Cowra Woodland Birds Program (CWBP), a series of projects aimed at helping to reverse the decline of woodland birds in the Cowra district, is now entering its ninth year. The projects are focused on scientific research and the management of birds in their woodland habitats. The CWBP was launched in July 2001 by members of Birds Australia Southern NSW & ACT Group and local landholders and land managers.

Ongoing Bird Surveys

Our main activity is conducting regular (quarterly) bird surveys on nearly 70 sites in the shire. From the initial survey in May 2002 recording 122 species, we are up to 208 species and have had over 50 volunteer surveyors. Surveys are carried out on both Saturday and Sunday mornings and are completed by 11 am, leaving Saturday afternoons free for birdwatching in one of the local national parks or for a visit to the local wineries. Some recent memorable sightings include Black Honeyeaters, Glossy Black-Cockatoos, Turquoise Parrots, Spotted Quail-thrushes and a Red-chested Button-quail and always, Superb Parrots! Most surveyors gather for an 'event' before the BBQ or dinner on Saturday night. Recent events included an Identification Workshop on thornbills (6 spp in the area) in April, a talk on the Woodland Birds for Biodiversity Project by the project managers, Chris Tzaros and Dean Ingwersen in July and a talk on Barking Owls by Rod Kavanagh followed by a spotlighting session.

A comprehensive analysis of the database (funded by the Lachlan CMA) was carried out by Julian Reid & Ross Cunningham in 2008. The full report, Statistical Analysis of the Cowra Woodland Birds Program's Bird Database - Trends in Individual Bird Species and Composite Indices, with brief comments on their relevance to Monitoring & Evaluation and Setting Targets for Habitat Management and Restoration, is currently available at both BASNA and BA National Office libraries. A short 10 page summary was produced and launched on 18 April 2009 during our autumn survey weekend.

Data for the 6 years has revealed significant declines in bird species richness and abundance, both for woodland and non-woodland birds. This apparent decline of so many bird species in the Cowra region is of considerable concern and it is important to both continue the present surveys and increase our efforts by adding more sites to better detect the 'at risk' woodland birds.  Our bird and habitat surveys  have shown us which sites are better for woodland birds and based on these observations, we can make a number of recommendations for land managers interested in reversing the decline in woodland birds (e.g. fence off rivers, creeks and other remnants and manage grazing on these sites; increase native ground covers and woody shrubs, especially Callitris spp; increase the amount of fallen timber, rocks and leaf litter; discourage the removal of fallen timber from woodland remnants and roadsides).

Following the launch of the Birds in Backyards program in Cowra in July at the Cowra Japanese Gardens, interest in local birds is slowly spreading - helped by another of Holly Parson’s enthusiastic workshops held in April 2009.

Community Involvement

Woodland site at Wyangala Backwaters © Maret Vesk

Riparian site on Boorowa River © Sue Proust & Peter West

Site selection at Lachlan River © Maret Vesk