BUNGAWALBIN WETLANDS BIRD MONITORING PROJECT – UPDATE 1
A Wetland Care Australia Project
The first surveys of wetlands in the Bungawalbin catchment
(north-east NSW) were conducted on the 21st & 22nd of November. A
total of 11 wetlands were surveyed over the course of the two days. The
wetlands varied in their size and the composition and structure of the
vegetation around the wetland, with some sites being composed of pasture, while
other sites were composed of remnant paperbark, Casuarina and Eucalypt forests.
The sites also varied in their shape with some sites being circular wetlands,
whilst others were along creeks and rivers (including the riparian vegetation).
A total of 92 bird species were recorded over the two
days of surveys. Some of the highlights included Wandering Whistling Ducks
(20), Black-necked Storks (4 – 2 adults and 2 juvs.), Comb-crested Jacanas (3),
Latham’s Snipe (2), Little-Bronze Cuckoos (3), and Grey-crowned Babblers
(3). The areas of open water at some sites provided habitat for Great
Egrets, Intermediate Egrets, Cattle Egrets, White-faced Herons, White-necked
Herons, Nankeen Night Herons, Royal Spoonbills, Pacific Black Ducks, Hardheads,
Australian Wood Ducks, Australasian Grebes, Dusky Moorhens, Eurasian Coots.
At sites that had suitable perching trees within close proximity to water, large
numbers of Little Black Cormorants, Little Pied Cormorants, and Great
Cormorants were recorded. At some of the sites, a high diversity of
vegetation communities present was reflected by the high diversity of bird
species which, amongst a long list of bird species, included Variegated
Fairy-wrens, Superb Fairy Wrens, Red-backed Fairy-wrens, Varied Trillers,
White-winged Trillers, Lewin’s Honeyeaters, Brown Honeyeaters, Blue-faced
Honeyeaters, Fuscous Honeyeaters, Scarlet Honeyeaters, White-throated
Honeyeaters, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Little
Friarbird, Noisy Friarbird, Rufous Whistlers, Golden Whistlers, Cicadabirds,
Rainbow Bee-eaters, Dollarbirds, Sacred Kingfishers, Pallid Cuckoos, Common
Koels, Fan-tailed Cuckoos, Channel-billed Cuckoos, Pheasant Coucals, Shining
Bronze-Cuckoos, Brown Thornbills, Striated Thornbills, White-throated Gerygones,
and White-browed Scrub Wrens.
Anyone interested in participating in these monthly surveys
should contact either Jo Green at Wetland Care Australia (Ballina) on 02
66816069; or:
Peter Ekert
Wetland Care Australia
(Bungawalbin Bird Monitoring Project Co-ordinator)
The Wetlands Centre
PO Box 292
WALLSEND NSW 2287
Ph. 02 49516466
Mob. 0410566104 Fax. 02 49501875
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www.wetlandscentre.org.au
