Rare as Regent's teeth

02 Aug 2021

Keep an eye out for sightings

Tablelands Telegraph - August 2021

Viv Howard, Senior Land Services Officer

This spring we are encouraging you to get out and keep an eye out for one of Australia’s most threatened birds – the Regent honeyeater. We’ve had two sightings of Regents in the Central Tablelands so far this year and as spring gets going, we expect to find more.

We’re currently working with the Australian National University and Birdlife Australia, commencing targeted surveys for the species, but we need your eyes too. There’re so many ways to be involved, we’ve outlined two – are you a ‘nought to novice’ or a ‘really top bird’?

‘Nought to novice’

• Who are you? – You like birds in your yard and hand feeding lorikeets on holidays. The only bins you know about are the ones you put your rubbish in, and you think the only cool thing about a bin chicken is the name.
• How can you be involved? Read up on Regents by clicking here or download an ID pamphlet here.  Once you’ve got a good idea of what they look like, keep your eyes peeled in your yard or on a bushwalk.

‘Really top bird’

• Who are you? –  you don’t think it’s strange for groups of people to wear khaki at the same time, and you know that the best ‘bins’ are worn proudly around your neck. You archive emails from your bird friends. If you haven’t seen a Regent before, it’s definitely high on your list.
• How can you be involved? You probably know what it looks like, but make sure you brush up on its call. You can find it here. Gather your birdie-nerdy flock and head out to your favourite haunts -flowering Mugga Ironbark, Yellow and White Box are best this time of year. Or to be part of a larger program, head over to the Swift Parrot Search (it’s for Regents too)  and find out how your group can be involved. Because these are structured surveys with a replicable method, they provide crucial information about the trajectory and movement of the species. Speak to our team if you’d like to find out more!

What happens if you find one… take a photo, and get a good idea of your location because you need to REPORT IT. It’s very important that all Regent Honeyeater sightings are reported. So please email sightings to woodlandbirds@birdlife.org.au, phone 1800 621 056 or use the Birdlife Birdata here.

Our staff are available to answer all of your questions. If you’d like any further information, please get in contact with Viv Howard on 0439 387 603 or Ev Nicholson on 0427 637 907.