The Orange-footed Scrubfowl (Megapodius reinwardt) is a small megapode of the family Megapodiidae.
They have quite a large range across Northern Australia and most of Indonesia and New Guinea. We saw lots of them, mostly in Mary River, Howard Springs and Darwin.
Active bird calling and foraging.
This one is building a nest.
I am still not sure if we were in the right place. I had an eBird map zoomed in as far as possible and I found this sign-posted entrance.
We drove down the track towards Bird Billabong but the road got too rough for a 2WD so we turned back.
OK obviously people are meant to find birds somewhere around here! Or at least fish!
We tried another direction which ends up at this boat ramp. Not knowing what to do, we had to turn back and give up. At least there were a few birds in the surrounding trees. 
Ironically, when we got back to Mary River Wilderness Retreat, we spotted the guide from Experience the Wild (his 4×4 was marked as such). They are the ones who wrote the guide to Bird Billabong! If I had printed out this page, we probably would have found the right place. Good lesson to double-check directions and locations. Or maybe we would have been ok if we had a 4×4. Guess we will have to come back someday!
One of the best things about staying at Mary River Wilderness Retreat is the chance to hire a buggy to go birding on their vast trail system. Ideally you should do this early in the morning but since we only had one night, we did the afternoon buggy run. Surprisingly we were the only ones out there that afternoon.
Hiring a buggy (golf cart) is reasonably priced at $20 first hour and $10 each following hour. You need at least 2 hours to explore the trails properly.
So we set off, I was driving and had my camera and binoculars next to me and my husband was sitting in the back so hopefully we had eyes on all the birds. A few wallabies watched with trepidation as we entered the trail system.
I heard about a bowerbird bower so got directions from the receptionist but somehow I still managed to get lost. There are signs but they get a bit confusing further down.
The road can be a little bumpy, it was pretty funny as this was my first time driving a buggy and I had to be careful not to run it off the road (I didn’t).
A few peaceful doves minding their own business when the crazy driver approached.
We stopped at the river hoping some birds would be there but not much activity.
This is where you should turn left for the Bowerbird.
This was some kind of dump, don’t know how we ended up here!
This is how you control the buggy.
Aha, finally found the bower, but it’s owner wasn’t home. Or maybe he was sitting up in a tree laughing at us!
By this time, it was getting dark and I was supposed to have the buggy back by (IIRC) 5:30pm. I was a few minutes late and one lady had already taken off looking for us, we must have barely crossed paths exiting the trails. It was a fun adventure and I wish we would have stayed longer so we could try a morning trip.
Conveniently located on the road from Darwin to Kakadu, the Mary River Wilderness Retreat is a worthy addition to any Northern Territory birding itinerary. It’s also close enough for people visiting Darwin on business to make a weekend trip.
The property is huge and has some amazing birding habitat which is best discovered by hiring a buggy (golf cart). Of course we did this so look for my report on birding by buggy!
The main building overlooks the swimming pool and houses the reception, shop and restaurant. This is also the only place to get the wifi connection.
Nice display to show off the local birds!
This was our bungalow. As you can see, they aren’t large but are set up well for budget accommodation. They do have larger but more expensive bungalows and safari tents as well.
No cooking facilities but they do have a small fridge so suitable for sandwiches, salads and other non-cooking meals.
Just relaxing on the deck, birds can be seen flying from tree to tree.
My husband cooled off in the pool while I used the wifi.
A few garden birds.
Torresian Imperial Pigeon (I think, can’t see all of him)
Spangled Drongo
Mistletoebird
Red-collared Lorikeet
I need some help with these.
Not pictured but positively ID’d by a guide staying in the next bungalow from Experience the Wild was a Dollarbird. He said it was the first one of the season and I reckon he would know! I ran for my camera but the uncooperative bird had left the scene.
I really liked Mary River Wilderness Retreat and would love to come back for a longer stay sometime. You can book on their site or try the usual booking agents like Pointshound or Rocketmiles to earn miles for your booking.