide refuge for bird species.
And did you know birdwatching could even be good for your mind? According to Canadian scientist Erik A. Wing (yes, really), spotting and identifying birds may reshape the brain in much the same way as learning a new language or musical instrument.
To help you get your ‘twitch on’, we’ve consulted some avid avian enthusiasts and nailed down the top 10 birdwatching sites in Sydney.
Known for its cluster of stadiums and as the home of the annual Royal Easter Show, Sydney Olympic Park also boasts one of the largest wetland areas on the Parramatta River. The man-made Haslams Pier is a fine place to spot waterfowl, but it’s the bird hide off Bennelong Parkway that really delivers the goods. This saltmarsh is home to numerous species including migratory birds from the northern hemisphere that visit in spring and summer.
Notable sightings: Red-browed firetail, black-fronted dotterel, red-necked avocet
Red-browed firetails. Photo by David Claughton.
A large regional park with a playground, skate ramps, a cycling centre and outdoor fitness facilities, Sydney Park is a green pocket surrounded by industry and residential towers. It also has two birding hotspots: Sydney Park Wetlands and the nearby ecosystem of Bunmarra Wetland. As Sydney Park provides expansive grassland as well as water, it attracts a wide variety of birdlife, from willie-wagtails to cormorants.
Notable sightings: Tawny frogmouth, red wattlebird, peregrine falcon
Tawny frogmouths. Photo by Anthony Schlencker.
Located in Sydney’s south-west, the Mount Annan Botanic Gardens is a gigantic 416-hectare site packed full of flowering gardens and native Australian plants. This naturally attracts birdlife from all around and, because Mount Annan has a hotter and drier climate than most of the sites in this list, the species available to keen eyes is quite different. Birds of prey (eagles, goshawks, kites etc) are particularly prevalent, although the gardens’ lakes and manmade waterways also attract waterbirds.
Notable sightings: Scarlet myzomela, wedge-tailed eagle, royal spoonbill
Scarlet myzomela. Photo by Catarina Gregson.
Located just off busy Pittwater Road and screened from view by a wall of trees and shrubs, Field of Mars Reserve is a sort of bushy harbinger of Lane Cove National Park (a few kilometres north as the crow flies). Even though this 51-hectare plot is hemmed in by Buffalo Creek and Strangers Creek, it’s the proliferation of smaller tree-dwelling birds that makes Field of Mars such a treat for eager birdwatchers.
Notable sightings: Variegated fairy wren, spotted pardalote, red-browed firetail
Variegated fairy wren. Photo by Robert Anderson.
Midway between Coogee and Maroubra Beaches in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Randwick’s Environment Park is an ‘ephemeral wetland’, which means its waters come and go depending on rainfall. In 2022, the council installed a new boardwalk, making it easier than ever to get deep into the park and spot its avian inhabitants. In drier periods expect to see plenty of natives such as kookaburras, corellas and butcher birds, while wetter conditions will attract common water birds.
Notable sightings: Silvereye, red-whiskered bulbul, New Holland honeyeater
Red-whiskered bulbul. Photo by Jagdish Jatiya.
A boat ramp that exists cheek-by-jowl with both Sydney Airport and Port Botany doesn’t seem a likely place for bird watching, but if it’s seabirds you want to tick off your list you’ll find plenty here. Cormorants, darters, pelicans, silver gulls, and many other species inhabit Foreshore Road Boat Ramp (which is also a popular fishing spot), while a long strip of parkland and a golf course on the other side of Foreshore Road provide habitat for non-aquatic birds.
Notable sightings: Pied oystercatcher, osprey, bar-tailed godwit
Osprey. Photo by David Southall.
Just squeaking in behind the Greater Sydney border, Richmond Lowlands is a farmland town that follows a bend in the Hawkesbury River. Its rural riverside aspect makes it arguably the least urban of the birdwatching sites on this list and that’s reflected in the extraordinary variety of sightings reported – one twitcher on eBird Australia noted 65 different species in a single session, everything from a common house sparrow to a dazzling straw-necked ibis.
Notable sightings: Zebra finch, stubble quail, black-shouldered kite
Black-shouldered kite. Photo by Bec Oz.
This beach area in the suburb of Collaroy provides an easy way to glimpse an array of coastal birds, and connects to another birdwatching hotspot, the Long Reef Headland. While the Long Reef Golf Club links take up much of the headland’s interior, the Bicentennial Coastal Walk traces its perimeter and provides a scenic path to a diverse assortment of birdlife.
Notable sightings: Sooty oystercatcher, double-banded plover, ruddy turnstone
Sooty oystercatcher. Photo by Rolo Rodsey.
Just a stone’s throw from Sydney Airport, bisected by a road, and home to a playground and netball courts, Tempe Recreation Reserve doesn’t exactly scream ‘birdwatcher’s paradise’. But the Cooks River and Alexandra Canal surround it on three sides and a footpath rings the reserve, providing a good habitat for birds and an effortless means of observing them. Expect all the common waterbirds (heron, ibis, cormorant, kingfisher) plus a surprising number of rarer sightings given the urban environment.
Notable sightings: Red-rumped parrot, great egret, peregrine falcon
Red-rumped parrot. Photo by Chris Barnes.
This pathway follows a cove in the Georges River just south of Captain Cook Bridge, ending up at the aptly named Taren Point Shorebird Reserve. Plenty of common Aussie native birds call this shoreline home, among them cormorants, pelicans, galahs and corellas, but because it passes through several habitats, including mangroves, you never know what might turn up in your binoculars or camera lens on any given day.
Notable sightings: Little heron, far eastern curlew, yellow-tailed black cockatoo
Far eastern curlew. Photo by Terri Thompson.
