Southern Queensland is a diverse place for birdlife, and birdwatching in the Granite Belt is no exception. Here at Severn River Cottages, we’re lucky to be surrounded by pristine Australian bush and the relaxing Severn River.
It’s a diverse environment for birds. For example, over a one-year period, we saw 66 different birds on the property (at the end of this post we’ve listed them all out). We have some regular visitors to our Orchard Cottage patio too!
Our local residents
As the seasons pass, we also have many birds nesting in our trees. Our resident tawny frogmouths love to sit together low in a gum tree near Orchard Cottage’s outdoor firepit. Long into the day they will remain motionless, camouflaged against the bark, enjoying the fresh air and bush vibe.
Tawny frogmouths form permanent pair bonds and will remain in the same territory for 10 years or more. Spring 2024 we were pleased to see the tawny pair had successfully hatched three chicks further down the property!
We’ve also spotted several other bird parents raising young, including a brown goshawk, red-browed finch, pied butcherbird, crested pigeon, and two noisy miners.
The gentle Severn River, accessible near Frog Hollow Cottage, is also home to many aquatic birds. If you stand still for long enough, the welcome swallows will dart and zip past your head. And the superb fairy wrens will hop onto the branches nearby. You may even see a white-plumed honeyeater sipping from the river, or a white-faced heron flying overhead.
Where to birdwatch
Whilst there’s plenty of wildlife to see at Severn River Cottages, we’re just a short drive away from multiple national parks. Girraween National Park has over 150 bird species to spot during your visit. Sundown National Park is a little further but also has birdwatching facilities.
One of our favourite activities to do is birdwatching in the Granite Belt, listening to the different birdsong. If you’re looking to enjoy a tranquil visit to the Granite Belt, then book your stay at Severn River Cottages
Birds spotted over one year
Below is a full list of all the birds we’ve spotted on the property over a year period.
- Australasian Grebe
- Australian Pelican
- Darter
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Little Black Cormorant
- White-faced Heron
- Australian White Ibis
- Straw-necked Ibis
- Pacific Black Duck
- Hardhead
- Australian Wood/Maned Duck
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Whistling Kite
- Brown Goshawk
- Dusky Moorhen
- Purple Swamphen
- Peaceful Dove
- Bar-shouldered Dove
- Common Bronzewing
- Crested Pigeon
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
- Galah
- Little Corella
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
- King Parrot
- Red-winged Parrot
- Crimson Rosella
- Eastern Rosella
- Red-rumped Parrot
- Tawny Frogmouth
- Azure Kingfisher
- Sacred Kingfisher
- Kookaburra
- Dollarbird
- Welcome Swallow
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
- Eastern Yellow Robin
- Rufous Whistler
- Leaden Flycatcher
- Restless Flycatcher
- Grey Fantail
- Willie Wagtail
- Grey-crowned Babbler
- Superb Fairy-wren
- White-browed Scrubwren
- Weebill
- White-throated Gerygone
- Yellow-rumped Thornbill
- Varied Sittella
- Red Wattlebird
- Noisy Friarbird
- Blue-faced Honeyeater
- Noisy Miner
- Yellow-faced Honeyeater
- White-eared Honeyeater
- White-plumed Honeyeater
- White-naped Honeyeater
- Spotted Pardalote
- Red-browed Finch
- Double-barred Finch
- Olive-backed Oriole
- Satin Bowerbird
- Apostlebird
- Dusky Woodswallow
- Pied Butcherbird
- Australian Magpie
- Pied Currawong
