birding-aus

LOOKING FOR GANG-GANG COCKATOOS IN LANE COVE VALLEY, SYDNEY - SINCE DECE

To: 'Jenny Stiles' <>, 'Tom Wilson' <>, 'Martin Butterfield' <>, 'birding aus' <>
Subject: LOOKING FOR GANG-GANG COCKATOOS IN LANE COVE VALLEY, SYDNEY - SINCE DECEMBER 2016
From: Stephen Ambrose <>
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2017 23:12:47 +0000
Hi Tom,

There's been a fair bit of residential subdivision and apartment building in 
the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai Shires, over the last few years. While significant 
tracts of bushland still remain, human dwellings (houses and large apartment 
blocks) are built right up against them. It's usually existing residential lots 
being carved up into smaller allotments or transformed into large apartment 
blocks, which has resulted in the narrowing of the interface between the 
bushland and urban development. When this happens, more of the bushland areas 
are managed for bushfire threats. I suspect that light pollution from these 
buildings at night would disturb roosting Gang-gangs, noise pollution during 
the day during building construction may be enough to displace foraging 
Gang-gangs, and perhaps the removal of some of the bushland understorey for 
bushfire management has also impacted on the Gang-gangs. Although the 
Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai population of Gang-gangs is listed as an endangered 
population under the NSW Threatened Species Act 1995, it's likely that 
individuals moved in and out of that population, given that they can fly large 
distances.  If that is the case, it's not hard to imagine individuals moving 
elsewhere to avoid urban disturbances.

There's quite a strong community resistance to further residential subdivision 
and apartment building in the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai Shires. Reasons often 
given for that opposition are the need to retain the bushland in parts of these 
shires, and protection of habitat for the Powerful Owl and Gang-gang Cockatoo.

For the record, I last saw a Gang-gang Cockatoo in the area in Pennant Hills in 
November 2014, but I don't go looking for them on a regular basis.

Kind regards,
Stephen Ambrose 

Ryde, NSW


-----Original Message-----
From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
Jenny Stiles
Sent: Sunday, August 6, 2017 9:46 PM
To: Tom Wilson; Martin Butterfield; birding aus
Subject: LOOKING FOR GANG-GANG COCKATOOS IN LANE COVE VALLEY, SYDNEY - SINCE 
DECEMBER 2016

Hi Tom,
I live in Epping & I walk in the Lane Cove Valley often. I last saw a Gang-Gang 
Cockatoo [in fact a pair] near Day Rd in Cheltenham on the 14th March 2014. It 
was my first sighting for years & I did report it. At the time I was told that 
there had been a dramatic reduction in sightings over the past few years. I 
spoke to a lady who lived at Byles Creek in Beecroft about the same time who 
said she occasionally saw a lone male. There had been some reported from near 
the native plant nursery in Pennant Hills, but again when I checked I was told 
they only infrequently saw 1 or 2.
Unfortunately it did seem as if they had all but disappeared by mid 2014.

>From Jenny Stiles




-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Wilson
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2017 8:38 PM
To: Martin Butterfield ; birding aus
Subject: LOOKING FOR GANG-GANG COCKATOOS IN LANE COVE VALLEY, SYDNEY - SINCE 
DECEMBER 2016

Hi Martin (& others who have responded)
it’s not my local patch so although I visit, I am not a daily observer. 
However, my understanding is that the population in Lane Cove Valley was only 
ever small (Alan Morris – if you read this you might know more?).
I agree that no reports in 8 months might be a bit early to make the call, but 
it also seems sensible to put out a request to see if they have been around.  
The records for the last 4 years or so that the council bloke referred to 
seemed pretty sparse – of course that that might be a function of not many 
birders and not many observations. To counter that, I suggested to the council 
bloke that he put an advert in the local free newspapers for the areas around 
the valley (with a picture) asking “has anybody has seen this parrot?”
If it is a small population, one belt of something nasty could be the cause – 
certainly the last bird I saw (as opposed to heard) looked in extremely poor 
condition – a male with about 1/3 of his head plumage missing.
So I hope you are right that 8 months is a bit soon – but then that is why I 
put the request out in the first place.
Cheers
Tom

From: Martin Butterfield
Sent: Sunday, August 6, 2017 4:34 PM
To: Tom Wilson
Cc: birding aus
Subject: LOOKING FOR GANG-GANG COCKATOOS IN LANE COVE VALLEY, SYDNEY - SINCE 
DECEMBER 2016

Tom

Surely an 8 month period is far too short to start thinking about "extinction" 
?  That isn't even a breeding season.

Perhaps they've found better feed somewhere else and will be back in a little 
while?

Martin

Martin Butterfield
http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

On 6 August 2017 at 15:24, Tom Wilson <> wrote:

  Hi All
  Through a referral from Kurtis Lindsay as an eBird and Birdline moderator, I 
was recently approached by a conservation officer from Ku-Ring-Gai Council with 
disturbing news that the last reported sighting of a Gang-gang Cockatoo in the 
Lane Cove Valley (northern Sydney) was in December 2016.  It has been surmised 
that they are (sadly) locally extinct in the valley. 
Unfortunately, I had no more recent records that would prove this to be 
incorrect (my last record was mid-2016 near Blackbutt Avenue in Pennant Hills).
  If you have more recent evidence (ie after December 2016) that would help 
show that this is not the case, please can you forward as much detail as 
possible to me.  I will collate and forward all information to the council 
officer. Ideally, please can you provide as much of the following information 
as you can:
  - Date and Time;
  - Exact location in the Lane Cove Valley;
  - Number and Mix of Birds (ie Male/Female/Young);
  - Sighted or Heard Only;
  - Activity Observed (including species of tree being used if feeding); and
  - Any Other Relevant Comments.
  You can forward your information to me at the above email.  Let’s hope we can 
prove that they are still about.
  Cheers
  Tom Wilson
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