BIBY TV's video: A Spring to Remember in the Capertee Valley Featuring 45 bird species and more wonderful wildlife

This fast-paced medley of fauna, flora and landscapes was the result of four visits to the glorious Capertee Valley (NSW, Australia) across the spring of 2019. We would like to acknowledge that all footage was collected on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri People. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. The Capertee Valley is renowned for its rugged beauty and biodiversity (particularly birds). Our original aim was to showcase these attributes from the perspective of a conservation property in the heart of the valley, with separate productions for the standard four seasons (which are more rigid and less nuanced than Indigenous seasons). But now the passage of time has added a new context – an unprecedented fire season followed by a shift in weather patterns (from drought to wetter than average). Now this video feels like a stark reminder of what was at stake (along with human lives, livelihoods and homes). It's also a celebration of what was saved, thanks to relentless efforts of firefighters, especially the local brigades (Glen Alice, Bogee and Capertee brigades) and the NPWS, along with a supportive community and others too numerous to mention. It certainly was a spring to remember, or one that many may hope to forget. When we started filming for this new series in September 2019 it was easy to be optimistic, despite months of exceptionally low rainfall and the drought years of 2017 and 2018. Wildlife was abundant and busy, and beige views were enlivened by golden acacias. Although it wasn’t a great season for eucalypt blossoms in the valley overall, two decades of tree-planting on this property was paying off, with a couple of species providing nectar over several months. Even the elusive Regent Honeyeater (a pair) made an appearance at the dam shown at the 0.48 mark, two days after that scene. (Thanks Liam for letting us know.) Our special sighting that same visit was a White-cheeked Honeyeater – a bird that is fairly common within its normal range but rarely seen in the Capertee Valley. In total, 82 bird species were noted at this property in September - November 2019. Woodswallows were particularly plentiful in the valley, probably due to even drier conditions further inland. What may seem paradoxical (given the opening sentence) is all that water. Although 2019 turned out to be very dry, the Capertee Valley received a deluge at the start of the year. This inconsistency is not ideal for parched earth, but can fill dams through run-off. Indeed, all four waterholes at this site were full by the end of January 2019, as well as a couple of garden ponds. Then came the (initially) slow decline, with close to average rainfall figures in March and September making little difference to dam levels or soil moisture. Indeed, by late October only two dams held water, with one of these just a large puddle. But this water was vital as creeks in the valley were dry and the nearby Capertee River had stopped flowing in autumn. By spring it consisted of the odd stagnant pool. Blue skies were no longer welcome and we obsessively followed BOM forecasts, willing each passing cloud to become something more.... And those hot windy days felt increasingly ominous. Luckily our visits didn’t coincide with dust storms! The rest is history.... On October 26 a lightning strike in Wollemi National Park, just to east of Glen Davis, started Australia’s largest recorded forest fire. While some parts of the valley were affected by the Gospers Mountain fire quite early in November, its western flank only became a threat to the filming location late in the month. The final image in this video was kindly provided by Capertee Valley resident Vicki Powys and shows the escarpment above the Glen Alice/Glen Davis boundary zone, with Mount Iris on the left, early morning November 30. Mount Iris is the peak on the right side of the scene at the 7.49 mark. We will return to the fire situation in the second part of this series, which will cover summer 2019-20. In the meantime, you can read/see more about the fire in the NSW RFS Bushfire Bulletin Vol 42 No 1 https://issuu.com/nswrfs/docs/rfs1121_bushfire_bulletin_vol_42_no1 and this ABC News special https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-27/gospers-mountain-mega-blaze-investigation/12472044?nw=0. This video by Mark Jessop https://youtu.be/n-Dbu5Casww shows the stunning scenery of Glen Davis and the fire with time lapse, while local Kylie Marie brilliantly captured a plane dropping fire retardant https://youtu.be/g0QOKMNXZko. Credits: “A Spring to Remember” was filmed and produced by Darren and Thalia Broughton for BIBY TV. The Broughtons own all rights to this video, except for the final image (of the Gospers Mountain fire) which is owned by Vicki Powys. The music in this video was selected from “Cover Me’ by Depeche Mode.