Bird banding sites established

Andy, Sam, Jeff (and Aidan) and Anton visited the block in early July. The main aims were to set up long-term bird banding sites. 

They established 6 bird banding sites and opened nets at 3 of them. These sites are across revegetated areas, transition zones (bush/paddock edge), and control sites. The plan is to do annual monitoring to understand how bird populations are changing, particularly whether birds are recruiting into the reveg areas over time. The control sites will also be used to measure the impact of feral animal control. 

They caught a few birds – Brown-headed Honeyeater, White-fronted Honeyeater, Inland Thornbill, Grey Fantail and Singing Honeyeater (see photos below). It was fairly quiet but that was expected given the time of the year. The team will band again during an August trip, when birds are expected to be more active.