Capertee Valley weekend birding escapes
Around 3 hours drive from Sydney, Capertee Valley is the second largest enclosed valley in the world. Surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery, the valley offers the best birding within a day’s drive of Sydney and a great opportunity for encounters with many species which are more typical of the NSW western slopes. It’s also a gorgeous nature-based getaway if you feel the urge to escape the big city crowds and routine.
One of Australia’s top birding hotspots
Capertee Valley is perhaps best known among birders and nature lovers as an important refuge for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater (I’ve had best luck with this bird around August-September) but the valley has a great deal more to offer; this is a superb birding location with a great many sought after species which can be found in a beautiful semi-rural landscape. It’s widely regarded as one of Australia’s premier birding locations and an excellent place to sharpen birding skills, as there are so many species which will be new or irregular if we haven’t left the Sydney basin for a while.
The roadsides, bush trails and creek lines of the valley offer superb bird encounters, including many highly sought after favourites, like the Turquoise Parrot, Hooded Robin, Little Lorikeet, Speckled Warbler, Weebill, Southern Whiteface, Jacky Winter, Plum-headed Finch, Diamond Firetail, Painted Honeyeater, Striped Honeyeater, Black-chinned Honeyeater and Regent Honeyeater. All these are either highly restricted in range, difficult to find or almost impossible to get in the Sydney area. There’s always plenty of rarities and surprises in store too. We visit all the regular key locations in the valley as well as properties to which I have been granted access and which offer some excellent birding.
I recommend leaving straight from work on Friday. I will be in the valley from 3pm on Friday. You can join me for an afternoon reckie if you wish but be sure to arrange that before we leave Sydney and phone access. Otherwise we meet in our accommodation in Glen Davis on Friday evening and depart on Sunday afternoon. We’ll go birding all day Saturday and most of Sunday. I bring plenty of quality spare binoculars and a scope.
Our accommodation is in a comfy, well appointed cottage with all the quaintness we’re hoping for in a weekend getaway.
There’s no shops in the valley so you will need to bring all your own food. The kitchen in our cottage is very spacious and has a stove, oven, microwave and all the mod cons. The living room area has a cosy fireplace. There’s plenty of bedrooms, including a double and two bathrooms. All linen is provided.
There is only patchy 3G and 4G phone coverage in the valley, so expect to take a break from social media and the stresses of city life. I recommend filling up your car before entering the valley too, as there are no service stations and we’ll be doing plenty of driving over the weekend.
Book this tour
The next Capertee Valley tour is planned for March 22, 23 and 24, 2024.
Tour numbers are limited to seven. Use the button below to find tour dates, booking form, payment links, Terms and Conditions and more. The fee for this weekend varies with accommodation but is in the range of $500 and $540 per person if four people or more sign up for the weekend.
When booking please be sure to fill in the registration form and read our Terms & Conditions and Birding Ethics and Etiquette requirements.
Aussie Wild acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land which we visit, the Dharawal and Darug people. We pay our respect to their elders past, present and emerging.