More photos from the wonderful Byron Bay Wetlands. More than 220 species of bird have been recorded since the Wetlands were created and counts at the regular Byron Bird Buddies surveys are often in the 70 - 90 species range.
Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Chestnut-breasted Mannikins are found in the north and the east coast of Australia. They are often seen in the Northern Rivers New South Wales region; in the grasses around coastal wetlands as well as more inland grasslands or rushes near to water.
March visit to Flat Rock Ballina
Flat Rock is a small headland shaped patch of horizontal rocks north of Ballina in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. It has a constant population of terns and cormorants and acts as a gathering place for shore birds.
Byron Bay Wetlands Snapshots
Byron Bay Wetlands in the Northern Rivers region New South Wales is part of the Byron Integrated Management Reserve, an advanced sewage treatment system that has created a natural habitat for both flora and fauna. This week’s visit resulted in sightings of 49 bird species and the photos below.
Goonengerry Survey
Goonengerry National Park in New South Wales Northern Rivers district is another of the magic sub-tropical forests on the mountains that surround the ancient Mount Warning volcano. A survey count of 39 species included Logrunners, Varied Sittellas, Emerald Doves as well as eight threatened Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves and six Albert’s Lyrebirds.
Wallum Development threatens nature's "Prime real estate"
This week’s survey of bird species shows again that the planned Wallum Development is in the centre of an outstanding area for wildlife. A total of 44 species were recorded including the Glossy Black-Cockatoo, listed as vulnerable in New South Wales. Also of interest was the presence of “platelets” (see photo below) indicating that Painted Button-quail are using the area.
During the week came the news that the Byron Shire Council has issued authority to proceed with this development of the Wallum Sand Heath and will not contest the decision of the Northern Region Planning Panel. While understanding the council’s short term thinking to avoid a costly and difficult court battle, these costs would soon be overshadowed by the costs of maintaining another development on flood prone land and the irreversible loss of outstanding biodiversity.
Little Black Cormorants at Broken Head
Standing in the water near the rocks at the Broken Head end of Tallow Beach, Northern Rivers, New South Wales, I was watching a single Little Pied Cormorant quietly fishing in shallow water. It was presumably taking advantage of an onshore current feeding the northerly current that runs along the beach. And then the Little Black Cormorants arrived!
Small birds at Tallow Creek
Some days the small birds turn up in force and today was one of those days. The best area to see them was around the old sewerage treatment ponds, between the camping ground and the bridge across Tallow Creek (at Byron Bay, New South Wales).
Byron Bay Wetlands and the October bush-fire
Byron Bay Wetlands appear to have escaped relatively lightly from the October bush-fire that burnt from Byron Bay to close to Brunswick Heads in October 2023. The fire impinged mainly on the western side of the reserve and did not affect the wetland area directly.
Wallum Development
The Wallum Development at Brunswick Heads, New South Wales, once more illustrates Australia’s totally inadequate planning and environmental protection laws. Putting aside that the site concerned is declared Flood Prone by the Byron Bay Council, this planned development would destroy a unique Northern Rivers coastal habitat, a significant area of Wallum Sand Heath, and should have been stopped many years ago.
Magpie Lark parenting
Why do Masked Lapwings cross the creek?
It is puzzling why this Masked Lapwing family cross the creek so often. Each crossing involves considerable effort and risk, firstly to make sure that the route is secure, then to encourage the young to make the move.
Birds cooperating at Tallow Creek
Tallow Creek in Byron Bay, New South Wales forms what is known as an Intermittently Closed and Open Lagoon (ICOLL). The creek and lagoon’s connection to the ocean is closed periodically by an accumulation of sand up to fifty metres wide. Every few months, after very heavy rain fills the lagoon, it overflows and washes away sand to form a channel to the sea and then the lagoon quickly empties.
Over the days following this outflow a procession of water birds search the newly exposed banks for food. Ducks, Egrets, Dusky Moorhens, Ibis, Spoonbills and Swamphen. What can be quite frantic feeding sees some bird odd couples seemingly working together.
Leaden Flycatcher's nest washed away
At the start of last week we saw this pair of Leaden Flycatchers putting the finishing touches to a nest, about three metres above the waters of Tallow Creek in Byron Bay New South Wales. Later it looked like the birds were taking turns sitting on the nest.
Today, after two day of storms and torrential rain there is sadly no sign of the nest, presumably washed off its perch.
Gilbert's Whistler
The Gilbert’s Whistler inhabits the dry eucalyptus woodlands and open forests of inland southern Australia. In the Cowra area they are occasionally seen in the callitris woodlands around Koorawatha but they have been absent in recent years. So it was reassuring to see this Gilbert’s Whistler pair busy building a nest during the recent spring surveys.
Treasures of the woodlands
The Cowra Woodlands Birds Program spring survey was again spectacular as bird activity ramps up with the warmer weather and the breeding season begins in earnest. It was heartening to see a number of the rarer target birds this year: Diamond Firetails, a number of Brown Treecreepers, Gilbert’s Whistlers, a Chestnut-rumped Heathren and many Woodswallows; Masked, White-browed and Dusky.
More migratory birds at Ballina
As September comes to an end, numbers of migratory birds at Ballina in New South Wales Northern Rivers region are increasing. Groups of shorebirds can be found at many of the town’s numerous rocky shores, estuaries and river banks.
Ballina has to be a hot spot for this iconic and perilously endangered group of birds. It might be even more spectacular with more protection from people and dogs for the birds and the areas they feed in.
Migratory birds return
August is the month that migratory birds begin to return to Australia after their long journey to Siberia. Many of these birds can be seen on beaches in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Ballina is a hot spot for migratory birds.
Big Scrub Loop
The Big Scrub Loop walking track is in Nightcap National Park, near Lismore, New South Wales. The track passes through magnificent subtropical rainforest dominated by enormous fig trees, Giant Stinging Trees and huge buttressed Yellow Carabeen. The Nightcap Range has been designated an Important Biodiversity Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. The key IBA bird species found in the park are the Albert's Lyrebird, Green Catbird, Pale-yellow Robin, Australian Logrunner, Paradise Riflebird, and Regent Bowerbird.
Do Beach Stone-curlew eat shellfish?
This bird is one of the very few remaining Beach Stone-curlews inhabiting New South Wales beaches. It is based at the mouth of an intermittent coastal lagoon in the Northern Rivers area.