Background

Since 2008, at least ten bird walks have been conducted each year in locations selected as being representative of bird habitats along Kedron Brook. This project aims to accumulate data on bird life along the Brook; specifically those variations in birds species noted together with their distribution.

To useful links and results from other years

Details of 2008 observations

Details of the locations and general arrangements for each walk are available in the yearly programs. Link to the 2008 Program which currently is being updated to include the walks from the first half of the year.

Schultz Canal to Nundah Lake - 13 January 2008

Dawn Muir led a small group of keen birders on 13 January from Kalinga Park down the northern side of the Brook to wetlands about 1.5 Km east of the Motorway crossing and adjacent to the Schultz Canal. The latter directs the flow from Kedron Brook into the Kedron Brook Floodway entering Moreton Bay just south of Nudgee Beach. Sixty species of birds were observed, similar to that observed by Greg Miller in November 2006 over the same area.

Cedar Creek - 20 January 2008

The second survey on 20 January, along Cedar Creek, in Ferny Hills, recorded forty one species, with the anticipated absence of salt- and fresh-water birds from the first survey. The tall trees and open Eucalypt forest atmosphere was most pleasing even at the early hour of 6:30 am!

Coble Park to Wahminda Grove - 2 February 2008

The next survey was conducted, by Dawn Muir, Charles and Jenny Ivin, on 2 February starting at Coble Park, Cnr Archdale St and Lantina Steet. It followed up Lanita street until opposite the Scouts Den on the northern side of the Brook off the Samford Road. A track lead from here up to the Tennis courts just short of entering the Maureen Lawrence Park. Rain at this point caused a hasty retreat but not until twenty three bird species were identified along the track. Twenty two species were noted around Wahminda Park alone though a majority had been observed from along the starting point up to the Park.

Kalinga Park to Cressey Street Wetlands - 18 May 2008

A special survey was carried out, by Leanne Bowden & Greg Miller, WPSQ Brisbane Branch, on 18 May am, starting from Kalinga Park and ending up at the Cressey Street Wetlands, at Wavell Heights. Thirty nine species of birds were noted over the two sites.

Thomsett, Bob Cassimaty and Arbor Parks, Ferny Grove - 8 June 2008

This survey was carried out in generally open parkland, by Dawn Muir and Charles and Jenny Ivin, on 8 June am at Thomsett and Bob Cassimaty Parks, Ferny Grove. A separate survey followed in the nearby Arbor Road Park (locally signposted as Ferny Grove Parkland). These results were separated from the fifth survey because of the size and diversity of vegetation at this important forest remnant. [In later years, all three parks are combined.] Recent periods of general rain produced good flows in Cedar Creek and the Brook.

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Grinstead Park and Sparkes Hill Reserve - 9 June 2008

On 9 June at 7:30 am, Dawn Muir, Rob Robbie, Robert Standish-White, Charles and Jenny Ivin covered the generally open parkland of Grinstead Park as the seventh survey. From there, they continued into the substantial forest remnant of the Sparkes Hill Reserve on the eighth bird survey. Recent rain and pleasant winter sunshine made these recent surveys most enjoyable with good birding.

Pony Club Bend, and Teralba Park - 14 July 2008

On 14 July at 7:30 am, Dawn Muir, Helen Moriarty, Margaret Zalewski and Charles Ivin followed the Brook along the general line of the Greenway from Lansvale Street, Mitchelton, past the Pony Club and the Osborne Road Habitat Group area through to near Burwood Road, Everton Park. The Bridge was still restricted from access so cars were used to shift around to Osborne Road. (The Brook was both too wide and deep near the bridge for convenient crossing). The overcast conditions at 7:30 am eventually changed to a light shower around 10 am. It was noticeable how areas of lantana suited the small birds and the seed of the Japanese Sunflowers attracted some galahs but the huge areas of lush glycine, morning glory and madiera vine near the Pony Club did not appear as suitable a habitat.

Benelong Park and Cressey Street Wetlands - 3 August 2008

On 3 August at 7:00 am, Dawn Muir, Mick Wilson, Charles and Jenny Ivin surveyed Benelong Park and then the Cressy Park Conservation Wetlands system. It was a wintery but sunny morning that continued to the end of this part of the survey about 8:45 am. Our group was privileged to be able to watch a pair of striated pardalotes preparing a nest within a hole within an earth wall beide the Greenway path. Clear views were obtained of these colourful birds as they relayed back and forth with pieces of dry grass from a sunlit tree across the path to their nest. After this, the group, minus Mick, went over to Grange Forest Park from near the corner of Mornington Street and Alcester Street. We followed an eastern path beside the small rivulet that runs towards the Brook from the start. There is a huge Fig near the beginning. We then returned via a forest path on the western side of the rivulet. The sun was rather warm and may have affected the bird count.

A repeat survey was conducted by Charles and Jenny Ivin along identical paths in Grange Forest Park section (a bushwalk with the grandchildren) a week later. The results are reported together with the Grange results from the 3 August survey. A feature of this walk was the large number of small birds flitting around in the tall grasses near the Greenway path.

