Potential for Regent Honeyeaters on NSW Central Coast

Alan Morris wrote "Galgabra Point is a fairly regular site for both Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots once the flowering of the Swamp Mahoganies gets under way. So
it would we well worthwhile checking from now on to see if either or both
species turns up this autumn. Some Red Bloodwood is also flowering in the
vicinity so that conditions for these two Threatened Species seem right for
this site."

One of the major factors affecting the appearance of Regent Honeyeaters on the NSW Hunter and Central Coasts is the effective failure of flowering of favoured eucalypt species west of the ranges.  This includes the winter flowering White Box and Mugga Ironbark.  I've been advised that some White Box is flowering in the Capertee Valley and I saw Caleys Ironbark flowering east of Mudgee last week.  Normally, these species would attract Regent Honeyeaters resulting in few, if any, showing up on the coast.  

However, the exceedingly dry conditions have resulted in no nectar at all available in the Claleys Ironbark I checked.  At this stage, I'm not sure what the White Box is producing.  Should the dry conditions prevail (and it certainly looks as though that is going to be the case) then it looks as though the coast is the place to look again this year.  I urge anyone who locates Regent Honeyeaters, or Swift Parrots, to report them.  It is vitally important that we monitior the situation.

The last few years has seen an incredible run of years of Regent Honeyeaters having to resort to their winter "drought refuges".  Combine this with a general failure to breed in the last three years and we must have a population that is closer to the bottom end of the estimated 1000 - 1500 population estimate than any time in the 10 years I've worked on the species.

I'm seeing quite a bit of bud on the important feed trees for Regents.  I'm just hoping that we get decent rain over this coming winter to provide conditions that might result in good nectar flows leading up to the 2004 breeding season.

Cheers

David Geering
Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator
Department of Environment & Conservation
P.O. Box 2111
Dubbo  NSW  2830
Ph: 02 6883 5335 or Freecall 1800 621 056
Fax: 02 6884 9382



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