Our Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary is a renowned birdwatching destination, covering almost 262,000 hectares of Central Australia. Each year, AWC Wildlife Ecologist Tim Henderson records his top 10 bird species sighted across the sanctuary's rugged ranges, salt lakes and sand plains.
Below is his list from 2024.
By Tim Henderson, Wildlife Ecologist
The real winner for the year was the record-breaking rain at Newhaven, with our wettest March on record (316 millimetres) and our fifth wettest year on record (637 millimetres). The year started with a relatively dry summer, some early highlights included several Grey Falcons (Falco hypoleucos), large flocks of Pacific Swifts (Apus pacificus), and the return of the Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus) - an arid specialist that has been mostly absent since the severe drought five years ago.
Following some late summer rain in February, many Bloodwoods (Corymbia gummifera) began flowering, resulting in an amazing irruption of the usually rare and nomadic Pied and Black Honeyeaters (Certhionyx variegatus; Sugomel nigrum), with hundreds feeding around base and several thousand more across the whole property.
In March came the heavy rains – we had nearly 300 millimetres fall in just one weekend. Within days, we had amazing numbers of waterbirds showing up across the numerous lakes and claypans, many of which remained inundated throughout the year.
Unfortunately, this rain event also occurred right before our annual bird surveys, with the volunteer birdwatchers becoming stranded and our sites inaccessible. Despite this, nearly 150 bird species were still seen, with eight new species (all waterbirds) added to the property list.
- Australian Spotted Crake (Porzana fluminea)
Tim Henderson/AWC A great bird to kick-off the Top 10. These secretive crakes first appeared shortly after the rain and were seen several times throughout the year across several different lakes. They were typically seen dashing through the partially submerged melaleuca.
Interestingly, the last time this bird was seen at Newhaven was during the 2019 drought, when one surprised Birdlife Australia volunteers at the operations base during the annual bird survey.
- Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Tim Henderson/AWC In the last few months of 2024, Newhaven was visited by some amazing migratory waders. Recently listed as endangered in Australia, several individual Greenshanks were some of the first waders to show up at Newhaven, making a lake on the property named Swan Lake their home for several weeks.
A shout-out also goes to the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata), whose listing has also been changed to vulnerable. They were the first of the migratory waders to show up this spring, with flocks of up to 30 appearing across the property.
- Australian Tern (Gelochelidon macrotarsa)
Tim Henderson/AWC These terns are typically found near the ocean, but sometimes they venture inland. While they can look pretty standard amongst other terns on the coast, these certainly look more impressive on their own, especially in the desert. This one was seen hunting large invertebrates at a nearby claypan.
We were also occasionally visited by small flocks of Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) throughout the year which were always a joy to see.
- Buff-banded Rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis)
Tim Henderson/AWC A very unexpected visitor, especially for the central deserts. One bird was seen a few times at one of the small lakes, and while they can typically be bold around humans where they're common, this one didn't allow for very great viewing (or good photo opportunities!).
This species, along with the remainder of the list were all new additions to Newhaven's property list (great for our Ecohealth records).
- Baillon's crake (Zapornia pusilla)
Tim Henderson/AWC Another very surprising visitor to the desert, the Baillon's Crake are often hard to find, given their small size and secretive behaviour. They were first seen in July, then again in November in a completely different spot.
For many months, this bird was sitting comfortably as a top candidate for Bird of the Year, but then came the summer migrants…
- Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Tim Henderson/AWC Kicking off the Top 5, these waders were one of several interesting species that showed up at Newhaven's Swan Lake in November. Like the Common Greenshank, this species has also been recently added to Australia's threatened species list. Unfortunately, it is one of many migratory waders endangered by ongoing destruction of wetlands and climate change.
The last few months of the year were especially exciting, it really got the point where we felt anything could show up…
- Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
Tim Henderson/AWC An uncommon bird to see in Australia, and often very hard to pick out given their similarity to the more common Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. They are even more rare in central Australia, with hardly any records. I was pretty stoked when I noticed several hanging out amongst the sharpies at Blue Lagoon (you can see a comparison between the two species in the photo, with Pectoral in the front-middle). I can't believe I couldn't even fit them into the Top 3!
- Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
Tim Henderson/AWC What! Definitely (k)not what we expected to show up at Newhaven this year. This one initially had field ecologist Emma and I stumped trying to ID it in the field, given it's a coastal bird well out of range. The only previous records for central Australia have been from the Alice Springs poo ponds, so it was incredibly exciting to have one turn up here. Probably lost, or perhaps just taking a short-cut to the south coast? Regardless, this is another threatened species using Newhaven's wetlands as an important 'stop-over' location during the summer migration.
- Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum)
Tim Henderson/AWC Another amazing species for central Australia, sneaking into the Top 2 in December just before I was about to head off sanctuary for the year. A small flock of nine turned up at Swan Lake, though these migratory shorebirds can appear in very large numbers, with almost three million counted at Eighty Mile Beach in northern WA in 2004. However, not much is known about their movements elsewhere Australia, and this sighting contributes to an ongoing study on Oriental Pratincoles movements in Australia.
- Long-toed Stint (Calidris subminuta)
Tim Henderson/AWC Rounding out a very close Top 3, I've given this year's top spot to this very small (our smallest) wader. They were extremely hard to spot and ID given their small size, and were also a lifer for me (bonus points). They're such a great bird to find in Australia in general, but even more special to see them visiting the red center where there a very few records. Two birds initially showed up at Swan Lake, but then a third (potentially different individual) was seen at Blue Lagoon a week later.
That's it for this year. Once again, a shorebird takes this years' Top Spot. Maybe next year will be different… (Princess Parrots anyone?)
Honourable mentions
