Location:  Belgrave Heights: Melways Map 83 Grids J2 & K2 and Map 84 Grids A2 to A4, B2 to B4 and C1 & C2.  Note: Melways shows the site as Birds Land Reserve.

Access:  Suggested access is Colby Drive off Belgrave–Hallam Road (Map 84 Grid F2).  Continue on Colby Drive to Glen Road and at the tee intersection with Mt Morton Road, turn right.  Continue along Morton Road and turn left to go through the gate into Birdlands Reserve, follow the road in and park near the BBQ shelter.

Facilities:  Parking, toilets, BBQ’s and shelter, formed paths, partial wheelchair access.

Habitat:  75 hectares of native bush, including dry forests, open grassed areas and wetlands fed by the Monbulk Creek.

Map:  Refer to Melways Maps 83 & 84

Information:  The site was originally owned by the Birds Family and used for farming.  In 1984 it was sold to the former Shire of Sherbrooke and opened to the public for bushwalking, picnicking and sightseeing.  It is a very important habitat link for locally rare Platypus.  A local group, the Birdsland Advisory Committee, is active in maintaining, developing and protecting the reserve.  Their projects include solar panels, composting toilets and water tanks.

Mammals that have been seen in the reserve include: Platypus; Common Brushtail Possum; Sugar Glider; Common Ringtail Possum; Eastern Grey Kangaroo; Black (Swamp) Wallaby.

The reserve includes the Melbourne Water Monbulk Creek Retarding Basin.

For the more adventurous, there is a walking track to the adjoining Lysterfield Lake to the south.

Typical Common Birds include:

Australian Wood Duck; Northern Mallard; Pacific Black Duck; Australasian Grebe; Hoary-headed Grebe; Spotted Dove; Australasian Darter; Little Pied Cormorant; Little Black Cormorant; Cattle Egret; White-faced Heron; Brown Goshawk; Purple Swamphen; Dusky Moorhen; Eurasian Coot; Galah; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo; Crimson Rosella; Eastern Rosella; Fan-tailed Cuckoo; Laughing Kookaburra; White-throated Treecreeper; Superb Fairy-wren; White-browed Scrubwren; Striated Thornbill; Brown Thornbill; Spotted Pardalote; Yellow-faced Honeyeater; White-eared Honeyeater; Bell Miner; Noisy Miner; Red Wattlebird; New Holland Honeyeater; White-naped Honeyeater; Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike; Golden Whistler; Rufous Whistler; Grey Shrike-thrush; Grey Butcherbird; Australian Magpie; Pied Currawong; Grey Currawong; Grey Fantail; Little Raven; Satin Flycatcher; Magpie-lark; Eastern Yellow Robin; Australian Reed-Warbler; Silvereye; Welcome Swallow; Common Blackbird; Common Starling; Common Myna; Red-browed Finch; European Goldfinch.

Other Possible Birds include:

Rock Dove; Tawny Frogmouth; Great Cormorant; Eastern Great Egret; Australian White Ibis; Straw-necked Ibis; Royal Spoonbill; Yellow-billed Spoonbill; Black-shouldered Kite; Collared Sparrowhawk; Swamp Harrier; Wedge-tailed Eagle; Nankeen Kestrel; Buff-banded Rail; Black-fronted Dotterel; Masked Lapwing; Painted Button-quail; Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo; Gang-gang Cockatoo; Long-billed Corella; Little Corella; Rainbow Lorikeet; Musk Lorikeet; Australian King-Parrot; Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo; Shining Bronze-Cuckoo; Pallid Cuckoo; Powerful Owl; Yellow-rumped Thornbill; Striated Pardalote; Eastern Spinebill; Brown-headed Honeyeater; Varied Sittella; Crested Shrike-tit; Olive-backed Oriole; Dusky Woodswallow; Rufous Fantail; Willie Wagtail; Tree Martin; Common Greenfinch.

Outings Bird Lists: For a Bird List of all recent BirdLife Melbourne Outings to this site, click here

Birdsland Reserve
Photographs by Arthur Carew