Seaworthy Show Sat 4 June Sydney

Minyon Falls, Nightcap National Park

Nightcap National Park contains extensive areas of lush Gondwana Rainforests and was preserved by a determined group of conservationists in the 1980s. These photos and recordings were made during a brief visit in April 2011 to Minyon Falls. The sound composition here contains a series of recordings made surrounding the creekline leading to the falls themslves. Surrounded by dense forest, there are bird calls (as well as an occasional frog croak) but dominating the recordings are the sounds of the falls themselves that create a background drone running through most of the piece.

Minyon Falls, Nightcap National Park by seaworthy

Drought

Lake Preston – Yalgorup National Park

Yalgorup National Park, located 100m from my front door, protects a chain of 10 lakes of high conservation importance. The park offers refuge to plant numbers of plants and animal species. Its particularly notable for its tuart woodlands, salt marsh communities, ancient thrombolites and international migratory waterbird species.

South Western Australia has undergone one of its hottest summers on record. Before the hot summer months we experienced one of the driest winters on record, with rainfall at approximately 50% below average levels.

As a result the Lake Preston and the surrounding Yalgorup Park are extremely dry. The lake is a barren almost moonscape like environment. I took a walk out on the lake a few days ago to take photos and some field recordings. It struck me on the walk home that 15 years ago this lake was used for waterskiing and sailing but in recent years the lake is dry in summer, devoid of water and filled with the a salty brine smell and the debris of bones, feathers and resilient salt marsh plant species. The sounds in the centre of the lake were limited to my footsteps, the wind and the distant hum of traffic from the nearby highway.

- Matt

Lake preston blogmix by Matt Rösner

Gutters filled with sand

Hydrophone in gutters and sand by seaworthy

World Wetlands Day 2011

Wednesday 2 February 2011 is World Wetlands Day.

The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2011 is "wetlands and forests - forests for water and wetlands" in celebration of the United Nations International Year of Forests. In Australia, probably the best known forested wetlands are the mangrove forests that line the majority of our coastal rivers and estuaries. These wetlands are important as they deliver significant ecosystem services by providing habitat for a range of wildlife. In recent years, however, mangroves have been acknowledged as not being completely beneficial to estuarine wetlands given their propensity to invade coastal saltmarsh habitats and clog smaller tributaries, leading to impoundment of tidal waters and increased suitability of habitats for pest mosquitoes. Generally though, mangroves still represent an important ecological resource in many areas of Australia as well as internationally.

In celebration of World Wetlands Day (as well as teh 40th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention), I have put together this 15 minute piece comprised of recordings made over the last 6 months or so from the wetlands of Sydney Olympic Park. This track contains recordings made using hydrophones, stereo microphones and shot gun microphones in and around the estuarine and freshwater wetlands of Sydney Olympic Park. This large area of wetlands is located close to the geographic heart of Sydney, the largest city in Australia. The sounds of the city, planes and traffic leaking into the natural sound scape. For more information on Sydney Olympic Park, please visit their website.

For more information on World Wetlands Day, you can visit the Australian Government Environment website or to find out mroe details about international events, as well as the history of the RAMSAR Convention, you can visit the RAMAR site



Above and below the wetland forest (World Wetlands Day 2011) by seaworthy

Do birds & frogs sing differently in the city?

Wildlife can use sound to communicate in many different ways but, more often than not, they may distinctive sounds to help find a mate. One of the things I've notice while recording in urban wetlands is the large amount of noise pollution caused by traffic, industry and other human activity. I know there is a dramatic reduction in frog calling activity during evenings when the wind is strong. One field trip on the south coast we recorded about 8 species of frog calling on the first night but one the second night the wind was much stronger and we only recorded 2 frog species. How are these animals responding to "human-made" noise?

There has been some media interesting in a recent Melbourne University study that has indicated that urban noise is changing the calls of some bird species. The soon to be published study titled "Geographically pervasive effects of urban noise on frequency and syllable rate of songs and calls in silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis)" by Potvin, Parris & Mulder reports on the adaptation of birds to urban environments by calling at higher frequencies. You can read the abstract here.

It also reminded me of this paper reporting a change in the frequency of frog calls in habitats close to traffic from 2009. That paper reporting on changes in frog calls, "Frogs Call at a Higher Pitch in Traffic Noise" by Parris, Velik-Lord & North is available here Turns out it is one of the same researchers, K Parris, involved in both projects!

I guess what the work of these researchers is showing is that our natural environment can be influenced as much, perhaps, by noise pollution as other forms of pollution. While bird calls may be shifting as a result of learnt behaviours, the change in frogs call may be reflecting an evolutionary shift in animals adapted to urban environments. I'll be keen to follow the continuing work of Parris and her collegues.

Cam

Meroo National Park Management Plan

In December 2010, The Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water released the Meroo National Park Plan of Management. Below is the press release announcing the adoption of the plan:

The recent adoption of the Plan of Management for Meroo National Park ensures the protection of the park's significant cultural and natural environment values while providing for unique visitor experiences.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) South Coast Regional Manager, Ms Diane Garrood said extensive community consultation was undertaken in preparing the plan of management for the park.

"A community working group was established to assist the NPWS to prepare a draft plan," Ms Garrood said.

"The draft plan was then publicly exhibited to obtain further community input and discussions have been held on specific issues such as vehicle access to Meroo Lake."

Meroo National Park, located 5 kilometres south of Ulladulla, includes almost 4,000 hectares of high conservation value coastal forests and lake ecosystems.

It also contains the former Barnunj State Conservation Area which has now been declared part of the park. The bed of Meroo Lake is to be added to the park early next year.

"The park is of national significance for its biological and landscape values. It is home to many threatened fauna including the nationally endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog," she said.

"The plan seeks to protect these important values while continuing to provide for public enjoyment through activities such as camping, bushwalking, kayaking and fishing.

"The combination of the relatively undisturbed coastline and coastal lakes in a forested setting provides visitors with wonderful, unique experiences."

A copy of the plan can be found on the DECCW website at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parkmanagement/MerooMgmtplanDraft.htm or printed copies obtained by contacting the NPWS South Coast Regional office at Nowra on ph: (02) 4423 2170.


The plan highlights many of the difficulties in managing coastal environments in NSW where a balance must be met between environmental conservation and recreational activities. For more information, as well as links to download the management plan, please visit the DECC website