The short talk will be given by GBS coordinator Duncan McCaskill on “A short overview of the Garden Bird Survey” which is about to enter its 37th year of operation – what it is, a reminder of the rules for participants and a few interesting results from it.
The main presentation will be by Matt Herring of Murray Wildlife on “Bitterns in Rice Project: Five years On”.
With five rice seasons under its belt, the Bitterns in Rice Project has garnered much support for the marriage of farming and conservation in the New South Wales Riverina. It has uncovered some well-guarded secrets of the globally endangered Australasian Bittern and challenged the pervasive dichotomy of water resources, which posits agriculture and the environment in opposition. Matt will detail the latest population monitoring results, with new insights into breeding ecology, and discuss bittern-friendly rice growing incentives, including the role of industry, government and consumers. There will also be an update on the satellite tracking work, which is helping to identify the network of wetlands that the bitterns depend on between rice seasons.