Skip to content


Join Wildlife Watch

Residents of North Sydney are the eyes and ears of our bushland reserves.

You can help identify wildlife in our area:

 		Silvereye Photo - Trevor Quested
Picture: Silvereye (Trevor Quested)  

Would you become a Wildlife Watch volunteer?

  • Do you live in the North Sydney Council local government area?
  • Are you interested in identifying the various North Sydney fauna?
  • Would you like to learn more about local wildlife?

    • Learn how to identify a variety of birds, bats, reptiles, possums and even butterflies and other insects (if you're really keen). Observations of wildlife in your backyard, street or local reserve help Bushcare to better understand, appreciate and manage the needs of our native animals in North Sydney.

    There are also training opportunities for Wildlife Watch volunteers to help you make accurate records of any sightings, sounds or signs of wildlife.

    The aim of Wildlife Watch is to encourage the community to report wildlife sightings so that Council's database of local fauna can be constantly updated. This information is used in the management of our bushland areas, to assist in environmental planning decisions, the development of wildlife corridors, and for the inclusion in the National Parks and Wildlife Service's Wildlife Atlas. Wildlife Watch also helps raise awareness of wildlife management issues, such as wildlife using weeds as habitat, population fluctuations, migrant and nomadic species that drop in and other important obervations.

    Wildlif Watch Workshop - Click for LargerThe Wildlife Watch Kit contains:

    • Wildlife Watch observation sheets and maps
    • Basic wildlife identification sheet
    • Instructions for use
    • Map of North Sydney Council area

    Call the Bushland Project Officer on 9936 8100 for a Wildlife Watch Kit to be posted to you.

    Simply record your observations on the sheet provided and once completed return it to the Bushland Project Officer by fax: 9936 8177, post: PO BOX 12 North Sydney NSW 2059, scan and email to council@northsydney.nsw.gov.au or hand it over at Council's Customer Service desk at 200 Miller St, North Sydney.

    Nesting Boxes are a great help to Wildlife

    Over 20% of Australian native wildlife requires hollows in old trees, for nesting and rearing young. North Sydney has lost many of its old hollow-bearing trees to urban development, storms and removal for public safety reasons. Brushtail and Ringtail possums, owls such as the Powerful, Southern Boobook and Barking, cockatoos, lorikeets and parrots are just some of the native animals that need hollows for raising young.

    Nesting boxes provide valuable habitat for native wildlife and provide an alternative to your roof cavity for possums to nest in.

    Nesting boxes are available for $55.80 from the Customer Service Centre at Council, 200 Miller St, North Sydney.

    Living with Possums

    The Living with Possums brochure is available from the Customer Service Centre and provides useful and practical information on possums in the urban environment.

    • Brushtail and Ringtail possums have adapted well to the urban environment. They are two of the last remaining native survivors of the 21 species of mammals once present in North Sydney.
    • Possums in your roof and how to stop possums getting into your roof - did you know that removing a possum from your property will only make room for another possum to move in and claim the territory?
    • Possum boxes are easily constructed with cheap materials. Get some design ideas, dimensions and installation instructions from this brochure.

    More Information

    There are lots of useful websites to help correctly identify the look, sound and signs of Sydney's wildlife. Here are a few you might find helpful:

    Native Havens

    You can create a native haven in your North Sydney garden and help create more habitat and food sources for native wildlife by planting native species and perhaps even installing a nesting box. Join now and a site visit and local native plant species are provided FREE.

    > Native Havens program