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May Monthly Meeting – Julian Reid: Birds on Cotton Farms – It’s not all bad news, but far from ‘Lean, Clean and Green’
Survey teams from the University of New England conducted a study of floodplain soils, remnant native vegetation and land birds across cotton-growing regions from Emerald, central Queensland, to Coleambally, southern New South Wales, surveying 197 and 195 sites (mostly the same), respectively, in 2014 and 2023. Here, Julian will focus on birds. Being semi-arid to at best sub-humid parts of the country, prior rainfall had a large influence on the variety and abundance of bird species. As well as describing the similarities and differences in the birdlife recorded on the two surveys, Julian will present some results in an explicit diversity framework pointing out some strengths and pitfalls of this approach. Also, in this year of the Review of the 10-Year Murray-Darling Plan, he will canvass opinions on water use and other impacts of agricultural practices in the Basin.
Julian is a highly respected ecologist. He is an Honorary Lecturer at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, where he completed his PhD on ‘The Diversity of Australian Arid-Zone Bird Communities’ in 2014. He is currently supervising one PhD student examining the foraging ecology of some woodland bird species and assisting another with research into MDB waterbirds, and will supervise an Honours student, starting midyear and planning to examine refugial habitats in the Cowra region, where he has helped organise a 25 year, community-led program of regular woodland bird surveys since its inception.
Refreshments available from 7pm. Mugs or keep-cups encouraged. Non-members welcomed.
Meeting starts at 7:30pm.