The September 2024 meeting will be a normal face-to-face one held at our usual venue. As COVID is still widespread in the community attendees should heed social distancing and good hygiene practice etc, and use their common sense and stay home if they have COVID symptoms. Mask wearing is recommended.
Please note that construction is currently occurring around the Gabriel Drive parking area, and access to there is not available. So please use the Chapel Drive entrance and park there. Then proceed to the Multi-media Centre (MMT) using the alternative route the Canberra Girls Grammar School has provided as shown in the map which can be accessed through the link under LATEST MEETINGS on the Home Page of this web site.
Once parked proceed down past the Chapel and smaller Admin Offices, keeping them to your left. Just past the latter turn left along a relatively flat and straight broad path keeping the columns to you left. Near to the end, go left up the 3 m wide steps, turn half right and you will find an open glass door. Go through this, across the empty room and past the toilets, and then either enter the MMT either through the bottom MMT door or go further along and up the steps where you reach the usual entry door. Though it is well lit, as it will be dark a torch for finding your way to the MMT and back to your car after the meeting is recommended.
The short presentation will be by Laura Rayner and Brett Howland of the ACT Government Environmental Offsets – Research and Evaluation area and is entitled “Mapping the ACT Woodland Bird Community Condition.”
Laura and Brett will show COG/Canberra Birds members a new ACT Government product that they hope members will find interesting. They’ve conducted an analysis of where woodland bird communities are considered is their highest condition. What does that mean? They’re going to tell you! An important result of their analysis includes areas of the ACT where limited bird sightings restricted their mapping. They have ideas about how to improve coverage and maybe COG/Canberra Birds members would like to help.
The main presentation will be by Jim Hone, an Emeritus Professor at the University of Canberra, on “Birds of Namadgi National Park”
The bird community at seven sites in the eastern part of Namadgi National Park was surveyed each year for 16 years. A total of 92 species was recorded. Two species, the Common Bronzewing and the Common Starling, increased over the study and six species declined, including the Eastern Rosella, Eastern Yellow Robin and the Scarlet Robin. Five Threatened species were recorded. The theoretically expected pattern of many smaller birds and fewer larger birds was observed, with a surprising aspect. Monitoring of the birds in Namadgi is recommended as part of on-going Park management.
Jim Hone studies wildlife population dynamics and management, including conservation. He has published on many Australian birds, such as helmeted honeyeaters, malleefowls, common mynas, and grassland, woodland and forest birds, and British birds, such as barn owls and grey herons. Jim has contributed to bird atlas work in Australia, NSW and the ACT.