By Andrew Wood, Convenor, Blue Wren Subcommittee

Photo: Phil Young

Professor Dieter Hochuli from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney reported ‘an observation from yesterday (9 November), one male and two female fairy wrens over at the new Rozelle Parkland area, in the dense vegetation above the wetlands’. He continued that it is ‘a reminder of the importance of small stepping stones and the potential impacts of small plantings to promote biodiversity. It’s outside City of Sydney but it’s something that could serve as a source for its plantings and reserves’.

The Subcommittee noted that these blue wren sightings follow a previous sighting of three birds in the Parklands in February this year. As Judy Christie said in our 2025 annual report ‘This is not so surprising as we know there are family groups along the light rail corridor and our sighting in 2023 at the western end of Rozelle Bay confirms that they are moving around. It is great, however, that the new parklands are providing suitable habitat again. A few more habitat “stepping stones” through the Glebe parklands could bring them closer’.