Australia’s top birding organization Birdlife is asking birdwatchers to do more surveys in response to the bush fires. They highlight the importance of knowing what is happening to bird numbers, not only in burnt out areas, but across the rest of the country as well.
Last weekend I surveyed my two regular Eastern Suburb sites. The past week’s 200 – 400 mm rain has extinguished most of the fires across NSW and in the city it has filled ponds in local parks and brought a flush of green to the previously desiccated bush. The pond at Randwick Environment Park was full for the first time since early 2018 and the count there showed a handful of Pacific Black Ducks, three Eurasian Coots and an Australasian Grebe in addition to the regular Magpies and Red Wattlebirds.
At the Kensington Pond in Centennial Park there were ducks, coots and an Intermediate Egret gracing the waters. In the slither of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub that lines the northern bank were Red Wattlebirds, New Holland Honeyeaters, Superb Fairy-wrens with Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos in the adjacent Maritime Pine trees.
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo at Kensington Pond, Centennial Park, Sydney
At the Fly Casting Pond, a Freckled Duck, one of three that have been in residence on and off over past months, was showing signs of breeding plumage with its bill reddening at the base.
Freckled Duck at Fly Casting Pond at Centennial Park, Sydney