Buckley's Hole Conservation Park is a small (87.7 hectares) but fabulous
area for birds. Many of you will remember it for the Laughing Gull that was
present there in both 2002 and 2003, but it has produced many other rare and
interesting species. The lagoon is a haven for waterfowl, and the reed beds
and muddy edges hold a wealth of species. It is perhaps the most reliable
site locally for Spotless Crake, and Little Bittern, Lewin's Rail and
Black-tailed Native-hen have put in appearances over the years. Terns
gather on the beach in good numbers, with over 2000 Common (500+ is usual)
and over 100 Little having been seen during summer. White-fronted and
Lesser Crested are regular in winter. Rarities include Antarctic (still
under review by BARC) and Fairy Tern. Waders also gather on the beach in
hundreds during the summer and have included Sanderling, Sooty Oystercatcher
and Beach Stone-curlew. Other species of local interest seen in the park
include Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Oriental Cuckoo, Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Noisy
Pitta, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Regent Honeyeater, Barn Swallow and Rufous
Songlark.
Like many other small wetlands it survives a fragile existence. Local
residents recently expressed desires to remove trees which blocked views of
the ocean and, amongst other requests, suggested a boardwalk in the lagoon.
Trying to turn this wonderful patch of wilderness into a typical town-centre
duckpond, I suppose. Two weeks ago I counted on the sand spit, on three
successive days, 400+ waders, 500+ waders, 4 fishermen and no waders. It
only takes one dog to achieve the same result and the area is advertised
locally as dog-friendly. To help protect this park I have produced an
anotated checklist of the birds of the area. Hopefully this will give
authorities an insight as to the true value of the park for resident and
migratory birds and assist in future decision making. The total number of
species for the area currently stands at 250 but the total has been rising
steadily and I see no reason why it shouldn't continue to rise towards 300.
To put this into perspective, in the foreword to the excellent checklist of
the birds of Brent Reservoir near London, UK, Bill Oddie says of the area
that it just might be the ideal local patch. Brent Reservoir covers over
250 hectares, and birds have been recorded since 1835 to produce a total of
243 species. Buckley's Hole covers 87.7 hectares, and in the 18 years
1986-2003 has produced 250 species. Not too bad!
I had intended to produce 100 copies of the booklet and distribute them,
free of charge, to local groups and other interested parties, but the demand
has grown. I think that I am within the bounds of decency with regard to
birding-aus principles to say that I am now going to charge whatever it
costs me to photocopy the booklet (44 A5 pages) plus postage and packing.
This will amount to less than $5 per copy and the more I do the cheaper it
gets. I'm not making any great effort to sell the booklet but if you'd like
a copy please email me on and I'll let you have
full details. Note that I want to get it printed on January 5th, when my
stationery shop re-opens, so please let me know asap if you want copies.
After the first 'run' I will wait for sufficient demand before reprinting if
required. If I have gone beyond the birding-aus boundaries I apologise, and
please ignore this paragraph and the following testimonials.
Comments about the booklet have already started to pour in.
"Destined to take its place in the chronicles of Australian ornithology" -
Trevor Ford.
"A masterpiece, both informative and entertaining" - Trevor Ford.
"If only all such checklists were as lucid and well-presented" - Trevor
Ford.
Cheers - Trevor.
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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