By Elisabeth Dark, Bulletin 6/2024, August
On 20 June between 9 am and 10 am I was on the 433 bus from Rozelle when I decided to get off early at Rozelle Bay to walk home slowly along the length of Johnstons Creek. I had thought to look out for the Willy Wagtails that can be seen or heard in the mangroves north of Johnston Street. Although I am a birder I’m not usually hyper-vigilant about listening out for bird calls in my part of Sydney, since I know what is around.
That day however when I left the bus at the first stop on The Crescent (see map below) I heard a twitter from the mix of acacias and weeds growing behind the metal fence that edges the new footpath there. As I looked further I could see two Superb Fairy-wrens moving in the bushes. I texted Judy Christie, knowing she would be excited about the finding. Word has since travelled through the local network of bird fans.
I’m left wondering how the wrens got there and whether they live there or were just visiting. As an Annandale resident I know that wrens used to be along the light rail corridor and also at Whites Creek in dense privet near where the Whites Creek wetland provides good habitat. Unfortunately those wrens disappeared during construction of the wetland, but the less disturbed light rail corridor might still be home to some. Not far away, the fenced-off terrestrial and saltmarsh plantings of the ‘naturalised’ Johnstons Creek could provide a stepping stone to the weedy hill on the Glebe side – if the wrens could manage to cross the expanse of Bicentennial Park.
The patch at Rozelle Bay where I saw the wrens is weedy and won’t be allowed to stay as habitat forever unless we can advocate for a suitably-planted corridor to be retained. Meanwhile, the fence is good for keeping out people and four-legged predators.
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