Bellbird Grove - 7 September 2008

On 7 September at 6:30 am, Dawn Muir, Esther Townsend, Charles and Jenny Ivin surveyed Bellbird Grove, in Brisbane Forest Park. This includes a significant headwater source of Cedar Creek, a main tributary of Kedron Brook. The habitat covers both thick Eucalypt forest and open parkland. Hence there is a good mix of both common urban and forest birds. The forest area along Cedar Creek was particularly rewarding. There was a nesting Spotted Pardalote pair, a Large-billed Scrubwren, a Red-browed Finch, a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, a Rufous Fantail, and the opportunity to watch a Whipbird feeding a young one near the parkland path. A Grey Shrike-Thrush was heard imitating the "clack clack" call of the Eastern Yellow Robin. The latter colourful bird itself was most friendly and was thought to be feeding its young though this act was not directly sighted.

Schultz Canal and Nundah Lake - 5 October 2008

On 5 October, at 6:30 am,Dawn Muir, Ester Townsend, Charles and Jenny Ivin, and for half the morning, Jean Weaver and Olive Costeloe surveyed from Hedley Ave, Toombul to the lake adjacent to the Schultz Canal previously covered on 13 January 2008.

Wahminda Grove and Maureen Lawrence Park - 25 November 2008

A regular birding activity conducted by Birds Queensland was held on 25 November in Maureen Lawrence Park adjoining the Wahminda Grove area towards the top of the Brook adjacent to Brisbane Forest Park . Since Dawn Muir was also the activity leader, there was continuity of the procedures conducted with the previous surveys. and so the results should be comparable. This event took place just over a week after severe storms had destroyed much of the trees and general vegetation from The Gap through Upper Kedron, Keperra, Ferny Grove and Arana Hills. Many trees were fallen or topped and smaller branches and leaves removed throughout these suburbs. It was surprising the group were able to identify over 35 different bird species about the Park area.

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Detailed results

Results may be linked from this table as the outcomes of any completed studies become available.

Date	LInk to	Description
13.01.08	77 KB doc	Kalinga Park to Nundah lake at UBD Map 121 Ref E20
20.01.08	37 KB doc	Cedar Creek UBD Map137 Ref G5 along bikeway circuit
02.02.08	22 KB doc	Coble Park Map 117 Ref J20 Lanita Rd to Wahminda Park Ref D17
14.05.08	13 KB doc	Kalinga Park and Cressey St. Wetlands, Wavell Heights
08.06.08	11 KB pdf	Bob Cassimaty Picnic Ground Park, Ferny Grove (including Tomsett Park)
08.06.08	10 KB pdf	Arbor Street Park, Ferny Grove
09.06.08	11 KB pdf	Grindstead Park, Shand St, Alderley
09.06.08	12 KB pdf	Sparkes Hill Reserve, Stafford
14.07.08	12 KB pdf	Pony Club Grounds, Mitchelton
14.07.08	11 KB pdf	Osborne Road Bushcare Habitat Group area and Teralba Park
03.08.09	8 KB pdf	Benelong Park & Cressy Road Conservation Wetlands, off Mercer Park
03.08.08	8 KB pdf	Grange Forest Park
07.09.08	13 KB pdf	Bellbird Grove, Brisbane Forest Park
05.10.08	9 KB pdf	Hedley Ave along Schultz Canal to lake near Nundah
25.11.08	19 KB pdf	Maureen Lawrence Park adjacent to Wahminda Grove

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Summary of results of past walks

Fifteen birding surveys were carried out along the brook in 2008. The full results of these surveys, indicated above, indicate that a moderate level of biodiversity of bird types occurs in the few remaining forest remnants along the Brook. Some of the more exciting discoveries during the year were the whip birds, stirated pardalotes, a Black-shouldered Kite, Bell Miners and Dollar birds.

However, the major areas of urban parkland tended to be dominated by the common Australian icons such as the Australian magpies, willy wagtails, rainbow lorrikeets, kookaburras, Torresian Crows, Pied Currawongs, especially the noisy minors and unfortunately, our recent pests, Common Mynas.

'Table 1 KBCB_WPSQ Results of Bird Studies 2008 - 2010, Summary of study dates, location codes, actual locations and conditions' indicates survey information for the first three years of these bird walks. This table is mainly important to determine the location codes used to identify the location and month of particular walks detailed in other tables for each year of the project.

'Table 2A - KBCB-WPSQ - Common name of bird species found for given coded location for Bird Studies 2008' indicates the location, month and year for those bird species observed over 2008. It details the common name of the specified bird given in alphabetic order down the table. A numeral '1' in the column below any given location code indicates that at least one bird of the species named for that row was observed (or heard with the specific characteristic call) for that location. A column to the right indicates the number of times at least one bird of the species was seen over the year and the bottom row of the tables indicates the total number of species that was observed at each location.

Most of these surveys were led by Birds Queensland Life Member, Dawn Muir, and she will again take the main lead in 2009 with ten surveys planned to date. It is extremely helpful to have such a knowledgeable person assisting us, and all participants from 2008 were rewarded by learning from her extensive experience. WPSQ-Brisbane Branch members, Leanne Bowden and Greg Miller, also have led surveys to determine the bird species still living along the Brook.

Contact

Bird lovers are always welcome on our walks. Factors such as weather and availability of leadership mean that some outings may need to be changed at relatively short notice. Please contact Outing Coordinator, Jenny Ivin, on phone 3851 0160 or for further information.

CI   13/12/2015