We’d like to tell you about a conservation project underway at present – the Wingtags project studying Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. You can support their work.

Despite being large and loud, little is known about our sulphur-crested cockatoos, particularly within urban areas. The Wingtags project – run by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, University of Sydney and Australian Museum – aims to increase our understanding of these native birds, and by doing so help their conservation.

First, a little video introduction…

And here’s a little animation they made…

The project so far…

70 cockatoos have been caught, tagged and released within the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney over the last year. Wingtags is the first study to use plastic wingtags on parrots and the first study to tag urban cockatoos so we can figure out where and how they spend their time. The results will help conservation efforts for cockatoos and other birds.

Want to know more and find out how to support this project?

• Visit the Wingtags’ Pozible page
• Like the Wingtags Project Facebook page and keep up-to-date with the project

If you love our feathery little native friends, please help the project so we can learn more about them.

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Love birds? Do you know more than 140 species of birds have been spotted across Centennial Parklands!

We’re always interested in seeing photos that you have taken of birds in the Parklands. Share them with us and we’ll feature you on our forthcoming birds in the Parklands blog post.

If you’re visiting us, don’t forget you can drop by the Visitor Information Counter and pick up the great ‘Birds of Sydney’ brochure.

A figbird of course!  Park regulars, and photographic wonders, Dominic and Daphne Gonzalvez had heard the distinctive figbird calls coming from the fig trees on the bank that runs along the Kensington Ponds in Centennial Park.

They spent an hour or two trying to find these birds amongst the thick foliage. They are pretty well camouflaged and very active, flying between branches and trees.

A juvenile figbird is captured sitting on a branch

This female figbird was flitting between the trees

The male figbird had found a great meal!

Like to know more? Find out about Figbirds here.

Join us for a special bird tour

International Dawn Chorus Day is held on the first Sunday in May, where the public are encouraged to rise early to listen to bird song, at organised events.

International Dawn Chorus Day first began in the 1980s when the broadcaster and environmentalist Chris Baines held the first Dawn Chorus event on his 40th birthday in the West Midlands. Since then International Dawn Chorus Day has been co-ordinated by the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust and this year BBC Breathing Places is helping to support events across the United Kingdom and beyond.

This year over 250 Dawn Chorus events are taking place in parks and nature reserves across the whole UK, with more across the globe.

Internationally, events are happening in such far-flung places from Sri Lanka, to Canada. In the United States the ‘Friends of Congaree Swamp’ hope to catch the song of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker once thought extinct, but recently rediscovered in the swamps of South Carolina. In Germany, a small boat will set out from Cologne, to record seabirds for the City’s sound-map. In Brazil a bird fair will take place in São Paulo.

Find out more about the Centennial Parklands International Dawn Chorus Walk.

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Sounds great, but how do I know when great activities like this come along?

Easy. If you have an iPhone, then download our app (see image below).

If you don’t have an iPhone, but have internet access on a smartphone or at home, then visit our What’s On Calendar.

Click image to download the Centennial Parklands iPhone app

Recently, a group of enthusiastic ‘early-birders’ took on the challenge of our summer Birdwatcher’s Breakfast – and weren’t disappointed with what they spotted. 33 species of bird in 90 minutes!

Our chief birdwatching tour guide, Trevor Waller, gave us a few little insights into the latest adventure (and later lists all of the species spotted on the walk!):

We vary things a lot on our birdwatching tours, and this time our first stop was Musgrave Pond where we had great spotting scope views of the three main water fowl species (Eurasian Coot, Dusky Moorhen and Purple Swamphen) found in the Parklands. Early mornings are the best time to be out spotting these birds at play – and we weren’t disappointed with a passing visit by some Pacific Black Ducks, Grey Teals and an Australasian Grebe which were feeding nearby.

After spending a few moments with ducks and Black Swans on One More Shot Pond, we dodged around some early morning fitness fanatics in the Park and headed to Willow Pond. Here we saw a number of Great Cormorants, some of which were showing their white flank spot (meaning that they are still in breeding plumage).

After visiting Duck Pond to see the Pied Cormorants we made our way to the Centennial Parklands Learning Centre (via a close encounter with a Laughing Kookaburra!) for some breakfast, where we watched Figbirds flying through the trees above us.

Trevor Waller on the Spotter Scope at Duck Pond

Can we spot 125 bird species in the 125th anniversary year?

We are about to launch a Centennial Park 125th Anniversary challenge, with Trevor and his birdwatching adventurers giving us a great start.

  >>  Challenge: can we spot 125 species of birds in 2013?

Records kept by the late Ern Hoskin identified more than 140 species of birds in Centennial Park (here is a link to Ern’s Bird List).

We will shortly announce how you can participate and how to log your sightings.

The next guided walk would be a great opportunity!

Our next guided birdwatching tour will be a special “International Dawn Chorus Walk” on Sunday 5 May 2013. Book in now!

So, what did they spot on this walk?

