LIVERPOOL PLAINS WOODLAND BIRD PROJECT – Final
Update
A Birds Australia project funded by the World Wide Fund for
Nature (WWF),Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and the Threatened Species Network
(TSN)
In January 2001, Birds Australia commenced a study to assess
the distribution of birds, targeting threatened and declining woodland birds, in
the Liverpool Plains catchment (north-west slopes and plains of NSW). It was
hoped that this study would assist in the conservation of woodland birds within
the region. To achieve this aim, Birds Australia worked in partnership with
local landowners, the Liverpool Plains Land Management Committee (LPLMC), World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Threatened Species Network (TSN), the Natural
Heritage Trust (NHT), and the Tamworth Bird Watchers Inc.
An important first step in identifying what birds occurred in
the region over the past 20 years, was to examine data from the Birds Australia
Atlas Projects, (1st Atlas 1977-1981; 2nd Atlas
1998-2002). There were 204 surveys conducted during the 1st Atlas in
the Liverpool Plains. Prior to October 2001, there were 202 surveys conducted
for the 2nd Atlas across 103 separate locations (sites).
Commencing in October 2001, Birds Australia with the help of
over 50 volunteer bird watchers, conducted a series of bird surveys across areas
of private and crown land, public reserves, travelling stock routes, and State
Forests within the Liverpool Plains. These surveys mainly occurred over weekends
and incorporated over 30 separate landholders, who had expressed their concern
in the decline of birds on their properties and allowed us to conduct surveys on
their land. After January 2002, there were 521 surveys conducted across 397
sites in the Liverpool Plains. This meant that this project facilitated a 61%
increase in the number of Atlas surveys and a 74% increase in the number of
survey sites in the Liverpool Plains.
A comprehensive review of literature and other information
indicated that the Liverpool Plains:
- contained a mosaic of habitat types including grassland and open woodland;
- held an Endangered Ecological Community that is listed under the
Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995;
- was the most productive agricultural area in the country, and that
clearing and other habitat change had been widespread.
The data showed that the Liverpool Plains supports:
- 32 species listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995;
- 18 guilds of birds;
- a relatively low incidence of introduced bird species;
- a number of woodlands, particularly State Forests that support a high
diversity of birds;
- a number of sites that are of high conservation value for a number of
threatened and declining woodland bird species;
The results also indicated that a number of threatened and
declining woodland species have become locally extinct in the Liverpool Plains.
These include the Crested Bellbird, White-browed Babbler, Painted Button-quail,
Malleefowl, and Square-tailed Kite. Another species, the Hooded Robin showed a
substantial decline. Most of the guilds represented in the region showed a
substantial decline, suggesting that a range of processes were affecting birds
that are ecologically diverse.
Key areas for bird species in the Liverpool Plains include the
State Forests within the region. By virtue of their relatively large size and a
higher structural complexity, these areas support a higher diversity of bird
species, including many threatened and declining species. Many of the sites on
private land also supported a number of threatened and declining woodland birds,
indicating that landholders will play a pivotal role in the conservation of
biodiversity.
In addition to providing baseline data into the distribution of
birds and the hotspots for birds in the Plains, data generated from these
surveys are integral in the next phase of the project, which is to deliver
conservation outcomes on private land. Over the next few months, Birds Australia
will continue to work with the Liverpool Plains Land Management Committee and
the Department of Land & Water Conservation to survey birds occurring along
watercourses, woodlands and cropping areas on low lying slopes and plains.
Birds Australia would like to take this opportunity to thank
all those people who assisted in the project. A special thank you to the
volunteer bird watchers who travelled far and wide to participate in field
surveys and campouts throughout the region. The amount of data collected as part
of this project was testimony to the dedication and enthusiasm of these keen
bird watchers and naturalists. Special thanks also to the many landholders, who
kindly allowed bird surveys and campouts to be conducted on their property, and
as such contributed enormously to providing information on the birds of the
region.
For those interested, the final report is available for loan
from the libraries of Birds Australia (Melbourne), SNAG (Southern NSW & Act
Group – Crows Nest), and at The Wetlands Centre (Newcastle). There are also
limited copies available from the Birding Shop in Melbourne and from The
Wetlands Centre.
Reference:
Ekert, P.A. (2002). The Woodland Birds of The
Liverpool Plains, NSW. Final Project Report 2002. Report on behalf of
Birds Australia for World Wide Fund for Nature, Natural Heritage Trust,
Threatened Species Network.
