Australian Bird Count
WHERE DO
ALL THE BUSH
BIRDS GO?
In 1989 the RAOU embarked on one of the most ambitious bird
counting projects undertaken in Australia – the Australian Bird
Count. Now the analysis of the enormous volume of data is
beginning to reveal the seasonal movements of our bush birds –
including some surprises.
by Michael F. Clarke, Peter Griffioen and Richard H. Loyn
Supplement to Wingspan, vol. 9, no. 4, December 1999
ii
Australian Bird Count
The Australian Bird Count
relied on the participation
of a dedicated band of
volunteers throughout the
country.
Photo by Jane Miller
Inset: The ABC is helping to
clarify the seasonal
distribution of species that
migrate southward from
the tropics in summer,
such as the Fairy Martin.
Photo by Graeme Chapman
EVEN A CASUAL OBSERVER KNOWS that the abundance of different bird
species changes over time and space. What is less obvious is how changes at individual
sites fit in with a continental picture of bird movements. By the early 1980s it was
becoming increasingly clear that species and ecosystems could not be properly
managed without an understanding of these movements.
Thus it was that in the mid-1980s the RAOU’s
Research Committee decided to embark on an
ambitious Australia-wide project to gather bird
count data in a consistent and scientific manner.
At that time there were already several monitoring
schemes under way elsewhere in the world, and the
Committee commissioned a review to determine the
best method to introduce in Australia.1,2 Four
methods were selected for field testing,3 which
showed that active methods (transects or area
searches) detected more individual birds and species
in 20 minutes than stationary methods. A method
known as active timed area-search4 was found to be
the most popular, and it was also the best-buffered
Australian Bird Count
against variations in counts due to time of day and
weather. This, then, was the method selected for
the project.
Responsibility for co-ordinating the project was
given to Dr Stephen Ambrose, initially from Sydney
and then from the new Melbourne headquarters of
Birds Australia, where he was appointed as Research
and Conservation Manager. Funding for initial work
was obtained from the Federal Government through
the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (now
Environment Australia), and BP Australia
generously offered a major sponsorship amounting
to $250,000 over five years. With funding secured,
the field project began in 1989, and the Australian
Bird Count – the ABC – was born.
THE COUNT
Between January 1989 and August 1995, 952
observers carried out 78,938 standard surveys at
1681 different locations throughout Australia
(Figure 1). Others took part intermittently, or
helped with initial testing; altogether, over 2000
sites were surveyed by 1020 people. Observers were
asked to select groups of three sites each of about
3 hectares, close to each other and in a similar broad
habitat type. Birds were counted regularly on those
sites by 20-minute area-search at least twice a year
(summer and winter), but monthly if possible.
Forms were used to record the basic details of the
location and habitat at each site. Simpler forms were
used for submitting count details. Birds observed
off-site were recorded, but not included in the main
data base.
Survey locations were predictably biased
towards areas close to human population centres.
As a result, the eastern half of Australia and the
south-west of Western Australia received the most
intensive coverage. But observers, like some of the
birds they admire, are somewhat migratory.
Northern and inland parts of the continent were
surveyed more often during the cooler, drier months
of the year than during the summer wet season.
Surveys in these remote locations by intrepid
observers during the wet season thus became
particularly valuable.
Many observers took up the challenge of
surveying their sites on a monthly basis, or even
more frequently. Some even provided series of longterm counts from before the ABC. Table 1 shows the
observers who contributed the most number of
surveys to the count.
PUTTING THE DATA TO WORK
With any large data set it is never easy to interpret
data and present it in an easily digestible form.
