The birds of “Koobabbie” in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia (1987–2011) and the contribution of the farm to conservation of the region’s avifauna

Abstract

The avifauna of Koobabbie, a 7 173 ha wheat and sheep property in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia with 41.5% the property under remnant native vegetation, was monitored on a weekly basis from May 1987 to December 2011. Recorded during this period were 131 species, comprising 55 residents, seven regular visitors, 14 irregular visitors and 55 vagrants. Fifteen species declined over the 25 years, with one species being extirpated and two species increased. Two other species increased until early this century and then declined. The avifauna of Koobabbie was compared with that of the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council region, in the middle of which region the property is located. Koobabbie comprehensively represented the region’s avifauna and contributed significantly to conservation of the region’s avifauna. This study demonstrates the importance of continuous long-term datasets from a single locality. The need to set up a network of such monitoring sites over much of Australia in order to provide information for management of natural resources is discussed.