Friends of Drouin’s Trees conducts two bird surveys each
year, April and October. The surveys are conducted within the township of
Drouin and a couple of nearby places. Drouin’s wonderful tree cover, patches of
remnant vegetation and wetlands, are the reason for the town having a
remarkable bird population.
During the recent October surveys, 84 species were recorded over 14 sites in
and around the town. Highlights included a Latham’s Snipe in Settlement Rd,
Scarlet Honeyeater in Pryor Rd, Peregrine Falcon at Crystal Waters, Forest
Raven in Roberts Crt and good sightings of Golden-headed Cisticolas at several
wetlands.
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| Latham's Snipe - Summer migrant from Japan |
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| Scarlet Honeyeater - passing through |
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| Peregrine Falcon - alert for prey |
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| Golden-headed Cisticola - a voluble species in Spring |
Most lowlights were the number of pest species such as
Starlings, Blackbirds and Common Mynas; their numbers are certainly not
diminishing.
The most rewarding sites in terms of variety of species were
the wetland areas and some bush sites; Thornell’s Reserve, Pryor Rd and Bellbird Park Wetlands all yielded 38 species in a period of approximately 1 hour.
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| Wet bush - Roberts Crt Drouin |
The intrinsic values of birds are well documented in other
places, including this blog.
With the rapid development of Drouin that is both current
and projected, the Friends of Drouin’s Trees is endeavouring to ensure that the
pleasures of sharing our town with avian friends will continue for as long as
possible.
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