Bird walk and more, at Arbor Park, Morley with Rachel and Mike Green

Bird watching and eBird mapping at Arbor Park, Morley with Rachel & Mike Green

This is the third in a series of three guided bird walks and will focus on forest birds at Arbor Park in Morley. The park includes magnificent stands of mature, large Marri trees upon which several birds, such as, the endangered Red-tailed Black-cockatoo and Red-capped Parrot depend. It also provides important habitat for many other plant and animal species thanks to ongoing development by City of Bayswater and the Our Park Our Place project with Greening Australia.

So far, around 20 species have been recorded including the Red-tailed Black-cockatoo, Red-capped Parrot, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Weebill and Welcome Swallow, but there will be plenty of birds that have not yet been recorded. Arbor Park is a new addition to eBird and needs far more bird observations added.

At the start of the walk Rachel and Mike will give you a list of birds that have previously been seen in the park to help you know what to look out for, and they will help you see and identify them throughout.

At the end of the walk the birds seen will be mapped onto eBird. If you are new to eBird clear, step-by-step instructions on how to use it will be given, and visual displays of the key steps and a take-home handout will be provided.

If you’ve already been using eBird, more advanced steps will be described, including how to add your own photos, access your own eBird lists and find worldwide hotspots. You are welcome to bring any eBird questions you have too. eBird is an exciting and free Citizen Science project which encourages the ongoing mapping of birds across Bayswater and beyond. It requires little effort or cost and is free for all to access. You can even use it to find out where the best bird watching sites are on your travels.

Leading this exploration of the Bayswater birds, reserves and eBird mapping will be our popular and passionate tag-team of bird ID experts and presenters, Rachel and Mike Green.

This is the third in a series of bird walks with Rachel and Mike.

The first will be held at Browns Lake Reserve, Bedford on April 11 and the second will be held on May 23 at Clarkson Reserve Maylands.

Important Information about this session - Please read before booking

Time: Start at 9am. Finish at 11am at the latest.

Meet at: Arbor Park, Morley. There are several entrances, but we will start and finish adjacent to Cassia Way towards the junction with Redgum Way. Do not go to the playground entrance off Challenger Avenue.

Parking: There is ample parking all along Cassia Way.

Facilities: There are no toilets at the park. The nearest toilets are at the Beechboro Central Shopping Centre, cnr Beechboro Road North and Benara Rd. Toilets are inside next to Coles.

Seating: Occasional seats are scattered throughout the park. You may like to bring your own chair so we can group together at the end.

What to bring: Binoculars. Chair, water, pen and paper. If you wish to log directly into eBird at the reserve bring an iPad or smart phone with internet connection. This is an outdoor event so please note the weather conditions and bring a hat and other appropriate items as it may be cold or damp.

Preparation: Download eBird onto your phone or iPad if you wish to log directly into it in the park. However, it is fine to wait and do it at home once you know how.

Level of difficulty and accessibility: The walk is mainly conducted on flat sealed paths for around a kilometre but there will be an opportunity to extend the walk to include the native garden and grassy areas, for those who wish to do so. The path is generally a flat firm surface suitable for most mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

Ideal for: Beginners to advanced bird-watchers, plus those who are keen to get to know Arbor Park better or who want to polish up their forest bird identification or eBird skills.

Suitable for age 12 and above. (All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.)

This workshop is proudly brought to you by Enviro House and the City of Bayswater