| The following is a
series of photo galleries of birds of Cowra Shire taken during weekend
surveys for the Cowra Woodland Bird Program (CWBP). Since early
2002, Volunteers for the Program have surveyed around 70 sites in
Cowra region. The surveys are conducted 4 times a year, spring,
summer, autumn and winter. They take place on a variety of sites,
most of them remnant woodland sites on farms. To date, 164 bird
species have been observed in Cowra area. The surveyors come from
both the local area and from Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra, Bathurst,
the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. The weekend is a great
weekend of birding and socialising. The project began with an honours
student, Cressida Wilson, looking at the value of remnants sites
to woodland birds. She investigated the influence of certain site
attributes on bird species richness and community composition. She
found that remnant size, tree association and the presence of mid
storey, leaf litter, logs and rockiness all had a positive significant
influence on woodland bird species richness and/or community composition.
So increasing the heterogeneity of remnants is a positive step that
landholders can take to manage their remnant woodland sites for
conservation. Jack Baker is the Convenor of the Cowra Woodland Birds
Program Steering Committee. To participate in surveys or for more
information, please contact Sue Proust at the following email address:
thebradybunch8@bigpond.com.
For further reference:Wilson, C, Reid, J, Baker, J & Tidemann,
C (2004). Cowra blue sky dreaming. Wingspan 14 (1): 14-15.
Go
to the Cowra Galleries
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