Pretty much everyone who is going to Kakadu from Darwin stops at the Adelaide River Bridge but that is because they have those tourist boat rides to see jumping crocodiles (baited). But even if you aren’t into such things, it’s worth a stop here to see what birds are around. This is what we saw in about 20 minutes mid-morning.
More Corellas than Crocs!
Specialty of this area is Mangrove Golden Whistler. 
Restrooms and a shop are in the main building.
Typical tourist boat.
Since this was our last day in the Territory before flying home, we didn’t have time to see the exhibits inside so this was just a drive-by. It was a treat to see some Crimson Finches flitting about in the bushes!
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.
We stopped here just after lunch on a recommend by the staff at Bowali Visitor’s Centre. This is not prime birding time but even then a tour group (not birders, normal tourists) came in while we were there and stayed all of 5 minutes. The hide is comfortable and has nice displays so we stuck around for half an hour or so.
Bowali Visitor’s Centre is the main “go-to” for all things Kakadu. They have well-informed staff here who know the park extremely well and can advise you on places that suit your interests. They recommended some places to see birds including Crimson Finches at Mamukala Wetlands.
Videos, displays and a library are also available to assist you in planning your visit. Visitor Centre is open 8.00am to 5.00pm. The Marrawuddi Gallery stocks Aboriginal arts and crafts, books and gifts. Refreshments are available from the Anmak An-me Cafe.
Nourlangie Rock Art site is about a 20 minute drive from either Cooinda or Jabiru but it gets so hot out there you should get here as early as possible in the morning. Not only can you see some fascinating Aboriginal art, you also see some birds while walking around the marked 1.5 km trail.
We made our visit the morning after our stay at Kakadu Lodge, Jabiru and got to the turn off at dawn. Lots of birds were about, especially kingfishers, kookaburras and corellas. We drove down some side roads to small lakes looking for birds before entering the main Nourlangie area.
The road to Nourlangie is fine for normal cars but if you want to go to Gubara, you need a 4×4.
There are picnic tables outside the entrance to Nourlangie Rock and we had breakfast there before heading inside. You must have your visitor’s pass with you, there are staff there checking.
The information provided is excellent! Everywhere you look, there are explanations for the art and history of the area so you don’t need a tour or a guide. Just follow the trail and read the signs! 
In addition to the Yellow Waters Cruise, a visit to Nourlangie Rock is a “Must do” in Kakadu and truly has something to interest everyone-birders and non-birders!
A Yellow Waters Sunrise Cruise is the perfect companion to the Sunset Cruise, especially if you book them together as I wrote about here. It will be an early wake-up call so you can get the shuttle to the dock but the sunrise is spectacular!
The birds gradually fly in………………
Nankeen Night Heron 
Water Lilies
Royal Spoonbill
Radjah Shelduck 
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Little Kingfisher
Black-necked Stork
Comb-crested Jacana
Crocodile
Azure Kingfisher
Our guide, Adam knew the birds a lot better than I did and it was with his help that I was able to log them all on eBird.
The best way to see LOTS of birds (and a few crocs) with no effort at all is to book a Sunset Cruise with Yellow Waters at Cooinda. It’s a short drive from the Kakadu Lodge Cooinda and they have a shuttle bus between the lodge and the boat dock. Not only do you see more birds but you avoid the crowds at the mid-day cruise who are day-tripping from Darwin!
When you book, do it online and be sure to scroll all the way down to where you can add a Sunrise Cruise the next morning (incl bkft) for $36!
The boats are open but try to sit in the front if you are into photography.
Crocs before even leaving the dock.
Darter
Darter
“I will eat you!”
Plumed Whistling Duck
Black-necked Stork
Rainbow Bee-eater
White-bellied Sea Eagle
Darter
Little Corellas
Comb-crested Jacana
Nankeen Night Heron
Azure Kingfisher
Whistling Kite
Towards the end of the cruise, they parked the boats at a nice vantage spot to watch the sunset.
I actually saw more birds than I got photos of. Here is my full eBird list.
Kakadu National Park is one of Australia’s top attractions so unlike the other places I have been so far on this Northern Territory birding trip, I ran into LOTS of other tourists! Most of them are there for crocodiles but a few are also interested in birds. I also found accommodation here to be proportionately more expensive than the other places in the Territory as well.
With only a 2WD car, we were still able to do this itinerary that took in most of the park. We entered from the Pine Creek side and stayed the first night at Cooinda. Then we stopped for a visit to Nourlangie Rock before going to our 2nd night’s accommodation at Jabiru. The 3rd day, we made a couple other birding stops before leaving the park and staying at Mary River.
All of this will be covered in detail in future posts!