Top End Birdwatching by Mike Reed may be only 24 pages long but this little book is worth its weight in gold! I stumbled upon a copy at the Katherine Museum about halfway into our trip after we had already been to Pine Creek, Edith Falls, Victoria River Crossing and Humbles Creek. I had been using eBird research so I knew what birds to look for and approximately where; but eBird links up with Google maps which aren’t much help in these remote locations. Mike’s book has detailed maps showing exactly where the main target birds can be found and once I started using it, I was able to hone in on places like Donkey Camp Weir and the Edith Falls Road watering hole where Gouldian Finches can be seen. We actually ran into Mike Reed at the Edith Falls Road spot which was pretty cool, he’s a great guy and knows heaps about birds!
I highly recommend ordering this book before your trip so you don’t miss out on some of the best birding hotspots in the Northern Territory. I just wish he would do a book like this for each Australian state!
Click on the image to go to the ordering page.