Modern computer technology has helped
immensely, but special skills are needed to make the
best use of these new tools. The project benefited
Name
Town
State Number
of
surveys
Mrs K. Hastwell
S. Telford
The Wardens
D. Latham
R. Watson
F. Ormsby
Mrs S. Rooke
D. Lockwood
R. Canning
J. Gleeson
N. Cruickshank
J. Bannister
C. Whiteoak
J. Lacey
P. Slack
F. Bigg
C. Hall
Mrs H. Wilson
B.L. Schmidt
Mrs C. Clarke
R. Swaby
J. Morrison
Miss M. Pywell
S. Lloyd
S. Waddell
D. James
Kinglake
West Armadale
Norseman
Armidale
Coffs Harbour
Bondi Junction
Nambour
Clayton South
Mt Barker
Evatt
Tea Gardens
Alice Springs
Coolum Beach
Red Lion via Talbot
Nelson Bay
Bribie Island
Paynesville
Winnellie
Hawthorndene
Annandale
Malvern
Albany
Irymple
Birralee
Stanmore
Forrestdale
VIC
WA
WA
NSW
NSW
NSW
QLD
VIC
SA
ACT
NSW
NT
QLD
VIC
NSW
QLD
VIC
NT
NSW
NSW
QLD
WA
VIC
TAS
NSW
WA
iii
Table 1 Major contributors
to the Australian Bird
Count
2896
2617
1957
1400
1169
1018
951
848
755
649
608
579
538
532
532
526
450
432
407
406
400
387
380
371
371
360
Figure 1
enormously by the fortuitous return to Australia of
Peter Griffioen, from a computer programming
career in California’s Silicon Valley.
Peter wanted to use his skills to build a new
career in conservation, and was quickly introduced
to the project and Mike Clarke of La Trobe
University as an academic supervisor. Together they
have cleaned up the data base and developed some
powerful visual tools for viewing it, including
Figure 1 Locations of the
sites at which ABC surveys
were made.
iv
Australian Bird Count
For flocking species such as
the Straw-necked Ibis, a
change in reporting rate is
not a good predictor of a
change in abundance.
Photo by Graeme Chapman
animated graphics of seasonal movements. In this
article we are unfortunately confined to stationary
graphics, but some animated versions can be viewed
via links on the Birds Australia website:
www.birdsaustralia.com.au.
Reporting rate vs abundance
Two of the major strengths of the ABC data are the
intensive repeated surveying effort observers put in at
fixed sites over several years, and the collection of
numerical information. This makes it possible to see
how well changes in the ‘reporting rate’ of a species
in a region reflected changes in abundance of that
Figure 2 The relationship
between reporting rate
and mean abundance
(birds detected per hectare
in a 20-minute survey),
based upon ABC data, for
(a) Red Wattlebird, and
(b) Straw-necked Ibis.
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
species in the region, as recorded by ABC surveyors.
Many bird surveys such as the Atlas of Australian
Birds collect data on a presence/absence basis, with
no measure of numerical abundance at each site.
Measures of ‘reporting rate’ (the proportion of
surveys in which a species is detected) are sometimes
taken as approximate measures of regional
abundance, but how reliable is this? For example, if
Rufous Whistlers were recorded in 75 of 100
summer surveys within the catchment of the
Murrumbidgee River, and in 10 of 100 winter
surveys in the same region, it might be concluded
that there were more Rufous Whistlers in this region
in the summer – but perhaps they were simply more
widespread in summer and more concentrated in
winter. We really need to estimate the relative
number of individuals present during each period.
The ABC surveyors did this, and so created a unique
data set with which to examine the strength of this
relationship between reporting rates and a species’
regional abundance.
Peter Griffioen’s analyses revealed that, for
most species, there was a very strong relationship
between the reporting rate and the abundance of
the species in the region, as reported by the ABC
contributors. (The average correlation coefficient
for 512 species sampled was 0.81 ± 0.17, calculated
using the method of Nachman.5) The relationship
was strong for most species examined, such as the
Red Wattlebird (Figure 2a). The red lines represent
95 per cent confidence intervals. In other words,
we can be 95 per cent certain that our estimate of
this species’ abundance for a particular reporting
rate lies between the two red lines. But the
confidence intervals for species that can form large
flocks (such as the Straw-necked Ibis, Figure 2b)
are much further apart, so changes in reporting rate
will not be a good predictor of changes in that
species’ abundance.
