The Queensland Conservation Council is aiming to have Deongwar State Forest permanently added to the Queensland’s conservation estate before 31st of December 2024. To assist with this a bioblitz was held on April 27th.
The QCC states “Deongwar State Forest on the lands of the Dungibara People contains 4700 hectares of intact, high conservation value, remnant native forest that has good connectivity to adjoining nature reserves and nearby national parks. It is home to 146 protected native animals including the long-nosed potoroo, powerful owl, black-breasted button-quail, brush-tailed rock wallaby, white-throated needletail, glossy-black cockatoo, red tailed- cockatoo, koala and greater glider.”
BSQDD participated by doing bird surveys at the western side of the forest. In order to maximise the amount of birds that we could see, we conducted our surveys earlier in the day, and in a separate area away from the other bioblitz participants.
The surveys were all recorded using Birdlife’s standardised survey techniques, and added to birdata, as well as being provided to the QCC to be added to the bioblitz data.
Five surveys were conducted over four, two hectare plots. Twenty-seven species were sighted in total. The highlights were the Rose Robin and Crested Shrike-tit. The Regent Bowerbird and Varied Triller are probably indicative of wetter conditions here than in other similar eucalypt dominated forests in the area.
The total list for the morning follows:
| Brown Cuckoo-Dove | Macropygia phasianella |
| Brown Gerygone | Gerygone mouki |
| Brown Thornbill | Acanthiza pusilla |
| Crested Shrike-tit | Falcunculus frontatus |
| Eastern Whipbird | Psophodes olivaceus |
| Eastern Yellow Robin | Eopsaltria australis |
| Fan-tailed Cuckoo | Cacomantis flabelliformis |
| Golden Whistler | Pachycephala pectoralis |
| Grey Fantail | Rhipidura albiscapa |
| Grey Shrike-thrush | Colluricincla harmonica |
| Lewin’s Honeyeater | Meliphaga lewinii |
| Little Lorikeet | Glossopsitta pusilla |
| Mistletoebird | Dicaeum hirundinaceum |
| Olive-backed Oriole | Oriolus sagittatus |
| Red-browed Finch | Neochmia temporalis |
| Regent Bowerbird | Sericulus chrysocephalus |
| Rose Robin | Petroica rosea |
| Rufous Whistler | Pachycephala rufiventris |
| Shining Bronze-Cuckoo | Chalcites lucidus |
| Silvereye | Zosterops lateralis |
| Spotted Pardalote | Pardalotus punctatus |
| Varied Triller | Lalage leucomela |
| Wedge-tailed Eagle | Aquila audax |
| White-browed Scrubwren | Sericornis frontalis |
| White-naped Honeyeater | Melithreptus lunatus |
| White-throated Treecreeper | Cormobates leucophaea |
| Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Caligavis chrysops |
This was a very enjoyable morning and it was great to contribute to such a worthwhile cause. We aim to revisit Deongwar to do follow up surveys next year.
