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Hi Birders
BIRDING ROUTES OF BARADINE &
THE PILLIGA BROCHURE LAUNCH
Last weekend 21-23 September my wife
and I attended the launch of the "Birding Routes of Baradine & the Pilliga"
pamphlet and the "Celebration of the Pilliga" Festival at Baradine, in
north-west NSW. The pamphlet was prepared by David Johnston, a local birdwatcher
resident in Baradine and who has great expertise and knowledge about the Pilliga
forests around Baradine. David had the support of the Coonbarabran Shire
Council, Coonabarabran-Warrumbungle Tourist Association and the NSW State
Forests, all who sponsored the 8 page coloured brochure with its drawings,
maps, birdlist and notes, that outline the 8 birding routes. The Baradine
Progress Association organised the pamphlet launch at a dinner with over 120
guests and noted naturalist and author Eric Rolls, officiated at the launch.
Eric Rolls lived on a farm near David Johnson, on the edge of the Pilliga
Forests from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s, and it was from here that he wrote
the book "A Million Wild Acres". First published in 1982 and still being
reprinted, the book is the definitive work on the wildlife and social history of
the Pilliga Forests.
Russ & Jennie Watts, of "Birding
Routes of Barraba " fame were there to support David. In his speech, Russ
pointed out that in the year 2000, over 500 people visited Barraba Shire to
experience the bird routes and to see the Regent Honeyeaters. On average each
person stayed 4 nights in the Shire, which in a small community like Barraba,
meant a major increase in tourist dollars being spent in the town. Baradine,
population 400, hopes to benefit from an increased interest by birdwatchers in
seeing the Baradine/Pilliga birds. The District's specialities include Spotted
Bowerbirds, Turquoise Parrot, Square-tailed Kite, Painted & Regent
Honeyeaters (mostly in the Warrumbungle Range), Bluebonnet,
Red-winged, Cockatiel & Superb Parrots, Diamond Firetail &
Plum-headed Finch, Malleefowl & Koalas!
The Book Launch was part of the
"Celebration of the Pilliga" which included an exhibition of photographs of the
Pilliga, and the various organisations interested in the Pilliga had information
stalls and presentations. Such groups included State Forests, NPWS,
Coonabarabran Shire, Friends of the Pilliga, The Pilliga Aboriginal Management
Committee, Birds Australia & NSW Bird Atlassers to name just a
few.
Also as part of the Weekend
programme, David had organised a wildlflower walk, and for me to take two early
morning bird walks. The Saturday morning walk was in the Pilliga NR (on Birding
Route No. 8) and included a visit to a flowering Mugga Ironbark patch. We had
hoped for a Regent Honeyeater or two, but no such luck but there were many
Noisy & Little Friarbirds, Fuscous & Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters, Dusky
& White-browed Woodswallows (early spring arrival for the latter) and many
Little Lorikeets feeding on the blossoms and the noise made by these birds was
fantastic. The Sunday morning walk was in Merriwindi SF (Birding Route No 4) at
Trapyard Dam, where a Painted Honeyeater was seen on the Saturday. That bird did
not show, but our groups saw over 40 species including plenty of Grey-crowned
Babblers, Leaden Flycatchers, Mistletoebirds, Brown Treecreepers, Western
Gerygones & Weebills, Striped & Brown-headed Honeyeaters, Choughs, Emus
& Apostlebirds.
Information about the Birding Routes
and the pamphlet are available from the Coonabrabran Shire Visitor Information
Centre, Newell Highway, Coonabrabran NSW 2357. Tel 1800 242 881,
Email: www.lisp.com.au/coonabarabran
Alan
Morris
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