BirdLife Ballarat

Our Branch is an active group that enjoys bird outings and promoting the natural environment in the Ballarat region.

Photographed by Silva Vaughan. Freckled Duck

Activities at

Bird Watching and Monitoring Habitat Restoration
Education and Outreach Citizen Science Programs
Community Events and Festivals Bird surveys
Networking and Collaboration

About our group

Our Branch is very active in leading outings and monitoring birdlife, particularly in the 40-kilometre zone around Ballarat. Each year the Committee develops an annual syllabus, with meetings, speakers, outings, camps and special events. We aim to engage with the wider public, and new members are welcome and supported to engage in any of the many activities on offer.

The Branch has a strong link with Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary at Linton, where members participate in surveying birds, working bees and maintaining the beautiful bird habitat.

We enjoy birding in many local environments – Lake Goldsmith, Merin Merin Swamp, Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary – and always with a cuppa and a good morning tea.

In 2023, we celebrated 40 years as an active bird watching group. We looked back over those years and acknowledge the hard work of our members past and present.

Get involved

Branch outings are on the fourth Sunday of each month, except December and January

Midweek outings are on the second Wednesday of each month (during daylight savings), exploring local birdwatching sites.

Monthly meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm at the Gillies Street campus of Federation University, where we discuss current happenings, and a range of speakers share their knowledge and experience, followed by supper.

We join with Clarkesdale Friends Group on four working bees each year.

Follow BirdLife Ballarat on Facebook.

We enjoy birding in many local environments, and always with a cuppa and a good morning tea.

Photography by BirdLife Ballarat. 4th Sunday Monthly Group Outing

Photography by BirdLife Ballarat. Tree planting at Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary Working Bee

Photography by BirdLife Ballarat. Merin Merin Swamp Outing

Photography by BirdLife Ballarat. Lake Goldsmith Outing & Bird Survey

Birds in our area

Black Swan

Scientific name Cygnus atratus
Bird type Waterbirds

Pink-eared Duck

Scientific name Malacorhynchus membranaceus
Bird type Waterbirds

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo

Scientific name Zanda funerea
Bird type Parrots, Bush birds

Swamp Harrier

Scientific name Circus approximans
Bird type Birds of prey

Superb Fairy-wren

Scientific name Malurus cyaneus
Bird type Small insect eating birds

Australasian Grebe

Scientific name Tachybaptus novaehollandiae
Bird type Waterbirds

Search all birds