Report: Glebe–Forest Lodge Spring Bird Survey 2024

By Judy Christie, Blue Wren Subcommittee, Bulletin 10/2024, December

This year’s annual Glebe–Forest Lodge bird survey was held on 3 November in dry, overcast conditions. After a week of mostly sunny days with plenty of bird calls Sunday morning was eerily silent and most groups reported a quiet morning. Nineteen people participated in this year’s spring survey, working in eight different groups, counting birds in leafy and non-leafy sites across Glebe–Forest Lodge. An additional systematic two hectare, 20 minute survey for Birdlife Australia’s national database, Birdata, was conducted at the same time in Federal Park.

The following were the sites surveyed this year, similar to previous years:

1. Harold Park parklands, Tramsheds precinct, ‘Glebe’s Hill’, Jubilee Oval and Bicentennial Park
2. Federal Park saltmarsh and surrounds, mangroves and Rozelle Bay around past the marina
3. Johnstons Creek corridor from the Wood Street Lands, Orphan School Creek to the Tramsheds
4. Forest Lodge streets, including along St Johns Road and nearby streets
5. Pocket parks: Arthur (Paddy) Gray Reserve; John Street Reserve and St James Park, Foley Park and Library precinct
6. Palmerston Ave, Blackwattle Bay walk from Bridge Road up to and including Ferry Road and adjacent parks and reserves
7. Blackwattle Bay Park foreshore walk and bay, from Pope Paul VI Reserve to Forsyth Street
8. Victoria Park around Lake Northam

Results

Results are summarised below:

Species name	Number	Comment
Australian Brush-turkey	2	Now breeding in Forest Lodge
Australian Magpie	38	Slight increase in numbers with immature birds common. Every group reported seeing at least one Magpie.
Australian Raven	8	Similar numbers to 2023.
Australian White Ibis	12	Slightly fewer birds than usual.
Australasian Figbird	5	Scattered around the leafy parks. Heard more commonly than seen.
Crested Pigeon	4	Significant drop in numbers compared to 2023.
Channel-billed Cuckoo	3	More than usually seen this year.
Common Myna*	18	Low count, perhaps our sites did not pick up the usual numbers
Dusky Moorhen	18	Five chicks added to this year’s count at Lake Northam
Eastern Koel	3	More Koels seen this year, all in the Glebe pocket parks
Feral Pigeon (Rock Dove)*	60	This year outnumbering the Common Myna.
Galah	4	Small flock in Federal Park and nearby
Grey Butcherbird	14	Similar number to 2023. Common in all well-treed parks
Laughing Kookaburra	2	Fewer sightings this year.
Magpie-Lark (Pee-wee)	1	Significant decline in numbers, although two birds have been commonly seen in Johnstons Creek; these are unlikely to have bred successfully this year.
Little Black Cormorant	8	The most common cormorant near and in water bodies, with a number roosting on structures at high tide.
Little Pied Cormorant	2	In the Bay.
Masked Lapwing	2	A regular pair.
Noisy Miner	95	Fewer birds counted this year, but nests were numerous and widespread wherever trees, especially Eucalypts.
Pacific Black Duck	11	Good numbers in Lake Northam this year.
Pied Currawong	17	Widespread across the suburbs especially in parks with large trees.
Purple Swamphen	5	An increase in numbers.
Rainbow Lorikeet	98	The most common bird species seen and reported by all groups. Numbers less than in 2023. This year, most were seen feeding rather than flying around in big flocks as in previous years.
Silver Gull	12	Fewer numbers but juvenile birds also seen.
Spotted Dove*	1	A decreasing species.
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo	1	Usually one or two birds seen or heard around the suburbs.
Tree Martin	15	Similar numbers to 2023 with evidence of successful breeding again in air vents on a Ross Street building.
Welcome Swallow	50	Seen flying at most sites although may have included a few Tree Martins as well.
Willie Wagtail	3	Breeding success in the mangroves.
White-faced Heron	2	At least two herons present and possibly a third moving around the Bay and in the Johnstons Creek canal.
TOTALS: 30 species; 514 birds		Reduced total number of birds but same number of species seen as in 2023.

(asterisk = introduced species)

Comments

Despite comprehensively covering most of the key habitat sites in Glebe and Forest Lodge, the number of birds counted was less than in previous years. A total of 514 individual birds were seen with 30 different species identified – including three introduced species (spotted dove, rock dove and common myna) and both our regular summer cuckoos – the eastern koel and channel-billed cuckoo. The rock dove or feral pigeon, as many know it, seems to be outnumbering the local native crested pigeon, but the ever-present native noisy miner is most definitely increasing and harassing other native birds like the magpie-lark and even aggressively dive-bombing the brush-turkey. As in previous years, the rainbow lorikeet was the most common species seen, but only just edging out the noisy miner. 

At least six native bird species including grey butcherbird, pied currawong and Australian magpie are breeding in the leafy parks and streets of Glebe–Forest Lodge. The tree martins continue their spring breeding using air vents in a Ross Street building. One of the best results of the survey was the three willie wagtails (one a juvenile bird) down near the mangroves on Rozelle Bay. The mangroves have grown sufficiently to provide a dense, protective habitat and, critically, seem to be of little interest to the noisy miners. As the foreshores around Rozelle Bay are developed, introducing more mangroves may be a way to improve habitat for small native birds and provide much-needed habitat ‘stepping stones’ – perhaps even providing some refuge for the return of our iconic species, the superb fairy-wren.

The increase in waterbirds at Lake Northam is a strong result that may result from improving water quality. As it was a high tide survey, there were fewer birds seen in the Johnstons Creek channel but good cormorant numbers in the bays. The saltmarsh ’benches’ along the channel are also thickening up and becoming useful habitat for the white-faced heron and possibly species like the buff-banded rail, a shy species occasionally seen.

As a one-off ‘snapshot’ event, the survey will not necessarily identify uncommon species that are sometimes reported locally. For example, in the sunny days before and after the survey, an olive-backed oriole was continually calling in the dense canopy along Johnstons Creek, red wattlebirds proved elusive, though heard by others in Forest Lodge, and a male king parrot was in an Upper Road street tree the week before the survey. 

After 10 years of annual surveys covering mainly the same sites, with many sites now being surveyed by the same people (although new people are joining the search) we know where to look and what to look for. There is also the opportunity to review sites and adapt our surveys to changing conditions. The survey provides a useful benchmark of local avian diversity and profiles the changes from year to year. 

Once again, we had a birdwatchers’ breakfast celebration at Esca to conclude our morning’s activities. Thank you to all volunteers who helped to make a very successful and enjoyable spring morning.