Superb Fairy-wren Results - 2006
Five hundred and nighty-eight sightings of Superb Fairy-wrens have been received, with records from 226 different towns and suburbs. It is good to see that the number of volunteer recorders is starting to increase outside the Sydney region, with 23 % of records and 28 % of localities reported from outside New South Wales.
It is also good to see that Superb Fairy-wrens can still be found quite close to major urban centres.
A popular explanation for the loss of Superb Fairy-wrens from some suburban areas is that they are experiencing intense predation pressure from Pied Currawongs. Pied Currawongs have become extremely abundant in some suburbs.
On the maps below, records of Pied Currawongs from the Backyard Bird Survey are shown by blue triangles, overlaying the orange dots, which represent suburbs with Superb Fairy-wrens. Blue triangles (Pied Currawongs) are very prominent on Sydney's North Shore, a region from which Superb Fairy-wrens appear to have declined considerably. However, there are many suburbs in which the two species appear together. When we analyse the data in detail at the end of summer, we will examine this relationship at finer spatial scales than the individual suburb.
Superb Fairy-wren records received from Australian volunteers.
Superb Fairy-wren records received from Sydney volunteers.
