Australia Ramsar wetland
Western Port
271 bird species recorded; the most in January, in March and from October to November.
The original uploader was Tirin at English Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
213 species in January.192 species in February.196 species in March.190 species in April.175 species in May.177 species in June.194 species in July.166 species in August.186 species in September.204 species in October.203 species in November.194 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
NTNT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
271 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).
- 271Speciesrecorded more than once
- 86Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 8ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 176,448Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 17Raptors
- 3Owls
- 33Waders
- 34Gulls & seabirds
- 17Ducks & geese
- 25Herons, ibises & grebes
- 90Songbirds
- 52Other 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 271 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
- Whistling KiteHaliastur sphenurus
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Wedge-tailed EagleAquila audax
- Brown FalconFalco berigora
- Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
- Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Brown GoshawkAccipiter fasciatus
- Australian hobbyFalco longipennis
- Little EagleHieraaetus morphnoides
- Black FalconFalco subniger
- Collared SparrowhawkAccipiter cirrocephalus
- Spotted HarrierCircus assimilis
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Grey GoshawkAccipiter novaehollandiae
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Southern BoobookNinox boobook
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Powerful OwlNinox strenua
Waders33 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Masked LapwingVanellus miles
- Pied OystercatcherHaematopus longirostris
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Red-necked StintCalidris ruficollisNT
- Far Eastern CurlewNumenius madagascariensis
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Hooded DotterelThinornis cucullatusNT
- Red-capped PloverCharadrius ruficapillus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Sooty OystercatcherHaematopus fuliginosus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Double-banded PloverCharadrius bicinctusNT
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Japanese SnipeGallinago hardwickiiNT
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Charadrius mongolusCharadrius mongolus
- Gray-tailed TattlerTringa brevipes
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Black-fronted DotterelElseyornis melanops
- Red-kneed DotterelErythrogonys cinctus
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Pied StiltHimantopus leucocephalus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Banded LapwingVanellus tricolor
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Australian Red-necked AvocetRecurvirostra novaehollandiae
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
Gulls & seabirds34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Silver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiae
- Pacific GullLarus pacificus
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Australasian GannetMorus serrator
- Fairy TernSternula nereisVU
- Blue PenguinEudyptula minor
- Puffinus tenuirostrisPuffinus tenuirostris
- Southern Black-backed GullLarus dominicanus
- Shy albatrossThalassarche cautaNT
- Black-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophris
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Fluttering ShearwaterPuffinus gavia
- Australian TernGelochelidon macrotarsa
- Antarctic Giant-PetrelMacronectes giganteus
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Common Diving-PetrelPelecanoides urinatrix
- White-fronted TernSterna striataNT
- White-headed PetrelPterodroma lessonii
- Rockhopper PenguinEudyptes chrysocomeVU
- Fairy PrionPachyptila turtur
- Gray-headed AlbatrossThalassarche chrysostoma
- Antarctic FulmarFulmarus glacialoides
- Fiordland PenguinEudyptes pachyrhynchusNT
- Broad-billed PrionPachyptila vittata
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Northern Giant PetrelMacronectes halli
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Blue PetrelHalobaena caerulea
- Thin-billed prionPachyptila belcheri
- Salvin's PrionPachyptila salvini
- Indian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche carteri
- Wedge-tailed ShearwaterPuffinus pacificus
Ducks & geese17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black swanCygnus atratus
- Cape Barren GooseCereopsis novaehollandiae
- Grey TealAnas gracilis
- Chestnut TealAnas castanea
- Maned DuckChenonetta jubata
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides
- Musk DuckBiziura lobata
- Australasian ShovelerSpatula rhynchotis
- HardheadAythya australis
- Blue-billed DuckOxyura australis
- Magpie GooseAnseranas semipalmata
