The Perth Cultural Centre’s Urban Wetland, designed by Josh Byrne & Associates (JBA) for the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA) is now home to a new resident with a recent wetland fauna study revealing that a Buff-Banded Rail has taken up residency in the maturing wetland.
A Rail is a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium size birds and whilst the Buff-Banded Rail is not an endangered bird species, it does require significant wetland habitat and can be very shy.
This discovery highlights the success of the wetland in that it is now capable of providing an ongoing food source and habitat for these distinctively coloured little birds.
This new addition to the Perth Cultural Centre follows a 4 year fauna release & community engagement program developed by Josh Byrne & Associates and the MRA which comprises of various animal release events into the wetland undertaken by JBA and Bamford Consulting Ecologists with assistance from the local community.
Amongst other creatures, the Urban Wetland now has permanent breeding populations of motorbike frogs, clicking frogs and slender tree frogs as well as an array of critical wetland invertebrates and animals including water snails, pigmy perch, dragon flies and more.
The successful introduction of these important wetland species into a high use civic space in the heart of the city is a success story for the Perth Cultural Centre and one that Josh Byrne & Associates and the MRA is proud to be part of.
Visitors to the Urban Wetland should try and be as quiet as possible if they wish to see the Rail or find the various frogs that inhabit the wetland environment.