Australia Ramsar wetland
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park
239 bird species recorded; the most in March and from November to January.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
186 species in January.168 species in February.175 species in March.152 species in April.148 species in May.146 species in June.152 species in July.144 species in August.149 species in September.165 species in October.176 species in November.179 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
VU
VU
NT
NT
VU
NT
VU
VUVU
NT
NT
NTNTNTNT
NTVU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
239 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 239Speciesrecorded more than once
- 87Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 48,642Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 17Raptors
- 3Owls
- 31Waders
- 25Gulls & seabirds
- 14Ducks & geese
- 24Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 80Songbirds
- 44Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 239 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- Brown FalconFalco berigora
- Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
- Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
- Wedge-tailed EagleAquila audax
- Australian hobbyFalco longipennis
- Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurus
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Brown GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus
- Black FalconFalco subniger
- Collared SparrowhawkAccipiter cirrocephalus
- Spotted HarrierCircus assimilis
- Eastern OspreyPandion cristatus
- Little EagleHieraaetus morphnoides
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Southern BoobookNinox boobook
- Powerful OwlNinox strenua
Waders31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Pied OystercatcherHaematopus longirostris
- Masked LapwingVanellus miles
- Hooded DotterelThinornis cucullatusNT
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Red-capped PloverCharadrius ruficapillus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Double-banded PloverCharadrius bicinctusNT
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Sooty OystercatcherHaematopus fuliginosus
- Australian Red-necked AvocetRecurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Red-kneed DotterelErythrogonys cinctus
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Banded StiltCladorhynchus leucocephalus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Black-fronted DotterelElseyornis melanops
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Banded LapwingVanellus tricolor
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
Gulls & seabirds25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- Pacific GullLarus pacificus
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Australasian GannetMorus serrator
- Fairy TernSternula nereisVU
- Puffinus tenuirostrisPuffinus tenuirostris
- Blue PenguinEudyptula minor
- Black-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophris
- Shy albatrossThalassarche cautaNT
- White-headed PetrelPterodroma lessonii
- Australian TernGelochelidon macrotarsa
- White-faced storm petrelPelagodroma marina
- Fairy PrionPachyptila turtur
- Antarctic FulmarFulmarus glacialoides
- Antarctic Giant-PetrelMacronectes giganteus
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Gray-headed AlbatrossThalassarche chrysostoma
- Fiordland PenguinEudyptes pachyrhynchusNT
- Thin-billed prionPachyptila belcheri
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
Ducks & geese14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Magpie GooseAnseranas semipalmata
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides
- Chestnut TealAnas castanea
- Musk DuckBiziura lobata
- Grey TealAnas gracilis
- Australasian ShovelerSpatula rhynchotis
- HardheadAythya australis
- Maned DuckChenonetta jubata
- Pink-eared DuckMalacorhynchus membranaceus
- Freckled DuckStictonetta naevosa
- Blue-billed DuckOxyura australis
- Cape Barren GooseCereopsis novaehollandiae
Herons, ibises & grebes24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
- Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos
- Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Hoary-headed GrebePoliocephalus poliocephalus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
- Australasian BitternBotaurus poiciloptilusVU
- Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Australasian GrebeTachybaptus novaehollandiae
- White-necked HeronArdea pacifica
- Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius
- Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiae
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- BrolgaGrus rubicunda
Songbirds80 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Superb Fairy-wrenMalurus cyaneus
- Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicen
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena
- Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusilla
- New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiae
- White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalis
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonica
- Rhipidura albiscapaRhipidura albiscapa
- Forest RavenCorvus tasmanicus
- Willie-wagtailRhipidura leucophrys
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- White-fronted ChatEpthianura albifrons
- Magpie larkGrallina cyanoleuca
- Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculata
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Striated FieldwrenCalamanthus fuliginosus
- Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis
- Little RavenCorvus mellori
- Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysoptera
- Little GrassbirdMegalurus gramineus
- Southern Emu-wrenStipiturus malachurus
- Grey CurrawongStrepera versicolor
- Singing HoneyeaterGavicalis virescens
- Olive WhistlerPachycephala olivacea
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australis
- Red-browed FiretailNeochmia temporalis
- Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricans
- Yellow-faced HoneyeaterCaligavis chrysops
- Australian Reed-WarblerAcrocephalus australis
- Beautiful FiretailStagonopleura bella
- Spiny-cheeked HoneyeaterAcanthagenys rufogularis
- Rufous BristlebirdDasyornis broadbenti
