A popular forage site for the threatened Forest Red-tailed Cockatoo in Bibra Lake now
has an off-grid bird waterer thanks to the innovative efforts of City of Cockburn Council.
The four-metre-high bird waterer – designed and supplied by the Town of Victoria Park’s Natural Areas Team and manufactured in Perth – features four large water troughs at varying heights and angles, with timber rungs perfect for perching and beak-sharpening.
The feeder is the first in the municipality to be fitted with a solar-powered submersible water pump connected to a 1000-litre bulk water container, negating the need for access to scheme water in the sensitive bushland environment.
Council’s Rehabilitating Roe 8 Project Manager, Adam Peck said footage of birdlife
using the sturdy hot-dip galvanized, powder-coated structure within its first week had
proven its early popularity among smaller bushland birds including magpies and
bathing Red Wattlebirds.
“There is no guarantee cockies or other birds will use it in the first year, as it may take
time for them to get used to it and feel safe using it, but we know they like to forage in
the area,” Mr Peck said.
“We are in a drying climate and threatened species like Black-Cockatoo are in decline
and will benefit from additional water sources.
“Birds like Black-Cockatoo rarely drink from lakes, due to vulnerability to predation and
difficulties taking flight from boggy ground so this waterer could prove very beneficial in
time.”
Council will monitor water tank levels with the help of a phone app, which includes an alert for staff when refilling is required.
The City completed the $9,000 project in late March with State Government funding
from the Rehabilitate Roe 8 project.
A plaque will soon dedicate the waterer to local resident, Rex Sallur, who has been a local volunteer for more than 35 years, giving his time and expertise to a variety of local
environmental projects, causes and organisations.
