Volunteers met at Porter Scrub on Sunday to undertake the final bird activity funded by the FoP Partnership Grant and was the 12th bird survey on park.

We collected opportune records and conducted a fixed route survey along the main central track, to follow same method as the previous survey in September 2022. Bird records will be entered in Birdata and the DEW database. We had 4 volunteers in attendance joined by ranger Shirley and lead twitcher – Ian Falkenberg who was kind enough to fill in at short notice.

Bird life was busy under perfect conditions – mild weather and low winds. We were greeted by abundant Grey fantails and a male Scarlet robin and regular calls of the Grey shrike-thrush. A total of 20 birds were detected during our opportune walk with Varied sittellas being picked up for the first time during all our visits, while a total of 16 birds were recorded during the 20-minute fixed route survey. Of interest we heard a Shining bronze cuckoo and a Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo, both bird species with a conservation status. A lone Australian wood duck, also known as maned duck, was spotted perched up in a burnt gum, a very common bird of the area, but a first sighting on park for volunteers over the three years of bird surveys.

We then headed off to Paul Guthrie’s, whose property was burned during the 2019/2020 bushfire and is a long-term participator of URTLG projects and picked up 14 bird records. We finished off with morning tea and a great chat about a bird hotspot – Birdlife Australia Gluepot Reserve, located north of Waikerie, of which Ian is the Chairperson of, and like us, are led by dedicated volunteers.

Thank you to our main supporters this year – Friends of Parks, URTLG and NPWSA. Thank you to our small team of volunteers for contributing over 160 hours on and off-park.

We look forward to 2025 with main activities kicking off in April. If you would like to participate, make a difference, meet new and friendly people and have the best morning teas, then get in touch with the URTLG.

Photo credit: Liz