CUMBERLAND BIRD OBSERVERS CLUB
Birdwatching in Sydney since 1979
Affiliated with BirdLife Australia
OUR CONSERVATION ACTIONS
CBOC supports a variety of bird-related conservation activities and initiatives, some of which are listed below. We encourage our members to participate in these if interested.
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Our CBOC Conservation Officer regularly prepares submissions on behalf of CBOC to support our object of actively advocating for the protection and conservation of native birds and their habitat.
Our Conservation Officer can be contacted on conservation@cboc.org.au. Refer to Meet Our Committee to see the current person.
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We also have a CBOC Memorial Fund from which CBOC makes Grants to bird-related conservation initiatives.
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​BirdLife Australia has a petition calling for strong nature laws to be passed this year. You can sign it here.
REFORMING AUSTRALIA'S NATURE PROTECTION LAWS
The new Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, has commenced discussions with key environmental organisations and industry bodies about reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
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Reforming the nature laws is necessary because, as the 2020 independent Samuel Review concluded, the current EPBC Act is “not fit for purpose”. And it is urgent because 2,159 animal and plant species are currently under threat of extinction in Australia. This includes 1 in 6 bird species!
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SAVE FRED CATERSON RESERVE
The Hills Shire Council has commenced the implementation of its Master Plan for Fred Caterson Reserve by opening the tender process for developing three playing fields on the site of the former Pony Club. The fields will form an elite sporting base for Eastwood Rugby Club. To what extent they will be available for use by community members is unclear.
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The site occupies 6.8 hectares out of 58 hectares in the reserve. Of this 4.2 hectares are currently cleared. The Council states that development of the site will involve the clearing of a further approx. 0.7 hectares. 308 trees will require removal, of which according to the Council, “the vast majority belong to a non-threatened vegetation community”. The Mayor, Dr Michelle Byrne, has stated that, “It is Council’s top priority to preserve the natural environment of Fred Caterson Reserve”.
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However the Council’s plans are clearly a potential threat to the many bird species and other animals that live in the reserve. Fred Caterson Reserve is the last large piece of bushland left in the Castle Hill area. Birds don’t necessarily distinguish between ‘threatened’ and ‘non-threatened’ vegetation communities, and every tree removed is one less tree for birds to feed, roost and breed in.
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The Club will continue to monitor the situation and will act quickly if and when possible. The Council has stated that, “Depending on approval pathways and the final version of the works, further opportunities will be available for comment”.
You can read the CBOC Submission here.
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TRACKING AUSTRALIAN PAINTED-SNIPE
Australian Painted-snipe are Australia’s rarest breeding waterbird. They are listed as globally and nationally Endangered but very little is known about them. But that is changing. A crowdfunded project, to which CBOC has made a financial contribution, is using the latest satellite and mobile phone tower technology to track their movements.
You can meet Gloria, the first ever Australian Painted-snipe to be tracked. She was caught recently near Balranald and is already giving us new insights into the secret lives of these near-mythical ghost birds. You can also read the tribute from Gloria's sponsor, EnviroKey, here.
And you can also learn more about these wonderful birds and the exciting tracking project and, if you’re lucky enough to spot one, where to report your sighting at the project website.
RAT POISON IS IMPACTING BIRDS
Native Australian birds including Powerful owls, Southern boobooks, Wedge-tailed eagles and Tawny frogmouths, as well as mammals like quolls and Tasmanian Devils, and family pets, are dying from rat poison in particular from Second-generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide poisons (SGARs). Unlike in the US, Canada, Europe, Malaysia and Singapore, SGARs are unregulated in Australia.
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BirdLife Australia has created a pre-filled email that you can send to the Federal Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins, and the Assistant Minister, Anthony Chisholm, calling on them to effectively regulate the use of SGARs in Australia.
You can sign and send the email here.
For more information, see
MAKE YOUR BIRDING COUNT
Make your birding count by submitting Bird Surveys of your sightings. Surveys provide data on the abundance and distribution of bird species, and can help to support a variety of conservation initiatives. The surveys can be submitted in easy to use apps or web portals. Various different types of surveys can be submitted including formal 2 hectare, 20 min surveys, more general area searches of 500m or 5km, or more informal incidental searches.
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The main apps that are used for this are:
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Birdata
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eBird
BirdLife Australia and CBOC recommend the use of Birdata for recording surveys because of the standardised scientific survey basis that is used. This information goes directly into a national bird database and can then be used for use in research and conservation.​
AVIAN INFLUENZA (BIRD FLU)
Avian Influenza, or bird flu, is an infectious disease of birds caused by strains of Influenza A virus. It affects poultry and wild birds, and can be spread to mammals including humans.
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Large-scale outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the past two years have killed millions of wild birds and tens of thousands of mammals around the world. It has spread to all continents apart from Australia, and it is feared that it could arrive here with the migration of birds from the Northern Hemisphere. It poses a threat to many Australian birds, in particular to shorebirds, waders, wetland species, raptors and seabirds.
