Bird banding – August 2026

Ecologist Andy was joined by 4 volunteers who set up 4 mist-nets across two monitoring sites over 3 days and had a productive catch of 50 birds. This included two recaptured birds from last year – a White-browed Babbler and an Inland Thornbill. 

Other species included Western Yellow Robin, Rufous Whistler, Western Whistler, Grey Shrikethrush, Chestnut-rumped Thornbill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, White-eared Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, Western Gerygone, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Welcome Swallow, Striated Pardalote, Weebill and Redthroat – plenty of diversity!

They will set up a banding site in the revegetation once it gets tall enough.

They also deployed audio recording units in the revegetation and control sites – these will record all audible sounds but the primary interest are the bird calls. The aim is to capture the change in bird assemblages within the revegetation over time. The units will record for one hour each day over the next couple of months, and this monitoring will be repeated each year. 

A few bird surveys were conducted at the census sites, and SD cards were replaced in motion cameras on the accessible Malleefowl mounds – recent rain had made the tracks boggy, so access was limited.