Bird Biodiversity at Eaglerise Farm





We have kept an opportunistic bird list updated for the past 20 years. Since 2014 we have had a Birds Australia expert conducting official bird surveys along 5 transects. Dr John Shepherd has forwarded this outline as of Feb 2020.
Systematic bird species recording has been carried out regularly since June 2016 using best practice BirdLife Australia methods. A total of 34 surveys at three sites across the farm revealed that 71 species are present. On a hillside farm at an elevation of 300-500m above sea level, this is a remarkable result. The organic farming methods practiced, and the provision of some small dams and the significant revegetation undertaken on the lower hill slopes and in the gullies have provided a sustainable habitat and the farm is a good example of how to bring back birds.
The species range across most of the main bird groups and many are resident breeders in the revegetation. Australian Wood and Pacific Black Ducks, Australasian Grebes and White-faced Herons are found on the dams. Red-rumped (Grass) Parrots, Galahs, Eastern Rosellas and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are common, together with Crested Pigeons. Five species of raptor inhabit the slopes, including nesting Wedge-tailed Eagles and Brown Falcons.
Of a special importance are the numerous small woodland species that are generally uncommon or rare in the Albury, Table Top and Mullengandra districts. These include six vulnerable (to extinction) birds: Brown Treecreeper, Flame Robin, Hooded Robin, Varied Sittella, Dusky Woodswallow, and Diamond Firetail. Another vulnerable bird, the Little Eagle, has also been sighted. As well, Southern Whiteface, White-browed Babbler and Crested Shrike-tit are also present. Rainbow Bee-eaters arrive from the north for each summer to nest in the gully banks. This summer (2019-20) a pair of rare Red-backed Kingfishers have been present, a seldom recorded species in the district. Each winter significant numbers of Flame Robin feed in the pastures along the lower slopes of the farm. In one paddock alone, in 2018, 29 of these robins were counted.
To find all these species on the farm is a testament to the success of the revegetation program and farming practices.
Compiled by John Shepherd, President of BirdLife Australia, Ovens and Murray Branch.
Rainbow Bee Eaters
Here’s a video of our Rainbow Bee Eaters. They are a highlight of our year when we hear them arrive. Their beautiful song signifies the end of the cold weather and the start of the hot dry season. We don’t normally know when they leave. We just notice one day that we haven’t heard them for a little while. This clip shows them getting ready to fly north after breeding in our gully banks.

Superb Fairy Wrens
Just a little bit of Australian birds joy. These are Superb Fairy Wrens, malruscyaneus. The male is the blue one. This is filmed in real time, the soundtrack from ABCjazz was a complete fluke. It was playing on the TV in the background. These birds are having a birdbath in water going into one of our grapevines. These are the joys of observation.
Here is our pair of resident Australian Grebes. This pair live on our front dam. It’s great to take our evening walk and see these small birds scurry around the dam. Their nest can sometimes be seen floating around the dam. When their chicks hatch, they are tiny and if we approach the dam, the chicks climb on their mother’s back and she swims off with them to safety. I’ve seen her hide three chicks on her back and you wouldn’t know they were there.
They hide their eggs in their nests with wet grass as they try to direct us away from their nest site.
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Here is the largest bird of prey in Australia.
Mullengandra means a place where eagles fly. That is why we call our farm Eaglerise Farm. Our aim was always to develop an ecosystem that encourages the return on the mighty Wedge Tail Eagle. Well!!! Here you have it!
Eaglerise Farm Opportunistic Bird Sightings
Common Name | Scientific name | Occurrence | |
1 | Australian Wood Duck | Chenonetta jubata | often |
2 | Grey Teal | Anas gracilis | Often |
3 | Australian Shelduck | Tadorna tadornoides | Once |
4 | Hardhead | Aythya australis | Sometimes, seasonally |
5 | Pacific Black Duck | Anas superciliosa | Common |
6 | Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Occasionally |
7 | Australasian Shoveler | Anas rhynchotis | Occasionally |
8 | Australasian Grebe | Tacyhbaptus novaehollandiae | residents |
9 | Darter | Anhinga melanogaster | Occasionally |
10 | Little Pied Cormorant | Phalacrocorax melanoleucos | common |
11 | Australian Pelican | Pelecanus conspicillatus | Seldom |
12 | White-faced Heron | Ardea novaehollandiae | Common |
13 | Australian White Ibis | Theskiornois molluca | Occasionally |
14 | Whistling Kite | Haliastur sphenurus | Seldom |
