A new species of bird is added to the list.

 

 

 

 

 

A very exciting discovery was made on 16 January 2012 – a male Splendid Fairy-wren was sighted in our bushland. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this bird has been seen in our bushland.

If you have seen this bird in our bushland previously we’d love to hear from you. Just because we haven’t seen it before doesn’t mean it hasn’t been living there for several years.

This sighting brings with it some questions. Where did the bird come from? The Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) says that there have been no records of this species moving more than 2 kilometres. Are there any known groups of Splendid Fairy-wrens within 2 kilometres? There is a group at the Canning River, but that is about 4 kilometres away.

Are there any other birds with this male? No other birds were seen at the time, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there – we just didn’t see them. Splendid Fairy-wrens usually live as couples or small family groups. Did this male bring his wife with him? Or is he just leaving home and looking for a girlfriend?

Will he and his family be able to survive in a hostile environment? Splendid Fairy-wrens usually nest within 1 metre of the ground. This makes them susceptible to predation by cats, foxes and dogs. To help the birds, keep your dog on a lead and your cat out of the bush (it is a cat prohibited area). Splendid Fairy-wrens also need bush that is not burnt. So, take care not to start any fires and, if you see a fire, call the fire brigade immediately.