Men's shed gives vulnerable bird new hope

Members of the Dubbo Men's Shed and NPWS staff with nesting box materials

Glossy black-cockatoos in the Goonoo State Conservation Area will have 100 new nesting boxes to help boost breeding efforts, thanks to members of the Dubbo Men's Shed.

The glossy black-cockatoo is listed as vulnerable under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and Goonoo is considered a stronghold of the species.

The birds rely on a very limited number of Allocasuarinas for food and require large, hollow bearing trees for nesting. The boxes will boost the availability of nesting sites that were reduced following a wildfire at Goonoo in 2007.

Members of the Dubbo Men's Shed are constructing the boxes with specifications used for a successful nesting box project on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

The Men's Shed was developed three years ago to give men of all ages and backgrounds in Dubbo an opportunity to work on practical projects and meet new people.

Staff at Dubbo National Parks and Wildlife Service hope to have the nesting boxes in place by December this year and will monitor their use throughout the breeding
season.

Further information

• More about the glossy black-cockatoo
• Visit The Shed Online for news on Men's sheds across the country