As well as offering birdwatching opportunities, BirdLife Southern NSW also conducts a number of bird conservation projects, as well as educational and awareness-raising programs, including the ever-popular EagleCAM.
BirdLife Southern NSW operates out of our Sydney office, also home to the BirdLife Australia Discovery Centre.
BirdLife Southern NSW holds regular, free, guided bird walks at 10:00 am on the last Sunday of each month. Participants meet at the Newington Armoury Bicycle Hire by the river (not at the Discovery Centre).
The Discovery Centre often hosts workshops and outings. See below for information on any upcoming events.
You can watch the Discovery Centre’s resident pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles on their nest on EagleCAM, which provides bird lovers, researchers and scientists with 24-hour access into the lives of these feathered celebrities.
The Capertee Valley Regent Honeyeater Recovery Project was initiated by BirdLife Southern NSW in 1993 and continues to this day. The Capertee Valley, situated on the western margin of the Blue Mountains, is a critical area for the endangered Regent Honeyeater to forage and breed. However, much of the suitable habitat within the valley has been cleared, fragmented, and degraded, with most remaining habitats located on private lands. While to project is focused on the Regent Honeyeater’s recovery, it has also provided additional habitat for a range of other threatened and declining woodland bird species.
The Capertee Valley project forms part of an ongoing, multi-faceted recovery effort being undertaken across the species range within the framework of the National Regent Honeyeater Recovery Plan. Habitat restoration, especially in key locations, is a vital aspect of the recovery effort, with tree-planting being the primary focus of the BirdLife Southern NSW project. The project complements research and monitoring activities currently being undertaken within the valley by BirdLife Australia’s Woodland Birds program and the Australian National University’s Difficult Birds Research Group.
The project is managed by a committee comprising representatives of various bird observers and conservation groups (Cumberland Bird Observers Club, Birding NSW, Blue Mountains Bird Observers Club and the NSW Land Rover Owners Club and BirdLife Southern NSW), while funding primarily comes from government grants.
Since its inception, volunteers have planted: over 146,000 trees and shrubs on 285 hectares of land on 53 properties. Additionally, 4 hectares of remnant woodland on two sites have been protected by fencing to exclude stock. Planted sites are periodically monitored to assess survival rates and identify any maintenance actions which may be required. Planting weekends are held twice a year for individuals interested in contributing to the project.
During this time, visitors can stay in rented cottages within the valley or neighboring towns, or they can camp at the Glen Davis campground or other sites on private land and national parks within the valley. The Capertee Valley provides a spectacular setting for bird-watching and is a great location to enjoy the outdoors.
The Cowra Woodland Birds Project was initiated to address concerns that woodland birds were declining in rural landscapes in the Cowra district, the Cowra Woodland Birds project conducts quarterly bird surveys, as well as habitat restoration and conservation.
Managed by BirdLife Australia, the Powerful Owl Project educates the community about Powerful Owls, conducts workshops, and encourages the community to monitor breeding pairs of Powerful Owls across Sydney and surrounding districts.
