Last Chance to Register for 2013 Red-tail Annual Count

The 2013 South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Annual Count will be held next Saturday 4 May 2013. There are several sites still available so please REGISTER NOW to secure a spot.

Photo: Melanie Plummer

With the Annual Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Count less than two weeks away, more volunteers are needed to join in the search for one of the region’s most endangered birds, the South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo. The annual Red-tail count will be held on Saturday 4 May, with volunteers searching for the birds across south-eastern SA and south-western Victoria. All you have to do is drive along some tracks in the stringybark forest, listening for the distinctive call of the Red-tail.

“Around 160 volunteers from all walks of life take part in the count, and while many are from our own region, others travel from as far away as Melbourne and Adelaide,” said Bronwyn Perryman, Project Coordinator of BirdLife Australia’s south-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Recovery Program. “Anyone can request to search a particular area of forest when they register.”

“We are also encouraging landholders with stringybark on their property to join in the fun and register to search their own land on the day,” continued Bronwyn.

“Last year we counted a record-breaking 1468 Red-tails, and this year we hope to better this tally. The count’s success over the years is due to the outstanding effort and commitment of people who volunteer to assist us,” she said. “Many of them return year after year to search for Red-tails in their favourite haunts.”

If you are unsure what a Red-tail looks or sounds like, please browse our website. Here you will find plenty of images and hear what they sound like. You can also attend a brief training session in Casterton or Struan on the morning of the count, starting at 9:00 am (local time) for a quick chat, followed by a short drive to a spot where Red-tails have been seen recently.

Our only recommendation is that you travel in a 4WD, as most sites contain at least some sandy or muddy tracks, but if you are in a 2WD, let us know when you register and we’ll find a suitable site for you.

Each year the count concludes with an informal camp-out at the end of the day at Bailey’s Rocks, near Dergholm, Victoria, and all our counters are invited. 

“We can’t guarantee you will see a Red-tail on the day, but we can guarantee you’ll have a fantastic day out in the bush.”

If you would like to register for the count please contact Bronwyn Perryman on 1800 262 062 or email redtail@birdlife.org.au.