Since 2004 we have run night walks in the native grasslands of the Northern plains of Victoria, primarily in search of this critically endangered and unique bird which is endemic to Australia. We only run tours after prior reconnaissance and when we expect there is a good chance of success, however occasionally we will miss the bird. The native grasslands have a variety of other interesting birds, animals and reptiles to look for. These shared tours typically run in autumn and winter, whilst privately booked tours may occur at other times. We keep a mailing list of people who have expressed interest in these tours. Emails are sent out when new dates are confirmed. Often these tour dates never make it to this page, asthey book out via the mailing list.

If interested in participating in one of these tours then please make a request to be added to our mailing list, via the Contact Page

Up to 5 people are able to participate each night and the meeting place is in the small town of Pyramid Hill in northern Victoria. Participants will need to arrange their own transport to and from Pyramid Hill plus accommodation in the area. The current price is $220 per person and these tours commence at dusk. They involve walking for up to 3 hours in open flat grassland, so a moderate level of fitness is required. We are likely to visit more than one grassland area and spotlight for wildlife along the way as well. A portion of the profits are donated to conservation efforts saving Plains-wanderer habitat locally and have included Trust For Nature, the Northern Plains Conservation Alliance/FOTTNP and private landholders

Other grassland fauna is also likely to be encountered depending on the season. Stubble Quail are present year around, with a peak in summer and autumn. Little Buttonquail are also present year around, however they are much more likely to be encountered in summer, with very low numbers in winter. Australian Pipits, Singing Bushlarks and Brown Songlarks are often seen. Red-chested Buttonquail can occur, usually after periods of high rainfall. They peaked in 2010 through to 2012, and again from 2022 to 2025 Fat-tailed Dunnarts, a small native marsupial may be seen, with most sightings in drier years.

On warm nights in summer some reptiles may be observed, most commonly the Curl Snake (Suta Suta), occasionally Tesselated Gecko and in just a few locations the rare Eastern Hooded Scalyfoot (Pygopus schaderi). After rain various frogs appear, including the Suddell’s Frog (Neobatrachus suddelli), Spotted Marsh Frog and Eastern Banjo Frog

As a licenced tour operator we follow specifically developed ethical guidelines when observing wildlife in the grasslands at night, including keeping our distance and limiting the time spent with each animal. Birds found with young or a nest are immediately left alone. Images above are taken with a zoom lens and cropped.