Bowra Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
Bowra Sanctuary is a 140 km2 nature reserve
near Cunnamulla
in South West Queensland
, Australia
. It lies in the Mulga Lands
bioregion
on the Warrego River plains, in the catchment of the Warrego
and Paroo River
s. It is owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
(AWC).
held by the McLaren family for five generations, Bowra was purchased by the AWC in 2010 with assistance from the Federal Government’s
National Reserve System, from Birds Australia
, Bird Observation & Conservation Australia and Birds Queensland, and from private donors.
and bloodwood
s, on the scarp and ridges in the north of the property. It also has alluvial plains covered by Gidgee
and Coolabah
open woodland
s. River Red Gums line Gumholes Creek, the reserve’s main watercourse; other wetlands include swamp
s and gilgai
s.
and 18 diurnal raptors
. Well-known residents are Hall's Babbler
, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
, Bourke's Parrot
and Chirruping Wedgebill
, while Grey Falcon
s breed there. Some threatened and declining species are Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
, Painted Honeyeater
, Squatter Pigeon
, Crested Bellbird
and Diamond Firetail
. Among 50 species of waterbirds, the rare and elusive Australian Painted Snipe
has been recorded.
and Stripe-faced Dunnart
s as well as the rare Kultarr
. The threatened Yakka Skink has been recorded on the reserve, which also contains habitat suitable for the Woma Python
.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
near Cunnamulla
Cunnamulla, Queensland
Cunnamulla is a small town that lies on the Warrego River in south west Queensland, Australia, south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane....
in South West Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies in the Mulga Lands
Mulga Lands
The Mulga Lands are an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia region of eastern Australia consisting of dry sandy plains scattered with mulga trees.-Location and description:...
bioregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
on the Warrego River plains, in the catchment of the Warrego
Warrego River
The Warrego River is situated in south west Queensland and north west New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost tributary of the Darling River....
and Paroo River
Paroo River
The Paroo River is a river in Eastern Australia and is often considered to be major tributary of the Darling River in eastern Australia, although its flow generally dissipates before it reaches the Darling...
s. It is owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy is an Australian independent, non-profit organisation, working to conserve threatened wildlife and ecosystems in Australia, principally through the acquisition of extensive areas of land on which to establish conservation reserves . These sanctuaries are...
(AWC).
History
A former cattle stationCattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
held by the McLaren family for five generations, Bowra was purchased by the AWC in 2010 with assistance from the Federal Government’s
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
National Reserve System, from Birds Australia
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
, Bird Observation & Conservation Australia and Birds Queensland, and from private donors.
Ecosystems
Bowra is characterised by Mulga communities, mixed with Poplar BoxEucalyptus populnea
Eucalyptus populnea, commonly known as Poplar box or Bimble box is an endemic tree of Australia. It is found in central and coastal Queensland to northern New South Wales. It can reach up to 25 meters tall and forms extensive open-forest communities in arid and sem-arid regions...
and bloodwood
Corymbia
Corymbia is a genus of about 113 species of tree that were classified as Eucalyptus species until the mid-1990s. It includes the bloodwoods, ghost gums and spotted gums. The bloodwoods had been recognised as a distinct group within the large and diverse Eucalyptus genus since 1867...
s, on the scarp and ridges in the north of the property. It also has alluvial plains covered by Gidgee
Acacia cambagei
Acacia cambagei, commonly known as Gidgee , Stinking wattle or Stinking gidgee is an endemic tree of Australia. It is found primarily in semi-arid and arid Queensland but extends into the Northern Territory, South Australia and north-western New South Wales. It can reach up to 12 meters in height...
and Coolabah
Eucalyptus coolabah
Eucalyptus coolabah is a eucalypt of riparian zones and is found throughout Australia from arid inland to coastal regions. The plant is commonly called coolibah or coolabah, the name being a loanword from the Indigenous Australian Yuwaaliyaay word, gulabaa.Propagation is dependent on periods of...
open woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s. River Red Gums line Gumholes Creek, the reserve’s main watercourse; other wetlands include swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and gilgai
Gilgai
Gilgai is an Australian English word referring to a small, ephemeral lake formed from a depression in the soil surface. Gilgais are commonly a few metres across and less than 30 cm deep, however in some instances they may be several metres deep and up to 100 metres across. Gilgais are common...
s.
