Glossies in the Mist
This project is raising awareness of Glossy Black Cockatoos and improving their habitat across the 'Great Western Wildlife Corridor' in the Southern Highlands. While not a Landcare project our members play an active role in planting activities.
Glossy Black-cockatoos (GBC) are the smallest of the five black cockatoos in Australia. They have experienced local decline with an increasing loss of Allocasuarina species (their most important food source). In 2017 the GBC was listed as vulnerable in NSW and endangered by the Australian Government.
At the same time, Bundanoon was celebrating their 150th birthday and looking for some way to acknowledge the event. It was suggested that the community plant 150 Allocasuarina littoralis - the Glossies preferred feed tree.
Pat Hall and staff from SOS - Saving our Species team - collected local seed, and with the assistance of Lloyd Hedges from the Native Plant Society, propagated 350 plants for distribution to the Community.
Over 500 people arrived to collect their trees – this was the beginning of the ‘Glossies in the Mist Project”.
To date we have distributed over 13,000 trees (Allocasuarina Littoralis.) with funding from the SOS Program and Wingecarribee Shire Council Environment Levy.
The area identified was within the Great Western Wildlife Corridor - the only remaining vegetated habitat corridor between Morton National Park and the Southern Blue Mountains.
The project has partnered with landholders in the Bullio/Wombaroo, Canyonleigh/Tugalong/Wingello/Penrose and Bundanoon within the GWWC with a strong partnership with other stakeholders.
The Glossies in the Mist SOS team produce a newsletter, conduct a range of activities such as monitoring numbers, taking photographs, recording sightings, identifying repeat sightings, record tree hollows, organised plantings and more recently placed especially designed nesting boxes in locations within the GWWC.
The dedicated community members of the Project identify themselves as ‘FLOSSIES’
Providing tube stock for planting will continue.