Birds of Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra

2007 Australian Capital Territory trip report #3

On our first day in Canberra we found a lovely spot on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin for lunch. This artificial lake in the heart of Canberra is a magnificent setting for this beautiful city, our national capital. From our picnic spot we could see the giant fountain shooting water high into the air, the National Library building and the old and new Houses of Parliament. A little further along the shores of the lake we could both see and hear the National Carillon playing, the tunes drifting over the lake towards us as we ate our lunch.

I only had a limited time to watch birds while having lunch. My list is rather short as a result. Local birders will probably laugh at this very short list. I am sure that the lake is home to many more species. While we had lunch Red Wattlebirds and White-plumed Honeyeaters were noisy in the trees nearby. A Willie Wagtail and some Superb Fairy-wrens could be heard in nearby bushes and several Galahs flew overhead.

A Black Swan and several cygnets were swimming in the lake nearby along with a small group of Australian Wood Ducks. Two Pacific Black Ducks flew along the shore heading south. I could hear some Sulphur-crested Cockatoos screeching from nearby trees. Several Australian Magpies searched the extensive lawns for their lunch. Occasionally two or three Silver Gulls flew over the lake.

National Library of Australia, Canberra

I don’t have any photos of birds to show you today. All of the birds I saw while having lunch were too far away to photograph.