- Freckled DuckStictonetta naevosa
- Pink-eared DuckMalacorhynchus membranaceus
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes25 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
- Little Pied CormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucos
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
- Pied CormorantPhalacrocorax varius
- Little Black CormorantPhalacrocorax sulcirostris
- Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Hoary-headed GrebePoliocephalus poliocephalus
- Nankeen Night HeronNycticorax caledonicus
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Australasian GrebeTachybaptus novaehollandiae
- Black-faced CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscescens
- White-necked HeronArdea pacifica
- Australasian DarterAnhinga novaehollandiae
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Reef HeronEgretta sacra
Songbirds90 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicen
- Red WattlebirdAnthochaera carunculata
- Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena
- Little WattlebirdAnthochaera chrysoptera
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Little RavenCorvus mellori
- Magpie larkGrallina cyanoleuca
- Willie-wagtailRhipidura leucophrys
- Grey CurrawongStrepera versicolor
- Grey ShrikethrushColluricincla harmonica
- Brown ThornbillAcanthiza pusilla
- New Holland HoneyeaterPhylidonyris novaehollandiae
- Rhipidura albiscapaRhipidura albiscapa
- Grey ButcherbirdCracticus torquatus
- Superb Fairy-wrenMalurus cyaneus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- White-plumed HoneyeaterPtilotula penicillata
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- White-eared HoneyeaterNesoptilotis leucotis
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- White-browed ScrubwrenSericornis frontalis
- Yellow-faced HoneyeaterCaligavis chrysops
- Spotted PardalotePardalotus punctatus
- Australian RavenCorvus coronoides
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Red-browed FiretailNeochmia temporalis
- Striated PardalotePardalotus striatus
- Eastern SpinebillAcanthorhynchus tenuirostris
- Black-faced CuckooshrikeCoracina novaehollandiae
- Australian Golden WhistlerPachycephala pectoralis
- White-naped HoneyeaterMelithreptus lunatus
- Eastern Yellow RobinEopsaltria australis
- Yellow-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza chrysorrhoa
- White-fronted ChatEpthianura albifrons
- Flame RobinPetroica phoenicea
- Fairy MartinPetrochelidon ariel
- Noisy MinerManorina melanocephala
- Little GrassbirdMegalurus gramineus
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Pied CurrawongStrepera graculina
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricans
- Rufous WhistlerPachycephala rufiventris
- Dusky WoodswallowArtamus cyanopterus
- Striated ThornbillAcanthiza lineata
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- Australian Reed-WarblerAcrocephalus australis
- Satin FlycatcherMyiagra cyanoleuca
- Golden-headed CisticolaCisticola exilis
- Spangled DrongoDicrurus bracteatus
- Pink RobinPetroica rodinogaster
- MistletoebirdDicaeum hirundinaceum
- Spiny-cheeked HoneyeaterAcanthagenys rufogularis
- Olive WhistlerPachycephala olivacea
- Scarlet RobinPetroica boodang
- Australian PipitAnthus australis
- Singing HoneyeaterGavicalis virescens
- Crescent HoneyeaterPhylidonyris pyrrhopterus
- Bassian ThrushZoothera lunulata
- Scarlet MyzomelaMyzomela sanguinolenta
- Brown-headed HoneyeaterMelithreptus brevirostris
- Crested Shrike-titFalcunculus frontatus
- Olive-backed OrioleOriolus sagittatus
- Noisy FriarbirdPhilemon corniculatus
- Restless FlycatcherMyiagra inquieta
- Jacky-winterMicroeca fascinans
- Rose RobinPetroica rosea
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Varied SittellaDaphoenositta chrysoptera
- Striated FieldwrenCalamanthus fuliginosus
- Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifrons
- Tawny-crowned HoneyeaterGliciphila melanops
- Yellow ThornbillAcanthiza nana
- Australian White-winged TrillerLalage tricolor
- Brown SonglarkMegalurus cruralis
- White-throated TreecreeperCormobates leucophaea
- Leaden FlycatcherMyiagra rubecula
- White-browed WoodswallowArtamus superciliosus
- Forest RavenCorvus tasmanicus
- Corcorax melanoramphosCorcorax melanoramphos
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- WeebillSmicrornis brevirostris
- Southern Emu-wrenStipiturus malachurus
- Chestnut-rumped HeathwrenCalamanthus pyrrhopygius
- Buff-rumped ThornbillAcanthiza reguloides
- Yellow-tufted HoneyeaterLichenostomus melanops
- Bell MinerManorina melanophrys
- Eastern WhipbirdPsophodes olivaceus
- White-winged TrillerLalage sueurii
Other birds52 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- GalahEolophus roseicapilla
- KookaburraDacelo novaeguineae
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus
- Eastern RosellaPlatycercus eximius
- Australasian SwamphenPorphyrio melanotus
- Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformis
