Cowra Woodland Birds

The Cowra Woodland Bird Program has monitored the progress of woodland birds for over twenty years. The survey runs four times a year over around 100 separate sites selected within a 30 kilometre radius around Cowra, in central New South Wales. This winter’s survey produced some good bird numbers for the time of year, a response to several good years of rain in wheatbelt of Australia.

An Eastern Rosella takes its time to get moving on a misty morning in Cowra.

This Sulphur-crested Cockatoo has found refuge in the middle a fast moving creek, still at flood levels from the previous week's heavy rains.

A Mistletoebird in a rather dormant looking tree, perhaps looking for insects to accompany its fruit and seed diet?

These two characters seem to have left their White-winged Chough family group and made the Cowra Holiday Park their home.

White-naped Honeyeaters were out in force this winter, at times seen in flocks of ten to twenty birds and challenging the normally dominant White-plumed Honeyeaters.

A regular around the camping ground, the introduced Blackbird.

Moths around the Flame Robins at Cowra

The Flame Robins were out near Cowra in central New South Wales. With their main diet of insects they must have found a feast in what looked like a rather barren paddock. There were 13 Flame Robins in all plus a large contingent of Double-barred Finches and Yellow-rumped Thornbills. This gathering was repeated over several days, attracting a number of photographers who were taking part in the Cowra Woodlands Bird Program!

A spectacular Flame Robin photographed at Cowra New South Wales.

A number of smartly plumaged female Flame Robins formed part of this large flock.

The Double-barred Finches would wait in the fence before descending en-masse on the paddock below.

A younger male Flame Robin still showing its juvenile plumage.

Raptors return at Cowra

The demise of raptors from eating poisoned rodents in the recent mice plague was widely reported. It has felt that raptor numbers were down. So it was good to see more than the usual number during the recent Cowra Woodland Bird Program weekend.

At the Cowra water treatment plant there were Brown Falcons on both sides of the road, then a Whistling Kite flew over. Further out of town I saw this Black-shouldered Kite making its own contribution to keeping mice numbers down. And at the Cowra Common a Brown Goshawk made a low pass, followed by the sight of seven raptors in a slow and very high spiral over the prison camp area. When I checked the photos later they were all Black Kites, which fitted with a nearby sighting of 19 Black Kites in the one tree!

A low pass from this Brown Goshawk, at the Cowra Common, Cowra, New South Wales.

Brown Falcon at the Cowra water treatment plant.

This Black-shouldered Kite is helping the land-owner keep the mice population at bay.

Via Lake Wallace

The trip to Cowra for the Cowra Woodlands Bird Program from Sydney through the Blue Mountains always involves a stop off at Lake Wallace, just past Lithgow. The lake is good spot for a rest and lunch as well as a reliable site for water birds. Numbers of water birds were low last month but still a very worthwhile visit.

The spectacular Great-crested Grebes are usually present at Lake Wallace.

As are Australian Wood Ducks.

And Purple Swamphens, in the reeds at Lake Wallace.

Gilbert's Whistler

The Gilbert’s Whistler inhabits the dry eucalyptus woodlands and open forests of inland southern Australia. In the Cowra area they are occasionally seen in the callitris woodlands around Koorawatha but they have been absent in recent years. So it was reassuring to see this Gilbert’s Whistler pair busy building a nest during the recent spring surveys.

The male Gilbert’s Whistler with its orange-rufous chin and throat.

The female Gilbert’s Whistlers plumage is a very uniform drab brown.

Treasures of the woodlands

The Cowra Woodlands Birds Program spring survey was again spectacular as bird activity ramps up with the warmer weather and the breeding season begins in earnest. It was heartening to see a number of the rarer target birds this year: Diamond Firetails, a number of Brown Treecreepers, Gilbert’s Whistlers, a Chestnut-rumped Heathren and many Woodswallows; Masked, White-browed and Dusky.

The Eastern Yellow Robin, often seen along bush paths in the eastern Australian bush.

The Red-rumped Parrot shows its iridescent greens and blues, the parrot’s red rump out of sight. Surprisingly this common parrot is becoming less common in the woodland regions.

The Little Raven inhabits the farmlands of south-eastern Australia. Often seen in large flocks across the woodlands.