Australian Bird Count
Regional changes in abundance
Information about the timing of movements is
rarely obtainable from large-scale bird-banding.
In a country the size of Australia, the chance of a
bush bird that has been banded in one location
being recaptured (or the band recovered) in another
location is very small, since there are few people
and the area needing to be covered is immense.
For example, by 1995 about 270,000 Silvereyes
had been banded in Australia,6 but only 458
(0.17 per cent) were recovered farther than 5 km
from the site of banding. Of those 458, only
32 (0.01 per cent of birds banded) were recovered
in a short enough time to reveal the timing of
their movement.7
By combining the ABC data base with other
data bases, it is possible for the first time to discern
regional changes in the abundances of species based
upon large-scale changes in regional reporting rates.
However, changes in reporting rates must be
interpreted with caution, because they may also
reflect seasonal changes in the conspicuousness or
detectability of a particular species. For example, a
species might be present in a region during the
non-breeding season, but be hard to detect when
not calling. Even so, for many species, major
changes in reporting rate can tell us much about
changes in abundance over time and space. This is
the case for the Grey Fantail in eastern Australia
(Figure 3 a–d). Most of the population appears to
winter in northern New South Wales, coastal
Queensland and Cape York, but then largely
abandons these regions in summer to breed in
coastal New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
For the maps shown here, surveys conducted within
45 days either side of 8 March, 8 June, 8 September
and 8 December have been pooled as ‘autumn’,
‘winter’, ‘spring’ and ‘summer’ respectively, with
greater weighting being given to surveys carried out
closer to those central dates.
For some parts of the country it is possible to
produce maps for every fortnight of the year,
because of the huge number of surveys available.
Such a series of maps can then be arranged in
chronological order, and when run through on a
computer in quick succession produce remarkable
animated depictions of the changes in distribution
of the species as the year unfolds. Grey Fantails are a
striking example, as discussed above. This is the first
time the depiction of the scale and timing of such
large-scale movements has been possible.
Seasonal distributions
The analysis of the ABC data is now giving us a
much clearer picture of when and where birds are
moving. Bird-watchers often have a good idea of
when migrants come and go from their own local
area, and discuss these events in newsletters and
electronic media such as birding-aus. But now for
the first time we can generate maps of such
movements at the continental scale.
v
Thanks to the sterling efforts of thousands of
volunteers, Birds Australia and affiliated
ornithological organisations possess some
extraordinarily large data sets. These include the
first Atlas of Australian Birds, the NSW Atlas, and
the Canberra Ornithologists Group’s data base.
With the computerisation of these data bases, they
can now be combined to provide a very powerful
research tool. The core of this power lies in the
huge number of surveys it represents – more than
4.5 million records.
Above: In eastern Australia,
many Grey Fantails appear
to winter in northern New
South Wales, coastal
Queensland and Cape York,
but then largely abandon
these regions in summer to
breed in coastal New South
Wales, Victoria and
Tasmania.
Left: Banding studies are
not always useful for
studying seasonal
movements. By 1995 about
270,000 Silvereyes had been
banded in Australia, but
only 32 were recovered in a
short enough time to reveal
the timing of their
movement.
Photos by Graeme
Chapman
vi
Australian Bird Count
Figure 3 Eastern
distribution of the Grey
Fantail during ‘autumn’,
‘winter’, ‘spring’ and
‘summer’. Units are birds
per hectare that might
be detected in a
20-minute survey.
Autumn
Winter
Figure 3a
Figure 3b
Spring
Summer
Figure 3c
Figure 3d
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.25
0.25 ≤ 0.5
0.5 ≤ 1.0
1.0 ≤ 2.0
> 2.0
Australian Bird Count
Sometimes the maps confirm what many have
known for years regarding the timing and location
of movements of some species, such as the
Dollarbird, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo and Rainbow
Bee-eater (Figures 4–6). But in other cases,
unexpected or poorly documented seasonal
movement patterns have been detected. For
example, some field guides describe Richard’s Pipit
as sedentary, but the ABC and Atlas maps suggest
this species spreads in a south-easterly direction in
summer, increasing in abundance in Tasmania,
Victoria and southern New South Wales (Figure 7).
