Australia: The Three Kings
For our honeymoon, we are incredibly lucky to be traveling in the Southern Hemisphere for four months. We began with a six week trip in Australia, where one of the birds we most wanted to see was the Regent Honeyeater. With less than 300 individuals left in the wild, this critically endangered species is an iconic endemic of southeastern Australia. A few days after arriving in Sydney, we saw reports of sightings two hours north of us. We quickly rearranged our itinerary and eagerly drove up the coast to a small roadside nature reserve.
The habitat of Banksias was perfect for honeyeaters, and we saw seven other honeyeater species on our walk in. We also met a conservationist who works on the Regent Honeyeater reintroduction program, which released 50 zoo-bred birds in 2022 about 10km from the park we were in. We met a few other local birdwatchers as well, and eventually found a single Regent Honeyeater feeding on Banksia integrifolia flowers. The bird continued feeding as we approached within about 5m of it, and we were able to observe it for about half an hour. As seen in the photograph, it had bands on its legs, indicating that it was one of the released “zoo” birds. Perhaps this is why it let us approach so closely! A “wild” individual had also been reported in the park the previous day, but we did not see it. Regardless, it was an amazing experience viewing a remarkable endangered bird.
Regent Honeyeater: New South Wales
We found the second regent bird of our trip, the Regent Bowerbird, in Lamington National Park in Queensland. Part of a World Heritage Site and the most expansive area of subtropical rainforest in the world, Lamington protects and offers access to more than 200 rare and threatened plant and animal species. The park is a place for exploration and learning, with free tours and walks. It was on one of these walks that we saw the Regent Bowerbird, and captured this photograph of it.
Bowerbirds are found only in Australia and New Guinea. The males have evolved elaborate courtship displays, which they perform in display sites called bowers. These often are constructed from sticks and decorated with collected colorful items. While we did not find any bowers belonging to the Regent Bowerbird, we did observe a collapsed bower of the Satin Bowerbird, another bowerbird inhabiting the same forests. It contained a number of blue items including a bottle cap and a piece of a medical glove.
Regent Bowerbird: Queensland
During our stay in Victoria, we drove five hours from Melbourne to the northwest of the state. The Regent Parrot’s limited range in eastern Australia is restricted to this region, where it inhabits open inland areas and scattered woodlands, and is often found in Eucalyptus trees. Despite this, during our first four days in the region, we had no luck finding it.
On our last day, we woke up at our campground in Wyperfeld National Park and searched for the parrot with no luck. We started driving to a lake in the southern section of the park, and after Google Maps led us to a dead end, we tried to find our own way along a road at the edge of the park. The road became sandier and sandier the further we drove along it and the car slid as Isaac floored the gas. We became stuck.
After two hours of trying to dig the car out, a farmer named Michaela approached us on her seeder, and asked us if we needed to be pulled out. We gratefully accepted! After connecting our car to their ute with a chain, Michaela and her father pulled us out and drove us across their paddock, where they grow animal feed and vegetables. We were so grateful!
Before driving back to Melbourne, we decided to have one last try and take the one hour detour back to Wyperfeld. Although access to the lake was closed, we began walking along a trail where Regent Parrots had been seen half a month prior. Within three minutes, a group of three flew in to a nearby Eucalyptus! With just two days left in the country, we were thrilled to have seen all three regent birds in Australia! Our three kings!
