canberra ISSN 0314-8211 bird Volume 39 th COG 50 Anniversary Issue December 2014 notes Printed January 2015 Registered by Australia Post 100001304 CANBERRA ORNITHOLOGISTS GROUP PO Box 301 Civic Square ACT 2608 2014-15 Committee President Alison Russell-French 0419 264 702 Vice-President Neil Hermes 0413 828 045 Secretary Alan Thomas 6251 5104 (h) Treasurer Lia Battisson 6231 0147 (h) Member Jenny Bounds Member Sue Lashko Member Bruce Lindenmayer Member Chris Davey Member Stuart Rae Member Julie McGuiness 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 inquiries [email protected] Gang-gang Newsletter [email protected] GBS Coordinator [email protected] Unusual bird reports [email protected] Website [email protected] Woodland Project [email protected] Other COG contacts Membership Sandra Henderson 6231 0303 (h) Conservation Jenny Bounds Field Trips Sue Lashko 6251 4485 (h) Canberra Bird Notes Michael Lenz 6249 1109 (h) Newsletter Editor Sue Lashko, Gail Newmann (SL) 6251 4485 (h) Databases Paul Fennell 6254 1804 (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 Walters 6241 7639 (h) Distribution of COG publications Dianne Davey 6254 6324 (h) COG Library Barbara Allan 6254 6520 (h) Waterbird Survey Michael Lenz 6249 1109 (h) Please use the General Enquiries 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 39, COG 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE, DECEMBER 2014 Contents Foreword Alison Russell-French ....................................................................................................... 1 Editor’s note .............................................................................................................................. 2 President’s report 2013-14 Alison Russell-French ....................................................................................................... 3 Special events and projects in celebration of COG’s 50th anniversary COG 2014 bird photography competition ................................................................................ 12 Public forum: Landscapes for birds –conserving and enhancing their habitats........................ 16 Canberra Ornithologists Group Gala Dinner ............................................................................ 18 Past and current presidents .............................................................................................. 18 COG 2014 committee ...................................................................................................... 19 Steve Wilson Medal ........................................................................................................ 20 Stephen James (Steve) Wilson OAM 1912-2009 ............................................................ 21 Joint inaugural Steve Wilson Medal recipients ............................................................... 23 Selection of photos of Gala Dinner guests ...................................................................... 24 The bird of the year project: Citizen Science survey of the Gang-gang Cockatoo Chris Davey and Kathy Eyles .......................................................................................... 32 Articles on aspects of COG’s history The formation and operations of the ACT branch of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (1964 to 1970) David Purchase ............................................................................................................... 36 Why I wasn’t at COG’s first meeting in June 1964 – Recollections of a of a would-be ornithologist in early Canberra Richard Schodde .............................................................................................................. 53 Bird banding in the ACT – The early years and my involvement Mark Clayton……… ................................................................................................ ...…58 Coming through COG and bird banding in the 1960s and 1970s Tony Stokes……… ................................................................................................... ...…63 A brief history of Canberra Bird Notes Neil Hermes, Michael Lenz and David Purchase ........................................................... 72 i CBN indexing in the “good old days” Kay Hahne ....................................................................................................................... 76 The Annual Bird Report: A brief history Paul Fennell .................................................................................................................... 77 The Canberra Bird Notes columnists D. bracteatus ................................................................................................................... 80 The songs and calls of Canberra birds – cassette and compact disc Chris Davey ..................................................................................................................... 82 Canberra Birds website – A short history David Cook ...................................................................................................................... 85 The CanberraBirds email list, its predecessors and its future David McDonald ............................................................................................................. 87 50 years of COG in conservation Jenny Bounds ................................................................................................................... 91 First atlas of Australian birds, the NSW South Coast Pilot Atlas Project 1973-74 and COG Neil Hermes ..................................................................................................................... 97 The ACT Bird Atlas: Looking back McComas Taylor ............................................................................................................. 99 COG excursions to Molonglo Reach to survey nesting darters and cormorants .................... 103 The history of COG’s waterbird surveys – Lake George and Lake Bathurst Michael Lenz ................................................................................................................. 104 Brief history and evolution of the Garden Bird Survey Neil Hermes and Philip Veerman .................................................................................. 116 Woodland bird monitoring survey Jenny Bounds……… .............................................................................................. ...…122 COG’s Bird Blitz Barbara Allan……… ............................................................................................. ...…125 The Canberra Ornithologists Group annotated checklist of the birds of the Australian Capital Territory David McDonald, Mark Clayton and Nicki Taws ......................................................... 129 ii FOREWORD 2014 has been a very significant year for the Canberra Ornithologists Group (COG). We celebrated our 50th Anniversary, a major landmark for any voluntary organisation, with a program of important activities that reflected our half century, COG’s history, and our future directions. We marked our 50th anniversary through: The Gang-gang Bird of the Year project – the Gang-gang is the first bird selected for this concept which we hope to extend to other birds in the future. The Gang-gang is the COG logo and the project was designed to engage the community in reporting sightings (or absence of sightings) of Gang-gangs and build our rather sketchy knowledge base on this iconic bird. A Public Forum “Landscapes for Birds Forum” – the Forum was opened by Mick Gentleman, newly elected ACT Planning Minister and aimed to improve public awareness of the need for landscape scale conservation and restoration and enhancement and was targeted at the broader public to raise awareness about these important issues. A Photographic Competition, opened by Nicole Lawder, MLA, of photographs by COG members designed to stimulate and increase public interest in our regional birds. Over 300 visitors viewed the display of great photographs and the Competition was won by Julian Robinson. A Series of Short Talks – these were reminiscences by Members about COG over its 50 years to reflect on its achievements, its history, and stories that brought a very human face to COG. These talks also served to highlight the important role it has achieved as a well-respected organisation within the community. Inauguration of the Steve Wilson Medal – The Steve Wilson Medal is an annual award in honour of the contribution made by Steve Wilson, one of the founding fathers of COG. The Medal recognises meritorious contribution by an individual through voluntary service to COG. The inaugural award to two recipients announced at the Gala Dinner on 22 November 2014, was made to Jenny Bounds and Grahame Clark. A mini guide on the birds of Canberra – The guide was produced