Wildcare enables Orange-bellied parrot aviary clean-up
BIRCHS INLET CLEAN UP STAGE ONE REPORT
Text by William Oliver
Photos by Sally Simco
On the 10th November 2019, six Friends of the Orange-bellied Parrot (FoOBP) volunteers and three Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) staff travelled to remote Birchs Inlet by boat, located at the southern end of Macquarie Harbour.
The aim of the working bee was to dismantle and remove old infrastructure in the area and spend time looking for parrots. PWS did a great job at dismantling the old orange-bellied parrot (OBP) aviaries. They used a chain saw to cut up the wooden structure in to manageable pieces.
Whilst at the location the volunteers spent time looking for OBP’s and blue-winged parrots. Unfortunately none were observed or heard during this time. We did however spend time admiring a colourful sheoak skink.
The volunteers also spent time doing some minor maintenance jobs in the area. Frog Lodge was spruced up, rat droppings removed, plants pulled out of the water tank and new boards fitted in the outdoor area. The old wire from the redundant boardwalk was reused to reduce slips and trips on the way to the jetty.
The next stage is to fly the full bulk bags to Strahan then transport the waste materials to the tip, so that waste is completely disposed of, allowing the world heritage area to recover. The FoOBP volunteers would like to thank Wildcare Inc for the funds to enable the work to be done.