Northern NSW - Birds Australia

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Northern NSW

Geographic Range

Our Regional Group of Birds Australia was formed in 1986 with its membership consisting of Birds Australia members in north-eastern New South Wales from the Queensland border south along the coast to about Port Macquarie and inland to about Broken Hill.

Latest News

Shirley Cook, Secretary/Treasurer, reports: When you visit towns in northern NSW make sure your first call is the Visitor’s Information Centre to ask for a birdwatching brochure. Through the hard work of several individuals these brochures have multiplied to the point where nearly every town has one. The ‘Bird Man of Barraba’, octogenarian Russ Watts, was one of those hard workers who started the ball rolling. He almost single-handedly (with some help from the internet) put the little town of Barraba on the international bird-watching map. His mapping of the Bird Routes of Barraba led to his passionate crusade to preserve Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) where they still exist. Their value as havens for birds and other animals and plants is well established. Our neighbours in BASQ and the National Parks Association of NSW have also taken up the call for protection of TSRs.

Special Birds of the Region

The diversity of habitat in this region, covering coastal and inland areas, is reflected in its birdlife. The endangered Regent Honeyeater, Crested Bellbird, Hall’s Babbler, and the elusive Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush all occur in the woodlands around the region. You will also find populations of the Logrunner, Regent Bowerbird and Eastern Bristlebird a bit closer to the coast in this area.

Projects in the Region

The Group is associated with the Regent Honeyeater recovery effort and runs an on-going project monitoring and colour-banding the species in our area. We have organised the first bird surveys in Currawinya National Park and are currently running bird surveys in Diamantina National Park, a continuing project. Previously we have organised a search for the Endangered Black-throated Finch on behalf of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Conservation Issues

We share concerns with conservationists all over Australia about land clearing, over-development along the coast, water usage, and degradation of wetlands. Another important issue is the State Government authorities disregard for conservation of Travelling Stock Reserves and Routes, in the face of accelerating climate change. It is imperative to find a means to keep these areas from being privatised, and getting conservation management of them a priority.

Activities

BANN aims to hold two weekend campouts per year, alternating between coastal and inland sites. In most years there is also a longer winter excursion to western NSW or Queensland.

What's On

For a list of events in Northern NSW, please check out our calendar

Contacts

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Convenor
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Secretary and Newsletter Editor
Beth Williams, Conservation

Publications

We publish an occasional newsletter, the Crested Bellbird, which appears three times per year and is distributed to our members and also to interested people outside our area.

BANN Regional Report November 2007