Jabiru Park and Fearnley Bird Hide, Lake Macdonald, QLD.

View from the Car Park

Jabiru Park is about a 15 minute drive west of Noosa or 5 minutes east of Cooroy on the Sunshine Coast. Drive along the Cooroy-Noosa Road, from either direction, and take the sharp turn into Grange Road, then turn immediately left and follow Grange Road to the end where there is a small parking area and a picnic shelter. It is a short walk to Fearnley Bird Hide from the car park.

Fearnley Bird Hide

There were large numbers of Magpie Geese present when we visited in March and we enjoyed watching them bobbing up and down with their tails in the air. 

Magpie Goose

Most of the birds were a bit far away for us to take good photos. We also found that there were more birds in the direction of the morning sun so it might be better to come here in the afternoon (or Murphy's Law might be in play and the birds will probably move to be in front of the afternoon sun).

We saw Magpie Geese, Pelicans, Black Swans, Darter, Little Black Cormorants, Pacific Black Ducks, Hardhead Ducks, White Ibis, Egrets, Purple Swamphens, and Eurasian Coots. A pair of Plumbed Whistling Ducks were chaperoning ten chicks near the car park. Other birds that can be seen here include Black-necked Storks and Grebes.

We saw quite a few butterflies on the walk to the hide. We've never seen so many Evening Browns in one area before. 

Evening Brown on an uncomfortable perch

Wide-brand Grass-dart Suniana sunias

Splendid Ochre Trapezites symmomus

There were lots of dragonflies and Damselflies about:

Common Bluetail

After our visit here we drove to the Noosa Botanic Gardens, the subject of our next blog.

All photos taken in March 2015.