Another example is the annual movement up and
down the north coast of New South Wales and
southern Queensland of the Scarlet Honeyeater
population (Figure 8). Much of the Golden Whistler
population appears to spread inland in winter, but
spends summer in the ranges or closer to the coast in
eastern Australia (Figure 9).
These kinds of maps can also be used to identify
regions in which migratory species are present all
year round – a circumstance that spawns an array of
additional questions. For example, although many
Grey Fantails appear to abandon south-eastern
Australia for warmer northern regions in winter
(see Figure 3b), many do not. Are these individuals
members of non-migratory sub-populations of the
species, or are they a particular age-class of Grey
Fantails (such as adults) that do not migrate? There
is evidence that Grey Fantails and other species
favour drier, more open habitats in winter than in
summer. No doubt, dozens of similarly intriguing
puzzles will emerge as these maps and data are
examined more closely. These questions might well
be important for the recognition and conservation
of sub-populations within larger species complexes.
Seasonal changes from controlled sites
One of the strengths of ABC data is that
comparisons can be made between identical sets of
sites surveyed at different times with known effort.
This means that we can check whether apparent
trends in maps prepared using Atlas data might be
due partly to seasonal changes in observer behaviour
(for example, when bird-watchers visit the interior
more in winter than summer). A summary table has
vii
Above left: The seasonal
distribution maps have
confirmed what many have
known for years about the
timing and location of
movements of some
species, such as the
Rainbow Bee-eater.
Photo by Graeme Chapman
Above: Some field guides
describe Richard’s Pipit as
sedentary, but the ABC data
and Atlas maps show that it
spreads in a south-easterly
direction in summer.
Photo by Dave Watts
viii
Australian Bird Count
Figure 4 Eastern
distribution of the
Dollarbird during ‘autumn’,
‘winter’, ‘spring’, ‘summer’.
Units are birds per hectare
that might be detected in
a 20-minute survey.
Autumn
Winter
Figure 4a
Figure 4b
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.25
0.25 ≤ 0.5
0.5 ≤ 1.0
1.0 ≤ 2.0
> 2.0
Spring
Summer
Figure 4c
Figure 4d
Australian Bird Count
ix
Figure 5 Eastern
distribution of the Shining
Bronze-Cuckoo during
‘winter’, and ‘summer’.
Units in all maps are
birds per hectare that
might be detected in a
20-minute survey.
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.1
0.1 ≤ 0.2
0.2 ≤ 0.4
0.4 ≤ 0.8
> 0.8
Winter
Summer
Figure 5a
Figure 5b
Figure 6 Eastern
distribution of the Rainbow
Bee-eater during ‘winter’,
and ‘summer’. Units in all
maps are birds per hectare
that might be detected in a
20-minute survey.
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.25
0.25 ≤ 0.5
0.5 ≤ 1.0
1.0 ≤ 2.0
Winter
Summer
Figure 6a
Figure 6b
> 2.0
x
Australian Bird Count
Figure 7 Eastern
distribution of the Richard’s
Pipit (shown above left,
with a Red-throated Pipit!)
during ‘winter’, and
‘summer’. Units in all maps
are birds per hectare that
might be detected in a
20-minute survey.
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.25
0.25 ≤ 0.5
0.5 ≤ 1.0
1.0 ≤ 2.0
> 2.0
Winter
Summer
Figure 7a
Figure 7b
Winter
Summer
Figure 8a
Figure 8b
Figure 8 Eastern
distribution of the
Scarlet Honeyeater during
‘winter’, and ‘summer’.
Units in all maps are
birds per hectare that
might be detected in a
20-minute survey.
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.25
0.25 ≤ 0.5
0.5 ≤ 1.0
1.0 ≤ 2.0
> 2.0
Australian Bird Count
xi
Figure 9 Eastern
distribution of the Golden
Whistler during ‘winter’,
and ‘summer’. Units in all
maps are birds per hectare
that might be detected in a
20-minute survey.