These exquisite orchids hide among sparse grasses and herbs in less fertile areas.

Cowra Woodland Birds Program Spring 2022

The consistent rains of the past three years set the scene for the 2022 spring bird count. Flooding of the Lachlan river did not directly affect proceedings but it was wet underfoot and some survey sites were inaccessible due to washed out roads. Bird numbers were up again after the previous years of drought. And farm crop yields are again expected to be high, as long as the ground isn’t too wet for harvest.

A highlight was the numbers of Superb Parrots present. On one site we saw a flock of eight and four of the eight sites surveyed had Superb Parrots. The numbers have definitely rebounded and there was talk as to whether they would retain their status as vulnerable in New South Wales given their success. This bird was photographed feeding at the Seed Orchard at Back Creek Reserve Road.

This Grey Shrike-thrush was calling early in the morning at the Cowra Holiday Park and seen later in the day on the old railway line behind the camp. Species seen at this site included Grey and Rufous Fantails, Rufous Whistlers, Noisy Friarbirds, Peaceful Doves, Double-barred and Red-browed Finches, Yellow-rumped Thornbills, a Dollarbird, a Black-shouldered Kite as well as introduced sparrows, blackbirds and starlings.

This Rufous Whistler offered some good opportunities for a photo, staying in the one tree for about fifteen minutes.

We saw several Black-shouldered Kites over the weekend. There was one ranging over the Common, in the centre of Cowra just to the north of the Japanese Gardens.

These Peaceful Doves were enjoying the early morning sun on the old Cowra rail line.

Dollarbirds had just arrived from the north and were seen on two sites over the weekend.

Cowra Winter Survey

The Cowra Woodland Bird Program winter survey took place in July, another successful event after three years of disruption from drought and Covid restrictions. The skies were blue and pastures green following two seasons of very good rain across the region. Bird numbers were up on many of the survey sites. The local farmers are happy, enjoying simultaneously good harvests and good prices, an unusual combination.

Despite the good conditions there were not a lot of raptors to be seen. This Nankeen Kestrel was hunting at the Europa rest area on Cowra’s outskirts.

Black-shouldered Kites made up the balance of our raptor sightings for the weekend.

This White-necked Heron was landing in a farm dam across from the Morongla Cemetery, one of a number of this species seen over the weekend.

Cowra woodland birds

A day wandering down farm lanes and exploring the remnant bush around Cowra in the NSW Wheatbelt is a pleasure rewarded with sights of many birds; larger birds that thrive in the open farmland, aggressive Noisy Miners and Rainbow Lorikeets expanding their territories, honeyeaters that have to travel further and further to feed, and small birds surviving in the remaining thickets of bush.

Eastern Rosellas were everywhere, thriving after last years drought breaking rains.

This bee-eater was “working the air currents” around the Cowra lookout. Was it coincidence that someone was keeping bee hives at the base of the hill?

The locals were noting the increase in Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and blaming rain on the coast for their presence. Another explanation for the high numbers could be the good rains around Cowra?

Flocks of Silvereyes were feeding in the hedges around the camping ground in which I was staying.

Present as always and adding a splash of colour were the Red-rumped Parrots.

A group of Tree Martins land in the tree by a farm gate. A few hours before the same tree was full of Dusky Woodswallows.

Restoring the woodlands

Pioneer farmers cleared forests, woodlands and grasslands from Queensland to Victoria to develop the eastern wheatbelt farmlands that have contributed so much to the prosperity of Australia. More than 90 per cent of the forest cover was removed and what remains is highly fragmented; many species, plants, animals and birds, are endangered. Now a reverse effort is underway to restore vegetation types so as to maintain the local flora and fauna for future generations.

The extent of land-clearing can be seen from the Cowra lookout in the city’s centre. This small tree’d hill is in fact a good place to see many bird species, including Eastern Rosellas, Rainbow Bee-eaters, White-plumed Honeyeaters, Rufous Songlarks, woodswallows and raptors.

In the Cowra district the forest cover has been largely removed. Only small pockets of the original grassy woodlands and dry sclerophyll forests remain – on inhospitable steep and rocky hills, on TSRs (Travelling Stock Reserves), and by the road-side. Small patches of riverine forest are seen on river banks. The Cowra Woodland Birds Program encourages re-vegetation and protection of existing woodlands and conducts quarterly surveys to monitor bird numbers.

