The Liverpool Plains are located in north-west NSW
and comprise approximately 1.2 million hectares of some of Australia’s most
productive land. In 1818, explorer John Oxley once described the Liverpool
Plains as vegetated with native grass and sparsely timbered, with occasional
clumps and lines of timber, with denser timber on the slopes and hills. The main
towns in the area are Gunnedah and Quirindi, with villages such as Mullaley,
Tambar Springs, Breeza, Carroll and Curlewis. The major landuses of the
Liverpool Plains catchment are cropping and grazing. The major crops include
wheat, barley, chickpeas, fababeans, sorghum, sunflowers, soybeans, maize and
cotton whilst grazing comprises beef and sheep. The majority of more fertile
alluvial soils (native grassland and Poplar Box country) has been cleared, while
larger areas of remnant vegetation remain on poorer sandy and ridge top soils
(Ironbark, Callitris Pine and Stringybark).
The Liverpool Plains Woodland Bird Project aims to
work directly with the Liverpool Plains Land Management Committee (LPLMC) and
local landowners to obtain protection for woodland bird habitat. A major part of
the project so far, has been to obtain, collate and analyse all of the anecdotal
and scientific records for all bird species of the Liverpool Plains. We have
found that from the Birds Australia Atlas Projects, firstly conducted from
1977-1981 and the current Atlas 1998-2001, there have been over 400 bird surveys
conducted on the Liverpool Plains region. These surveys have amassed over 12,000
records of bird species, which is a phenomenal amount of data! These data are
most useful in providing information on the birds that occur on the Liverpool
Plains and their distribution across the region. In particular, we have been
able to detect a decrease in the number of birds that occurred on the Liverpool
Plains during the 1st atlas compared to those birds detected in the current
atlas. In all, 227 species of birds were recorded in the 1st Atlas compared to
204 species in the second atlas.
In order to obtain a comprehensive coverage across
the whole region, we still need to conduct some more surveys of all of the birds
in the Liverpool Plains to supplement data we already have. With assistance from
landholders, landcare groups, local naturalists, Birds Australia members and any
interested people from the public, we will conduct bird surveys in the Liverpool
Plains Catchment. The surveys are aimed at identifying areas that are important
habitat for woodland birds and to raise awareness on the decline of woodland
birds throughout southern Australia. The survey work will enable us to identify
sites of high conservation value for protection or revegetation work. We then
aim to use ‘focal species analysis’ to develop recommendations on how
landholders and the LPLMC can best enhance biodiversity in their region, thereby
improving the productivity of their land. Focal species analysis involves
identifying the species in a particular area that are most sensitive to
particular factors, such as distance between remnants, size of remnants,
presence or absence of understorey shrubs or grasses. For example, Grey-crowned
Babblers are particularly sensitive to distance between remnants while Hooded
Robins may need large areas of remnant vegetation and complex
habitat.
The surveys will occur for one or two days, a
weekend every month between April and October. The actual dates have not been
finalised, but we hope to finalise the dates and survey locations in the next
two weeks. The surveys are a great way for any interested people to participate
in a unique project. The surveys are also a great way for bird people to see the
Liverpool Plains, meet other birders and spend a couple of hours per month doing
a spot of bird watching. We currently have a number of local landholders who are
keen to assist with surveys being conducted on their land, and we hope to
commence surveys in these areas within the coming weeks. We also have been
contacted by a number of people and bird groups interested in participating in
the surveys and we have been mailing out some information to them. We would
still like to hear from anyone whether they are local landholders,
non-experienced or experienced birdwatchers or just interested people, who would
be like to become involved in the project. So, if you know anyone, please let me
know.
