http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1603220.htm
Wednesday, March 29, 2006. 8:48am (AEDT)
Endangered finch sightings leave ornithologists hopeful
Bird researchers in northern Australia are hoping the endangered
gouldian finch could finally be on the path to recovery.
The finch, one of Australia's most endangered birds, is reappearing in
places it has not been seen for up to 15 years.
For decades the numbers of the vivid finch have dwindled in the wild,
the victim of bushfires, a parasitic mite and the loss of native grass
seed.
Birdwatchers have reported the highest number of sightings in years in
Kakadu, Arnhem Land and Cape York.
Professor Stephen Garnett from Charles Darwin University believes
better fire management may have helped the bird's revival and he is
optimistic it may even return to the towns.
"They used to be in Katherine and they used to be in towns ... through
Queensland and just imagine having that, down south they have sparrows.
Up here we have gouldian finches, fabulous."
Colleen O'Malley, from the Threatened Species Network, also says better
fire management may explain the increase in numbers.
"We're talking birds in the vicinity of 200 to 400 in a flock, which is
a really exciting thing that sort of harks back to the days when there
were flocks of thousands of birds," she said.
"We're just quite excited that that might mean that there's a positive
trend in the population. But we're not certain yet, we'll have to wait
for a couple more seasons to see whether those numbers hold."
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