NSW Bird Atlassers – A group monitoring birds in NSW

HomeBig Boss2024-03-27T06:44:52+00:00

Welcome to the New South Wales Bird Atlassers Inc.

The NSW Bird Atlassers (NSWBA), monitors birds in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and the Tasman Sea east to Lord Howe Island in Australia.

If you enjoy bird watching, our three sub-branches have regular field trips, their schedules are found on our Sub-groups page. We also have biannual camp field trips over a number of days, in spring & summer every year. If you are concerned about bird conservation and their environment, see our extended conservation section.

Currently, the NSWBA database contains around 10 million records – this information has been extracted from Atlas sheets submitted by our members, plus data from other bird watching group, or from literature or other databases. These sightings date back to 1770. The NSWBA database is the largest database of records of birds in NSW & ACT.

NSW Bird Atlassers Inc produces several interesting publications which are available to members at a discount. Volumes One, Two & Three of An Atlas of the Birds of NSW & the ACT have now been published.

Membership is only $30 a year per family, group or individual (due on the 1st of January each year). New members receive an Atlas Kit providing a detailed guide on how to Atlas, quarterly newsletters and you can join in camp-outs and other field days. As an Atlasser you can combine enjoyment of your bird watching interest, with a contribution to scientific knowledge of birds, thus playing a positive role to their preservation.

Our forthcoming Gallery of bird photography will exhibit some excellent photography from club members. Construction will begin soon. We anticipate that the Gallery will be a popular area and look forward to building it into a useful resource. Member’s photo contributions will be featured as they come to hand.

If you have images that you’d like to see exhibited on our web site; or other non-copyright protected media relating to birds in NSW could be of interest to our visitors please contact the Web Master.

The NSW Bird Atlassers Inc has produced several interesting publications which are available to members at a discount. These include Field Identification Booklets, a Habitat Guide and a DVD on Wader Identification. “An Atlas of the birds of NSW & the ACT” is a dual winner of the prestigious Whitley Award.

Whitley Awards are given by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW to acknowledge outstanding zoological publications. Nowhere else in the world is there an equivalent award for zoological publications (Dr Noel Tait, Committee Chairman). The presentation of each of the NSWBA Whitley Awards was in recognition of the significant contribution of Volume 2 and Volume 3 to increased public knowledge of Australian birds and their conservation. Volume 2 was assessed as the Best Zoological publication in 2016 and Volume 3 was highly commended in 2020. The Award Certificates are shown here.

Highly Commended Publication 2020

Normally, Whitley Awards are presented in person at a ceremony held at the Australian Museum. However, due to COVID-19, the 2020 Award presentations could not take place. We received a Highly Commended Publication for AN ATLAS OF THE BIRDS OF NSW & THE ACT – VOLUME 3. More details are here.

2025 AUTUMN CAMP

The 2025 Autumn Camp will take place from Monday 5^th until Friday 9^th May, 2025. The Camp will be located at the Outback Resort and Caravan Park, Onyx Street, Lightning Ridge. The resort has a variety of accommodation from caravan and camping sites, various cabins, to motel rooms. Phone the resort on (02) 6829 0304 or go to the website info@ridgehotelmotel.com.au to book. Book early to avoid disappointment. However, there is other accommodation in the town.

There will be 35 ten minute blocks to be surveyed around Lightning Ridge, 14 of which have not been surveyed since 2010. A number of birds that may be seen around Lightning Ridge are classified under the Threatened Species Conservation Act as either Vulnerable or Endangered. Some birds are recognized as Declining. Species that may be seen are Pink-eared Duck, Australian Spotted Crake, Bush Stone-curlew, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Southern Whiteface, Plum-headed Finch, and Crimson Chat.

Rod Cox
Activities Officer

2024 Spring Camp Report, Narrandera

The Spring Camp was based at Narrandera from 21^st to 25^th October. The area received good rain throughout most of the year which has resulted in the expectation of bumper crops for wheat and canola, as well as various wetlands being occupied by many species of waterbirds. A total of 11 atlassers attended the camp and surveyed 37 ten minute blocks centred on Narrandera. In all a total of 151 species were recorded, with 10 species reported as breeding.