CUMBERLAND BIRD OBSERVERS CLUB
Birdwatching in Sydney since 1979
Affiliated with BirdLife Australia
Contact
Jenny Nicholls | jennifer.nicholls@dunelm.org.uk
Dates for 2026: 13-15 February, 10-12 April, 24-26 July, 16-18 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.
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.
7 March 2026, 6pm - 9:30pm at the Blue Gum Hotel, Waitara
ANNUAL AVIAN TRIVIA EGGSTRAVAGANZA
Join us for a fun night out while raising much needed funds for HELP (Helping Eden's Little Penguins) who are helping the once-thriving Little Penguin nesting colony at Eden re-establish itself.
There will be bird-themed games and trivia and multiple chances to win great bird-themed prizes. Even those that don’t have much bird knowledge say they had a great time and learnt lots of interesting bird trivia at our previous events. Form a team of up to four with your birding buddies or I can match you up with others who need teammates. The entry is $20 per person, $15 for pensioners and students, paid on arrival. All proceeds go to HELP.
The event will be at the Blue Gum Hotel, Waitara, 300m from Waitara station. There is a small flight of steps into the function room. Arrive early to buy your own dinner and to socialise.
For more information and to book a seat or table, email Kylie-Anne (details at right). Places are limited so book soon or you might miss out!
Contact
Kylie-Anne Cramsie |
ky.anne@outlook.com
Contact
Roger Griffiths | roger.n.griffiths@gmail.com
Dates for 2026: Fridays 7am - 27 March, 30 October, 27 November; Friday 8am - 24 April, 29 May, 26 June, 31 July, 28 August, 25 September
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.
Each of these areas, and some other nearby areas are surveyed on the last Friday of each month from January to November. CBOC members are welcome to join these surveys and/or request to be included on the Richmond Woodlands KBA newsletter.
Dates for 2026: Weekends of 20-22 March and 25-27 September
GRENFELL KBA BIRD SURVEYS
Elisabeth Karplus from Birding NSW organises twice-yearly surveys of 30 sites within the Grenfell KBA. CBOC members are welcome to participate in these surveys.
The survey itself will take place on Saturday morning. The weekend also generally includes a meal together on Friday evening, a barbecue on the Saturday evening and then a walk at Company Dam on Sunday morning.
Contact
Elisabeth Hodson | emhodson@exemail.com.au
Contact
Birdlife rep | southernnsw@birdlife.org.au
Dates for 2026: Weekend of 1-3 May and 14-16 August
REGENT HONEYEATER TREE PLANTING
CBOC members have been participating for over 25 years in the Regent Honeyeater tree planting project in the Capertee Valley near Lithgow. The project has carried out tree-plantings twice a year on properties in the valley. Tree and shrub seedlings are planted to create or enhance habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater and other woodland species. In that time the project has planted a total area of 226 hectares, on 52 properties, with 133,000 trees and shrubs.
This tree planting project is part of the the Capertee Valley Regent Honeyeater Recovery Project which is run by BirdLife Southern NSW. For more information, refer to our our Conservation actions.
Dates for 2026: Tuesdays - Tuesdays for 9 weeks from 8 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. An information and training session will be held on the Tuesday morning 8 September. Surveys are on Tuesday mornings from 15 September and continue for eight weeks. Even if you are unable to commit to the full 8 weeks, your help on some survey days will be useful and appreciated.
For more information, refer to our Conservation actions.
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Contact
TBC
19-21 September 2026
AUSTRALASIAN SHOREBIRD CONFERENCE - NEWCASTLE, NSW
The 2026 Australasian Shorebird Conference will be held in Newcastle from 19-21 September 2026.
15-22 November 2026
TRIP TO CAPERTEE VALLEY
Nathan Bligh is planning a week of birdwatching in the Capertee Valley in November following on from Cathy Goswell's outing on 14/15 November. Please let Nathan know if you plan on coming for part or all of the time because the trip is limited to 15 members.
If you're interested in attending, please arrange your own accommodation at the Kandos Motel or any other options in Kandos or Rylstone.
Contact
Nathan Bligh | 0412 787 150
Contact
17 - 19 February 2027
AUSTRALASIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL CONFERENCE - AUCKLAND, NZ
BirdLife Australia and Birds New Zealand have announced that the 14th Australasian Ornithological Conference (AOC) will be held in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, 17-19 February 2027.
The AOC is BirdLife Australia’s primary conference and is the largest biennial gathering of enthusiastic amateur and professional ornithologists from the region. You’ll have the chance to hear from experts in the field of ornithology, as well as mingle with like-minded bird lovers and enthusiasts.