By Jesse Graham
HEALESVILLE Sanctuary visitors will be able to go bird watching in a newly-refurbished wetlands area, after a mammoth effort to rejuvenate the area.
The sanctuary’s wetlands area opened over the September school holidays, after refurbishment works started at the beginning of the year.
Featuring a newly-built bird-watching hide, a re-designed wetland area and new boardwalks, the area gives visitors the chance to see birds in their habitat and observe them in a different way to other animal exhibits.
Keeper Meagan Lane said the works started in January, and started with a co-ordinated effort to get every animal – birds and eels alike – safely out of the wetlands and into a specially-made holding area.
“It was a pretty long process, it was a well-planned, well-thought-out process,” Ms Lane said.
“We fed the birds in there with a funnel-trap system – it was a one-way-trap … they could walk in, but they couldn’t walk back out.”
Ms Lane said the changes to the area not only makes the birds more visible for visitors, with the old areas overgrown before the works, but gives the birds a more comfortable area to live in.
“From a welfare point of view, for us as keepers, one of the things was resurfacing the water’s edge – the old exhibit had rough gravel, which we had some issues with bumblefoot in birds,” she said.
“So from an animal welfare point, was getting those edges smoothed, more perching and more suitable perching in different spots as well for the same birds.”
The boardwalk and bird-hide were created with reclaimed timbers and reusable decking materials, and Ms Lane said the bird-hide was proving popular with bird-watchers and photographers.
“It’s just encouraging people to do a bit of bird watching and actually see these guys have a bit more of a relaxed stance,” she said.
“In terms of staff, most of the feedback I’ve heard is it’s a huge difference – you can see the birds, the birds look happy and relaxed.”
