Delightful Diamond Firetails - Capertee Valley

These Diamond Firetails (Stagonopleura guttata) were filmed during May and June 2018 visits to a private property in the Capertee Valley, NSW. Given the number of juveniles seen, the Diamond Firetails appear to be thriving here. (Indeed, they have been recorded nesting on the property.) They are one of several threatened bird species in NSW and are listed as Vulnerable because their numbers and range have declined. Their preferred habitats - i.e. grassy eucalypt woodlands, open forests and natural temperate grasslands - are particularly susceptible to destruction, degradation, modification and fragmentation due to suitability for agriculture and other development. As predominantly seed eaters, Diamond Firetails can utilise some exotic grasses and weeds, but these plants reduce the availability of suitable food overall and roosting/nesting shrubs and trees. (The Diamond Firetails we observed regularly used trees as a vantage and calling point, a behaviour not apparent in the other finch species on this site.) Environmental modification also favours larger, more aggressive birds such as the Noisy Miner and Pied Currawong, both of which can interfere with reproductive success.
The Capertee Valley appears to be a stronghold for the Diamond Firetail, relatively speaking. As the area has been significantly modified since the early 1800s for agriculture (grazing mostly), their presence is heartening. However, there are special factors here that need to be recognised. For starters, the valley is fringed by national parks (e.g. Wollemi National Park, Gardens of Stone National Park and Capertee National Park). While the prime bird habitat is woodland on the valley floor, the forested slopes of the national parks provide refuge and connectivity for several species. Additionally, remnant woodland can be found throughout the valley and many landholders have actively preserved and/or restored this crucial habitat on private property. Where we filmed the Diamond Firetails is one such place. See • Bird Diversity after H... for an overview of the particular site and other birds noted there. Although this restoration has had wonderful results, it takes some years and considerable dedication to provide a rich diverse environment similar to natural grassy woodland. Our first action to ensure the future of threatened birds should be the preservation of existing natural habitat, as well as expanding potential habitat through ongoing tree-planting programs.
For more information on these delightful members of the finch family visit www.birdsinbackyards.net/speci... For further reading go to www.environment.nsw.gov.au/thr...

[@MaitlandRambers]

Fantastic to see these birds in their natural habitat