Hi everyone,
I've been approached to write an annotated list of the birds of Maroubra
Beach and Magic/Mistral Points for the environmental officers of Randwick
Council, Sydney. They've now asked me to try to drum up any other
interesting records birders may have for the area, as well as other sites
in the Randwick council area, which includes Centennial Park, the golf
courses and heaths between Long Bay and Botany Bay, the Botany Bay NP
around La Perouse, and the coastline between Clovelly and Botany Bay, as
well as a few smaller sites. If you have any interesting records, including
breeding, unusual sightings (including seabirds), large numbers of birds,
etc. for these areas, and you can spare the effort, I'd love to hear from
you. I can pick things up from the NSW annual bird reports, so it's really
observations that haven't been published in those, or that are more recent
(ie. 1998-9). Birdline doesn't give observer names, so I can't use that.
Whilst I'm at it, the Magic Point area is zoned to become a National Park
(or a section of it is). The area at the south end of the beach is the part
that has the swamps where the rails and some other good birds are. (The
Lewin's Rails, by the way, have nested successfully). At present this area
is, I believe, simply public open space, and not scheduled for protection.
My dream is to try to get it not only protected, but also to recreate a
dune lake similar to the ones that used to exist behind Maroubra Beach,
with reedy areas, shallow water and deeper water. If anyone has some ideas
about what I could write in support (or perhaps against) such a project,
including literature, I'd love to hear from them too. The Council
environmental officers are sympathetic to the idea.
Rod Gardner
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