Restoring Regent Honeyeater Habitat

Several thousand endemic native trees, shrubs and grasses have been
planted along the Macquarie River within O’Keefe Park to help provide
habitat for the few hundred remaining Regent Honeyeater birds that still
inhabit the Central Tablelands.

Mayor of Bathurst Cr Gary Rush said the major threat to the Regent
Honeyeater is the loss of native woodland and riparian Casuarina Gallery Forests,
with only around 15 per cent of their habitat remaining. The planting works
recently undertaken are part of Council’s Regent Honeyeater habitat
restoration project which is part funded by a grant from the NSW
Environmental Trust.

“This project is an opportunity to restore the riparian habitat along the
river as well as provide habitat for this endangered bird.  The project
aims to re-establish the riparian Casuarina Gallery Forest within our waterways,
which naturally existed prior to European land development.

O’Keefe Park has also been planted with local provenance species that will
eventually be used as a seed collection area.  More than 300 Eucalypt trees
have been planted in a grid pattern, which in addition to enhancing the
surrounding area, will provide a seed source to propagate trees for future
revegetation projects.

 “We’ve had fantastic help from volunteers who took to the park and planted
around 300 native plants at recent community planting days hosted by
Bathurst Regional Council,” Cr Rush said.

You can get involved in the Regent Honeyeater Project or other
environmental programs by attending a community planting day or maintenance
day. The next community tree planting days will be held on 5 June (Jacques Park) and 19 June (Hector Park).   For further details visit www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au/treeplanting.

Forum Highlights the Plight of "Homeless" Native Species

A packed Hollows for Habitat Forum has highlighted the plight of tree hollow-dependent native species, and also inspired hope that properly managed rehabilitation and restoration projects will ensure our special native birds and animals aren’t left homeless.

The Forum was held at the Orange Agricultural Institute to educate landholders, Local Government, Aboriginal Communities, and Landcare groups about the significance of hollows for native fauna to shelter and raise their young, and best management practices for rehabilitation and restoration projects of natural habitat.

According to Mick Callan from Local Land Services, the keynote presentation by ‘Birdlife Australia’ editor, Sean Dooley set the tone for the day.

“Sean’s presentation was funny, engaging, and concerning, but overall full of hope for the future. Sean has a thorough understanding of the plight of native birdlife and extensive knowledge of the great work being done across the country to protect and restore natural habitat,” said Mick.

An extensive array of expert speakers discussed a whole host of topics including nest box construction, installation and maintenance, and plant selection for revegetation.

There was an emphasis on the importance of protecting existing hollows and mature trees across the landscape, and the management of feral species including hollow invaders and predatory animals.  The detailed requirements of individual hollow dependent species such as bats, gliders and birds, were also discussed.

Other topics included local case studies from the Cowra Woodland Birds project, the Glideways program and Orange City Council looking at what can be achieved by engaging volunteers to supply and monitor nest boxes in nature reserves.

“The key themes to come out of the day included the importance of partnerships and networking for sharing knowledge and resources, the need to link habitat throughout the landscape, and the importance of long term monitoring and management,” reported Mick Callan.

“It was also made clear that improving habitat for flagship species has the potential to benefit a much wider range of fauna.”

A live chainsaw demonstration of hollow augmentation technique by local arborist Oliver Schoemark Tree Services was a highlight of the event, with Oliver showing how artificial hollows can be cut into standing trees to provide a more natural and durable hollow than an artificial nest box.

Reg Kidd, from the Central Tablelands Local land Services Board, described the event as a great example of the collaboration that Central Tablelands Local land Services strives to achieve.

“The partnership with the Central West Environment and Waterways Alliance and the support from Orange City Council, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Landcare, and the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative, created an opportunity for attendees to gain knowledge, make contacts and hopefully be inspired to work with our staff to improve the wonderful natural resources that our region has to offer,” said Reg.

Event organizers anticipate the forum will lead to a noticeable increase in the number and range of projects across the Central tablelands region aimed at improving habitat for hollow dependent species.

The event was organised by Central Tablelands Local Land Services in partnership with Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance. 

For more information about the forum contact Mick Callan, Project Support Officer with the Environment & Waterways Alliance on mob: 0400 968 201 email: mick.callan@lls.nsw.gov.au

Preserving Hollows for Habitat and Creating Alternative Homes for Native Bush Creatures

The Hollows for Habitat forum coming up in Orange will highlight the importance of preserving tree hollows in local bushland to ensure rare and endangered native creatures aren’t left homeless on the Central Tablelands.

The forum will focus on the causes of habitat loss as well as ways to engineer habitat alternatives in areas where hollows are absent.

The event has been organised by the Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance, in partnership with Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Orange City Council, the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, and the Great Eastern Ranges – Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link organisation.

“The forum will bring together a range of stakeholders, including Local Government, Landcare, Indigenous Communities, farmers & landholders and other community members, to learn about habitat loss and to look at solutions that can improve habitat in landscapes that lack tree hollows,” said Mick Callan, Project Support Officer with the Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance.  

The forum will feature presentations on nest box construction, hollow dependant mammals and birds, deterring feral birds/insects and nest box management, as well as the importance of revegetation and habitat enhancement for the future.

Sean Dooley will present the keynote presentation.  Sean is a writer for TV comedies including Hamish and Andy, an author and editor of Australian Birdlife Magazine.  Sean is also a National Birdwatching Champion who holds the record for spotting the most birds in a single calendar year as chronicled in his 2005 book, The Big Twitch.

“There will also be a practical session on hollow augmentation by a local arborist who will demonstrate how to use a chainsaw to create hollows in a standing tree by cutting out sections of timber,” said Mick Callan.

“The technique results in a more natural hollow structure for fauna to utilise and creates hollows with a much longer lifespan than artificial nest boxes.”

EVENT:          Hollows for Habitat Forum - Thursday 28 April,

DATE:            Thursday 28 April

TIME:             9:00 am – 4:00 pm

VENUE:         Orange Agricultural Institute Training Centre -  1447 Forest Road Orange

A spotlight tour and informal dinner will be held for attendees the night prior to the forum (Wednesday 27 April).  The dinner will be sponsored by Orange City Council and will begin at 6pm at the Orange Agriculture Institute Training Centre featuring Dr John Martin from the Hollows as Homes project conducted by the Australian Museum and University of Sydney. 

The spotlight tour starts at 8.30pm led by Nigel Hobden (OCC) through Hinton Reserve (opposite the Orange Agricultural Institute on Forest Road) and Bloomfield Park.  These reserves contain many mature hollow bearing eucalyptus trees and artificial nest boxes that are homes for superb parrots, squirrels and sugar gliders.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own low light torch and it is hoped that some of the nocturnal inhabitants of the area will come out to say hello.

For more information contact Colleen Farrow at Central Tablelands Local Land Services on:     02 6363 7874 or Nigel Hobden at Orange City Council on: 02 6393 8241.