CUMBERLAND BIRD OBSERVERS CLUB
Birdwatching in Sydney since 1979
Affiliated with BirdLife Australia
Dates for 2024: Tuesdays - Tuesdays for 9 weeks from 10 Sept
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 Sydney Olympic Park and Bicentennial Park. 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 the week before the first survey.
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For more information, refer to our Conservation actions.
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Contact
Jenny Nicholls | jennifer.nicholls@dunelm.org.uk
Dates for 2024: 17-18 February, 6-7 April, 27-28 July, 19-20 October
COWRA WOODLAND BIRD SURVEYS
The Cowra Woodland Birds Program seeks 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. The program runs quarterly bird surveys on 94 sites in the district to provide data which can assist the conservation of the local birds and their habitat. For more information, refer to our our Conservation actions.
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CBOC members have been participating in these surveys for many years. The surveys are done on both the Saturday and Sunday mornings, with social functions on the Friday and Saturday nights.
Every 1st and 4th Saturday of each month
CUMBERLAND PLAIN RESTORATION PROGRAM - BIRDING AND BUSHCARE
The Cumberland Plain Restoration program is run by Greater Sydney Landcare. It occurs on the 4th Saturday of every month and involves a 2-hour birding segment followed by a 2-hour session where attendees help clear a patch of native bushland of invasive weeds.
The morning takes place in a Cumberland Plain ecosystem which is the historic native habitat of Cumberland county. Now with less than 9% of the original Cumberland Plain Woodland remaining, projects like these are extremely imperative in order to secure a future for Sydney’s native biodiversity.
Attendees can expect to learn about the aviculture of the Cumberland Plains as well as the native vegetation that our native birds need in order to thrive. Land management practices are used in the Bushcare part of the morning and it informs volunteers about the invasive vegetation that threatens the ecosystem, and how its spread can be curtailed.
You can find further information about the program at: https://greatersydneylandcare.org/landcare-sos-cumberland-plain-restoration-program/.
You can find out about specific events and register for them at: https://www.facebook.com/SOSCumberlandplainwoodland.
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 October
NSW and ACT TWITCHATHON
BIGnet will be hosting the NSW & ACT Twitchathon 2024 raising funds for Catherine Price’s project to study “Acoustic tools to protect NSW beach nesting birds from mammalian predators”.
Checkout the webpage to see details of the project, the three different fundraising races, how to register a team and how to donate.
Remaining dates for 2024: Fridays from 8am - 28 June, 26 July, 30 August, 27 September, 25 October, 29 November
RICHMOND WOODLANDS KBA SURVEYS
The Richmond Woodlands Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) is a significant area for woodland birds in western Sydney. It includes Scheyville National Park, Windsor Downs Nature Reserve, Castlereagh Nature Reserve and Agnes Banks Nature Reserve.
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Each of these areas, and some other nearby areas are surveyed several times a year. CBOC members are welcome to join these surveys and/or request to be included on the Richmond Woodlands KBA newsletter.
Contact
Ian Bailey | ibails@bigpond.net.au
One Saturday morning a month
PARRAMATTA RIVER SHOREBIRD COUNTS
The Parramatta River Shorebird Surveys are carried out by a group of shorebird enthusiasts. We count on a Saturday morning every month on a high tide and usually around 9am.
There are four locations: Waterbird Refuge, Mason Park, Hen and Chicken Bay and Rodd Point. The Waterbird Refuge is the best place to see a variety of birds. If you are new to birding or are not familiar with shorebirds, Gerry Duane invites you to join him at Mason Park and you will be given an orientation. Shorebirds are declining nationally, but we still have a wintering flock of approximately 65 Bar-tailed Godwits at Hen and Chicken Bay. Photographic opportunities are excellent, and we sometimes survey at Long Reef, near Narrabeen. All are welcome and it is not necessary to be a member of any organisation.
Bird Week: 14-20 October 2024
AUSSIE BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
Make a difference for bird conservation by giving a moment of your time to count the birds that are counting on you. Participate in the Aussie Bird Count during Bird Week in October and use your observation skills for a 20-minute period to make a simple but important contribution to Birdlife Australia’s conservation initiatives.
Each year people across the country head out to their front yards, backyards, courtyards, parks and play areas to count how many birds they see to provide a snapshot of Australia’s more common bird species. It’s a fun, simple and safe activity observing nature, which is proven to provide benefits to mental health and wellbeing.
Collecting this data at the same time each year allows us to look at the trends in our bird communities over time. Think of birds as a barometer for nature, as their health and wellbeing is one of nature’s best indicators.
Join the flock for Australia’s largest citizen science project – Aussie Bird Count.
Dates for 2024: 2 and 9 November
GREAT INLAND GLOSSY COUNT
The Great Inland Glossy Count is back again in 2024-25. This is part of a project aiming to secure the inland population of the Glossy Black Cockatoo in NSW, coordinated by the Central West Local Land Services in partnership with NSW NPWS, Forest Corp NSW and the Dubbo Field Naturalists.
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Dates for the surveys this year are as follows:
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2 November - Pilliga Forests and surrounds (registrations close on 30 October)
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9 November - Goonoo National Park and surrounds (registrations close on 6 November but already full)
All participants are required to register via the NPWS Volunteer portal.
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Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 November 2025
AUSTRALIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL CONFERENCE - PERTH, WA
the 2025 Australasian Ornithological Conference will be held in Perth from 18-20 November 2025.
