The Club organises regular bird surveys, most notably those of the shorebirds and waterbirds throughout the Hunter Estuary. To register interest in volunteering to assist with undertaking regular surveys and/or to register interest in tagging along for a single survey, please contact the relevant survey organiser at the bottom of this page.
2023 calendar of surveys:
Tues 9 MayGrahamstown DamContact the organiser
| DATE | SURVEY | MEETING PLACE & TIME |
|---|---|---|
| May | ||
| Fri 12 May | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Tue 16 May | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Tue 16 May | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Sat 11 May | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 10:00 Ash Island & Tomago
10:30 all other locations |
| Date TBA | Regent Honeyeater / Swift Parrot Survey | Various locations |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| June | ||
| Fri 9 Jun | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Tue 13 Jun | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Sat 22 Jun | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 07:30 Ash Island & Tomago
08:00 all other locations |
| Tue 20 Jun | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 20 Jun | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| July | ||
| Thu 4 July | Luskintyre Valley | Contact the organiser |
| Fri 7 – Sun 9 Jul | Broughton Island | Contact the organiser |
| Tues 11 Jul | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Fri 14 Jul | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Tue 18 Jul | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 18 Jul | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Tue 9 – Wed 10 Jul | Martindale Valley | Contact the organiser |
| Thu 18 – Fri 19 Jul | McCullys Gap | Contact the organiser |
| Sat 20 Jul | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 06:30 Ash Island & Tomago
07:00 all other locations |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| August | ||
| Wed 2 Aug | Port Stephens Waterbirds | 08:00 Locations as directed |
| Tues 8 Aug | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Fri 11 Aug | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Tue 15 Aug | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Tue 15 Aug | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Sat 24 Aug | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 11:00 Ash Island & Tomago
11:30 all other locations |
| Date TBA | Regent Honeyeater / Swift Parrot Survey | Various locations |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| September | ||
| Fri 8 Sep | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Tues 12 Sep | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Sat 21 Sep | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 09:30 Ash Island & Tomago
10:00 all other locations |
| Tue 19 Sep | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Tue 19 Sep | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| October | ||
| Thu 3 Oct | Luskintyre Valley | Contact the organiser |
| Fri 6 – Sun 8 Oct | Broughton Island | Contact the organiser |
| Mon 9 – Wed 11 Oct | Rufous Scrub-bird surveys | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 10 Oct | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Fri 13 Oct | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Sat 19 Oct | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 09:00 Ash Island & Tomago
09:30 all other locations |
| Tue 17 Oct | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Tue 17 Oct | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 15 – Wed 16 Oct | Martindale Valley | Contact the organiser |
| Thu 17 – Fri 18 Oct | McCullys Gap | Contact the organiser |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| November | ||
| Fri 10 Nov | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Sat 16 Nov | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 08:00 Ash Island & Tomago
08:30 all other locations |
| Tues 14 Nov | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 21 Nov | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Tue 21 Nov | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
| December | ||
| Fri 8 Dec | Earthcare Park | 07:00 Main Gate |
| Sat 14 Dec | Hunter Estuary (plus Swansea & Swan Bay) | 07:00 Ash Island & Tomago
07:30 all other locations |
| Tues 12 Dec | Grahamstown Dam | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 19 Dec | Shortland Waters | Contact the organiser |
| Tue 19 Dec | Tomago Wetlands | 07:30 Entrance to Tomago House |
| Date TBA | Morpeth | Contact the organiser |
Contact details for the regular surveys
If you would like to assist with a survey or to find out more information about what is involved, contact the relevant organiser as listed below:
| SURVEY | CONTACT DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Hunter Estuary surveys | These surveys involve multiple teams visiting roost sites at high tide |
| Hunter Estuary – Ash Island | Alan Stuart 0409 978 171 |
| Hunter Estuary – Kooragang Island | Dan Williams 0408 023 262 |
| Hunter Estuary – Stockton | Tom Clarke 0418 411 785 |
| Hunter Estuary – Tomago | Steven Cox 0409 848 390 |
| Hunter Estuary – Hexham | Ann Lindsey 0455 515 774 |
| Other monthly surveys | Most of these surveys are aimed at monitoring waterbirds (Earthcare Park = all birds) |
| Swansea/Lake Macquarie | Mandy McDonald 0424 443 832 |
| Port Stephens – Swan Bay | Lorna Mee 0499 015 500 |
| Earthcare Park, Tenambit | Marg Clarke 0412 616 030 |
| Grahamstown Dam | Marg Clarke 0412 616 030 |
| Tomago Wetlands – Tuesday | Ann Lindsey 0455 515 774 |
| Shortland Waters golf club | Robert & Margaret Stewart 0401 283 305 |
| Morpeth Wastewater Treatment Plant | Louise Williams 0403 338 372 |
| Less frequent surveys | Some surveys are for specific species, others involve studies of a geographical area |
| Regent Honeyeater / Swift Parrot Survey | Mick Roderick 0421 761 237 |
| Rufous Scrub-bird Survey | Alan Stuart 0409 978 171 |
| Snipe Survey | Ann Lindsey 0455 515 774 |
| Broughton Island | Alan Stuart 0409 978 171 |
| McCullys Gap | Tom Clarke 0418 411 785 |
| Port Stephens Waterbirds | Alan Stuart 0409 978 171 |
| Martindale Valley | Bruce Watts 0402 406 332 |
| Luskintyre Valley | Miranda Moore 0448 745 869 |