Bird Hide
View national and international bird species using Council's 'bird hide'. The bird hide allows interested bird watchers to observe different species without causing disruption, at a convenient location which enables viewers to access the site without first entering the Dubbo Sewerage Treatment Plant. Expand the sections below to learn more about the bird species that inhabit the area, the history of the bird hide's establishment and directions to access the site.
BIRD SPECIES
Listed below are a variety of bird species spotted from the bird hide. Many images contributed by Dubbo Field Naturalist and Conservation Society member Rob Quinan.
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Black Swan
Cygnus atratus
Feeds on aquatic plants using its long neck to reach them. Known to breed on the pond, building a large mound of vegetation in the shallow water. Common.
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Pacific Black Duck
Anas superciliosa
A 'dabbling duck', it feeds by up-ending and picking aquatic vegetation from below the surface. Known to breed on the pond. Common and widespread.
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Grey Teal
Anas gracilis
Perhaps the most widespread of Australian waterfowls and probably the most common in the area. A 'dabbling duck', it feeds by up-ending and picking aquatic vegetation from below the surface. Known to breed on the pond.
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Hardhead
Aythya australis
Males have a white eye while the females have a dark eye. A 'dabbling duck', it feeds by up-ending and picking aquatic vegetation from below the surface. It also dives for food. Common and widespread.
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Australian Wood Duck
Chenonetta jubata
Often seen grazing on playing fields and farm paddocks. Nests in trees, with the chicks jumping to the ground well before they can fly. Known to breed around the pond. Common and widespread.
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Australasian Shoveler
Spatula rhynchotis
Feeds by dipping its head underwater and filtering water through its distinctive, 'shovel-like' bill to collect small aquatic animals. Nomadic, uncommon.
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Pink-eared Duck
Malacorhynchus membranaceus
Filters water through its bill to collect small aquatic animals. Small groups can sometimes be seen swimming in circles to concentrate food. Nomadic, uncommon.
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Australasian Grebe
Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Dives underwater to feed, mainly on fish, and to escape potential predators, often surfacing a considerable distance away. Known to breed on the pond, building a small mound of vegetation in the shallow water. Common and widespread.
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Hoary-headed Grebe
Poliocephalus poliocephalus
Very similar to the Australasian Grebe with a distinctive black and white striped head. Dives underwater to feed. Known to breed on the pond, building a small mound of vegetation in the shallow water. Common and widespread.
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Pied Stilt
Himantopus leucocephalus
Also called Black-winged or White-headed Stilt. It's long, 'stilt-like' legs allow it to wade in deeper water to pick food from the surface. Known to breed on the pond. Uncommon.
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White-faced Heron
Egretta novaehollandiae
Feeds by standing still and waiting for prey or wading slowly. Common and widespread.
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Eurasian Coot
Fulica atra
Feeds on aquatic vegetation by up-ending or diving. Able to swim brief distances underwater using its lobed toes. Common and widespread.
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Dusky Moorhen
Gallinula tenebrosa
Feeds in the shallow water gleaning food from the surface or up-ending to get aquatic vegetation. Also forages on the grass. Common and widespread.
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Black-fronted Dotterel
Elseyornis melanops
Not keen to enter the water, this small bird feeds on the mud at the edge of ponds, dams and creeks. Known to breed on the pond. Common and widespread.
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Masked Lapwing
Vanellus miles
Known for its noisy, aggressive behaviour when nesting, often dive-bombing potential threats to their chicks. Common and widespread.
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Great Egret
Ardea alba
Largest of the white egrets. Feeds in the water, freezing motionless for long periods waiting for prey, or wading slowly and deliberately. Rare.
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Australasian Swamphen
Porphyrio porphyrio
Feeds on succulent bases to reeds, often seen grasping vegetation in a foot to eat. Bends reed to make a roosting platform. Common and widespread.
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Plumed Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna eytoni
The name comes from the distinctive upswept cream plumes on its side, and the whistling sound of the wings when in flight. Feeds by grazing on the grassy margins of wetlands and in fields. Uncommon.
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White-necked Heron
Ardea pacifica
Feeds in the shallow water. Often found on farm dams and in flooded paddocks. Common and widespread.
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Australian White Ibis
Threskiornis moluccus
Feeds in shallow water and damp, grassy areas such as farm paddocks and playing fields. Can be a problem in urban areas where it scavenges food in parks and garbage dumps. Common and widespread.
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Straw-necked Ibis
Threskiornis spinicollis
Feeds in shallow water and damp, grassy areas such as farm paddocks and playing fields. Flocks often fly in a 'V' formation which is thought to reduce the wind resistance for the birds in the arms of the 'V'. Common and widespread.
