Sydney is one of the biggest and most populated cities in Australia. Despite the population, there are still a great many opportunities for birdwatching in and around the city, mainly in the few pockets of preserved bushland scattered throughout the region. Around 450 species have been recorded in the area, so there is always something to see! The huge variety of easily accessible habitats within the area range greatly.

Channel-billed Cuckoo. Just one of the remarkable birds that you can see in gardens around Sydney. It arrives in the spring and stays for the summer, laying its eggs in the nests of Pid Currawongs. Photo Geoffrey Jones, Barra Imaging.

There’s a wide range of different habitats in Sydney and you’ll find different birds in each. As a general overview of birds to look out for:

• Rocky headlands – waders, terns and seabirds
• Dry forests – thornbills, honeyeaters, quail and raptors
• Wet forests – pigeons, scrubwrens, gerygones, lyrebirds, parrots and owls
• Wetlands and Swamps – waterfowl, waders, raptors, fairy-wrens and grassbirds
• Grasslands and Plains – raptors, quail, songlarks, lapwings and finches
• Heath – fairy-wrens, emu-wrens, honeyeaters, firetails

If you're looking for a few key places to go birding, these are amongst the best we'd recommend:

Rocky headlands
Long Reef Marine Reserve, Mistral Point (passing seabirds)
Dry forests
Scheyville National Park
Wet forest
Mitchell Park, Warriewood Wetlands, Irrawong Reserve, Royal National Park
Wetlands and Swamps
Pitt Town Lagoon, Warriewood Wetlands, Sydney Olympic Park Grasslands and Plains
Richmond Turf Farms
Heath
Royal National Park, Botany Bay National Park

The Secret Life of Sydney Birds: Warriewood Wetlands
Monday, October 17th, 2011

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Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

Rituals of Seduction: birds of paradise at the Australian Museum
Monday, July 18th, 2011

Sydney’s Olympic Sea-Eagles
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Birds of a Fashion
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011