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.1
0.1 ≤ 0.2
0.2 ≤ 0.4
0.4 ≤ 0.8
Winter
Summer
Figure 9a
Figure 9b
been constructed for selected species showing mean
bird abundances in summer and winter, based
exclusively on sets of ABC sites surveyed in all four
seasons (Table 2, see p. XII). The data were sorted by
State, with the ACT grouped with New South Wales,
Queensland divided into north and south at latitude
25°S, and Western Australia divided likewise at
latitude 30°S. Each site was given equal weighting in
calculating means, regardless of how often it was
surveyed. These regions were then grouped further
after inspection of seasonal data for each species.
(Note that ABC data are based on a less comprehensive set of sites and habitats than Atlas data, with
some obvious biases, e.g. there were few sites in
inland Australia, cleared pasture or extensive forests.)
The data provide clear and controlled evidence
for winter declines of many common species in
southern Australia (especially Tasmania) and winter
increases of some of them in northern Australia
(Table 2). The limited data from the north suggest
that summer departures of southern migrants were
greater from the Northern Territory and northern
Western Australia than from north Queensland.
However, often these species were numerous in
winter in far north Queensland, but the seasonal
pattern was obscured by the inclusion of sites further
south in this vast region. This may have applied to
species such as the Fairy Martin, Satin Flycatcher
and Leaden Flycatcher: the last species in particular
is known to be a common winter visitor on Cape
York. Winter exoduses from Tasmania were evident
for the Flame Robin, Grey Fantail, Tree Martin,
Welcome Swallow, Striated Pardalote and Silvereye,
in contrast to the Golden Whistler and Spotted
Pardalote which showed no net seasonal change
in Tasmania.
In Western Australia, many species were more
common in summer than in winter in the south, and
in some cases the limited data from the north
suggested a winter increase there (e.g. Western
Gerygone and Richard’s Pipit, Table 2). Silvereyes
showed no net seasonal change in the south-west
(Table 2), though we would expect them to move
between habitats within the region. Grey Fantails
appeared to be more common in winter than summer
in southern Western Australia: sites near Perth may
attract a winter influx from wet forests in the far
south-west, where fewer surveys were conducted.
The State-based tabulation (Table 2) obscures
some known habitat shifts, often involving a winter
exodus from wet forests into drier habitats. For some
species this involved westward extension of range in
winter, clearly evident from Atlas maps (e.g. Golden
Whistler and Spotted Pardalote).
Some honeyeaters and pardalotes were more
common in winter than in summer at most sites
> 0.8
x11
Australian Bird Count
Species
Region
Azure Kingfisher
NT, NQld, SQld
NSW, Vic
NT + NWA
NQld + SQld
SWA
elsewhere
NQld + SQld
NSW + Vic + SA
Tas
NT + NWA
NQld
elsewhere
NQld
SQld
NSW + Vic + SA
Tas
NQld
NT + NWA
SQld
NSW + SA
Vic + Tas
NT
NQld
elsewhere
NT
NQld
SQld
elsewhere
NT
NQld
SQld
NSW + Vic + SA
NT + NWA
N,SQld + NSW + SA + Vic
Tas
SQld
NSW
Vic
NT + NQld + SQld + NSW
NQld + NT + NWA
SQld + NSW
Vic
NQld + NT
SQld
NSW + Vic + SA
NT + NWA
NQld
SQld + NSW + SA + Vic
S + NQld
NSW
NWA + NT + N,SQld + NSW + SA
SWA
Vic + Tas
NT + S,NWA + N,SQld + NSW + Vic
Tas
NWA + NT + N,SQld + NSW
SA + Vic
Tas
NWA + NT + NQld
SQld + NSW + Vic + SA + SWA
Tas
NWA
SWA
elsewhere
NQld
SQld
NSW + Vic
NWA + NT + NQld
SQld + SA
NSW + Vic
NQld
SQld + NSW
Vic + SA
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
Dusky Woodswallow
Fairy Martin
Golden Whistler
Grey Fantail
Leaden Flycatcher
Magpie-lark
Rainbow Bee-eater
Richard’s Pipit
Rose Robin
Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
Rufous Fantail
Rufous Whistler
Sacred Kingfisher
Scarlet Honeyeater
Silvereye
Spotted Pardalote
Striated Pardalote
Tree Martin
Western Gerygone
White-throated Gerygone
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
Summer
Winter
18
5
38
154
59
99
1
43
288
0
249
46
34
98
66
74
18
1
68
168
339
32
57
16
61
268
179
128
153
485
101
37
1
7
11
3
1
2
14
7
23
7
44
64
117
12
20
44
38
21
257
455
280
55
147
36
162
306
58
144
41
0
192
2
19
20
19
77
112
173
19
101
132
16
1
63
119
61
44
5
19
2
9
207
11
15
133
57
99
411
40
411
159
215
87
38
2
181
516
225
119
169
228
68
6
21
6
0
17
9
0
4
50
3
0
80
67
7
47
14
3
160
7
538
453
198
111
141
98
150
30
194
117
0
44
138
1
46
16
1
177
115
82
14
389
151
Notes:
1 summer = 8 Dec ± 45 days; winter = 8 June ± 45 days
2 Table is based on data from 54 sites counted in all four seasons in northern Queensland, 88 in
southern Queensland, 301 in NSW–ACT, 133 in Victoria, 39 in Tasmania, 72 in South Australia,
94 in southern WA, 9 in northern WA and 23 in NT.
3 Each site was given equal weighting in calculating means, regardless of how often it was surveyed.
Table 2 Mean abundance of selected species by
region in summer and winter. Figures are birds
observed per hectare per 20–minute survey (x 1000).
surveyed, as they tend to be summer visitors to
extensive forests (with relatively few ABC sites) and
winter visitors to more accessible habitats. The wellknown north–south migrations of Yellow-faced
Honeyeaters were clearly evident from New South
Wales and Queensland data but further analysis is
needed to assess habitat shifts within Victoria and
South Australia (Table 2).
Additional statistical analyses based on habitats
and bioregions are being carried out and there
remains great scope for other researchers to use the
data to answer questions of interest to them or to
land managers.
SOME MYSTERIES
The ABC data set has not only solved some
mysteries: it has created some too. Maps generated
from combined ABC and Atlas data suggest that
Dusky Woodswallows were more common in
summer than in winter through most of their eastern
range. They are clearly summer migrants in the
south, but where do they go to in winter? The ABC
data point to a winter increase in Queensland
(Table 2), though only low numbers were recorded
there on ABC sites. Field guides give their view of
winter range (e.g. Pizzey & Knight 19978), but do we
really know? Inland areas of Queensland clearly
deserve further attention in the future.
Azure Kingfishers were recorded more often in
summer than in winter in southern mainland
Australia during the Atlas; but was this merely
because observers spent more time around rivers
during summer? The limited ABC data also suggest
a summer increase on the sites surveyed in both
seasons (Table 2).
Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves were observed more
often in summer than winter throughout their tropical
or subtropical range, yet ABC–Atlas maps show a
remarkable consistency in distribution across seasons
(Table 2). Perhaps the ABC data reflect conspicuousness while breeding, or do birds move into more
accessible habitats in the humid summer season?
Some unexpected trends emerged for species
generally regarded as sedentary (Table 2). For
example, there was an apparent summer increase of
Mistletoebirds in the Northern Territory and a
winter increase of Magpie-larks in the Northern
Territory and north Queensland (as also reported
in the first Atlas). Willie Wagtails were more
common in summer than winter at sites surveyed in
Victoria and NSW–ACT, and vice versa in north
Queensland. Long-distance movement has never
been suspected in this species, so the results may
reflect local habitat shifts occurring independently
in each region – or do they? Further investigation is
in order.
