Introduction
Superb Fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus), or Blue Wrens, occur
in all South Eastern Australian states. Their range includes coastal
reserves within a few kilometres from Melbourne's CBD.
These reserves are also popular with people from nearby residential
areas and wider metropolitan Melbourne for a wide range of recreational
activities. Consequently, management has to provide a balance between
human use and establishment of habitat for the Fairy-wrens and other
native birds.
Mission
'To understand the ecological behavior and requirements
of urban Superb Fairy-wrens to ensure habitats around northern Port
Phillip Bay are managed to sustain local populations.'
Get Involved
You don't need a great knowledge of natural history or environmental
issues to be involved. Your observations will assist in telling
us how our environment is changing, for better or worse.
If you see some wrens anywhere within the northern Port Phillip
Bay area, please feel free to print off the survey form and record
their details and activities.
Register your interest in participating in regular team surveys
by email to: bluey@saltbush.com.au,
or download the survey
sheet and follow the survey guidelines to record your observations.
Please mail completed survey sheets to:
Bluey
C/- Port Phillip EcoCentre
55A Blessington Street
St Kilda, VIC 3182 |
 |
Territory
Superb Fairy-wrens stay all year round within a defined territory,
and are an important indicator species for other bird species which
are either residents or seasonal visitors. They include Silvereye,
Brown Thornbill, White-browed Scrubwren, and Grey Fantail.
Data gained on Superb Fairy-wrens within the reserves will provide
useful information for management of these areas to ensure that
competing uses do not eliminate the wrens or other native bird species.
Figure 1. Breeding male Blue Wren at Elwood Canal
The focus for this study are the 'urban coastal' Superb Fairy-wren
populations located in the municipalities of Hobson's Bay, Melbourne,
Port Phillip, and Bayside. Information from each of these areas
will be progressively updated as results of community surveys come
to hand.
Blue Wren Website Sponsorship
The City
of Port Phillip sponsored this web page through its 'Sustainable
Community Progress Indicators' project, which includes 'the
number of bird species recorded within the city' as a key environmental
indicator.
Blue Wren Project Team
- Andrew McCutcheon
- Janet Bolitho
- Neil Blake
- Michael Norris
|
| Home
| Blue Wrens
| Introduction 
