Bird Observatories –– places set up specifically to study the ecology, movements and morphology of birds, deliberately located at strategic and important birding sites –– have long been established in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Britain, and their success has seen the idea spread to important bird locations around the world.  The tradition of bird observatories in Australia began when Birds Australia established its first observatory at Eyre, on the Nullarbor Plain, in an abandoned telegraph station in 1977.  Since then, other observatories have sprung up around the country, all run by Birds Australia. Each is staffed by wardens who are well placed to welcome and assist visitors, provide valuable local knowledge about the area and its birds and other wildlife, and look after the needs of guests.

The Role of Our Observatories

Birds Australia’s Observatories serve the dual purpose of:

•    studying Australia’s birdlife by conducting long-term monitoring of populations, ecology and movements of birds, and
•    encouraging volunteers and interested members of the public (who are always welcome to visit the Observatories) to participate in educational and study programs which help to foster an understanding of our birdlife as well as other aspects of ecology.

Observatories regularly run interactive courses to be enjoyed by members of the public and experts alike, ranging from bird-banding, raptor rehabilitation and population censuses of local birdlife, kangaroos or bats, to courses for beginner birdwatchers, appreciation of fungi and nature-painting techniques. Broome and Eyre Bird Observatories both offer casual accommodation, comprising camping sites and dormitories (Broome also has a comfortable guest house), all in natural bush surroundings, away from the stresses of city life. All visitors are welcome.

BA’s Bird Observatories

Eyre Bird Observatory is Australia’s oldest observatory, established in 1977. It is nestled among the mallee woodland and towering sand-dunes on the coastal fringe of the Nullarbor Plain in south-eastern Western Australia.  Its location makes it ideal for monitoring east–west movement of birds across the Nullarbor Plain, and it is also one of the few places where it is possible to monitor shorebird populations in the Great Australian Bight. How many other places in Australia can boast accepted records of Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Laughing Gull, as well as breeding Malleefowl?

Broome Bird Observatory is located on the shores of Roebuck Bay in northern Western Australia, and was opened in 1990. It is renowned as supporting the most diverse range of shorebirds anywhere in the world. Many thousands arrive from their Northern Hemisphere breeding grounds each spring to feed on the expansive mudflats, and then return in autumn. The area around Broome also prolifically produces rarities, especially migratory species from Asia overshooting their wintering grounds. For example, Australia’s first ever record of a live Blue-and-White Flycatcher was seen drinking at a bird-bath at the Observatory. Add these to a wide range of usually-hard-to-see bush birds readily found nearby, and it is easy to see why Broome is high on the list of all birders’ places to visit.

Rotamah Island Bird Observatory, no longer in operation, was located at the entrance to Lake Reeve in the Gippsland Lakes National Park in south-eastern Victoria. The Observatory was opened in 1980, and was famously visited by a Royal party, comprising Prince Charles and Princess Diana. It ceased operation at the end of 2001.

Barren Grounds Bird Observatory, no longer in operation, was located on the Illawarra Escarpment, south of Wollongong, in eastern New South Wales. Well known as a great spot to see Ground Parrots and Eastern Bristlebirds (both species were studied intensively here), it was opened in 1982, and ceased operation in 2004.