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BirdLife Australia is working closely with government and wildlife health authorities to assist their preparedness and planning.
You can find more information, especially about the symptoms of bird flu in birds and what to do if you see or find a sick or dead bird, in this BirdLife fact sheet.
For more information, contact Cathy Goswell.
BIGnet (Bird Interest Group Network)
BIGnet is an affiliation of NSW and ACT birdwatching clubs and organisations who signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2003. BIGnet brings together representatives of birding organisations in NSW to discuss issues, share knowledge, increase skills and source volunteers for projects.
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BIGnet fosters co-operation among bird interest groups across a range of activities which these groups undertake, including bird surveys, bird research and conservation initiatives. It encourages exchange of information and sharing of resources.
SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK SPRING SURVEYS
Every year Cumberland Bird Observers Club partners with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority to carry out the Spring Bird Census. CBOC members survey over 45 sites around the Park each spring. Surveys start in September, continue for eight weeks, and are conducted on Tuesday mornings. Even if you are unable to commit to the full 8 weeks, your help on some survey days will be useful and appreciated. An information and training session is held on the Tuesday morning before the first survey.
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For over 17 years, the Census has been the fundamental source of data for measuring habitat health to protect the thousands of birds which reside within the 425 hectares of parklands at Sydney Olympic Park. This long-term monitoring of birds allows for ongoing assessment of trends in bird abundance and diversity, and assists in managing the park and its variety of habitats.
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CBOC receives a donation from Sydney Olympic Park Authority for doing these surveys, which is to be used to support bird-related conservation projects. In the 2024-2025 financial year, this money has been used to sponsor two research projects:
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Investigating the density of invasive weed African Flag (Chasmanthe floribunda) associated with penguin nesting habitat at Mistaken Island near Albany, Western Australia. The weeds prevent penguins establishing burrows for nesting, and reduce their pathways from their landing sites, and a previous pilot project suggested improvements from suppressing the weeds.
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Increasing understanding of how structural attributes of woodland vegetation influence the occurrence of nocturnal birds in the Cumberland Plain Woodland. Passive acoustic monitoring will be used to survey vocalising nocturnal birds in 30 previously established sites across critically endangered habitat of the Cumberland Plain.
For information on upcoming survey dates, refer to Other Activities
For more information, refer to the BirdLife Southern NSW projects website.
For information on the upcoming survey dates, refer to Other Activities.
COWRA WOODLAND BIRDS PROGRAM
The Cowra Woodland Birds Program was launched in July 2001 by members of BirdLife Australia Southern NSW and local landholders and land managers to address concerns that woodland birds appear to be declining in rural landscapes in the Cowra district. Its activities involve bird surveys and monitoring of the gathered data, as well as habitat restoration and conservation.
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The principal activity is conducting quarterly bird surveys on 94 sites in the district. The bird and habitat surveys to date have identified which sites are better for woodland birds and, based on these observations, the team can make a number of general recommendations for land managers interested in reversing the decline in woodland birds.
BIRDSCAPING YOUR GARDEN
There is a great opportunity to attract birds to your garden, even in an urban environment, by designing and planting a garden that will provide them with water, food and an appropriate habitat for them to visit or live in.
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Dr Tony Saunders has written a very helpful article, full of information and tips on how to Birdscape your Garden.
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Tony has also created a list of 101 Bird-attracting Plants for your garden.
BIRDLIFE MISTLETOE RESTORATION PROJECT
BirdLife Australia is working with the Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council to restore mistletoe to burnt woodlands in the Hunter Valley. Mistletoe provides vital food and nesting resources for the Regent Honeyeater. This project is another part of efforts to ensure the survival and prosperity of this iconic bird. You can find out more about the project here.
CAPERTEE VALLEY REGENT HONEYEATER RECOVERY PROJECT
This project is run by BirdLife Southern NSW. The Capertee Valley (about 50 km north of Lithgow), is the one of the most important known breeding areas for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. Much of the suitable habitat within the valley has been cleared for agriculture and remaining habitat is fragmented and generally degraded.
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The project forms part of a national recovery effort for this critically endangered species and undertakes activities aligned with priority actions in the national Regent Honeyeater Recovery Plan. Project activities include research, monitoring and tree-planting, which will also benefit a range of other declining and threatened woodland bird species.
For more information, refer to the BirdLife Southern NSW projects website.
For information on the upcoming tree planting dates, refer to Other Activities.
For information, refer to Act for Birds
ACT FOR BIRDS
We support Birdlife Australia’s initiative Act for Birds and their motto “We are standing together to protect birds forever”.
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The 2019/20 bushfires were devastating for millions of Australian birds and the natural places that are their homes. Many species lost half of their habitat, increasing the number of threatened bird species by as much as 25%. Protecting natural places is more important than ever.