Gold Coast bird population: Push to save endangered species in giant survey
Gold Coast – the city native bird population needs you. Locals are being urged to join the fight against a declining population of birds by taking part in a national bird count, likened to the Pokemon capturing craze.
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GOLD Coast – the city native bird population needs you.
City councillor Hermann Vorster is urging fellow Coasters to join the fight against a declining population of birds by taking part in a national bird count, he likens to the Pokemon capturing craze.
The nationwide, week-long Aussie Backyard Bird Count begins on Monday and aims to turn locals into “census” workers, cataloguing bird life in parks and gardens. People are encouraged to log the type and number of birds they see in park spaces in any 20 minute window from now until October 25 on the bird count app.
The impact of introduced species on the population has Cr Vorster – councillor for Robina and a passionate bird watcher – in a flap and calling for locals to join the survey.
He likened it to a “real-life Pokemon hunt” in reference the video game which spawned a fad in 2016.
People could capture and collect the game’s characters on phones from public parks via an augmented reality app.
“Invasive birds have wrought an awful toll on local natives killing their young and pushing them out,” he said. “If we know where pest birds are located, locals can be mobilised to trap and dispose of them so small natives birds can return.
“This is so important because our trees shouldn’t be just ornaments but genuine habitat and full of song.”
The Gold Coast has 38 species of endangered birds according to Department of Environment and science data.
Among those under pressure are the regent honeyeater, rufous scrub-bird, curlew sandpiper, plumed frogmouth and kermadec petrel.
Cr Vorster said strong anecdotal evidence from birdwatching groups has sparked calls for a Gold Coast bird count.
Birdlife Australia Gold Coast convener Beth Hall said the toll of invasive species was significant: “Our group has gone out every Thursday for the past 30 years and during that time we’ve seen a decline in some species.
“We’re overrun by corellas and the common Myna which compete for nesting space with native birds. There has been a reduction in little birds such as the blue wren.”
The Bulletin last year revealed the toll on small birds of noisy mynas, which Cr Vorster at the time described as ‘the cane toads of the sky.’
Cr Vorster said localised data could ensure more appropriate plantings when parks and reserves were landscaped.
“We know not all birds can be fed or accommodated by one species alone,” he said.
“If small birds are completely absent from sections of the city, that may prompt sympathetic planting to give them a new home and a fresh start.
“Even if you set aside the environmental argument, there is an economic case for looking after our birds.”
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Originally published as Gold Coast bird population: Push to save endangered species in giant survey
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