More than 100 enthusiasts, landholders and community members spent the weekend learning about the glossy black-cockatoo at four different community halls across the Southern Highlands.
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Hosted by the NSW Government's Saving our Species (SoS) program, events held on May 11- 12 were part of the Glossies in the Mist project which aims to secure the future of the vulnerable glossy black-cockatoo.
Glossies in the Mist project coordinator, Lauren Hook said that there was a great community turnout across the Great Western Wildlife Corridor between Bullio and Bungonia.
"We know lots about how glossy black-cockatoos feed in the area but very little is known about their breeding.
"By teaching local landholders the subtle differences between glossy vocalisations, we hope to encourage more accurate reporting of breeding birds.
"A big part of the Glossies in the Mist project is to ask landholders to report breeding behaviour in the wildlife corridor, so we can better manage these areas and monitor breeding events.
"At the event we gave away 500 she-oak trees, bringing the total giving away since the project commenced in 2017, to more than 12,500 trees distributed to 400 private properties, between Bullio and Bungonia.
"Private landholders are having the greatest impact by reporting sightings and conserving she-oak feed trees on their properties.
"We ask people to continue to report evidence of Glossies on your property."
Glossy black-cockatoos have favourite feed trees that they return to and owners are asked to report sightings.
The audience also learnt about the subtle differences in plumage that can help landholders identify juvenile, male and female birds, from species expert Mike Barth.
Spotting adult glossies is relatively easy. Male glossies are completely black with red tail feathers, while female glossies have spotted yellow plumage around the face. Juvenile birds are much harder to spot as some have fine yellow spots on their breast and wings with elaborate stripes in their tail feathers.
Glossy black-cockatoos are monogamous and stay in breeding pairs for life, and they often return to the same areas each breeding season during March to July.
"If you spot three birds or a trio, this is a good sign, it's likely they are a mum, dad and juvenile bird," she said.
"By spotting a trio we know they are reproducing, and we encourage people to report these sightings to the Glossies in the Mist project website.
"We had a particularly good turnout at the Tallong and Bungonia events in the southern part of the Great Western Wildlife Corridor. We want to thank the local Tallong primary school children who recently planted she-oak trees in their school.
"We also want to thank Aunty Sharyn Halls from Gundungurra Aboriginal heritage Association for their Welcome to Country ceremony."
