SLIDESHOW
Blue Wrens Planting
Demonstration
held on
27 July at
Paddy Gray Park
Click
here
for the slideshow
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The Glebe Society received grant funding from the City of Sydney
for a project aimed at community education and habitat conservation
for Superb Fairy-wrens (more commonly known as Blue Wrens) in the
Glebe/Forest Lodge area. A sub-committee of the Glebe Society has
been established to manage the project.
The formal objective is to preserve and enhance
the habitat for Superb Fairy-wrens in Glebe through research, on ground works and community education activities
to achieve biodiversity conservation outcomes for the long term
benefit of the whole community.
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A male Superb Fairy-wren
Click my picture to hear me sing!
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The Society engaged Sue Stevens, a Sydney-based
ecologist, to research and map the current status of Superb Fairy-wrens
in the project area and to produce a report including recommendations
to the City of Sydney and other land managers such as Light Rail
for conservation and management of Superb Fairy-wrens in Glebe.
The report will also be used by the project committee as the basis
for an information package for residents and to design habitat enhancement
landscaping works for local parks.
Sue has completed a Masters degree in Natural
Resources focussing on vegetation ecology and ecosystem management,
and included a research project and thesis on Small Bird Habitat
in the Urban Landscape. Sue has been working with Landcare groups
and on community environmental education projects around Sydney
for a number of years, and is passionate about birds and the conservation
of their habitats. Sue has a strong knowledge of Sydney's natural
vegetation through her work as a bush regenerator and is keen to
promote a deeper understanding of bird-vegetation relationships
among the community.
- Hilary Wise
Superb Fairy-wren Sub-committee
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A
few Superb Fairy-wren facts
They are
‘Superb Fairy-wrens’, if one is to give them their correct title.
Members of this sub-committee have often been corrected on this by
our consultant Sue Stevens, because only half the population of
Superb Fairywrens display any blue feathers at all! The nondescript
brownish-grey females attract their males with attributes other than
colour.
- David Mander-Jones, Convenor,
Blue Wrens Sub-committee
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- They live as a family group.
- Only the mother sits on the eggs. The others
in the group feed and protect the nestlings once hatched, leaving
the mother to lay up to three broods per season.
- Wrens have relatively weak powers of flight
but long legs, so they spend most of their time on the ground
or in shrubs, going in a series of hops as they gather food.
- They forage in groups - that way, insects disturbed
by one bird may fall victim to another.
- Nest building is done entirely by the female
in 3-4 days, using spiders' webs, fine twigs and grass thenlined
with wool, feathers or animal hair.
(Source: NSW National Parks
& Wildlife
Service)
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Plant a corner of your garden with native shrubs,
especially those with prickly leaves and branches.
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Keep a watchful eye on your dog and cat if you
know Superb Fairy-wrens live nearby.
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Plan your garden so that, over time, there is a variety of shrubs
and open mulched areas or lawn.
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