The Gouldian Finch
The hills around Wyndham are an important habitat of the endangered Gouldian Finch.
In 2002 The Gouldian was declared an Endangered Species due to the fact that the remnant adult population was estimated at less than 2500 individuals and that no sub population exceeded more than 250 adult birds.
They were formally distributed over the whole of the northern savannahs from the base of Cape York through to West Kimberley.
There used to be flocks of thousands but these days there is only a handful left in Queensland and their numbers have dropped dramatically elsewhere.
To find out what is causing the decline the Save The Gouldian Fund has established two research centres. The STGF Captive Bird Research Station situate in NSW concentrates on research work which cannot be or is difficult to conduct under field conditions; whilst the STGF Wyndham Conservation Research Centre, based in Wyndham Port provides facilities and accommodation for scientists doing field research.
There are currently some 14 researchers working on related aspects of the local Wyndham ecology.
The Gouldian, despite its colourful appearance is actually quite hard to see in its natural environment. You will find them on the rocky slopes surrounding the town. It nests in hollows in the trees and feeds on grass seeds particularly those of the local spear grass and spinifex.
In the Dry it can be seen early in the morning at SMALL waterholes, even in the centre of town! You are very unlikely to see it on the marshes or near large bodies of water like Marlgu Lagoon.
During the rest of the year, one of the tricks of finding it is to look out for a flock of wood swallows. Gouldians and other finches often forage on the ground under the protective 'air cover' of the wood swallows which as well as being good look outs, are aggressive and chase some of the predators away!!
Guided tours can sometimes be provided by contacting Jim Gardner Telephone (08) 9169 2789
The Save The Gouldian Fund objectives put quite simply are:
1. Find out why the Gouldian is declining
2. Find out what we have to do to correct the problem
3. Implement corrective actions to reverse the problem
Funding all the necessary research is very expensive so any help you can give by donating to the cause would be very much appreciated.
You will find all the details of how to donate and much other information on the Gouldian on www.savethegouldian.org/