Black Duck Reserve is a series of lagoons with walking paths at Marrumba Downs just off the Bruce Highway about 26km north of Brisbane. Although the reserve is part of a residential estate the lagoon system is large and clean attracting a good variety of birdlife.
If you are lucky you’ll spot all five types of kingfishers found locally on a walk around here, the Sacred, Forest, Azure, Torresian and kookaburra. Around the lagoons, in addition to all the usual lagoon birds, we spotted nests with young Australian Darters and Little Black Cormorant. At the eastern end keep a watch for a variety of honeyeaters and fairy-wrens.
The walkway goes right down one side of the reserve with good quality walking paths and viewing platforms onto the lagoon at regular intervals, there is also seating and exercise equipment on the way around. Given the low rainfall in Brisbane this summer, Black Duck lagoons have held up better than many others with the paperbarks still well into the waterline.
We made a short stop at Black Duck Reserve on our way to the Osprey House walkway after seeing it on Eremaea and it was a good call, I’d make time for a walk here any time I was in the area.