In no particular order:

• Australasian Grebe
• Eurasian Coot
• Dusky Moorhen
• Purple Swamphen
• Little Black Cormorant
• Little Pied Cormorant
• Great Cormorant
• Pied Cormorant
• Australasian Darter
• Great Egret
• White-faced Heron
• Masked Lapwing
• Welcome Swallow
• Figbird
• Eastern Koel
• Long-billed Corella
• Australian White Ibis
• Black Swan
• Hardhead
• Pacific Black Duck
• Grey Teal
• Magpie-Lark
• Australian Magpie
• Australian Raven
• Crested Pigeon
• Rainbow Lorikeet
• Silver Gull
• Willie Wagtail
• Noisy Miner
• Common Myna
• Common Starling
• Pied Currawong
• Laughing Kookaburra

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Birdwatching is actually a great, fun, relaxing (and at times, entertaining) way of spending some time in Centennial Parklands. While we would love you to join us on one of our tours, if you wanted to do some birdwatching yourself then here’s a few tips!

And remember…if you love the birds, please don’t feed them! We understand that visitors enjoy feeding the birds, however it is not healthy for Centennial Parklands birds, particularly breads and other non-natural food products. As such, we request that you do not feed the birds.

Official Doggie Night Photo – The Light Garden, Centennial Park – taken 24 January 2013 (click image for larger version of the image)

Thursday 24 January 2013 was Doggie Night at The Light Garden in Centennial Park. To celebrate Centennial Park’s 125th Anniversary, we called for the dog owners to bring their furry pooches along to try and get a group photo of 125 dogs.

In the best traditions of “close but no cigar” we ended up with an agonisingly close 123 dogs in frame!

In fairness, there was probably another 40-50 dogs within the event site that night, but alas not in shot.

(You can click here to see a larger version of the above photo).

A new eNewsletter service for Dog Walkers of Centennial Parklands

Did you know that around 43% of the entire 360 hectares of Centennial Parklands is off-leash dog walking area? You might also be interested to know that we estimate there were around 1.1 million visits made to walk a dog in the Parklands last year alone!

We are looking to improve communications with our dog walking visitors, and have set up a brand new eNewsletter service aimed at regular and occasional dog walkers in Centennial Parklands!

The periodic eNewsletter will feature latest news, information on dog training and events, helpful tips of good dog behaviour in the Parklands, and prizes!

To subscribe, simply click here to go to our eNewsletter sign up webpage, enter your details and tick the Dog Walkers eNewsletter box.

Subscribe via the Centennial Parklands website right now!

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Ever visited the Parklands with your dog and wondered where the on-leash and off-leash areas are? Wondered what visitor regulations exist? Wanted to know when the next dog training session is on? Had a dirty dog that needed a dog wash?

Our new Centennial Parklands iPhone app answers all of that…and much more!

Download our app from here.

February is another busy month in Sydney’s Centennial Parklands, and there are oodles of opportunities for you to come and enjoy one of our great offerings. Need convincing? Here’s five highlights of the month. Try one…try them all!

1. Sydney Trapeze School

Closing Sunday 17 February! This brilliantly enjoyable activity has now become a firm Centennial Park favourite. Come and fly in the Park! Need convincing? Here’s a little insight…take a look, then book here.

2. Birdwatcher’s Breakfast

Is birdwatching the new trainspotting? Absolutely not. It’s far more enjoyable! Do you have a favourite bird…Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo? Rosella? Pigeon!

Over 140 species of birds have been spotted in Centennial Parklands, and you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the life of the Parklands’ birds. Chief twitcher, Trevor Waller, makes this a fun exploration of Centennial Park to check out some of the cutest (and often funniest) feathered friends we have. Sunday 10 February. Book now.

The Birdwatcher’s Breakfast is a regular favourite – especially for those with little to no experience

3. Beginners Guide to Bats!

For a nocturnal animal, the Grey headed flying fox stirred interest in many, but why? Did you know they are the only flying mammal! Come see one close up, chat to the experts, find out what to do if you need help with a sick or injured bat and why you might see them become extinct. You will also be able to assist in a fly out count!

This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to know more about in this interesting and intelligent animal. Friday 8 February. Free but ring for details.

Want to get the story behind the bats? Come meet some experts and meet one up close. Great session for adults and kids alike.

4. Women’s Hit and Giggle

Join one of the Australian Ladies Professional Golf pros at Moore Park Golf for a morning of relaxed and social golf instruction. This program is  designed for all playing levels with a focus on fun and a few laughs!

A one hour of social and relaxed golf instruction, covering off all areas of the game, from full swing to chipping and putting. Each session includes an espresso coffee! Every Tuesday at 10am-11am. Book here.

A great Tuesday morning of fun and learning for amateurs and those wanting to improve their skills!

5. Moonlight Cinema

And how could this not be a highlight! The iconic Sydney outdoor cinema experience – Moonlight Cinema. Download a printable program here or buy your tickets here. On until 31 March 2013 – an unmissable experience!

Moonlight Cinema – a brilliant season continues throughout February

- posted by Craig Easdown

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We have around 60 or more activities, events and other opportunities for you every season across Centennial Parklands. So, how do you find out what’s on? Here’s a few ways:

• Visit our web-based What’s On calendar
• Download our seasonal what’s on guide
• Download our iPhone app with built-in Whats On calendar
• Sign up to our eNewsletter
• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Drop into our Visitor Information Counter in Centennial Park

You can also go direct to our venue partners websites for information on live shows in Centennial Parklands range of indoor venues:

• Entertainment Quarter
• Hordern Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries
• The Comedy Store
• Hi-Fi Sydney