Garrad Reserve at Narrawallee, South Coast NSW

Garrad Reserve comprises 66 hectares of beautiful bushland at the Narrawallee Inlet, close to Ulladulla on New South Wales’ south coast. The main vegetation types within the reserve include: Old-man Banksia open forest (Bangalay), Swamp Mahogany swamp sclerophyll forest, and Turpentine, Red Bloodwood, Sydney Peppermint shrubby open forest, as well as Saltmarsh and Mangrove along the river bank. 

The reserve was created in 2013 under a NSW Government biobanking agreement which provides the Shoalhaven council with funding to manage weeds, feral animals and access tracks and signs for the public. Biobanking sites create biobanking credits that are usually sold off to offset loss of habitat from developments elsewhere but in this case the credits created have been retired – so there is no development offset against the creation of this reserve. Nevertheless it is difficult to reconcile the large tracts of bush going under the bulldozer right next door, and not to be disappointed that adjacent bush has not been kept to surround and protect this valuable habitat. At the end of the day there is less bush than when it all started.  

Common woodland birds seen at Garrad include Brown and Striated Thornbills, Brown Gerygones, Golden and Rufous Whistlers, Olive-backed Orioles, Brown Cuckoo-Doves, Fantails, Flycatchers, Whipbirds and Woodswallows. Another visitor is the Black-faced Monarch pictured below.

Eastern Suburbs Sydney

This morning was a catch up in eastern Sydney. Firstly Centennial Park, an oasis close to the centre of Sydney, gathering place for a surprising number of water birds and some bush birds. Checking on the regulars, there is one of the Tawny Frogmouths, a male, together with this year’s fledgling sitting on a higher branch in the same tree. The Intermediate Egret is on the Lily Pond and the Grey Butcherbird is in position to swoop on passersby. At Kensington Pond I do a standardized two hectare, twenty minute survey. Not many water birds, some Dusky Moorhens and a couple of Eurasian Coots. There are New Holland Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds, Spotted Doves and Crested Pigeons as well as the usual collection of Superb Fairy-wrens, Australian Magpies, Australian Ravens and Magpie-larks. Highlight is a Sacred Kingfisher sitting on the far bank close to construction work for the Randwick Golf Course Light Rail Station - still going on.

Then on to Randwick Environment Park, a small park formed in 2010 from 13 hectares that had been previously part of Randwick Army Barracks. The park contains endangered remnant Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub and a wetlands covering several hectares at its centre.  At times this park has attracted unusual birds including Latham’s Snipe, White-necked Heron, Australasian Shovelers, Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo, and Spangled Drongos. However as this year’s drought kicked in the wetland dried and water birds disappeared. Another standardized survey confirms that Australian Magpies, Red Wattlebirds, Laughing Kookaburras (pictured below) and Noisy Miners have taken control of what is now a totally dry area. The highlight was a Yellow-rumped Thornbill, an uncommon visitor to the park.

Sydney Olympic Park Spring Survey

It’s the second to last week of the Sydney Olympic Park Spring Survey today. So another trip down Paramatta road, not so bad before six in the morning but even so it is a hassle. The survey starts at 6.30 am and it is a beautiful morning.

The Spring Survey is held on eight consecutive Tuesdays with over forty five sites surveyed each time. Again this bird survey has a long history, starting in 2004. When the Homebush area was reclaimed for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 a large area, 300 hectare, was set aside as parkland and for bush regeneration, resulting in a large area treed and landscaped and well served with paths for walkers, runners and cyclists. Habitats include estuarine and freshwater wetlands, remnant eucalypt forest, saltmarsh meadows and woodland bird habitats.

We have been assigned the Waterbird Refuge this year, a pond and mudflat separated from Homebush bay by narrow bushed causeways on two sides. The Refuge is tidal and the water level is controlled to retain a balance between deeper water and mudflat.

Not so many birds today, two weeks ago we counted over 600 individuals. But still an amazing number of Black-winged Stilts, Red-necked Avocets and Grey and Chestnut Teal ducks. In particular, Sharpie numbers are still up - over 40 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers for the second week. No Godwits today, they will be feeding on the mudflats outside the 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.