Byron Bay Wetlands Survey

Last week’s survey at Byron Bay Wetlands in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region showed the wide range of birds this reserve attached to Byron’s sewerage works attracts. 81 species were counted with representation in a wide variety of bird groups. Raptors included a Grey Goshawk, Whispering Kite, Swamp Harrier and Sea-eagle. Water birds included a Spotless Crake, Glossy Isis, Pink-eared Ducks and Black-fronted Dotterels. Sacred, Forest and Azure Kingfishers were sighted. A highlight was the large number of Little Grassbirds out in the open.

I went back to the wetland two days later to photograph the Spotless Crake seen on the survey. This time there were two more crakes in the reeds nearby.

This Sacred Kingfisher was in the same place two days after the survey on one of the grassy walkways through the melaleuca lined ponds.

There were many Little Grassbirds to be seen on the edges of the larger ponds.

Around a dozen Black-fronted Dotterels were feeding on the mudflats.

This Great Egret lifts for a better view from the top of the tree at the right.

Birdlife Shoalhaven Bushfire Research Report

Birdlife Shoalhaven is monitoring the after effects of the devastating Currawon bushfire on the New South Wales South Coast. They have just released their 2020 report.

A typical scene as the bush recovers from the fire seventeen months earlier. This White-throated Treecreeper reaches the truncated top of the fire affected tree it has been feeding on.

The long-term aim of the project is to examine changes in bird species richness and abundance in the Shoalhaven in the post-fire period. The report analyses changes at 115 survey sites within the fire footprint and 52 sites outside the fire footprint as a comparison. They use BirdLife’s Birdata 20 minute, 2 hectare survey technique to survey bird species and numbers.

They found that bird numbers and species numbers increased on average during the year across lightly to heavily burnt sites and the recovery in numbers of birds was greater in lightly burnt areas. Outside of the fire footprint the number of species did not change significantly but bird numbers actually decreased through the year, perhaps as birds moved back into recovering burnt areas?

The small peninsular at Dee Beach near Bendalong on the New South Wales south coast was heavily burnt and the soil was barren after the fire. This photo was taken last April 2020, four months after the fire.

The same area in May 2021, another year and one month later. A head high swathe of acacia and eucalypts now forms an impenetrable cover, a happy hunting ground for insect eating birds.

While the detailed picture is very complicated there is no doubt that the heavier rains of the last year have helped the recovery of the birds. And that more research on this critical issue is badly needed. If there had been better baseline data from before the fires this would have provided a better picture of the fires effect. Birdlife Shoalhaven are to be congratulated on undertaking this important project.

The recovery is very different at the Walter Hood Beach survey site. Other than a handful of Banksias at the beach edge, the trees are all dead and the green cover beneath them is less than a metre high. There were no birds on this site when it was last surveyed.

One year and one month after the NSW bushfires

It was just over a year ago that the Currawon bushfire raged through Conjola National Park south of Sydney, burning most of the park. At the survey sites I monitor the rains of the last year have meant a faster recovery than expected, but progress varies greatly depending on the terrain. Where the hottest fires struck in tall eucalypt forest there is a mix of trees recovering through epicormic growth and other trees, usually the smaller ones, that appear to be dead at this stage. In coastal scrub there are large areas where all the trees are dead but the undergrowth is renewing.

This Rufous Whistler is feeding in the epicormic growth on medium sized eucalypts, in an area that is recovering well from the fires.

Bird numbers are recovering but still not to the pre-fire levels. The most noticeable absence is the large honeyeaters, especially the Red Wattlebirds.

The shrubs in this coastal scrub are dead. The thick mat of regrowth is now over a metre high and looking very healthy. The weeds that grew earlier have now been overgrown. A few birds hawk for insects in the regrowth.

In this patch of burnt medium sized eucalypts the regrowth is a mixture of acacias and eucalypt. In places it forms a thick mat that is now up to two metres high. The mix of species seems to be encouraging a wider range of birds.

South Coast bird survey update

It was back to the south coast NSW surveys last week to follow up after recent strong winds and tree damage. In the township the species count was up slightly and there were more birds to count due to flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets and Little Corellas. The town is still providing home to birds displaced by bush fires with Golden Whistlers and White-browed Scrubwrens in town gardens.

Three Dusky Woodswallows were unexpected visitors to the survey site, swooping above the treetops.

Bird numbers in bush sites are recovering, but not back to the pre-drought levels of 2017. Increases on sites vary with the severity of the fires, especially whether the crowns are green or not. Some areas are still black and barren and have not changed much since the fires, graced by the occasional Australian Raven or Eastern Yellow Robin.

There are plenty of small birds around; Fairy-Wrens, Thornbills, White-browed and a few Large-billed Scrubwrens.

Some areas with smaller scrub show no sign of recovery, the increased light after burning allows a thick mat of grass and weeds to flourish below the charred remains.

Cowra Woodland Bird Program winter survey

Cowra in the NSW’s Central West is green again after several months of good rain. Ninety and 130 mm fell in March and April respectively and a total 380 mm fell over the first six months of the year. As a result farmers have been busy and winter wheat and barley crops are widespread and healthy – the best for a number of years. The bush still has the sparse look characteristic of drought but there are signs of new growth on grassy roadsides. Dams are still only partly filled but there are puddles and lots of mud around.

Crested Shrike-tit near Spring Forest east of Cowra.

I missed last spring’s survey, then the summer survey was cancelled due to drought and bushfire risk and the autumn survey was cancelled due to the Covid 19 lockdown. Winter usually only brings out the hardy and the foolish but there was a record turnout of surveyors, glad to be out in the country after lockdown.

White-eared Honeyeater.

After last year’s bleak winter survey (2019) bird numbers this winter were higher on the sites I surveyed, with some interesting bird to see. The Spring Forest sites had a good number of Thornbills – Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Inland as well as Weebills and a Spotted Warbler. A pair of Crested Shrike-tits obligingly posed for the camera as did a White-eared Honeyeater. Where the road from Bathhurst enters Cowra at Europa Park there was a group of six Blue-faced Honeyeaters feeding on a flowering gum tree.

Blue-faced Honeyeater at Europa park on the road into Cowra.