Annual Great Cocky Count flying success, birdwatchers count endangered black cockatoos in Chapman Valley

Geraldton’s annual Great Cocky Count was a flying success, with dozens of volunteers making their way to Chapman Valley to spot black cockatoos as they came into roost. Flying in to shelter for the night, Carnaby’s black cockatoos were counted one by one by keen Geraldton birdwatchers on Sunday, April 12. Part of the Great Cocky Count, volunteers from Birdlife Midwest-Geraldton clad in high-vis vests made their way out to Chapman Valley to monitor and survey the iconic West Australian bird. Geraldton is home to one of four species of the endangered bird, with a Carnaby’s black cockatoo often sighted in Mid West skies. The Great Cocky Count is a Statewide initiative, with the observation and data collection happening right across WA. Merryn Pryor, Birdlife Australia ecologist, said volunteers in Geraldton surveyed the birds from around 5.15pm to sunset at possible roost sites. Across the South West, Birdlife Australia had 900 volunteers register for the event. Ms Pryor said the volunteers counted every black cockatoo they could see as they came into roost, which was difficult as the sun went down, but was a necessary cause. “Part of the reason why we actually do this for black cockatoos is because they’re a large and noisy bird,” she said. Ms Pryor said the initiative behind the event was crucial to the longevity of the species. “They are a threatened species, so it’s really important to be able to monitor their populations long term,” she said. “The Great Cocky Count has been going since 2010 and allows us to look at the trends over time, track changes in their population and identify crucial habitats.” Based on the data over the last 16 years, the trend of Carnaby’s cockatoos has been on the downward slope, with last year’s data showing the lowest count for the species since the counting first started. Ms Pryor said to help preserve the iconic WA birds, there was a lot of individuals could do to help. WA residents are encouraged to plant cockatoo friendly trees, have bird baths available in their backyards, as well as helping the community advocate for the species. Ms Pryor said the data collected from the recent event would be available for observation within a month.