Twitching is shaking off its old-school image as a new generation discovers the thrill of the chase — and the Scenic Rim is proving one of the best places to spread your wings.
FORGET the khaki vest, battered field guide and the idea that birdwatching is strictly the domain of retirees armed with binoculars.
Twitching is having a glow-up.
A new generation of nature lovers, photographers, hikers and wildlife tragics is discovering there is something strangely addictive about heading into the bush in search of a flash of feathers, an unfamiliar call or a bird that has been sitting stubbornly on the bucket list.
And in the Scenic Rim, there is plenty to get twitchy about.
Albert’s Lyrebird, the Glossy Black-Cockatoo and Eastern Bristlebird are among the big-ticket sightings, while Whipbirds provide one of the rainforest’s most recognisable soundtracks.
But twitching is becoming much more than a niche hobby.
Tourism Research Australia figures show international birdwatchers contributed an estimated $2.6 billion to the Australian tourism industry in the past year.
Domestic bird lovers added another $636 million up 53 per cent on the previous year.
This boom fits neatly with the Scenic Rim’s growing reputation for nature-based tourism.
Binna Burra Lodge chairman Steve Noakes said visitors had been arriving with birds on the brain since the property opened in 1933.
“For over 90 years, visitors of all ages have been coming to Binna Burra Lodge to scout out our native birdlife — Albert’s Lyrebird, Regent Bowerbird, Australian King-Parrot, Satin Bowerbird, Crimson Rosella, Green Catbird, and various wrens and honeyeaters,” Mr Noakes said.
GET YOU TWITCHING
- Albert’s Lyrebird One of the Scenic Rim’s headline acts. Rare, remarkable and a master mimic, this rainforest performer can imitate other birds and an extraordinary range of sounds.
- Regent Bowerbird Black, brilliant gold and ridiculously photogenic. Males create elaborate bowers and decorate them to impress potential partners.
- Glossy Black-Cockatoo Sleek, striking and conservation-significant, these cockatoos specialise in feeding on she-oak seeds.
- Eastern Bristlebird A twitcher’s prize. This critically endangered ground-dweller is notoriously secretive, meaning hearing its distinctive call may come before actually spotting it.
- Black-breasted Button-quail Tiny, elusive and happiest scratching around rainforest leaf litter. Spotting one earns serious birding bragging rights.
- Wedge-tailed Eagle The heavyweight of Australian skies.
- Satin Bowerbird The interior decorator of the bird world. Males famously collect blue objects to arrange around their bowers in the hope of attracting a mate.
- Green Catbird Green feathers, rainforest camouflage and a call that sounds remarkably like a cat. Listen for its distinctive “meow” around rainforest gullies at Lamington and Tamborine.
