Out and About in the Corridors

The River to River Wildlife Corridors Project updates on what has been sighted in your local area.

This spring’s survey has seen some great species sighted such as the White-browed Scrubwren and the Variegated Fairy-wren for the first time, in an isolated bushland remnant at Putney Point. The last species has only been known before to occur 1.4km away in Mallee and Tyagarah Reserves so this is very good news!

Other great news has been the sighting of the Bell Miner, which was recorded in the small Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest remnant of the Mallee / Tyagarah Reserves. Have you seen this bird here before?

In other areas of the corridor survey sites containing higher bird species richness, such as Tarban Creek (Hunters Hill), Field of Mars Reserve, Boronia Park & Lane Cove National Park the Eastern Whipbird, Eastern Yellow Robin, Golden Whistler, White-throated Treecreeper, Rufous Fantail and Brown Thornbill were recorded.

Other recorded species

• The Noisy Miner and Rainbow Lorikeet continue to dominate the study area, particularly in the parkland and urban neighbourhood sites. Noisy Miners were either feeding fledged young or nestlings at most sites, especially in flowering callistemon, grevillea, melaleuca and tallowwood and tibouchina in street verges and front and back yards
• The introduced Common Myna was present in significant numbers at urban neighbourhood sites comprising old exposed house eaves and gutters (nest sites) and rubbish bins.

Creating dense understoreys in your backyards encourages native birds back

Many of our most unwanted species such as the Noisy Miner & Indian (Common) Myna birds can easily turn our serene and peaceful backyards into a battlefield for us but a Miner/ Myna’s birds paradise. So what can we do to discourage such species but to encourage original species back in?

Many of our small bird species are almost entirely wiped out from their original locations due to high urban development, corridor fragmentation and predation by urban pests (cats, dogs and foxes). These species rely upon the reconnection of their original corridor areas to move.

Planting and creating dense understoreys within our garden spaces provide habitat and protection for fauna species and the planting of natives (specific to the local area) help regenerate disconnected bushland.

These dense understoreys (thick small bushes and thickets) are not favoured by the Noisy Miner or Indian (Common) Myna birds but are favourable to the smaller bird species who once dominated the landscape.

The River to River Wildlife Corridors project, aims to assist in re-establishing these original habitats for fauna and flora species back to their original structures. Help to achieve this goal will only be made possible with assistance from community members within this corridor area.

For any other queries please contact the River to River Corridors officer on 9952 8222.