An eye on lyrebirds

LOCAL bird watchers are being called on to take part in dawn lyrebird surveys in the Dandenong Ranges National Park during July.
The surveys are being held in conjunction with Parks Victoria and the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Survey Group (SLSG) on Saturday, 1 July and Sunday, 16 July.
The SLSG was formed in the late 1950s and the group’s volunteer efforts have resulted in almost 50 years of information being collected on lyrebird behaviour, as well as its distribution and population trends in the national park.
The dawn surveys will start at 6am and involve small groups of surveyors standing at designated points in the forest and taking compass bearings of calling male lyrebirds.
Parks Victoria ranger Matt Hoogland said the data collected from the surveys, as well as ongoing monitoring by the SLSG, was a valuable contribution to the management of the Dandenong Ranges National Park.
“The health of the lyrebird population in the national park is clearly linked to the health of the forest,” he said.
“The data collected so far shows that the previous decline in the lyrebird population is being reversed through an integrated management approach combining predator and weed control with revegetation.
“This has resulted in an overall improvement in the lyrebird’s natural habitat.”
Those taking part in the survey will get a cooked breakfast provided by Park Victoria.
Anyone interested in taking part can register by phoning Jan Incoll from SLSG on 9756 6977 any day after noon.