Citizen scientists filled the Museum of the Great Southern Co-op building on Saturday 25th February for the BirdLife Australia #GreatCockyCount2023 workshop. Hosted by the South Coast Enviro-Experiences project, the Brig Amity provided the perfect scenic spot to prepare volunteers for the Great Cocky Count survey.
Volunteers learned from Birdlife Australia’s presenter Merryn Pryor about the biology, ecology and behaviour of the Carnaby’s black cockatoo and that the Baudin’s black cockatoo and Forest Red-Tailed black cockatoo share the same common threats such as loss of habitat, bush fires and climate change.
Served with a delicious morning tea, volunteers had a break between presentations to admire the views of the Brig Amity and enjoy the museum.
Sandra Gilfillan, South Coast NRM Black Cockatoo Project Officer, shared with participants her work with private landholders across the South Coast region to help regenerate remnant vegetation, repair nesting hollows and enhance feeding areas close to known breeding sites.
The workshop closed with Innes Pereda from BirdLife Australia talking about the Birds on Farms project, which assists rural landholders to identify, appreciate and manage birds and their habitats on their properties. Collectively, volunteers can gather scientific data about bird populations and their habitats to help conservation work and address the threats our beautiful birds face.
For information about other #enviroexperiences in your area, contact Catherine in Albany (e) catherinej@southcoastnrm.com.au (p) 0421 437 525 and Jimena in Esperance (e) jimenarm@southcoastnrm.com.au (p) 0474 442 683
The South Coast Enviro-Experiences project is supported by Lotterywest.