Birds Australia’s Carnaby's
Black-Cockatoo Recovery Project
In 1999 a Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo Recovery Plan was written and in 2000 the Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo Recovery Team was convened by the Department of Environment and Conservation. Since this time Birds Australia has operated the Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo Recovery Project.
Unlike other less mobile bird species, Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo is widespread and its range covers many different land tenures and vegetation types.
Birds Australia has been working with local communities, landholders and land managers to secure the protection and conservation of the Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo habitat.
In collaboration with WWF-Australia, and with support from Natural Resource Management groups, the Department of Environment and Conservation and National Heritage Trust, BA works to implement Recovery Actions as stated in the Recovery Plan.
Primary activities include:
- Identification and prioritization of nesting sites for recovery actions.
- Community engagement programs and education.
- Supporting private landholder to preserve and restore priority remnant vegetation.
- Provision of funds to support fencing, revegetation, weed control and competitor control.
- Data collection and nest monitoring.
- Repairing damaged or degraded nesting hollows. Since 2004 a volunteer team has repaired over 150 damaged or degraded nesting trees. This is a simple and inexpensive way to increase the chances of breeding.
- Monitoring of repaired hollows. During the nesting season repaired hollows are checked to see whether the Carnaby’s are using the hollow or not.
- Assistance is given for grant applications and facilitate Voluntary Management Agreements and Conservation Covenants, helping to solidify commitment to conservation and secure habitat for the species into the future.
Great Cocky Counts
There have been two roost surveys to establish the non-breeding territory, relative abundance and minimum population size of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos on the Swan Coastal Plain.
- 14 roost locations were surveyed in 2006 and these were compared with 47 roost sites in 2010 that fell within 2.5 km of these 14 roost locations.
- A preliminary comparison found no significant difference in the average number of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos per roost location between the two survey periods. However, the average number of birds per roost location was lower around 100 birds lower 2010 than in 2006 (220 ± 54 in 2010 compared with 322 ± 135 in 2006, n = 14).
- This trend, while not statistically significant, it highlights the need for large scale surveys such as the Great Cocky Count, and yearly counts of birds at night roost sites, to accurately monitor population trends.
- Record sightings of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo- www.birdsaustralia.com.au/carnabys to download a form.
- Protect and conserve known nesting areas by fencing or excluding stock, protecting woodlands against firewood collection, leaving old or dead trees standing and altering fire management.
- Protect and conserve known feeding areas by fencing or excluding stock, controlling weeds and preventing removal of vegetation.
- Protect and conserve known feeding and roosting areas in urban areas by recording Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo and other species utilizing a patch of bush.
- Revegetate around known feeding and nesting areas with appropriate local species.
- Learn how to repair old and damaged nesting hollows with assistance from the Birds Australia Hollow Repair Team.
- Become part of the Recovery Project by working on projects such as monitoring of breeding pairs and nesting activity, revegetation of feeding and nesting areas and more.
Carnaby's Black Cockatoo Tracker
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