Threatened Bird Network

The Threatened Bird Network (TBN) is a community based program of the Australian Government's National Heritage Trust and Birds Australia. TBN encourages community participation in urgent conservation tasks for threatened birds, acting as a link between recovery teams and volunteers. Typical activities which utilise the skills of volunteers include surveys, wardening, and revegetation work, although some projects require actions such as radio tracking and nest monitoring. TBN is now in its 10th year of operation, and continues to work at conserving our threatened birds. Species which benefit from TBN in Victoria include the Grey-crowned Babbler, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Little Tern, Orange-bellied Parrot and Swift Parrot. Anyone interested in helping out is encouraged to check out our website www.birdsaustralia.com.au/tbn/index.html, or register with the network by calling Dean Ingwersen on 9347 0705 or emailing tbn@birdsaustralia.com.au.

Grey-crowned Babbler

This year, the Friends group is not planning any community planting days but is continuing with funded habitat restoration work at a number of sites. Our main community focus will be two surveys to monitor population trends in two districts in northern Victoria. Dates for these are:

• Sunday, May 25th. Survey of the Longwood district. Meet at Euroa BP at 9.00 a.m.
• Sunday, June 15th. Survey of the Murchison district. meet at Murchison Bakery at 9.00 a.m.

BYO lunch.

For further information contact Doug Robinson on 0408 512 441 or dougr @ tfn.org.au

Helmeted Honeyeater

Ongoing honeyeater monitoring at Yellingbo and Tonimbuk, and database maintenance is required - contact Bruce Quin on (03) 5954 4010, mobile 0412 576 646, or TBN. To participate in plant nursery days at Yellingbo; Tuesday and Thursday of each week and the first Saturday of each month, contact Michelle Faram, Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater, on (03) 5964 8341, or TBN. Finally, revegetation days are held at Yellingbo on the second Sunday of each month - contact Richard Case, Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater, on (03) 9720 4062, or TBN.

Hooded Plover

Help save Hooded Plovers along the Victorian coast

The 'promoting coexistence between recreationists and beach-nesting birds' project is now in its second year. This project uses the Hooded Plover in Victoria as a case study for determining the most effective ways to manage and protect beach-nesting birds, and to raise awareness of the vulnerability of these birds in an effort to encourage people to visit the beach responsibly. Volunteers play a major role in conservation of hooded plovers along the Victorian coast by monitoring hooded plover pairs and notifying Birds Australia when the birds are actively nesting. Land managers are then notified, and a series of protective on-ground works are put in place to increase the likelihood that the eggs will hatch, and the chicks will survive to fledging. Volunteers, land managers and coastal communities are working closely together to try and ensure that Hooded Plovers have a future on our coast.

There are many opportunities for volunteer involvement including: monitoring birds at a specific beach during the spring and/or summer, taking part in the November (11-12th) Hooded Plover population count, distributing educational flyers, requesting an educational talk for your local school, interviewing beach visitors, or observing hooded plover chicks and their use of artificial shelter. If any of these activities interest you, please contact Grainne Maguire at Birds Australia's National Office on 9347 0757, email g.maguire@birdsaustralia.com.au, or TBN. Please visit http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/projects/beach_nesting.html for more detailed information about the project.

Malleefowl

The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group will hold its annual monitoring training weekend for volunteers at Wyperfeld National Park, north-west Victoria, on the 14-15 October 2006. No experience necessary. Contact Ann Stokie on (03) 5229 8648, email: annos@iprimus.com.au, or contact TBN.

Orange-bellied Parrot

Contact Chris Tzaros on 9347 0757 or 0409 235 263 or via c.tzaros@birdsaustralia.co.au.

Painted Snipe

Surveys for the elusive Painted Snipe will continue over the coming months. We require as many people as possible to search freshwater wetlands either in your local area, or to travel further afield to remote inland wetlands that potentially harbour hundreds of snipe! To become involved in the spring 2006 Painted Snipe survey, or for more information on the project, please contact Ian Hance, TBN volunteer, on (03) 9882 2622, email: tbn@birdsaustralia.com.au.

Peregrine Falcon

The Victorian Peregrine Project (VPP) requires volunteers who are physically fit, trained at climbing with ropes, experienced in handling birds of prey and can devote upwards from 3-4 days at a time to participate in field work across Victoria. Banding of chicks occurs from mid-October until mid-November. We are also particularly interested in any records of new nest sites. Exact location details are essential. We also require other volunteers to monitor nest sites for some interesting behavioural studies. These activities are physically less demanding but do require a lot more patience! Volunteers are required from September through to November. If you can help, please contact Victor Hurley, VPP Project Officer, preferably on mobile phone 0427 23 8898, or email: victorghurley@yahoo.co.uk. Otherwise, contact TBN. For more information on the project, visit: http://www.ausraptor.org.au/

Superb Parrot

The annual bird count will be held on the first Sunday in December. To register for either activity please contact the Project Coordinator, Sue Logie on (03) 5868 3317, or email logiemuir@activ8.net.au.

Last updated 23 Feb 2008.