Drouin bird surveys - October 2020

Birds can live in almost any habitat – wetlands, forests, deserts, alpine, coastal, urban, grassland, etc.

Information from a simple species list can play an important role in indicating the health of the local environment and provide clues to what may be going wrong, or indeed what is being done right!

Records of bird populations in parks and gardens or wetlands can, over time, provide useful data to monitor such things as the local effects of climate change or changes in land use. And, simple bird surveys can indicate those areas rich in species that may deserve special protection.

Part of Bellbird Park wetland and bush - very precious

The Friends of Drouin’s Trees have been conducting two surveys a year, April and October, since 2018. Covid and a run of inclement Wednesday mornings throughout October this year have delayed analyses a little. Finally, some basic results have been determined:

·       82 species were recorded over 12 sites in and around Drouin

·       More than 40 species were recorded at both Bellbird Park Wetlands and the Drouin sewerage ponds

·       More than 30 species were recorded at six other sites

·       The usual introduced/pest species – Blackbird, Common Myna, Starling, Spotted Dove, etc – were most common

·       The most common native species included – Noisy Miner, Magpie, Eastern Rosella, Grey Butcherbird and the Grey Fantail.

·       New or unusual sightings included – Song Lark, Greenfinch, Blue-billed Duck, Richard’s Pipit and Rufous Fantail.

It is worth noting that some small ‘bushland’ birds – Brown Thornbill, Eastern Yellow Robin, Superb Fairy-wren - appear to be maintaining their populations within our very urban environment. 

The Eastern Yellow Robin can still be seen in several places in urban Drouin

Also however, the following were among the missing or severely declined – Crimson Rosella, Black-shouldered Kite, Boobook, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Great Egret and Musk Lorikeet although it is dangerous to make assumptions on such little data and basic procedures.

Raft of Pink-eared Ducks at Drouin Sewerage Ponds

All in all, while the unrelenting development of Drouin continues, it seems that some localities within our town and nearby, are becoming places of refuge for many avian species – but for how much longer? Drouin has at least six wetland places of significance and there are five localities at least where remnant tree ferns are present. It is incumbent of us to save these places for our avian friends and for our own good health and well being.