Australian Bird Count
Long-term changes
The period covered by the ABC was too short to
detect long-term nation-wide trends. Year-to-year
changes were examined for 12 selected species, using
data from sites counted in each of the five years from
1990 to 1994. Three woodland birds thought to be
declining – Scarlet Robins, Hooded Robins and
Speckled Warblers – were included in this group.9,10
Mean densities of two woodland birds (Scarlet
Robins and Hooded Robins) appeared to decline
gradually from maximum levels in 1990. However,
the density of Speckled Warblers, another groundforaging bird of the open woodlands, appeared to
increase over the same period. These opposing results
imply a need for very long-term data sets to detect all
but the most dramatic changes in bird populations
on a national scale.
CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS
Knowing when and where birds move around the
country is fundamental to the sound management of
their habitat. Some areas, such as river courses or
large remnants of native vegetation, may be identified
as being significant migration routes or stopover
points in the movement patterns of several species.
For example, when examining the seasonal maps for
the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo in inland New South
Wales, seasonal movements by cockatoos are clearly
xiii
Far left: Dusky
Woodswallows are clearly
summer migrants in the
south, but where do they
go to in winter? Inland
areas of Queensland could
be the answer.
Photo by Rob Drummond
Above: The Magpie-lark is
usually thought of as a
sedentary species, but the
ABC data indicate a winter
increase of Magpie-larks in
the Northern Territory and
north Queensland.
Photo by Graeme Chapman
Left: Very long-term data
are needed to detect all but
the most dramatic changes
in bird populations on a
national scale, especially for
woodland birds that appear
to be declining, such as the
Hooded Robin.
Photo by Graeme Chapman
xiv
Australian Bird Count
Right: In inland New South
Wales, Red-tailed BlackCockatoos appear to move
along the Darling River. The
quantitative evidence
provided by the ABC data
highlights the importance
of such life-giving arteries
in an arid landscape.
Below: The ABC data will
help us to document the
spread of introduced
species, such as the
Laughing Kookaburra in
the west.
Photos by Dave Watts
occurring along the Darling River (Figure 10). This
quantitative evidence of the importance of such
critical features of the landscape should strengthen
the case for their preservation and careful
management, and highlight the importance of these
life-giving arteries in an arid landscape.
Birds Australia and its affiliates have been coordinating surveys such as the ABC for more than
20 years: a period during which the Australian
landscape has undergone some major changes. As data
from the current New Atlas project accumulate,
comparisons will be made with the older data sets.
Many important conservation-related questions will
be able to be addressed. For example, we will be able
to identify those species that have suffered significant
reductions in their range or abundance in the 20 years
since the first Atlas (1977–81). We will also be able to
document the spread of introduced species such as
Common Myna or Common Starling in the east, or
Laughing Kookaburra in the west, or the degree to
which native ‘pest’ species such as Noisy Miners and
Pied Currawongs are increasing in abundance or
range. The ABC data will be an important stepping
stone between the two field Atlases.
The first Atlas led to many major conservation
initiatives for Australian birds. We anticipate that our
ability to identify conservation priorities will be far
greater in the next few years as the New Atlas project
takes another snapshot of the state of our birds,
which we can then compare with the picture
produced as a result of the efforts of past Atlassers
and ABCers (or ‘Cabbies’ – Counters of Australian
Birds). We hope that this direct link between the data
collected by volunteers and conservation initiatives
will stimulate even more people to get out there
surveying our amazing birdlife, and analysing results.
Further information
For further analysis using Atlas or ABC data, see the
Birds Australia website: www.birdsaustralia.com.au
or contact research staff at Birds Australia, or the
authors:
Dr Mike Clarke, Dept. of Zoology,
La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic 3083;
email: [email protected]
Peter Griffioen: email: [email protected]
Richard Loyn, Arthur Rylah Institute
(Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment),
123 Brown St, Heidelberg, Vic. 3084;
email: [email protected]
ABC results have been used for a number of research
and conservation purposes (e.g. Griffioen 1996). A
more complete set of results has been placed on the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the other ABC)
website for Birds Australia at www.abc.net.au/birds.
