The Bibliocarta x Sydney Bird Club Day Trip
The Bibliocarta x Sydney Bird Club Day Trip
with Bri Lee and Stephanie Chambers
Saturday 23 August 2025
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Highlights
• Two expert guides from the Sydney Bird Club leading our group on a private 2 hour birding tour
• Transport from our birding site to Ace Hotel if you don't want to drive
• A barista coffee and full breakfast when we arrive at Ace Hotel
• A guided writing session run by award-winning author Bri Lee
• A guided book club run by Bri Lee
• A copy of Enchantment by Birds by Russell McGregor (RRP$40) posted to you in a Bibliocarta library bag
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Sydney Bird Club
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Field of Mars (C) Sydney Bird Club
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Super Fairywren (C) Sydney Bird Club
I've been getting into birdwatching over the past year and have found it both profound and delightful. Often when I'm out there I have epiphanies about my writing, so I thought, why not try to share this feeling? I reached out to the lovely team at Sydney Bird Club and the collaboration came together like it was meant to be. I can't wait to discuss McGregor's fantastic book with you, and help you do some of your own nature writing fresh from the field. It's going to be beautiful. - Bri Lee
Join us on a fun guided bird tour of Field of Mars, learning about the fascinating bushland birds that live in Sydney. We’ll explore this stunning reserve, a Blue Mountains-like paradise with rock outcroppings, swamp wallabies and dry sclerophyll woodlands on our flat easy path listening for the chime-like calls of Crimson Rosellas or early spring migrants. Some of the exciting birds we mighhhttt see along the way: Australian King Parrot, Crimson Rosella, Satin Bowerbird, Yellow Thornbill, White-browed Scrubwren, Red-browed Finch, Superb Fairywren and more! - Stephanie Chambers
DATE
Saturday 23 August 2025 (with a 'rain date' of Sunday 24 August, please see below about alternative weather plans.)
TOUR LEADERS
Bri Lee (she/her) and Stephanie Chambers (they/them)
Our Book Club Selection
‘This lively history of birding nicely captures the contradictions and controversies that have marked the relations between birds and humans since European settlement. It is not a chronological account but one refracted through the stories of particular birds, bird lovers, and the evolution of birdwatching as a pursuit.’ - The Age / The Sydney Morning Herald
A fresh appreciation of the magic of birds and how watching them fulfils a human need to connect with nature.
Enchantment by birds is commonplace. Birdwatchers merely go a step further than others and actively seek to be enchanted. This book tells why they take that extra step. It takes the reader on a series of excursions into birdwatching’s past, venturing forward to the present. With an intriguing cast of characters, avian as well as human, its lively narratives explore the emotional and aesthetic impulses behind the pastime as well as its scientific and conservationist components.
Its stories of 22 Australian birds range widely. Interlacing them all is the insight that birdwatching is a means by which modern, urban people reach out to touch the wild. A primal desire to connect with nature lies at the heart of the pastime.
More Details
Schedule
7.30am: Meet your group and guides at Field of Mars (in Ryde) for birdwatching
9.30am: Drive yourself or join us in transport to Ace Hotel
10am: Coffee and mingling!
10.30am: Breakfast
11:15am: A guided book club session discussing Enchantment by Birds by Russell McGregor
12.30: Writing workshop
1.30pm: Optional lunch and drinks downstairs in the fabulous Ace Hotel lobby
Inclusions
- A copy of Enchantment by Birds by Russell McGregor (RRP$39.99) posted to you in a Bibliocarta library bag. This is our required reading which we'll discuss in the book club session.
- Two expert guides from the Sydney Bird Club leading our group on a private 2 hour birding tour
- Transport from our birding site to Ace Hotel if you don't want to drive
- A barista coffee when you arrive at Ace Hotel
- A full breakfast at Ace Hotel
- A guided book club run by Bri Lee
- A guided writing workshop run by Bri Lee
Exclusions
- Binoculars (very basic/affordable options start at $35 at JBHifi, for example)
- Parking near Ace Hotel if you do decide to drive (According to Ace Hotel FAQs, nearby 'Secure Parking' offers a weekend rate of $14 per day which may be paid directly at the garage)
- At approximately 1:30pm when we finish the workshop sessions we'll gather downstairs in the lobby for chips and beers - this is optional and people can order for themselves
Alternative Rain Date
It is a necessary part of Sydney Bird Club operations that all tours have an alternative 'rain date' in case of bad weather. The birdwatching will proceed on Saturday 23 August in the event of light rain, but will be postponed until Sunday 24 August in the event of proper/heavy rain.
Please keep both mornings free. Refunds if you cannot attend the rain date on Sunday will not be possible.
The coffee, breakfast, book club, and workshop at Ace Hotel will proceed on Saturday 23 August regardless of weather.
Group Size
Minimum 10 and maximum 20. We will be in touch as soon as we receive the minimum number of bookings for the trip to proceed.
Fitness Level
Travellers for this specific day trip will need to be able to walk on uneven ground and on both paved and dirt paths for 2 hours. We recommend some sensible sneakers, but you certainly won’t need hiking boots. If you have any questions about mobility, please get in touch and we’re delighted to help. Ace Hotel is fully wheelchair accessible.
Book Club & Writing Workshop
Don’t be nervous if you don’t consider yourself some kind of ‘serious’ writer; the workshop is designed to stimulate you creatively, and can simply be for your own intellectual satisfaction if you don’t feel like sharing.
Please bring your copy of Enchanted by Birds and your own writing materials.