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Little Pied Cormorant
Microcarbo melanoleucos
Diving underwater to feed, its sharp, hooked bill enables it to catch fish which it then brings to the surface to swallow. Often seen roosting by the water with wings spread to dry its feathers. Common and widespread.
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Little Black Cormorant
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris
Diving underwater to feed, its sharp, hooked bill enables it to catch fish which it then brings to the surface to swallow. Often seen roosting by the water with wings spread to dry its feathers. Common and widespread.
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Red-necked Avocet
Recurvirostra novaehollandiae
Feeds in the shallow water, sweeping its slightly open curved bill side to side to find and catch invertebrates. Uncommon to rare.
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Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Platalea flavipes
Large spoon-shaped yellow bill. Feeds in the shallow water with a distinctive back and forth sideways motion of the head, feeling for prey with a slightly open bill. Common and widespread.
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Royal Spoonbill
Platalea regia
Large spoon-shaped black bill. Feeds in the shallow water with a distinctive back and forth sideways motion of the head, feeling for prey with a slightly open bill. Uncommon to rare.
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Latham's Snipe
Gallinago hardwickii
Rare summer visitor to the area, migrating from northern Siberia and Japan. Mostly feeds among reeds at the edge of the water, occasionally coming out onto the bare mud.
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Red-kneed Dotterel
Erythrogonys cinctus
Very small bird that feeds in the mud at the edge of the water. The red 'knees' are actually the ankles of the dotterel. Uncommon.
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Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
Rare summer visitor to the area, migrating from northern Siberia. Usually seen in small groups. Feeds in the mud and shallow water.
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Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
Rare summer visitor to the area, migrating from northern Europe. An elegant, long-legged wader which feeds in the shallow water in an active and nervous manner.
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Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
The familiar gull of the coast. Generally scavenges for food. Uncommon.
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Whistling Kite
Haliastur sphenurus
Opportunistic scavenger and hunter. Has a distinctive whistle-like call and a pale 'M' on the underside of the wings. Common and widespread.
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Australian Reed-Warbler
Acrocephalus australis
This small bird lives in the reeds. It's often hard to see, but its very loud call is a common sound at wetlands in spring and summer. Common.
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HISTORY
Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) is a man-made habitat, providing significant areas of habitat for water birds, particularly during time of water scarcity. Habitats present within STPs mimic natural systems and typically include mudflats, open water and areas of aquatic vegetation. In the past these areas provide breeding habitat for very large numbers (in the millions) of birds, some of which are migratory, many of which are protected under State, Commonwealth or International Legislation. The changes to natural systems have resulted in significant bird population declines in some areas due to loss of suitable breeding habitat. Persistent wetlands, for example, STP’s have the potential to provide important refugia in times of drought (when water extraction also tends to be high in natural wetlands).
In the Dubbo LGA Bunglegumbie STP was well known by local naturalists as a habitat for waterbirds. Bunglegumbie was decommissioned in 2003 to make way for a new more modern treatment plant at STP located on Boothenba Road, Dubbo. Bunglegumbie STP consisted of water detention areas and mudflat habitats. The new STP ponds consist of four water detention areas, two large storage dams and two smaller overflow ponds. There are a diversity of habitats present, including large deep dams, terrestrial areas and mudflats.
A total of 29 species were observed using the wetland at Bunglegumbie during the 2003 survey period, with a further 30 species recorded during incidental observations.
Council’s Dubbo Sewage Treatment Plant major upgrade, completed in 2016, included the re-configuration of the Detention Pond into a Bird Wading Habitat. Treated effluent is pumped into this pond.
A Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition System (SCADA) controls the pumps and discharge valves that act to mimic natural seasonal patterns of rise and fall of the water level within the pond.
The bird hide design objectives will include facilitating bird watchers to watch the birds wade without the need to first enter the Dubbo Sewerage Treatment Plant. The bird hide is located within the Sewerage Treatment Plant site at the south west corner of the bird wading area and pedestrian access to the bird hide is from nearby Old Gilgandra Road reserve. The access accommodates access for wheelchairs. The bird hide is separated from the remainder of the Sewerage Treatment Plant grounds by means of security fencing. The bird hide windows facing the bird wading area are sufficient for using binoculars or cameras but small enough so that it is impossible for persons to climb through them. There is unrestricted public access to the bird hide via a ramp that leads from the car park area.
DIRECTIONS
To visit the bird hide first click here to open a Google Map location; Dubbo STP Bird Hide
Once at the parking area there is a 25m walk to the viewing area featuring 16 steps, or a 68m accessible access path.
Last Edited: 18 Mar 2025