Birds Australia North Queensland

BANQ Annual Crane Count Every October more than 100 enthusiastic volunteers from Townsville to the Tablelands and Cape York, count Brolgas and Sarus Cranes flying into wetland night roosts. The project collects valuable data on crane numbers, movements and roost habitat and increases knowledge and interest in Sarus Crane and Brolga conservation in the region. More about the Count» BANQ also helps support Dr John Grant's ongoing Gulf Crane Project, discovering more about Australian Sarus Cranes breeding and migration. Read about (almost) satellite tracking an Australian Sarus Crane»	Sarus Cranes (Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway»)
Annual Black-throated Finch Surveys The Townsville District is the last known stronghold of the endangered southern race of the Black-throated Finch (Poephila cincta cincta). A Black-throated Finch Recovery Team has been formed in Townsville to address its plight. BANQG supports this project by taking part in surveys each October to count the numbers of Black-throated Finches frequenting dams and water-holes in the Townsville area.	Southern Black-throated Finch (Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway»)
Annual Pied Imperial Pigeon Counts I n 1965 Margaret and Arthur Thorsborne started regular counts of Pied Imperial Pigeons on North Brook Island after finding shooters killing large numbers of the birds. Since then the birds have been protected by law and now with the help of QPWS, counts have been organised in at least November and December every year and numbers have increased from several thousand to well over 30,000. In the 80’s John Winter organised counters from Magnetic Is, north to Port Douglas to count or estimate the number of pigeons in their areas. There are large numbers of Pied Imperial Pigeons nesting on the Barnard Islands (between Mission Beach and Mourilyan), about which there is very little information. As it was not known whether the birds which feed in the Mission Beach area nest and roost on the Family Group, the Brook Islands or the Barnard Islands, a survey of returning birds took place at Mission Beach on 10 November 2007. It was found that birds in the northern area of Mission Beach did indeed head back towards the Barnard Islands, while in the southern area, birds went in a southeasterly direction past Dunk Island towards Timana Island. See the survey report» for details.	Pied Imperial-Pigeon (Courtesy Ian Montgomery, Birdway»)