News | Diary
Ozcranes News has the latest from our four sections (Info, Research, Australia-New Guinea Cranes and Conservation). Our Diary lists crane-related events plus Natural Resource Management meetings in the Northern Gulf Region, which includes the main known Australian breeding area for Sarus Cranes.
Please contact us with your news items and events for the Diary.
Breakthrough for Crane Atlassing – 3 Species!
← Brolga group, image by Sandy Carroll
On 8 December 2011, a new ‘Crane Species’ appeared in Birdata, Birdlife Australia's online database! The Atlas No. is 2520. A new discovery? No – Australia still has only two cranes, the Brolga and Sarus Crane, but depending on viewing conditions they may be hard to distinguish in the field. For example, these preening cranes photographed near Ravenshoe in far north Queensland are all Brolgas but further away in the swamp are hundreds more, some too far away to identify. Heat haze, morning mist, gathering dusk at roosts, all can prevent identification to species, even though the flock total is clear. Previously, only cranes identified to species could be recorded in the national database. So a roost count of 70 Brolgas, 200 Sarus, and 100 unknkowns could only be entered in the Atlas as a total of 270. This gave a depleted site count and misrepresented the apparent balance of Brolga and Sarus in the flock. The welcome new inclusion of ‘Unknown’ cranes in total counts will generate more accurate flock data, valuable for evaluating habitat use and migration numbers amongst other issues. Soon, Ozcranes will give key locations that birdwatchers and others can target, for atlassing full flock data in northern Australia.
The inclusion of ‘Crane Species’ in the Atlas and Birdata was an initiative of Elinor Scambler, supported by BANQ and the Birds Australia Research and Conservation Committee; implemented by Andrew Silcocks, Birdata Manager.
Brolga Recovery Group news
The re-formed BRG has issued Newsletter No. 3, December 2011. Articles cover Brolga record calendars for landowners in Victoria, Brolga wetland feeding habitat, field days and the forthcoming AGM (see Diary). The BRG has been a special interest group of BOCA and will join Birdlife Australia with the merger on 1st January, 2012.
Wind farms
Major wind farm developments in Western Victoria have raised concerns about safety for the region's threatened Brolga population. PhD candidate Inka Veltheim is leading a study to track Brolga movements and assess potential population impacts. The Victoria Brolga Study has funding from DEWHA, the Victorian Government and representatives of the wind industry. Bird Observation and Conservation Australia (BOCA, now part of BirdLife Australia) are supporting Inka's work. To volunteer for Brolga monitoring and other projects email Inka or Sue Mudford at Brolga Recovery Group. Check the BOCA website regularly for Brolga updates in the Conservation section of the monthly ‘Bird Observer’.
Far north Queensland: Meanwhile, wind farm developments proposed for the Toumoulin and Mt Emerald-Walkamin districts are close to key feeding and roosting habitats for wintering Sarus Cranes and Brolgas. Monitoring studies are underway to examine crane movements across proposed turbine sites.
Sarus Crane PhD
Ozcranes congratulates Dr. K.S. Gopi Sundar on the award of his PhD. on breeding Sarus Cranes and Black-necked Storks in Indian wetlands. We look forward to hearing more of Gopi's work with the International Crane Foundation in the coming year.
← Sarus Crane pair feeding, Uttar Pradesh (K.S. Gopi Sundar)
TOPDiary
Please contact us to post your project or event in the Diary.
Note: From 1 January 2012, BOCA and Birds Australia will merge to form BirdLife Australia. New website links, email addresses etc will be advised as they occur.
Crane Counts
The Atherton Tablelands Crane Count is held on the first Saturday of September each year, visit Birds Australia North Queensland or email the Crane Count Co-ordinator.
Sarus Crane landing (Ian Montgomery)
Ongoing Brolga counts, SW VictoriaContact: Richard Hill, (03) 5554 2302. Also, South-West Victoria Brolga Research Project: report sightings of banded Brolgas to Inka Veltheim or BOCA National Office ph. 03-9877 5342.
Brolga Recovery Group
- AGM: Sunday 5 February 2010, Stoneleigh, Victoria
- Email Sue Mudford
- Website
- Phone: (03) 5599 5223
- Mail: "Barranna" 255 Dundonnell Rd. Woorndoo VIC 3272
Northern Gulf Resource Management Group
- Website
- Phone: (07) 4062 1330 Fax: (07) 4062 1488
- Mail: Savannah House, PO Box 63, Georgetown Qld 4871
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