Birding at Lake Cullulleraine in northern Victoria

Lake Cullulleraine, northern Victoria

In recent days I have been on the road again. This is my first major trip since October of 2018. I was on my way to Sydney to stay with family but I decided to take a completely different route this time. Normally I travel almost due east, travelling through Pinneroo, Ouyen, Balranald, Hay, Wagga Wagga and Goulburn. On this trip, I headed north from my home in Murray Bridge to Blanchetown where I crossed the Murray River.

I headed on east past Waikerie, Berri, Renmark and on towards Mildura in north-west Victoria. By the time I reached the small community of Lake Cullulleraine, it was time for a break and for lunch. Whenever I am travelling, I usually look for a good birding spot to add to my list of birds seen. This lake and the area nearby have always proved to be a satisfactory birding spot. In fact, many years ago my wife and I spent a lovely week in our old caravan here.

The lake is filled from the nearby Murray River and the whole river-lake complex is a rewarding birding area. Added to that is the farming area surrounding the lake which adds a different birding environment. Where the land is not used for agriculture, the remnant mallee scrublands provide birding experiences of yet another type.

Darter, Lake Cullulleraine

As soon as I pulled up in the car park I saw a Darter drying its wings though when I took the photo above it had closed its wings for a moment. As I was having my lunch I listed all of the other birds observed around the picnic area or on the nearby lake. The following is a list of the species seen:

• Darter
• Australian Raven
• Purple Swamphen
• Australian Wood Duck (about 60)
• Black-tailed Native-hen
• Noisy Miner
• Magpie-lark
• Apostlebird (photo below)
• Willie Wagtail
• Little Corella (about 30)
• Crested Pigeon
• Australian Pelican (one only flying overhead)
• Eurasian Coot
• Australian Magpie
• Pied Butcherbird
• Masked Lapwing
• Red Rumped Parrot

It is not a long list but it was good to get started on listing the birds seen on my trip through South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria over the next few weeks. I will write about the birds I see on my journeys in the coming posts on this site.

Apostlebird, Lake Cullulleraine

As I prepared to leave, a small family of Apostlebirds came meandering around my car enabling me to get some good photos. They were constantly calling to each other while they scratched at the ground seeking out a few items to eat for their lunch.

Good birding,

Trevor