Mamukala Wetlands: Where is the best place for birdwatching in Kakadu?

The best place for birdwatching in Kakadu National Park is the bird hide at the Mamukala Wetlands.

Over one third of Australia’s bird species are found in the Northern Territory‘s Top End. Some migrate from Siberia on their way to the sub-Antarctic Islands. The wetlands of the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park – Australia’s biggest national park – therefore play a crucial role in the survival of several species.

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As good a place as any to learn about the wetland ecosystem is the Mamukala Wetlands. Here, a giant bird hide provides fabulous views and really helpful signage. These Kakadu National Park wetlands are the best place for birdwatching on a driving route through the Top End.

There are plenty of paperbark trees. The leaves have a lemony smell and have been traditionally used for cooking fish in. The paperbarks are an excellent sign of water, as they need “wet feet” to survive. There may not be any water on the surface. But if the paperbarks are growing, there will certainly be some underneath.

Birds of Kakadu: Top End seasons

The signposts at the Mamukala Wetlands explain that the concept of four seasons simply doesn’t work in the Top End. And neither, realistically, does the simplified concept of two seasons – wet and dry. The local indigenous groups have always worked on a six season calendar.

Yegge, for example, is the season of cooler temperatures. It’s when the winds come from the south-east rather than the north west. This is usually from May to mid-June. It’s the beginning of the dry weather and low humidity, when the burning of the grasses – a long-standing Aboriginal land management technique – begins.

We tend to link seasons to dates, but the six season calendar isn’t so constrained. The seasons are linked to a set of natural triggers – a wind change here, the flowering of a plant there – and one year a season can start several weeks earlier or later than it did the last.

Mamukala Wetlands birds by season

The birds that can be seen at the Mamukala Wetlands change with the seasons, too. But the most visually arresting time of year for birdwatching in Kakadu is September and October. This is when thousands of magpie geese occupy the wetlands.

Egrets, herons, kingfishers and darters are also commonly spotted at the Mamukala Wetlands. Among the rarer species, purple swamp hens and comb-crested jacanas are worth keeping the binoculars handy for. It may not be as visually spectacular as Ubirr or croc-filled Yellow Water, but Mamukala is worth a stop along the way while driving through Kakadu National Park. The Corroboree Billabong, just before the the entrance to the national park, is also a good place for birdwatching.

Other things to do in Kakadu National Park include the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise, a full day Arnhem Land tour from Jabiru, a scenic flight and a four wheel drive tour.

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