- Sulphur-crested CockatooCacatua galerita
- Little CorellaCacatua sanguinea
- CootFulica atra
- Dusky MoorhenGallinula tenebrosa
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooZanda funerea
- Crested PigeonOcyphaps lophotes
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Shining cuckooChrysococcyx lucidus
- Horsfield's Bronze CuckooChrysococcyx basalis
- Sacred KingfisherTodiramphus sanctus
- Common BronzewingPhaps chalcoptera
- Pallid cuckooCuculus pallidus
- Crimson RosellaPlatycercus elegans
- Australian CrakePorzana fluminea
- Brush BronzewingPhaps elegans
- Buff-banded RailGallirallus philippensis
- Blue-winged ParrotNeophema chrysostomaVU
- Musk LorikeetGlossopsitta concinna
- Orange-bellied ParrotNeophema chrysogasterCR
- Lewin's RailLewinia pectoralis
- Needle-tailed SwiftHirundapus caudacutus
- Long-billed CorellaCacatua tenuirostris
- Swift ParrotLathamus discolorCR
- Yellow-tailed Black CockatooCalyptorhynchus funereus
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Stubble QuailCoturnix pectoralis
- Brown QuailSynoicus ypsilophorus
- Scaly-breasted LorikeetTrichoglossus chlorolepidotus
- Pacific KoelEudynamys orientalis
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Painted ButtonquailTurnix varius
- Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
- Australian King ParrotAlisterus scapularis
- Tawny FrogmouthPodargus strigoides
- Spotless CrakePorzana tabuensis
- King QuailSynoicus chinensis
- Red-rumped ParrotPsephotus haematonotus
- Little LorikeetParvipsitta pusilla
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Rainbow Bee-eaterMerops ornatus
- CockatielNymphicus hollandicus
- Black-tailed NativehenGallinula ventralis
- Oriental DollarbirdEurystomus orientalis
- Azure KingfisherCeyx azureus
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 January, in March and from October to November.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan21°/16°44 mm
- Feb21°/16°46 mm
- Mar20°/16°45 mm
- Apr18°/14°64 mm
- May16°/13°67 mm
- Jun14°/11°70 mm
- Jul13°/10°70 mm
- Aug13°/10°76 mm
- Sep14°/11°65 mm
- Oct16°/12°63 mm
- Nov18°/13°73 mm
- Dec19°/14°57 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Western Port.
Bay in Victoria, Australia
Western Port is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Australia.
271 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 176,448 open records.
The most recorded are the Masked Lapwing, the Silver Gull and the Australian White Ibis.
54 species come for the summer, 32 for the winter and 0 only pass through.
8 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper, Fairy Tern and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded in January, in March and from October to November.
Get there and watch
- Bushy Park Tourist Parkcampsite · 3.4 km · 13 within 10 km
- The Waves Apartmentsplace to stay · 2.8 km · 19 within 10 km
- Cowesnearest town · 3.4 km in a straight line
- Melbourne Moorabbin Airport (MBW)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 52 km in a straight lineCar hire at AVV airport (Geelong/Melbourne)Discover 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
- 6viewpoints within 5 kmMangrove Lookout, Conservation Hill, Diamond Dolly Quarry Lookout and 3 more
- 13car parks within 3 km
- 34restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 13campsites within 10 kmBushy Park Tourist Park, Amaroo Holiday Park, Beach Park Tourist Caravan Park Phillip Island and 10 more
- 19places to stay within 10 kmThe Waves Apartments, C-Scape Apartments, North Pier Hotel and 16 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 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 Western Port.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas30 mountains within 25 kmWestern Hill · 6.8 kmMount Wellington · 13 kmThe Pinnacles · 23 kmSchool Hill · 24 kmMount Pleasant · 24 kmDevils Punch Bowl · 24 kmSummer Hill · 24 kmSteenholdts Hill · 24 km
Coastya6 beaches within 10 kmWestern Park Beach · 6.8 kmSouth Beach · 7.5 kmVentnor Beach · 8.1 kmSomers Beach · 8.8 kmSmiths Beach · 8.9 kmWoolley Beach · 9.6 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Western Port
Australia
- 81Birdyas Score
- 271Species
- 86Migrants
- 8Threatened
Churchill Island Marine National Park
Australia · 10 km
- 84Birdyas Score
- 267Species
- 88Migrants
- 9Threatened
Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands
Australia · 42 km
- 85Birdyas Score
- 283Species
- 93Migrants
- 9Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q1635853) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 176,448 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 |
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.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
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
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
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
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit