Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Summary The IBA is the most important breeding area for the endangered Regent Honeyeater. It also supports the vulnerable Painted Honeyeater and restricted-range Rockwarbler and the endangered Swift Parrot during the non-breeding season of this species.

Ornithological information Two hundred and forty-two bird species have been recorded in Capertee Valley, which forms a zone of overlap between species typical of western and eastern New South Wales. This total includes at least 18 species that are listed as being threatened at state and/or global level. Fifteen of the 18 threatened species are regularly observed in the valley. Capertee Valley supports good populations of many of the declining woodland birds of temperate Australia such as Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Turquoise Parrot, Brown Treecreeper, Speckled Warbler, Hooded Robin and Grey-crowned Babbler (Geering 2006; D. Geering pers. comm.). The globally near threatened Flame Robin is an uncommon winter migrant to the valley (Geering 2006) and there have been occasional sightings of the restricted-range Pilotbird (Atlas of Australian Birds database).

Site description The IBA consists of the entire Capertee Valley, a distinct ecological region surrounded by granitic hills and sedimentary plateaux, located about 45 km north of Lithgow in central-eastern New South Wales. The IBA is defined by the boundary of the Capertee Valley IBRA sub-region to the west and the Blue Mountains & Wollemi IBA to the east. Capertee Valley has a temperate climate characterised by warm, dry summers and cool, damp winters; mean temperatures (minimum-maximum) vary from 2-15 Celsius (June) to 16-30 Celsius (January) and mean annual rainfall is 634 mm at Glen Davis. The valley is extensively cleared for cattle grazing with remnant woodland patches on low rolling hills, and is surrounded by timbered scree slopes and sandstone cliffs on the western side of the Blue Mountains & Wollemi National Parks and IBA. The remnant native vegetation of the valley consists mostly of dry sclerophyll forest and grassy woodland with smaller stands of wet sclerophyll forest and some patches of montane heath. Changes to land use in recent years have resulted in an increase in the extent of natural regrowth and revegetation by landholders.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Habitats

Land ownership State or local government (Crown Land, State Forest) with agriculture and grazing privately owned.

Land use

Management considerations Planting and care of trees, including isolated paddock trees, must continue. Conservation awareness and action must be continued with the farming land-owners and the increasing number of subdivision land-owners.

Protection status None.

Conservation response A revegetation project has been under way since 1994 with considerable local support. A study of the breeding success of Regent Honeyeaters was carried out by Birds Australia from 1994 to 1998. More than 450 Regent Honeyeaters have been individually colour marked since 1994 allowing the collection of valuable data on movements, site fidelity, recruitment and survivorship. Post-breeding dispersal by Regent Honeyeaters was examined during studies in 2000-01 and 2002, which incorporated the use of radio tags.

Access/Land-Owner requests Most birds can be seen from public roads and land: don't climb fences or enter properties without an invitation from the owner and don't park dangerously on roads. See http://www.bmbirding.com.au/valley3.html for more details.

Acknowledgements David Geering and Carol Probets wrote, commented on and provided data for the nomination.

References DEC (2006) The Vegetation of the Western Blue Mountains. Unpublished report funded by the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority. Department of Environment and Conservation: Hurstville.

Geering, D. (2006) Birds of the Capertee Valley. http://www.bmbirding.com.au/index.html accessed on 7 November 2007.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Capertee Valley. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013

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