The Golden Valley Travelling Stock Reserve is one of 6,500 across New South Wales. The TSRs are common land owned by the government to aid movement of livestock across the state. They are too often the only local remnants of original bush and their old trees often provide nesting places for parrots including the vulnerable Superb Parrot.

This dry patch of callitris (cypress pines), ironbarks and other eucalypts is typical of residual hill top bush of the Cowra region. It remains home to many rare and vulnerable species of plants and birds.

Conimbla National Park

Access to Conimbla National Park in the NSW wheatbelt is 15 km from the Cowra to Grenfell highway. The 8,000 hectare park forms a bush island around Yambira mountain rising 500metres above the surrounding cultivated plains. The vegetation is mainly “Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forest” consisting of ironbark eucalypt, other eucalypts and callitris (cypress pines). The park is home to Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Turquoise Parrots, and several species of honeyeaters and robins. It is known as a refuge for Painted Button-quail and for Spotted Quail-thrush.

White-throated Treecreepers were calling at all the sites visited in Conimbla National Park last week, this bird feeding on an Ironbark coloured by lichen.

This view of the Wallaby Walking Track shows the Ironbarks, other eucalypts and callitris typical of the park’s vegetation.

On last week’s survey we saw both Brown and White-throated Treecreepers and three Speckled Warblers at the park entrance. On the Wallaby Walking Track we saw White-eared and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters, Red-browed Finches, White-browed Scrubwrens, Superb Fairy-wren, Grey Fantails, whistlers and a flock of six Varied Sittellas.

Red-browed Finches were nesting in a low shrub in the picnic ground at the foot of the Wallaby Walking Track.

This White-eared Honeyeater was looking for company and stayed near the track for several minutes before flying off.

A highlight was the sudden appearance of a group of six Varied Sittellas in a flock that included treecreepers and fantails.

Apostlebirds

In central NSW a common and happy roadside sight is a group of Apostlebirds going about their business. Apostlebirds are so called because they are often seen in family units of twelve or more birds, consisting of a male, several females and young helper birds. They live a communal life style, cooperating to build nests and feed the young.

Two Apostlebirds at the Seed Orchard Reserve near Cowra, NSW last week.

Apostlebirds feed on the ground, on seeds, vegetable matter and insects. They congregate at the edge of woodlands and in roadside trees in otherwise open farmland, usually close to water.  

More of the family arrives! This family group had the regulation twelve members in total.

The Apostlebird’s nest is a mud bowl constructed from mud reinforced and lined with grass. Several females may lay for a clutch of up to five chicks.

This family member supplies air conditioning for the female sitting below. (Photographed two years ago at the Seed Orchard Reserve. The photograph was taken from the car window on Back Creek Road, with telescopic lens to avoid disturbing the birds.)

Cowra Woodland Bird Program winter survey

Cowra in the NSW’s Central West is green again after several months of good rain. Ninety and 130 mm fell in March and April respectively and a total 380 mm fell over the first six months of the year. As a result farmers have been busy and winter wheat and barley crops are widespread and healthy – the best for a number of years. The bush still has the sparse look characteristic of drought but there are signs of new growth on grassy roadsides. Dams are still only partly filled but there are puddles and lots of mud around.

Crested Shrike-tit near Spring Forest east of Cowra.

I missed last spring’s survey, then the summer survey was cancelled due to drought and bushfire risk and the autumn survey was cancelled due to the Covid 19 lockdown. Winter usually only brings out the hardy and the foolish but there was a record turnout of surveyors, glad to be out in the country after lockdown.

White-eared Honeyeater.

After last year’s bleak winter survey (2019) bird numbers this winter were higher on the sites I surveyed, with some interesting bird to see. The Spring Forest sites had a good number of Thornbills – Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Inland as well as Weebills and a Spotted Warbler. A pair of Crested Shrike-tits obligingly posed for the camera as did a White-eared Honeyeater. Where the road from Bathhurst enters Cowra at Europa Park there was a group of six Blue-faced Honeyeaters feeding on a flowering gum tree.

Blue-faced Honeyeater at Europa park on the road into Cowra.

