canberra ISSN 0314-8211 bird Volume 41 Number 1 June 2016 notes Registered by Australia Post − 100001304 CANBERRA ORNITHOLOGISTS GROUP PO Box 301 Civic Square ACT 2608 2015-16 Committee President Alison Russell-French 0419 264 702 Vice-President Neil Hermes 0413 828 045 Secretary Bill Graham 0466 874 723 Treasurer Lia Battisson 6231 0147 (h) Member Jenny Bounds Member Sue Lashko Member Bruce Lindenmayer Member Chris Davey Member Julie McGuiness Member David McDonald Member Paul Fennell Email contacts General enquiries [email protected] President [email protected] Canberra Bird Notes [email protected]/[email protected] COG Database Inquiries [email protected] COG Membership [email protected] COG Web Discussion List [email protected] Conservation [email protected] Gang-gang Newsletter [email protected] GBS Coordinator [email protected] Publications for sale [email protected] Unusual bird reports [email protected] Website [email protected] Woodland Project [email protected] Other COG contacts Conservation Jenny Bounds Field Trips Sue Lashko 6251 4485 (h) COG Membership Sandra Henderson 6231 0303 (h) Canberra Bird Notes Michael Lenz 6249 1109 (h) Newsletter Editor Sue Lashko, Gail Neumann (SL) 6251 4485 (h) Databases Jaron Bailey 0439 270 835 (a. h.) Garden Bird Survey Duncan McCaskill 6259 1843 (h) Rarities Panel Barbara Allan 6254 6520 (h) Talks Program Organiser Jack Holland 6288 7840 (h) Records Officer Nicki Taws 6251 0303 (h) Website Julian Robinson 6239 6226 (h) Sales Kathy Walter 6241 7639 (h) Waterbird Survey Michael Lenz 6249 1109 (h) Distrib of COG publications Dianne Davey 6254 6324 (h) COG Library Barbara Allan 6254 6520 (h) Please use the General Inquiries email to arrange access to library items or for general enquiries, or contact the Secretary on 6251 5104. Current details of the COG Committee and other aspects of COG are available at the website: http://canberrabirds.org.au/ Canberra Bird Notes 41 (1) June 2016 ANNUAL BIRD REPORT: 1 JULY 2014 TO 30 JUNE 2015 Canberra Ornithologists Group (COG) PO Box 301, Civic Square, ACT 2608 Readers should note that the COG databases and the others such as eBird and BLA databases are being continually updated, with data being added, sometimes from earlier periods. The annual “snapshot” of data relating to previous years in this Annual Bird Report may be different from that reported previously in ABRs. For example, last year the number of sheets reported for 2012- 13 was 4500. This year’s report shows that this number has increased to 4760. INTRODUCTION The Annual Bird Report (ABR) is part of Canberra Bird Notes (CBN) and is based on all available records of birds recorded in the Canberra region during the year in question. These records are from COG members and members of other bird-watching organisations such as Birdlife Australia and eBird Australia (Cornell University). The report makes this information readily available to all COG members and the public, and draws attention to significant changes or trends in the distribution or abundance of species. To assist research, nearly all copies of CBN, beginning with Vol 1 (1968) are available on the COG Website http://cbn.canberrabirds.org.au/. In addition, statistical reports of each bird species observed in the COG Area of Interest (COG AoI) are stored on the COG website http://canberrabirds.org.au/our-birds/bird-finder/. COG's area of interest (the ‘Canberra region’) is defined as the area bound by parallels of latitude 34° 45' and 36° 00' S and meridians of longitude 148° 40' and 149° 45' E (see Map 1, p. 107). This encompasses an area of 13,675 sq. km, of which the ACT, at 2,357 sq. km, is only 17.2%. For COG's purposes of data analysis and reporting, the area is divided into a grid of 780 cells, each of 2.5 minutes of latitude and longitude (3.5 x 4.5 km). Each cell is identified by an alphanumeric code: A-Z across the region from west to east and 1-30 from north to south (see Map 2, p. 108). Elevations in the ACT range from 450 m above sea level to 1,911 m at the top of Mt Bimberi, and the ACT proper is about 130 km from the sea. Records maintained by COG are categorised according to survey type used to collect the data, for which the methodology used may vary. The majority of records are from general bird watching, surveying and atlassing done by COG members and are designated ABA (Australian Bird Atlas) records. Incidental observations (INC) made while driving, or when not specifically bird watching, can also be submitted. Specialised COG surveys such as the Garden Bird Survey (GBS), Woodland Survey (WOO), and Waterbird Survey (WBS) are well established. Additionally, records from COG's area of interest that are submitted to BirdLife Australia (BLA) are provided to COG under an