Nambucca Banding Project
 

David Secomb

The Nambucca Heads Banding Project is situated on the outskirts of the township in a mixed habitat of coastal woodland and melaleuca wetland with a rainforest understorey. This offers a fascinating mix of species to study, from visiting  honeyeaters to summer migrants.

Prior to banding this area was one of my favourite spots to amble along to do some birdwatching. I still clearly remember on one of the early sessions there. We were just packing up from a satisfying morning when I remarked on the numbers of Larged-billed Scrubwrens we had caught. My mentor at he time, the late Bill (S.G.) Lane commented that there are going to be many surprises. He was right. I thought I knew this area intimately, that was until I started banding. Now I have got more questions than answers.

What was there? What was the species mix, the age structure, the sex ratio; when did they moult, how long did they live and what was their survival rate? How did they live? How did they utilise the different habitats, what influence does season and climate have? What can we learn from the plumage, their moult or does the head length or wing length give a clue to what age or sex it may be?  There were many questions.

The project ran from 1986 to 1998. When ever possible the banding at the site was conducted once a month. This was achieved most of the time. On each visit 7 nets were used; 4 in the woodlands and 3 in the other habitats. The net locations were rotated on each visit, with the aim that each lane would be used every 3 or more months. At particular flowering events, some lanes were used on consecutive visits. All net lanes were numbered with over 50 being used during the course of the project.