Australian Bird Count
xv
Figure 10 Distribution
of the Red-tailed
Black-Cockatoo in New
South Wales and southern
Queensland during ‘winter’
and ‘summer’. Units in all
maps are birds per hectare
that might be detected in a
20-minute survey.
no data
0
0 ≤ 0.25
0.25 ≤ 0.5
0.5 ≤ 1.0
1.0 ≤ 2.0
Winter
Figure 10a
Summer
Figure 10b
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Main thanks to the 1000+ volunteers who contributed their time and expertise to collecting field data for the ABC and associated
projects (e.g. testing methods). Special thanks are also due to BP Australia and Environment Australia for funding the field project,
which was initiated by Richard Loyn and supported strongly at various stages by Margaret Cameron, Dr Stephen Davies, Dr Phillip
Moors, Barry Baker, Brian Snape, Dr David Baker-Gabb, Dr Mike Newman, and others. The project was co-ordinated by Dr
Stephen Ambrose throughout its field phase, ably assisted by volunteers in Sydney and Melbourne. This work was overseen by a
steering committee of Dr Phillip Moors and then Dr David Baker-Gabb (Chairs), Barry Baker, Marilyn Hewish, Richard Loyn and
Bruce Male. Dr Khalid ab-Dabagh and Heather Gibbs assisted with data collation. Peter Griffioen and Dr Mike Clarke made a pivotal contribution to checking datasets and bringing them into a usable form.
Current (1999) efforts to produce this report and website were overseen by a committee consisting of Richard Loyn (Chair),
Dr Mike Clarke, Peter Griffioen, Marilyn Hewish and Barry Baker.
Special thanks go to Frank Knight and HarperCollinsPublishers for permission to reproduce Frank’s superb illustrations from
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight (Angus & Robertson, 1997).
Edited by David Meagher and Merrilyn Julian; layout and production by P.A.G.E. Pty Ltd; printing by Buscombe Vicprint Ltd.
> 2.0
Australian Bird Count
REFERENCES
1
Smith, P. 1986, Monitoring the Populations and
Movements of Australian Birds: A Project Proposal,
RAOU Report 25, RAOU, Moonee Ponds.
2 Smith, P. 1987, Monitoring the Populations and
Movements of Australian Birds: Workshop Report,
RAOU Report 28, RAOU, Moonee Ponds.
3 Hewish M. & Loyn R. H. 1989, Popularity
and Effectiveness of Four Survey Methods for
Monitoring Populations of Australian Land Birds,
RAOU Report 55, RAOU, Moonee Ponds.
4 Loyn R. H. 1986, ‘The 20 minute search – a
simple method for counting forest birds’,
Corella, vol. 10, pp. 58–60.
5 Nachman, G. 1981, ‘A mathematical model of
the functional relationship between density
and the spatial distribution of a population’,
Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 50, pp. 453–60.
6 Baker G. B., Dettman E. B., Scotney B. T.,
Hardy L. J. & Drynan D. A. D. 1997, Report
on the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme,
1995–96, Environment Australia, Canberra
7 Griffioen P. 1996, Investigation of bird
movements using the Australian Bird Count:
A pilot study based on the Silvereye, Zosterops
lateralis, Grad. Dip. Thesis, Dept. of Zoology,
La Trobe University, Bundoora.
8 Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. 1997, The Field Guide
to the Birds of Australia, Angus & Robertson,
Sydney.
9 Robinson, D. 1993, ‘Vale Toolern Vale: the
loss of our woodland birds’, Wingspan, vol. 9,
pp. 1–3, 20–21.
10 Robinson, D. & Traill, B. J. 1996, Conserving
Woodland Birds in the Wheat and Sheep Belts of
Southern Australia, RAOU Conservation
Statement No. 10, Supplement to Wingspan,
vol. 6, no. 2.
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The Australian Bird Count was generously supported by the
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Funding for the publication of this supplement was generously
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Cover photo: Birdwatching in the Mallee Graeme Chapman
Inset left: Striated Pardalote Rob Drummond
Inset right: Scarlet Robin Dave Watts
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