Lake Wallace

Lake Wallace is 10 minutes past Lithgow by car after crossing the Blue Mountains from Sydney. It is a convenient place to stop for lunch on the way to Cowra when I travel to the Cowra Woodland Bird Surveys. The lake is about two kilometers in length and was formed in 1978 when a dam was put across the Coxs River, to provide cooling water for the Wallerawang Power Station. The power station was decommissioned in 2015 and now the lake is a popular camping and caravan destination.

Musk Duck feediing on Lake Wallace

The lake attracts a wide range of water birds and can provide good views of Great Crested Grebes, Blue-billed and Musk Ducks.  There are usually large numbers of ducks but last week I could only find two Musk Ducks and one Hardhead. There were very few ducks on the dams on the way to Cowra and numbers are low in Sydney too. They must have moved to further west?

There were more White-browed Scrubwrens around than normal last week, at Lake Wallace and at Cowra.

Low bird numbers at Cowra Survey

It is rash to draw conclusions from the bird survey counts of one cold windy winter’s day. However last weekend’s bird counts were very low with zero birds on three of the sites surveyed. This was the first time I had made counts of zero and it was surprising to do so at several sites.

The Cowra Survey had shown a dramatic decrease in bird numbers during the Millennium drought (2001 - 2010) and then an healthy increase afterwards as the countryside recovered. From the comments of experienced birders it appears the current drought is affecting bird numbers across all the woodlands areas, perhaps to even lower levels than seen in earlier droughts. Drought-wise Cowra is actually faring better than many inland towns, with 60 mm rain over the last two months, and although creeks and dams are still empty there were puddles, and paddocks had a flush of green. 

The Cowra surveys were inspired by a landowner who noticed a decrease in the number of Babblers he was seeing on his farm. The project has inspired tree planting and the regeneration and protection of existing bush lands in addition to the invaluable information generated by the survey itself.

So it was a welcome consolation to see several Babbler families over the weekend, busy in their Babbler ways.

Grey-crowned Babbler at Morongla cemetery near Cowra

Cowra Woodland Birds Survey four years on.

The autumn Woodland Birds Survey at Cowra was held last weekend, with over thirty surveyors counting birds at 93 sites. As discussed previously, this survey has been running for 18 years and generates important information as to how woodland birds are responding to the challenges of development and climate change.

Four years ago the Cowra survey was my first entree into the world of birds, bird photography and bird surveys. As a novice surveyor I opened gates, pointed helpfully at birds and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. I gained great respect for my fellow surveyors and their expertise and enthusiasm. Since then I have studied bird profiles and tried to learn their songs. I bought a camera in 2015, a Canon EOS 7D II with a Canon 100-400 IS USM lens and found an absorbing and fascinating new hobby - the results of which adorn this website. After four years of surveying I hope to trade my learner surveyor’s plate in for a “P” plate at least.

Last Friday, before the surveys, I went to Conimbla National Park for a pre-view of Cowra birds. At the Wallaby Picnic Area I saw Golden Whistlers, an Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-browed Finches, Superb Fairy-wrens and took my first photo of a Speckled Warbler.

Speckled Warbler at Conimbla National Park.

Cowra Woodland Birds Program Spring Survey

It was encouraging to see a flush of green driving into Cowra and to hear there had been 30 ml of rain. The locals say it was not enough to sustain winter grain crops but hopefully there would be a crop of hay coming on. Walking through the bush, what little grass was left crackled underfoot, and the land still shows the effects of this years short and sharp drought.

It was a good turnout – 25 surveyors for the 93 sites and the usual happy get togethers and renewal of old acquaintances. Many remarked on the absence of smaller birds over the weekend. The birding highlight was the sighting of a White-throated Nightjar. For our team it was seeing an Australian Hobby close up and a cloud of 20 or more bee-eaters.

The Cowra Woodland Birds Program (CWBP) has been working to reverse the decline of woodland birds in the Cowra district since 2001. The survey data is now one of the best records of woodland birds around. I enjoy taking part because the project has practical backing from many farmers and Cowra locals.

On the Saturday we all went out to see a regeneration site that was planted 12 years ago. It was exciting to see a Crested Shrike-tit and Superb Parrots on the site – also the Double-banded Finches shown here. A good weekend.