Birds
Over 200 species of birds have been recorded on Bowra, a popular destination for birdwatchers. They include 14 species of parrotParrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
and 18 diurnal raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
. Well-known residents are Hall's Babbler
Hall's Babbler
Hall's Babbler is a species of bird in the Pomatostomidae family. It is endemic to Australia and was first described in 1964.-Name:...
, Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush
The Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrush is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
, Bourke's Parrot
Bourke's Parrot
The Bourke's Parrot , also known as the Bourke's Parakeet or "Bourkie", is a small parrot originating in Australia and the only species in its genus Neopsephotus...
and Chirruping Wedgebill
Chirruping Wedgebill
The Chirruping Wedgebill is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 27 July 2007....
, while Grey Falcon
Grey Falcon
The Grey Falcon, Falco hypoleucos, is a rare medium-sized falcon, one of the enigmatic ‘mystery’ birds of Australia, neither easily nor predictably seen.-Description:...
s breed there. Some threatened and declining species are Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
The Major Mitchell's Cockatoo also known as Leadbeater's Cockatoo or Pink Cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo restricted to arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia...
, Painted Honeyeater
Painted Honeyeater
The Painted Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Grantiella.It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests...
, Squatter Pigeon
Squatter Pigeon
The Squatter Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is endemic to Australia.According to the Dept of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the nominate subspecies, Southern Squatter Pigeon is listed as vulnerable.-References:* BirdLife International 2004....
, Crested Bellbird
Crested Bellbird
The Crested Bellbird is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Oreoica.It is endemic to Australia.-Conservation status:...
and Diamond Firetail
Diamond Firetail
The Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata is a species of estrildid finch found in eastern Australia, from Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, to south-eastern Queensland, commonly found on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range. The bird lives in eucalypt forest and woodland, mallee country,...
. Among 50 species of waterbirds, the rare and elusive Australian Painted Snipe
Australian Painted Snipe
The Australian Painted Snipe is a medium-sized, long-billed, distinctively patterned wader.-Taxonomy:The distinctiveness of the Australian Painted-snipe was recognised by John Gould in 1838 when he described and named it Rostratula australis. However, it was subsequently lumped with the Greater...
has been recorded.
Other vertebrates
A wide variety of mammals, reptiles and frogs are present on the reserve. Small mammals include the Fat-tailedFat-tailed Dunnart
The Fat Tailed Dunnart is a species of mouse-like marsupial of the Dasyuridae family, the family includes the Little Red Kaluta, quolls, and the Tasmanian Devil. It has an average body length of 60–90 mm with a tail of 45–70 mm. Ear length is 14–16 mm...
and Stripe-faced Dunnart
Stripe-faced Dunnart
The Striped-faced Dunnart is an Australian marsupial. This dunnart has an average length of 155-198 mm from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, snout to anus distance of 75-98 mm, a tail measuring 80-100 mm and an ear length of 17-18 mm. Its weight varies between 15-25 grams. It has a...
s as well as the rare Kultarr
Kultarr
The Kultarr , also known as the Jerboa-marsupial, the Jerboa Pouched-mouse, the Wuhl-wuhl or the Pitchi-pitchi, is a member of the Dasyuromorphia order. It is the only species in the Antechinomys genus...
. The threatened Yakka Skink has been recorded on the reserve, which also contains habitat suitable for the Woma Python
Woma Python
Aspidites ramsayi is a species of snake found in Australia. Once common throughout Western Australia, it has become critically endangered in some regions.One of two species of Aspidites, the Pitless pythons, an Australian genus of the Pythonidae...
.