Photo by Georgina Wilson.
In 2020, new and improved bird watering stations, now called a Cockitrough, were installed in Jirdarup. The first was installed near the Etwell St entrance and subsequently another near the BBQ on Harold Rossiter Park. Check out the full story on the Town of Victoria Park website.
On 31 August 2023, a new waterer was installed at the Etwell St entrance and the original one moved to the George St Reserve connected to a solar powered water tank. This new waterer was designed to house cameras to facilitate study of the visitors to the troughs.
There was joy in the Jirdarup community on 6 December 2023 – up to 30 cockatoos had joined the smaller birds at the waterer in the George St Reserve.
In April 2024, cameras were installed in the Etwell St Cockitrough.
Four cameras are mounted to view each of the troughs operating on a solar powered system that transmits data via a self-hosted website. It will be fine-tuned over the coming months. The cameras pick up some detail at night but they are not true ‘night vision cameras’. Unfortunately, cameras that take better images in the dark, struggle in Perth’s heat.
There are many ways in which this data will be able to be used once the system is fully operational. If you have ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact us and share your thoughts.
The original project was supported by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife and the cameras by a State NRM grant.