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- Yellow-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza chrysorrhoa
- Striated ThornbillAcanthiza lineata
- Pied CurrawongStrepera graculina
- Fairy MartinPetrochelidon ariel
- Australian PipitAnthus australis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Black-faced CuckooshrikeCoracina novaehollandiae
- Eastern SpinebillAcanthorhynchus tenuirostris
- White-throated TreecreeperCormobates leucophaea
- Australian Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralis
- Brown SonglarkMegalurus cruralis
- Spotted PardalotePardalotus punctatus
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- White-eared HoneyeaterNesoptilotis leucotis
- Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventris
- Australian RavenCorvus coronoides
- Scarlet RobinPetroica boodang
- MistletoebirdDicaeum hirundinaceum
- White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus
- Varied SittellaDaphoenositta chrysoptera
- Pink RobinPetroica rodinogaster
- Rufous SonglarkMegalurus mathewsi
- Striated PardalotePardalotus striatus
- Flame RobinPetroica phoenicea
- White-browed WoodswallowArtamus superciliosus
- Dusky WoodswallowArtamus cyanopterus
- Masked WoodswallowArtamus personatus
- White-plumed HoneyeaterPtilotula penicillata
- Crested Shrike-titFalcunculus frontatus
- Satin FlycatcherMyiagra cyanoleuca
- Crescent HoneyeaterPhylidonyris pyrrhopterus
- Singing BushlarkMirafra javanica
- Bassian ThrushZoothera lunulata
- Australian White-winged TrillerLalage tricolor
- Restless FlycatcherMyiagra inquieta
- Noisy MinerManorina melanocephala
- Jacky-winterMicroeca fascinans
- Rose RobinPetroica rosea
- White-throated GerygoneGerygone olivacea
- Crimson ChatEpthianura tricolor
- Hooded RobinMelanodryas cucullata
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatus
- Brown-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus brevirostris
- Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifrons
Other birds44 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosa
- CootFulica atra
- Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostomaVU
- GalahEolophus roseicapilla
- Crested PigeonOcyphaps lophotes
- Crimson RosellaPlatycercus elegans
- Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus
- Australian CrakePorzana fluminea
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooZanda funerea
- Brush BronzewingPhaps elegans
- Common BronzewingPhaps chalcoptera
- Elegant ParrotNeophema elegans
- Azure KingfisherCeyx azureus
- Red-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus banksii
- Horsfield's Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx basalis
- Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis
- EmuDromaius novaehollandiae
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformis
- KookaburraDacelo novaeguineae
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Shining cuckooChrysococcyx lucidus
- Brown QuailSynoicus ypsilophorus
- Sulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
- Orange-bellied ParrotNeophema chrysogasterCR
- Spotless CrakePorzana tabuensis
- Lewin's RailLewinia pectoralis
- Black-tailed NativehenGallinula ventralis
- Musk LorikeetGlossopsitta concinna
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Buff-banded RailGallirallus philippensis
- Gang-gang CockatooCallocephalon fimbriatumVU
- Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius
- Red-rumped ParrotPsephotus haematonotus
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus funereus
- Australian Owlet-NightjarAegotheles cristatus
- Painted ButtonquailTurnix varius
- Long-billed CorellaCacatua tenuirostris
- Tawny FrogmouthPodargus strigoides
- Pallid cuckooCuculus pallidus
- Little CorellaCacatua sanguinea
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in March and from November to January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan22°/14°32 mm
- Feb22°/14°27 mm
- Mar21°/14°38 mm
- Apr18°/12°48 mm
- May16°/11°69 mm
- Jun14°/10°89 mm
- Jul13°/9°95 mm
- Aug14°/9°94 mm
- Sep15°/9°69 mm
- Oct16°/10°53 mm
- Nov18°/11°50 mm
- Dec20°/13°43 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park.
Protected area near Mount Gambier in South Australia
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Australia.
239 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 48,642 open records.
The most recorded are the Magpie Goose, the Black swan and the Western Swamphen.
72 species come for the summer, 14 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
8 are threatened worldwide, including Blue-winged Parrot, Australasian Bittern and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded in March and from November to January.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Karnkendi Campsitecampsite · 6.6 km · 7 within 10 km
- Nelson Hotelplace to stay · 6.2 km · 1 within 10 km
- Mount Gambier Airport (MGB)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 37 km in a straight lineCar hire in Mount GambierDiscover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1bird hides within 6 km
- 1marked trails within 4 kmGreat South West Walk
- 2viewpoints within 5 kmDonovans viewing platform
- 2car parks within 3 km
- 7campsites within 10 kmKarnkendi Campsite, Kywong Caravan Park, Dry Creek and 4 more
- 1places to stay within 10 kmNelson Hotel
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas14 mountains within 25 kmMount Ruskin · 2.6 kmRuby Rock · 4.0 kmOne Tree Hill · 17 kmNoble Rocks · 17 kmMount Schank · 21 kmLe Colombier · 21 kmJackies Lookout · 23 kmMount Arthur · 23 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmBrown Beach · 8.3 km
Cavernyas1 caves within 20 kmPrincess Margaret Rose Cave · 8.3 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park
Australia
- 80Birdyas Score
- 239Species
- 87Migrants
- 8Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7190574) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 48,642 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya, Cavernyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
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dark skies
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viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
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forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit