Sydney Olympic Park Spring Survey

It’s the second to last week of the Sydney Olympic Park Spring Survey today. So another trip down Paramatta road, not so bad before six in the morning but even so it is a hassle. The survey starts at 6.30 am and it is a beautiful morning.

The Spring Survey is held on eight consecutive Tuesdays with over forty five sites surveyed each time. Again this bird survey has a long history, starting in 2004. When the Homebush area was reclaimed for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 a large area, 300 hectare, was set aside as parkland and for bush regeneration, resulting in a large area treed and landscaped and well served with paths for walkers, runners and cyclists. Habitats include estuarine and freshwater wetlands, remnant eucalypt forest, saltmarsh meadows and woodland bird habitats.

We have been assigned the Waterbird Refuge this year, a pond and mudflat separated from Homebush bay by narrow bushed causeways on two sides. The Refuge is tidal and the water level is controlled to retain a balance between deeper water and mudflat.

Not so many birds today, two weeks ago we counted over 600 individuals. But still an amazing number of Black-winged Stilts, Red-necked Avocets and Grey and Chestnut Teal ducks. In particular, Sharpie numbers are still up - over 40 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers for the second week. No Godwits today, they will be feeding on the mudflats outside the park.

Cowra Woodland Birds Program Spring Survey

It was encouraging to see a flush of green driving into Cowra and to hear there had been 30 ml of rain. The locals say it was not enough to sustain winter grain crops but hopefully there would be a crop of hay coming on. Walking through the bush, what little grass was left crackled underfoot, and the land still shows the effects of this years short and sharp drought.

It was a good turnout – 25 surveyors for the 93 sites and the usual happy get togethers and renewal of old acquaintances. Many remarked on the absence of smaller birds over the weekend. The birding highlight was the sighting of a White-throated Nightjar. For our team it was seeing an Australian Hobby close up and a cloud of 20 or more bee-eaters.

The Cowra Woodland Birds Program (CWBP) has been working to reverse the decline of woodland birds in the Cowra district since 2001. The survey data is now one of the best records of woodland birds around. I enjoy taking part because the project has practical backing from many farmers and Cowra locals.

On the Saturday we all went out to see a regeneration site that was planted 12 years ago. It was exciting to see a Crested Shrike-tit and Superb Parrots on the site – also the Double-banded Finches shown here. A good weekend.