15 | Little eagle | Hieraaetus morphnoides | Occasionally |
16 | Wedgetail Eagle | Aquila audax | Resident |
17 | Black-shouldered Kite | Elanus axillatis | Common |
18 | Brown Goshawk | Accipter fasciatus | Common |
19 | Nankeen Kestrel | Falco cenchroidess | Common |
20 | Australian Hobby | Falco longipennis | Occasionally |
21 | Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | Common |
22 | Brown Falcon | Falco berigora | Occasionally |
23 | Red-kneed Dotterel | Erythrogonys cinctus | Residents |
24 | Crested Pigeon | Ocyphaps lophotes | Common |
25 | Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo | Calyptorhynchus funereus | Seldom |
26 | Gang-gang Cockatoo | Callocephalon fimbriatum | Rare |
27 | Little Corella | Cacatua tenuirostris | Common |
28 | Sulphur-crested Cockatoo | Cacatua galerita | Common |
29 | Galah | Cacatua roseicpilla | Common |
30 | Rainbow Lorikeet | Trichoglossus haematodus | Rare |
31 | Australian King-parrot | Alisterus scapularis | Rare |
32 | Crimson Rosella | Platycercus elegans elegans | Common |
33 | Eastern Rosella | Platycercus eximius | Common |
34 | Red-rumper parrot | Psephotus haemotonotus | Resident |
35 | Black-eared Cuckoo | Chrysococcyx osculans | Seldom |
36 | Tawny Frogmouth | Podargus strigoides | Common |
37 | Red-backed Kingfisher | Todiramphus pyrrhopygia | Rare |
38 | Sacred Kingfisher | Todiramphus sanctus | Occasionally |
39 | Laughing Kookaburra | Dacelo novaeguineae | Common |
40 | Rainbow Bee-eater | Merops ornatus | Seasonally common |
41 | Dollarbird | Eurystomus orientalis | Rare |
42 | Brown Treecreeper | Climacteris picumnus | common |
43 | Superb Fairy-wren | Malurus cyaneus | Common |
44 | Striated Pardalote | Pardalotus striatus | Common |
45 | Yellow-rumped Thornbill | Acanthiza chrysorrhoa | Common |
46 | Chestnut-rumped Thornbill | Acanthiza uropygalis | Common |
47 | Southern Whiteface | Aphelocephala leucopsis | Common |
48 | Little Wattlebird | Anthochaera chrysoptera | Relatively common |
49 | Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater | Acanthagenys rufogulris | Occasionally |
50 | Noisy Friarbird | Philemon corniculatus | Occasionally |
51 | White-plumed Honeyeater | Lichenostomusflavescens | Common |
52 | Brown-headed Honeyeater | Melithreptus brevirostris | Rare |
53 | Eastern Spinebill | Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris | Rare |
54 | Mistletoebird | Dicaeum hirundinaceum | Common |
55 | Crimson Chat | Epithianura tricolor | Rare |
56 | Hooded Robin | Melandryas cuculata | Common |
57 | Flame Robin | Petroica phoenicea | Common |
58 | Scarlet Robin | Petroica multicolour | Often |
59 | Red-capped Robin | Petroica goodenovii | rare |
60 | Eastern Yellow Robin | Eopsaltria australis | Rare |
61 | Jacky Winter | Microeca fascinans | Sometimes |
62 | White-browed Babbler | Pomatostomus superciliosus | Common |
63 | Grey-crowned Babbler | Pomatostomus temporalis | sometimes |
64 | Varied Sitella | Daphoenositts chrysoptera | Rare |
65 | Crested Shrike-tit | Oreoica gutturalis | Sometimes |
66 | Olive Whistler | Pachycephala olivacae | Rare |
67 | Golden Whistler | Pachycephala pectoralis | Rare |
68 | Rufus Whistler | Pachycephala rufiventris | Common |
69 | Grey Shrike-thrush | Colluricincla harmonica | Often |
70 | Restless Flycatcher | Myiagra alecto | Often |
71 | Grey Fantail | Rhipidura fuliginosa | Sometimes |
72 | Willie Wagtail | Rhipidura leucophrys | Often |
73 | White-winged Triller | Lalage tricolor | Sometimes |
74 | Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike | Coracina novaehollandiae | Often |
75 | White-browed Woodswallow | Artamus superciliosus | Sometimes |
76 | Black-faced Woodswallow | Artamus cinereus | often |
77 | Dusky Woodswallow | Artamus cyanopterus | Sometimes |
78 | Pied Butcherbird | Cracticus nigrogularis | rare |
79 | Australian Magpie | Gymnorhina tibicen | Often |
80 | Pied Currawong | Strepera graculina | Sometimes |
81 | Australian Raven | Corvus coronoides | Often |
82 | White-winged Chough | Cororax melanorhamphos | Rare |
83 | Apostlebird | Struthidea cinerea | Rare |
84 | Australian (Richards) Pipit | Anthus vovaeseelandiae | Often |
85 | Zebra Finch | Taeniopygia guttata | Rare |
86 | Double-barred Finch | Taeniopygia bichenovii | Rare |
87 | Diamond Firetail | Stagonopleura guttata | Common |
88 | Red-browed Finch | Neochimia temporalis | Common |
89 | House Tree Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Common |
90 | European Goldfinch | Carduelis cardue;is | Rare |
91 | Welcome Swallow | Hirundo neoxena | Common |
92 | Fairy Martin | Hirundo ariel | Common |
93 | Clamorous Reed-Warbler | Acrocephalus stentoreus | Sometimes |
94 | Rufous Songlark | Cincloramphus mathewsi | Common |
95 | Silvereye | Zosterops lateralis | Sometimes |
96 | Common Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Common |
97 | Common Myna | Acridotheres tristis | Rare |