Bird is the word

Fifty people packed into the Boorowa Ex-Services on Sunday to learn about monitoring and reporting birds.A crowd of 50 enthusiastic people from as far as Grenfell, Canberra, Gunning and Taralga gathered at Boorowa’s Ex-services club on Sunday to find out how they can play a more active role in Monitoring and Reporting birds that they see on their properties and backyards. 

Hosted by Lachlan Catchment Management Authority in Partnership with Boorowa Landcare, the day was only the first of several ongoing bird awareness and conservation activities to commence in the area. 

Lesley Hook from Birdlife Australia spoke about the programs Birdlife Australia runs and how landholders can report sightings of birds of all kinds back to their database - the Birdlife Atlas. This atlas is then used by agencies and organisations all over Australia to monitor and evaluate bird numbers and trends, including local groups such as CMA’s and Landcare who use this information to assist them with funding applications to help landholders implement on-ground activities. 

Nicki Taws from Greening Australia held the audience captive with her presentation on the latest research demonstrating how revegetation is bringing back birds in to rural landscapes and farms, the importance of variety in structure within revegetated areas, and which birds were being assisted the most by different kinds of revegetation. 

Damon Oliver from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage got straight into a new initiative based around how the local community could become involved in the monitoring of the Superb Parrot population by actively participating in coordinated Superb Parrot counts (yearly at this stage). 

Damon encouraged local landholders who are interested in having Superb Parrot surveys conducted on their properties and to get involved themselves in the count to get in touch. 

There was strong interest from the crowd for this initiative and as a result of this Damon will coordinate a community-based Superb Parrot counting group. 

The information gained from this will allow us to understand more about the how many birds live in the Boorowa region and beyond and whether their numbers are stable, increasing or decreasing over time. 

We may also be able to find out more about their migration patterns. 

During his talk, Damon reminded us of the importance of protecting large trees, including paddock trees for the breeding habitat of the Superb Parrot and the need to plant more trees and shrubs for breeding and feeding habitat in the future.

There is also ongoing concern about Superb Parrots and other birds being killed by vehicles during the grain harvest season. 

Superb Parrot roadsigns may be one way to alert motorists to slow down and avoid killing these beautiful birds each summer. 

Another clear outcome of the day was the request from participants to hold a beginners birdwatching day to demonstrate the techniques required to get into birdwatching, and how to report your findings to the Atlas so that your work becomes a part of a bigger picture. 

Plans are already underway to run this training day in spring as part of a field day in some stunning revegetated areas on local farms. 

The day concluded with a final bonus a lucky door prize as 15 lucky participants receiving the bird watchers equivalent to the bible - “Michael Morcombe’s Handbook Field guide to Australian Bird Books”. 

Lachlan Catchment Management Authority and Boorowa Landcare also joined forces only the previous weekend to host a successful Free Planned Grazing 2 day workshop, run by Graeme Hand whose inclusive, easy going nature is always a hit with workshop attendees. 

Attended by 16 landholders from as far as Quandialla and Laggan, participants learnt how they could improve their production through better understanding pasture establishment and recovery requirements. 

As a result of feedback obtained from the day, plans are also underway to run more hands-on, field experience sessions in the future. 

If anyone is interested in becoming involved in the Superb Parrot counting group, either as a surveyor, or if you have a property to be surveyed, or for further information on any of the above, please contact the LCMA or Boorowa Landcare on 6385 1018.