agreement between the two organisations. These records are designated BA. COG Area of Interest records from the Cornell University eBird database are also available for analysis, and are designated eBird. A breakdown of the contribution of each survey type (except for the GBS) to the total records collected is provided in Table 1 (p. 88). However, in the compilation of the species texts in the Systematic List, records from all these surveys are considered collectively and summarised under the heading 'General'. In the Systematic List, WOO has been used to indicate combined records from WOO proper (see Woodland Survey protocol on p. 98) and off-site records collected by standard ABA protocols in the course of conducting the Woodland Surveys. The Garden Bird Survey (GBS) is dealt with separately because records are collected on a weekly basis rather than shorter periods. 1 Canberra Bird Notes 41 (1) June 2016 COG asks that observers of any sightings of birds considered “unusual” in the Canberra region (see Appendix 2, p. 112) submit an Unusual Bird Report Form to the COG Rarities Panel. Only reports accepted by the panel become endorsed COG records. All records of unusual birds in this ABR have been so endorsed unless indicated otherwise. The list of unusual birds is reviewed from time to time and is published at http://www.canberrabirds.org.au/. Another useful resource is the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Australian Capital Territory, available from http://canberrabirds.org.au/publications/maps-forms-and-lists/annotated-checklist-of-the-birds-of- the-australian-capital-territory/. The names and sequence of birds, in this list and in the Systematic List in this report conform to the Birdlife Australia Working List of Australian Birds, available at http://birdlife.org.au/conservation/science/taxonomy . THE YEAR IN CONTEXT The ABR summarises all the records held in the COG databases but cannot be considered a comprehensive or necessarily accurate reflection of the real situation. Many factors influence the level and consistency of reporting of the many and varied bird species in the region. Several of the major influencing factors on this year's ABR are mentioned briefly here. The effects of these influences need to be taken into account when attempting any interpretation of the data in the ABR. Geographical variables such as temperature, rainfall, and water levels in the main lakes of the region can have a very significant effect on bird demographics. Maximum spring temperatures in the ACT in 2014-2015 were again considerably higher than usual, with variable rainfall, with average or above average rain in Oct, Sept, Dec, Jan and April and very little rain in the other months. Conditions provided sufficient water to maintain a lush growing season for the region. Water levels in natural pondages within the ACT were reasonably high but Lakes George and Bathurst water levels continued to decrease. (see WBS overview p 10, and Appendix 1, p. 111). The development of new suburbs in Gungahlin and more recently in Molonglo has created many water retention ponds that have dramatically increased the habitat for water birds, and subsequently the number of species reported. As well as the 64 Garden Bird Survey charts, there were 245 contributors of records from surveys from COG or via eBird or BirdLife Australia (see list pp. 101). The 7857 sheets submitted this year is by far the highest number of observations submitted in COG’s history. It would appear that this considerable increase in observations recorded is due to the availability of new technology, such as mobile phone apps, that facilitates the entry of data from the field. While the increase in data submitted is to be welcomed, it should be noted that many of the observations tend to be incidental sightings of interesting species, rather than from a standard atlas survey methodology as advocated by BLA. Nevertheless, these are data issues to be addressed rather than ignored. COG appreciates the efforts of all observers who report their observations. Government and non-government agencies continue to seek COG’s assistance in addressing important environmental issues. Hence, more members should get involved in surveying and submit more records to enhance the value and accuracy of this resource. 2 Canberra Bird Notes 41 (1) June 2016 SUMMARY STATISTICS The table on the right has recently been BirdYear Species Grid.Cells Sheets Observers compiled from data currently available in the 2015 247 246 7860 245 COG general surveys database. It updates 2014 254 242 4562 240 the table that has appeared in this place in 2013 257 231 4760 158 every recent ABR. The data in the table may 2012 246 263 4371 157 differ from those in previous ABRs.