As part of my work I am having a short stint in Surrey, BC Canada and I have had the fortune of meeting Surrey Parks Manager, Owen Croy. With a 1,000 people moving into the area each month there is a great demand for housing and infrastructure which has the potential to put pressure on their environmental habitat. The provincial council have recognised this and have a massive program to make sure the endemic vegetation and in particular forest (mainly Douglas fir trees) are maintained and connected via good planning.

They call this process implementing a Green Infrastructure Network.  It is based on 3 core biodiversity principles and is applied throughout the urban landscape:

• Preserving large core habitat areas.
• Ensuring connectivity between habitat areas.
• Providing a diversity of habitat features throughout the City

 
Owen has over 160 staff working for him along with 140 contractors and he discussed some of the same issues we face here in South East Queensland. These issues include maintaining habitat through eliminating invasive weeds and replanting endemic plant species and making sure the habitat filters stormwater and prevents nutrients entering the waterways as well as providing a place for local wildlife to thrive. He pointed out that they rely heavily on volunteer community groups like the Redcliffe Environmental Forum to help with the work on the ground.

At the same venue I also met the owner of the property who is a sponsor of the Hancock Wildlife. His beachside property has tall Douglas Fir trees and Cedars and at the top is a Bald Eagle eyrie. Russ Cmolick provided a short tour and showed me the two young eagle fledglngs in one tree whilst one of the parents was perched in another tree adjacent to the tidal flats. They are really impressive birds. We discussed the biodiversity of the tidal flats; apparently the tidal flats at White Rock, Surrey are one of the richest and diverse sites on the planet. The flats support many wader birds as well as raptors like the bald eagle. Russ is a sponsor of the Hancock Wildlife Foundation and you can check out a video of the bald eagle family at his property at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB97XNyNwAs  

It’s good to know that there are other places in the world where business, the community and governments work together to protect biodiversity even when it’s close to urban areas.

Yesterday the Birders of the South Pine River completed their winter survey of the Eco-project at Silcock Street, Clontarf. The team of volunteer bird experts were able to observe and identify a 101 species of bird within the small but important habitat area over the past 12 months. The high number of species utilising the area again stresses the value of the area as a "biodiversity hotspot" and reinforces the value of preserving and rehabilitating this key area buffering Hays Inlet.

So why do we conduct these surveys?  Part of conducting an environmental rehabilitation project involves monitoring flora and fauna as well as physical measures such as water quality. This information can help to measure the effectiveness of the project including impacts on biodiversity and erosion control. In many cases the data for the presence of flora and fauna can be incomplete, particularly for a local segment of habitat and in the case of Silcock Street it was considered a priority to gather as much information as possible.

One valuable method of determining the quality of a habitat region is to conduct a bird survey. Birds are reasonably conspicuous and a team of experienced observers, armed with binoculars and cameras can efficiently identify bird species and record their presence. Conducted on a quarterly basis the team can determine the number of species using the site and which birds are resident (all year round) and which birds are seasonal visitors. Over a period of years changes in bird populations can be tracked and mapped against changes in vegetation and land form.

After a year of surveys we now know that the area is a mecca for bird species. We know, so far, that there are 27 residential birds including urban birds like Brown Honeyeaters, Rainbow Lorikeets, Magpies and Butcherbirds as well as aquatic birds like Black Ducks, White-faced Herons and the Sacred Ibis. Other bird species visit at certain times of the year including the Leaden Flycatcher, Scarlet Honeyeaters the Spangled Drongo and the Dollarbird.
  
We know that there are seasonal blooms of the Melaleuca and Eucalypt which attract birds to the area, but we don’t always know the relationship between the presence of a bird species and the types and form of vegetation present along with hydrology, seasonal changes and weather patterns. This information can have an impact on how we best manage a site in order to preserve biodiversity and the ecology of an area.

We still have a lot to learn and by observing the birds we can at least advance our understanding of the ecology of valuable wetland areas like Hays Inlet. One thing is certain though; we really appreciate the enthusiasm and expertise of the Birders of the South Pine River. They have been able to provide a great story for our community and reinforce the value of the work carried out by our Green Army team and bushcare volunteers. So a big thank you to Rita Larsen and her team!