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
JUNE HARRIS, Communications Officer, BANN, reports: Seasonal conditions in northern New South Wales in January are exceptionally good. The wetlands, dams, swamps and creeks are full to overflowing, and the grass is 'as high as an elephant's eye', as the song goes. Space at the Egret Rookeries at Lawrence and Murwillumbah is at an absolute premium.
BANN is involved in various counts and surveys. Beth Williams reports that Armidale members (Regent Honeyeater Recovery Plan Group) were delighted in October to find Regent Honeyeaters feeding in Needle-leafed Mistletoe on River Oaks at the Gwydir River, Torryburn, near Kingstown. Earlier searches of regular sites in the Bundarra-Barraba-Kingstown area found some sparse flowering of Mugga Ironbark, but no Regents and fewer than usual Friarbirds and Lorikeets. The Regents at the river--first three, then over six birds--settled in to breed and were keenly observed for several weeks by Armidale birders, digital photographers and visiting members from the coast. Our monitoring team recorded seven nest attempts. Two nests fledged three young each, while the third fledged two young--a good result.
Subsequently, in November a pair was discovered building a nest in Mugga Ironbark habitat in the Travelling Stock Route about 1 km from the river. That nest was abandoned but the birds built another within 100 m and the young were due to fledge about 15 January 2009. We are now working with David Geering to update the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Plan, and look forward to collaborating with Dean Ingwerson and Chris Tzaros, who've just been announced as project officers for the Birds Australia Woodland Bird Conservation project.
The BA Survey Project for Australasian and Little Bittern by Lismore/Ballina members is proving difficult. We have yet to see either, but two of our members have heard an Australasian Bittern, to their great excitement. However, on the learning curve, we are now very familiar with their bovine and canine sounding calls. Volunteers are urgently needed to thrash through snake-infested swamps! We continue to count migratory waders for the 2020 Migratory Shorebird Program; the most recent count was in February at the Richmond River estuary.
The BANN autumn campout will be held 20-22 March at Toonumbar Waters Retreat, 30 km west of Kyogle. All welcome. For information email
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.
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
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, Convenor
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, Secretary and Newsletter Editor
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, Conservation Officer
 Birding Contacts in the BANN Region
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 of our area.
Crested Bellbird January 2010
Crested Bellbird January 2009
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Regent Honeyeater, Gwydir Park Road Travelling Stock Reserve © Pam Rooney
Logrunner © Glenn Ehmke
Crested Bellbird © Chris Tzaros
Regent Bowerbird © Chris Sanderson
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush © Chris Tzaros
Hall's Babbler © Chris Tzaros
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