The Canoon Rd Recreation Area is in the middle of a hot spot for threatened-vulnerable species including Ku-ring-gai’s treasured Powerful Owl. The hot spot of threatened species deserves a thorough impact assessment, not just a perfunctory tick in the box approval.
Threatened-vulnerable Powerful Owl
The Powerful Owl is listed as threatened (category Vulnerable) on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act.
Netball lighting during the the winter season is aligned with the Powerful Owl’s nesting and breeding season which runs from May to October. Netball lights risk the Powerful Owls abandoning the area as discussed in a Birdlife Australia report submitted to Council.
Ku-ring-gai’s Powerful Owls need to be respected, they are a treasured symbol of Ku-ring-gai with the local primary school featuring the Powerful Owl.
The Turramurra schools’ participation in the Powerful Owl project to encourage the owls back to the area is great to see.
Here is a report on the “Possible impact of artificial night lighting on the Powerful Owl” by a leading authority on Powerful Owls.
Birdlife Australia has lodged a submission to KMC highlighting the potential impacts artificial light has on the Powerful Owls in the Canoon Rd area. BirdLife Australia currently manages the Powerful Owl research project throughout Sydney. Below is a summary of concerns raised by Birdlife Australia in the submission to KMC.
Canoon Rd sits within a hotspot for Powerful Owl breeding. Three pairs of Powerful Owls are breeding in the surrounding area and are subject to being impacted by flood lights. These families currently support 5 owlets in total. These breeding sites are habitually used, and two of the three breeding sites have recorded successful breeding for the last 3 years consecutively.
The amendments to the Canoon Rd site include an increase in the operating hours for flood lights for the site during winter, which coincide with Powerful Owl breeding and with the time of owl activity. Powerful Owl daily activity in winter begins at ~6pm and ceases at dawn.
Any noise or light pollution arising from the netball light development within the core territory of a nest tree may also negatively affect owls by influencing movement patterns. Excessive light is known to cause abandonment of territories in other owl species. In the case of Canoon Rd, floodlights shining into the creekway and valley adjacent to the netball courts are very likely to impact upon movement patterns and roost site use of the resident owls.
The amendments to the Canoon Rd site include an increase in the operation hours for the site during winter, which coincide with Powerful Owl breeding and with the time of owl activity. Chicks fledge between August and October.
Threatened-vulnerable Red-crowned Toadlet
The Red-crowned Toadlet is listed as threatened (category Vulnerable) on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act.
See the attached report on the risks to the Red-crowned Toadlet.