Bubali Bird Sanctuary

The Bubali ponds were created when the island's water treatment plant began discharging into a low-lying area behind the hotel strip, and the result was accidental: on an island with almost no fresh water, two permanent ponds turned into a magnet for birds. Something over eighty species have been recorded, including herons, egrets, cormorants, coots, stilts, terns and large numbers of northern migrants through the winter. A wooden observation tower gives the view across both ponds. It sits within a few hundred metres of the high-rise hotels, which makes the concentration of birdlife there faintly absurd.

What you actually see

• The observation tower - a wooden platform over both ponds.
• Herons and egrets - resident in numbers on the margins.
• Northern migrants - through the winter months.
• The setting - a wetland a few hundred metres from the high-rise hotels.

When to go

October to April is the migration and the peak. Early morning and late afternoon are best for activity and light. It takes about an hour with binoculars and considerably less without.

Honest expectations

The ponds are fed by treated waste water and smell like it on a still day. The tower has been in variable repair. There is no shade and no facilities. It is a birdwatching stop rather than a scenic one, and without binoculars there is little to see. Development pressure on the surrounding land is constant.

Nearby

Palm Beach and the hotel strip are five minutes; the butterfly farm is nearby.