In the news: August 2020
Aboriginal rangers locate rare Night Parrot in outback WA’s Martu country
One of Australia’s most mysterious birds has been found by Aboriginal rangers in outback WA.
A recent sound recording of the elusive night parrot on Martu country is the fifth confirmed location in WA.
By Tom Zaunmayr, Kalgoorlie Miner. 26 August 2020
What this critically endangered bird tells us about Australia’s failing environment protection laws
When Sean Dooley started birdwatching as a kid in the 80s the swift parrot was already rare.
“It’s a beautiful bird. I remember around that time it was said that there were maybe 8,000,” he says. … there now could be as few as 1,000 left in the wild.
By Nick Wiggins and Keri Phillips for Rear Vision. 25 August 2020
NSW’s new national park in ‘koala country’
A key koala habitat in the NSW Southern Highlands will be protected by the creation of a new national park, which the state government hopes will go some way toward stabilising declining populations.
The new 3558-hectare Guula Ngurra National Park is home to 139 species, including more than 20 threatened species such as the koala, glossy black cockatoo, flame robin and squirrel glider.
By Dominica Sanda, AAP, PerthNow. 23 August 2020
Fundraisers try to save the last patch of unburnt forest in Manyana
The state government will contribute to a fund to buy land slated for a bitterly contested residential development on the last patch of unburnt forest in the South Coast town of Manyana in an effort to have it turned over to NSW National Parks.
By Nick O’Malley, The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 August 2020
Flying foxes trigger federal govt review of South Coast development
An endangered colony of grey headed flying foxes has triggered a federal government review of a controversial NSW South Coast development near the bushfire ravaged Conjola National Park.
The federal environment department will probe the contentious clearing of bushland for the proposed 182-lot housing estate on a 20-hectare site near the town of Manyana.
By Rob Harris, The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 August 2020
Bald Eagle attacks govt drone and send its to bottom of Lake Michigan
Drone was about 162ft in the sky when bald eagle attacked and tore propellor off, possibly mistaking it for a rival bird or snack.
By Guardian staff, Michigan. 15 August 2020
Magpies are not getting their ten hours of sleep a night, research finds, and light pollution’s to blame
New research has shown that artificial lighting, including street lights and domestic garden lighting, could be preventing magpies from getting much-needed sleep.
A study by La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne has been the first to measure neurological responses to light pollution for magpies and pigeons.
By Debra Pearce, ABC Mildura-Swan Hill. 9 Aug 2020
Evidence of platypus population found near major Sydney urban development
There are few creatures more elusive than the platypus but a team of citizen scientists and researchers have recently uncovered evidence of their existence in surprising places on Sydney’s northern fringe.
By Matt Bamford, ABC News. 7 Aug 2020
‘Miracles in our backyards’: Rare ecosystems on the brink
Almost half of Australia’s national-listed threatened animals and a quarter of the plant species at risk are found in the largest towns and cities, and the threats are intensifying.
By Peter Hannam, The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 Aug 2020
