On this early morning, Sunday 12th January, I had a quiet walk in remnant
vegetation behind housing estates at St Georges Basin, just to the south of
Jervis Bay in NSW. The area has been reduced considerably in the last year
and further housing and road corridors are marked for this area in the near
future.
What is left is a mix of scribbly gum/spotted gum association on ridge and
mahogany/turpentine association lower down before entering paper bark swamp.
It is cris-crossed with firetrails and trail bike ruts but nevertheless it
is a wildlife corridor of some note.
Even in the short stroll I took here I was able to enjoy an impressive bird
list. The strip carried habitat for Rufous and Golden Whistler, Yellow
Tufted and Yellow Faced Honeyeater, Brown and Little Thornbill, White Winged
Chough and Common Bronzewing. Indeed, in the short walk I managed a bird
list of 35 species as well as a dozen healthy Grey Kangaroo.
I am not sure how best to protect these wildlife corridors. The Shoalhaven
City Council is reputed to have sold what locals always suspected was
reserve land at Blenheim Beach, contiguous with Greenfields Beach and Jervis
Bay National Park and the pressure on National Parks is enormous. If these
wildlife corridors are to be attacked and reduced then national parks will
become nothing more than zoos and the species within will be endangered
every time there is a catastrophic event.
Meanwhile the walk today was a relief, knowing that here there were birds. I
hope that next time I am able to say the same!
Brian Everingham
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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