HBOC runs an annual program of events for members, including monthly indoor meetings and birding outings, regular club camps, organised bird surveys and much more.
It is necessary to register for all events you are attending in person, particularly as some locations have restrictions on numbers.
Upcoming Events
The following table provides a summary of upcoming Club events this month. For access to the full calendar of events please scroll down to the relevant section and follow the link:
Appletree Flat Camp Easter, Friday April 3 – Monday April 6
Arrive anytime after lunch on Friday 3 April. To get to Appletree Flat go just through Jerry’s Plains, instead of taking the main road sweeping to the right go straight ahead on Pagan Street and left onto Queen Street which becomes Jones Reserve Road to Appletree Flat Road. Turn left here and follow the HBOC signs to the very end of this road, it takes a few bends. There will be an HBOC sign on the left at Commission Road (ignore the no entry sign). Note, you don’t go in through the farm gates. Take this track for about 1 km to another sign which leads to the camping ground. There is good birding here and options to hike up to the top of the escarpment with fantastic views and maybe a rock warbler or two.
NRMA Myall Shores Camp 20th – 23 Oct
HBOC has booked our regular sites at NRMA Myall Shores, Bombah Point, Myall Lake. October is a great time to visit this location with lots of spring flowering and many different bird species. The days and evenings are warm and there will be plenty of walks organised; both around the camp, to the nearby National Park, and across on the ferry to Mungo Brush etc. In the evenings members meet to recount their days and do ‘bird call’, and there is often wine and food involved! Our main camp site, at the end of the park has bathrooms and showers, a small bush bbq area and plenty of white sand for those who like to swim or bring canoes to explore the lake’s edge.
Eleven Waterfront Power/Water sites have been booked for the 3 nights. Cost is normally $47 per night but HBOC gets a 10% discount to $42.30 per night (this covers 2 people on the site). Due to flooding, there are only 3 cabins left in the park and only 1 available in October which we are holding. The Cabin has 2 bedrooms with 1 Queen and 2 Single Beds; discounted cost is $170 per night. There are also 2 onsite Caravans with a Queen bed and private bathroom discounted rate of $140 per night (we are not holding bookings for Caravans). There are plain camping sites available (no power/water and they are not too far away from the main HBOC sites) which are discounted rate of $37 per night for 2 people, extra people are $20 per person per night.
Please email me, Juliasalnicki@gmail.com , if you would like to book one of the HBOC waterfront sites or the Cabin. All bookings for Caravans and camp sites please call Sally at NRMA Myall Shores on (02) 4997 4457. Looking forward to great birding and a fun couple of days.
Meeting places and times will be posted when available.
| EVENT | DATE | INFORMATION | MEETING PLACE & TIME | CONTACT DETAILS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weekend Outing | Sunday 15th March | Coastal forest at Dudley Beach | 8am. Dudley Beach car park | Tom Clarke 0418 411 785 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| April | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Easter Camp | 3rd-6th April | Appletree Flat, Jerrys Plains | See above | Keith Eastwood Text 0417 384 509 Keith.eastwood001@gmail.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid week outing | Tuesday 14th April | Green Point Reserve | Meeting end of Green Point Drive Belmont at 7.30am | Ted Elks ejelks.@bigpond.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note: The above outing is the only field outing for April | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid week outing | Tuesday 5th May | Green Wattle Creek | Meeting at Seaham Park 8am | Dinah Stehr 0402091951 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mid-Week Camp | 20th-23rd Oct | NRMA Myall Shores | See Above | Julia Salnicki 0406 820 132 Juliasalnicki@gmail.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monthly Club Meetings
The monthly Club Meetings are held at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, Shortland the second Wednesday of each month, except for January during summer holidays. Concurrent Zoom meetings are also held for those that cannot attend, to maximise accessibility. The meeting starts at 19:00, with a pre-meeting social supper at 18:30.
The format of the meetings includes a presentation from a Main Speaker, a “Bird of the Evening” presentation and an open forum for the sharing of recent bird observations. Upcoming activities and other important Club notices are also announced. In February the Bird of the Evening presentation is replaced by the Club’s AGM.
Please register your in-person attendance for a Club Meeting in advance with the Club Secretary, Helen Horn at secretary@hboc.org.au
Monthly Club Meetings Calendar TBA
Club Management Committee Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month from 18:30 at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, Shortland. All members are welcome to attend – please contact the Club Secretary in advance to notify the Management Committee of your intention to attend.
Monthly Field Outings
The monthly Sunday and Tuesday outings invite members to discover an exciting birding location within the Hunter Region and are held on the morning of the third Sunday of each month and first Tuesday of each month.
The format of the outings typically includes an easy to moderate walk and depending on the duration may include stops for morning tea and/or lunch (BYO). It is an opportunity to be guided around a location by the leader of the outing, who will be familiar with birding at this location. It also enables regular attendees an opportunity to socialise with other members and for members who are relatively new to birding to learn field skills and identification tips from those with more experience.
Please register your attendance for a Field Outing in advance by SMS or email with the relevant outing leader.
Sunday Field Outings Calendar TBA
Tuesday Field Outings Calendar TBA
HBOC Fledglings
The Club offers four activities per year especially designed for children aged 5 to 12, to introduce them to birdwatching in a fun and interesting way. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
The outings for 2024 have been carefully planned to be within easy access for families living in Newcastle and Maitland. Each outing will explore a natural habitat (bush, beach, wetland) with enough walking to be an achievable challenge to the children, and to give opportunities for them to look at birds, bugs, bark or in fact anything that captures their attention.
HBOC Fledglings Calendar TBA
Club Camps
The Club organises regular camps over the weekends of public holidays, plus a mid-week camp. The camps typically try and avoid busy and expensive commercial campsites, instead taking advantage of National Park facilities and relationships with private land owners. There is typically a small fee to cover expenses associated with the toilet tent, which the Club facilitates. For those that prefer their creature comforts, there are often accommodation alternatives on site or nearby.
The format of the camps is largely informal, with groups of people doing their own thing, looking for birds in and around the camping location environs. However, more formal excursions and survey efforts are sometimes organised for those who are interested. The day will usually finish with a “happy hour” around the camp fire, in which members will share their observations from the day and socialise together. The Club camps are a great way to meet new people and old friends, experience birding locations that may be off-limits to the public and sometimes venture beyond the Hunter Region. As with the field outings, the camps are an opportunity for members who are relatively new to birding to learn field skills and identification tips from those with more experience.
Please register your attendance for a Club Camp in advance by SMS or email with the relevant camp organiser.
Club Camps Calendar TBA
Regular Surveys
The Club organises regular bird surveys, most notably those of the shorebirds and waterbirds in the Hunter Estuary, which are done monthly. Several other sites are also surveyed monthly, and there are various targeted surveys (for a particular species or a particular area) that occur a few times per year. All HBOC members are welcome to join any of the Club’s surveys; however for some of them there is limited space and you may have to be on a waiting list. 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, as listed in the Regular Surveys Calendar:
Hands-on Conservation
Tom Clarke organises regular volunteer work groups to help with hands-on conservation efforts across the Hunter Estuary, with a particular focus on mangrove removal from inter-tidal mudflats, which are important for migratory shorebird conservation. Please contact Tom on 0418 411 785 if you are keen to help out.
Hands-on Conservation Calendar TBA