Explore our Art Works below
Female Superb Fairywren (Malurus Cyaneus)
Ever spotted this brown little bird in your garden?
Fairywrens are a beautiful little bird that you can find in many places in South East Australia. In particular they stick to dense undergrowth for shelter - grasslands, shrubs and ferns. While mostly known for the male’s bright blue feathers, the female’s brown colours camouflage her well in their habitat.
When we first arrived in the Sanctuary we saw them bathe in our water features we added. We have seen less as human impact has increased, such as cutting back low vegetation for fire prevention which reduces their shelter. Why not plant a small dense native shrub in your backyard to help support these wonderful birds?
Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus Strigoides)
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
The judgemental expression reflects how angry the emu is to have been hunted and forced from his home.
There used to be emus up and down the NSW east coast - only small remote populations of Coastal Emus survive.
Many large Aboriginal rock carvings in Emus can be found in the nearby Ku-ring-Gai National Park which signifies their importance to the original inhabitants of the area. A large section of the Milky Way symbolised an Emu to them and its appearance heralded the time to collect Emu Eggs.
Australian Boobook (Ninox Boobook)
This Boobook has a surprised and astonished expression over the lack of tree hollows for them to nest.
They are the most common and smallest owl on the Australian mainland. They eat small prey like frogs which might explain why they visit the Sanctuary from time to time.
We have recorded over 6,000 calls between January and June 2025 on our BirdWeather PUC which shows how active they are in the area.
Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo Novaeguineae)
Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii)
Ever hear a popping sound around water in the garden?
Marsh Frogs grow up to 7.5cm in length and have golden eyes. Being a terrestrial amphibian, their fingers and toes are not webbed and have no discs. A diet of moths and insects keep them well fed in the forest floor along the east coast of Australia. Their striped markings camouflage them amongst the leaf litter around streams and ponds.
A creek used to run through the forest where our house now stands. We removed 3 large non native palms and installed a creek with multiple sections that have different widths and depths to support as much wildlife as possible. The first species to move in permanently was the Striped Marsh Frog. The creek is chemical free and maintained using natural methods.