Seasons greetings folks.
On two occasions last year, I heard the melodic tones of an Eastern Bristlebird
calling from the montane heath near one of the summits of Mt Barney [on the
McPherson Range in SEQ and one of the best bushwalking locations in Australia].
This was a positive note given the tenuous status of EBBs in SEQ.
Mt Barney NP is also home to Alberts Lyrebirds, Rufous Bristlebirds and Glossy
Black Cockatoos.
Sadly 2019 was exceptionally hot and dry - the average annual rainfall at the
nearby BoM Carneys Creek station is 1030 mm. The 2019 total was 423 mm, the
lowest on record. [My rain gauge in Brisbane recorded a similarly dismal 409
mm].
As was the case in many scleroplyll regions around Australia, a fire broke out
on the western flank of Mt Ballow in November and over a number of weeks burnt
its way through most the Barney National Park. One of the park rangers told me
that the fire was unprecedented, the firebreaks failed, and that they were
losing many old trees on a daily basis. The area where I had heard the
bristlebirds had been comprehensively crisped. Time will tell if they survived.
Similarly, there were extensive fires along the nearby Main Range and Lamington
national parks [most of you would have read about the fire that burnt Binna
Burra], as well as other noted bristlebird habitats in NSW and Victoria [the
south coast of NSW from Wollongong to Lakes Entrance in Victoria].
Time after time the term used to describe the fires around Australia is
unprecedented. In short, the climate change signal [heat and aridity] is clear
and unmistakable. Even Blind Freddy can smell it.
As I see it, the biggest threat to the survival of all three bristlebird
species isn’t directly increased temperatures and decreased rainfall, but the
associated increased frequency of widespread severe bushfire conditions. The
outlook for bristlebirds and other species living in fire prone areas is not
good.
Regards, Laurie.
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