By Callum Ludwig
The lush forests of the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges provide great homes for all manners of our feathered friends and great opportunities for budding birdwatchers.
The Yarra Ranges area is home to over 288 different bird species.
Birdwatching enthusiast and photographer Garry Sissons shared some of his favourite places to scour the trees.
“Anywhere near a stream or river is good, I go up the mountains like Mt Donna Buang and Lake Mountain, or along rivers like the Acheron River because birds come down to the water,” he said.
“There’s also always plenty of birds around the dams in the Dandenongs, Grants Picnic Ground in Sherbrooke is also great for anyone who’s starting out.”
Mr Sissons recommended anyone embarking on a birdwatching adventure in the Yarra Ranges to clue themselves up on birds in the area by googling or downloading apps, with options including EBird or Merlin Bird ID.
Autumn is the greatest time of year to hear lyrebirds call, mimicking the noises of their surroundings, and it’s also a great time to spot Crimson Rosellas and a number of honeyeater species.
Mr Sissons had an exciting find in Healesville recently.
“I was going down Don Rd along the Watts River, and saw a kookaburra being chased by something, and I decided to go for a walk,” he said.
“I found a Collared Sparrowhawk, but unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a good photo of it.”
The Yarra Valley Birdlife group has bi-monthly outings, on the second Saturday and fourh Wednesday of each month, with their autumn trips including to Tirhautan Park in Rowville and the Warburton Trail between Seville and Killara, while the Birdlife Melbourne group will be visiting the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges to Yellingbo and Lysterfield Lake.
Mr Sissons said birdwatching is a great activity for young and old, and even can be a bonding opportunity.
“For kids all they need is a cheap pair of binoculars and a birdwatching book, they can spend hours walking and not get bored because they are learning and involved with wildlife, he said.
“A lot of retired people buy a camera and go out walking and enjoying themselves, and for an old bloke and his grandson it can lead to other fun times with the kid,”
Mr Sisson’s tips for birdwatching were to use a long lens on cameras to capture birds from further away so they are not disturbed and to target the species you want to find, researching where you are going and what can be found there in the time of year.
