Early on Sunday 25 September, around 20 landholders gathered for a glorious sunny day of bird walks and tree planting in Forties Creek. The theme of the day was to look, listen and learn about woodland birds and the best methods to conserve and create suitable habitat.
The event was the final in a two-part series run by Upper Shoalhaven Landcare and South East Local Land Services (LLS), raising awareness of the Save Our Scarlet Robin Project. The LLS project has helped landholders around the district fund fencing and native plants to protect and revegetate over 500 hectares of habitat for a range of threatened woodland birds.
Tips and techniques on revegetating for Woodland birdsThe first step is to identify the nearest patches of remnant bush to your property, preferably greater than 10 ha, as well as the water points and refuges birds and mammals can use to travel between them. Small woodland birds typically require vegetation every 50 meters or so to perch and take cover.
The next step is to promote this habitat connectivity. You can do this by enhancing existing small patches of bush by excluding livestock and allowing natural regeneration, save mature paddock trees (alive and dead) and create stepping-stone plantings around them, or fence along waterways for enhanced biodiversity.
Other useful tips were to retain fallen timber, as dead wood provides excellent breeding grounds for Insects birds can forage on, and plant native species at a ratio of 40:60 trees to shrubs. A shrubby midstory is an important refuge for smaller birds to nest In, particularly dense and prickly foliage species like Callistemons and Bursaria.
After the talk, Andy and landowner Rob launched into a practical tree planting demonstration. Tractor rippers, hand-held drill augers, hamilton tree planters and a range of different tree guards were on display. Together the group discussed the pros and cons of each, but ultimately concluded every reveg project is slightly different, as you need to factor in local site conditions like soil type, aspect and topography.
Some good takeaways, however, were site preparation is a key to success. If you're considering ripping contour lines, do so at least 6 months prior to planting. This allows time for the soil to collapse back in and eliminate air pockets which are deadly to young roots.
If the site is covered in dense groundcover, consider spot spraying a few weeks ahead, or remove a good 30cm of vegetation around Bach plant and put down weed mat or mulch to reduce competition as the seedling establishes.
Last but not least, if you're desperate to plant in the vicinity of wombat burrows, think twice before guarding your plants. There's a good chance the wombats will see them as intruders into their territory and bulldoze them out of the way.
To wrap up the great day, all the participants dug in to help plant 100 native trees and shrubs, trialling some of the different techniques, tools and tree guards on offer.
If you're ever interested in more Information on the Save Our Scarlet Robin Project or how to plan revegetation projects to promote habitat for woodland birds, you can always reach out and seek advice from LLS and Landcare
(andy.taylor@lls.nsw.gov.au or upper.shoalhaven@gmail.com).
Article Attrition: Bungendore Weekly, Erin Brinkley#NativeFloraFauna