Blackheaded Gull - Laurus ridibundus
A brave European bird. Black Headed Gull gets a home.
Black Headed Gulls will attack birds of prey by screaming and chasing them away from their colonies, which also protects other water birds in the wetland.
In conjunction with the Swedish Wetlands Association, Banrock is helping build quality habitat for nesting and resting waterfowl at the Malmasjön Wetland at Oster-Malma.
The habitat includes both shallow and deep water and a nesting island where birds, especially the Black Headed Gull can breed in peace and safety.
Pateke - Anas gracilis
Foiling the ferrets and weasels. Giving the Pateke a chance.
The Pateke or Brown Teal is a small endangered duck native to New Zealand. Numbers have declined not only due to the loss of habitat but also due to predators such as weasels, ferrets and stoats.
Banrock Station partnered Wetland Care New Zealand to fund the creation of wetlands at the Karori Sanctuary in Wellington that have resulted in the successful reintroduction of the Pateke.
Crimson-spotted Rainbow Fish - Melandfencia fluviafilis
No end to the rainbow. Saving the Crimson-spotted Rainbow Fish.
The Riverglades Wetland on the lower River Murray in South Australia was 'drowned' with the building of the barrages at Goolwa, however, Banrock Station is funding the building of flow regulator structures to enable the drying of the wetland. Through its partnership with Wetland Care Australia and the Riverglades Community, vital assistance will lead to the recovery of this wetland.
Incorporating fish screens to keep out the destructive European Carp, the flow regulators enable the recreation of the wetting and drying cycles that once occurred naturally and will increase the numbers and diversity of native plants and animals, especially the Crimson-spotted Rainbow Fish.
Otter - Lutra lutra
Getting into otter water. Bringing this playful creature back to the Netherlands.
Otters were last recorded in the Netherlands in 1983. Water pollution and the continual decline of open water areas necessary for breeding had eventually taken its toll.
With funding from Banrock Station, Staatsbosbeheer, a national forestry conservation authority, undertook vegetation management for the regeneration of natural habitat and the creation of open water areas in the DeWeerribben National Park.
This will provide breeding areas for critical and rare species of dragonfly, butterflies, birds and, of course, otters.
In 2002, 15 otters were reintroduced to DeWeerribben National Park and it is hoped numbers will continue to increase.
Regent Parrot - Polytelis anthopeplus
Conserving local colour. Banrock provides a home for the Regent Parrot.
Once common in the lower Murray River, the Regent Parrot is now very rare because the clearing of land for agricultural production which has largely destroyed the Mallee woodland where they feed. Red Gun hollows where they breed have also been reduced over the years due to timber cutting to fuel the paddlesteamers during the 1850's to to early 1900's
The significant investment in the restoration of Banrock Station lagoon and the surrounding Mallee woodland has provided a safe haven for these magnificent birds.
Late afternoon they can be seen flying around the wine and wetland centre at Banrock Station with the sun reflecting off their yellow & lime green feathers.
The breeding population is currently 100 birds on Banrock Station, a population which is annually monitored and a management plan is in place to further assist their recovery.
The Regent Parrot was one of the key species responsible for the Banrock station wetlands and woodlands becoming listed as a Ramsar wetland of International Importance in 2002.
River Snail - Notopala hanleyi
Quick work saves snail. Local extinction of the River Snail reversed.
Thought to be locally extinct by scientists in 1980, the River Snail was re-discovered in an irrigation pipe and a planned program begun to re-introduce them to the Banrock Station lagoon.
The installation of fish screens, and the return to natural wetting and drying cycles within the lagoon have reduced numbers of the destructive European Carp and provided an environment with aquatic plants that allows the snails to survive.
The first group of 12 snails were released in February 2001 and have bred successfully with a breeding population now established.
Sand Martin - Riparia riparia
Spring in London. Providing a permanent breeding site for Sand Martins.
Sand Martins migrate in Spring from Africa to the United Kingdom to breed, returning to Africa in Autumn.
Much of their stable habitat has been lost, placing the species under increasing pressure. Banrock Station has assisted by funding the development of a permanent breeding site at the London Wetland Centre, in the Greater London Area.
The London Wetland Centre at Barnes is run by the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust and is a key site for Sand Martins. It not only provides stable habitat for many migratory birds but also the opportunity for visitors to come to become involved through the inclusion of a public viewing area.
Whooping Crane - Grus americana
Helping save Canada's Whooping Crane.
By 1940, numbers of this endangered species had declined to just 14 birds but thanks to a captive-breeding program in Calgary, Alberta, numbers are now above 500.
Banrock Station has been assisting the Calgary Zoo by sponsoring its captive breeding and rearing program for the reintroduction of these birds into the wild.
Whooping Cranes have the highest rate of embryo mortality during egg incubation so it is a project that takes immense time and care.
In January 2003, The Calgary Zoo released two more male chicks into the wild, bringing the total number of released chicks to 14.
Green and Golden Bell Frog - Litoria aurea
Saving the Green and Golden Bell Frog.
The Green and Golden Bell Frog is endangered. The destruction of habitat and an increase in pollution has rung the death knell for this beautiful little amphibian.
Banrock Station, in conjunction with Landcare Australia and the Davistown/Saratoga Wetland Support Group, has enabled the regeneration of degraded wetland and the construction of additional breeding habitat to provide a haven at the Saratoga Wetland in Queensland.
The green and golden bell frog has also adopted the restored Mason Park wetlands near the Sydney Olympics precinct where the species flourishes today.
Brush Tailed Bettongs - Bettongia penicillata
A timid marsupial. Brush Tailed Bettongs.
Also referred to as a 'Woylie' the Brush tailed Bettong is nocturnal, choosing to spend much of the day sheltering from heat and predators under dense shrubs in the Mallee woodlands. Bettongs venture out to feed well after sunset and are careful to hide before sunrise.
When feeding the Brush tailed Bettong uses its sense of smell to locate food beneath the ground. Its diet largely consists of the fruiting bodies of underground fungi supplemented by bulbs, tubers, seeds and insects.
This animal once enjoyed one of the largest geographic ranges of any Australian mammal, but due to competition and predation from introduced feral species and loss of habitat through grazing and land clearing it is now almost extinct from mainland Australia.
The construction of a 13km predator proof fence around Banrock Station and the removal of foxes, feral cats, rabbits and hares enabled the first seven Woylies to be reintroduced to the property in 2005. This forms part of Banrock Station's threatened species recovery program helping to ensure that our native species are protected to maintain Australia's biodiversity for future generations.
Bilbies - Macrotis Lagotis
A true Australian. The Bilby
The Bilby is one of Australia's most distinctive native mammals with its long pink ears and silky blue-grey fur. The Bilby was once common on 70 per cent of the Australian mainland, but populations have been decimated by competition from rabbits and domestic stock, loss of habitat through land clearing and predation from introduced cats and foxes.
The Bilby constructs a burrow up to 3 metres long and 1.8 metres deep to shelter during the day from heat and predators. When rabbits arrived in the late 1800's, the Bilby was displaced from its home and became locally extinct from South Australia in the 1930's.
The construction of a 13km predator proof fence around Banrock Station and the removal of foxes, feral cats, rabbits and hares enabled the first seven Bilbies to be reintroduced to the property in 2005. This forms part of Banrock Station's threatened species recovery program helping to ensure that our native species are protected to maintain Australia's biodiversity for future generations.
