New Children’s Book Highlights the Plight of the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater and Celebrates the Beauty of Australia’s Box-Ironbark Woodlands

A new children’s book, Sunny Finds His Song, shines a spotlight on the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. This is the third collaboration between author Cate Storey and illustrator Sarah Matsuda, and the first children’s book by co-author Penny Watson.

The book will be officially launched at 6pm on Friday, 30 August, at the Robyn Bauer Studio Gallery, 54 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington, QLD 4064. The event will also feature an exhibition of Sarah Matsuda’s original illustrations, which will run from Saturday, 31 August, to Saturday, 7 September. Gallery opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.

Cate explains that the original story idea came from press coverage about Regent Honeyeater song-learning, which led the authors to articles published as part of Dr Ross Crates doctoral thesis. The authors extend their gratitude to Dr Crates not only for inspiring the story but for raising awareness about the Regent Honeyeater’s plight.

Regent Honeyeaters once flew in flocks across a range extending from Adelaide to Gladstone. However, habitat clearance has led the species to the brink of extinction, with only 300 birds remaining in the wild.

Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda

Regent Honeyeaters have a species-specific song which older male birds teach to older male birds. Learning this song is crucial for attracting mates and defending territory. Regent Honeyeaters do not learn their song from fathers. Regent Honeyeater fathers remaining quiet during nesting to avoid predators, and the song-learning period only starts once young have left the nest area. As a result, young birds must find other tutors. With the population critically low, many young birds struggle to learn their song, sometimes imitating other bird species instead.

As it becomes harder and harder to pass the song between generations, the species-specific song is getting shorter and simpler over time.  This process is referred to by Dr Crates as the loss of Regent Honeyeater song culture and is a significant challenge to the species survival. 

Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda

Sunny Finds His Song, follows Sunny, a lonely Regent Honeyeater struggling to find others of his kind. Cate describes how the scientific backdrop of Regent Honeyeater song-learning provided the perfect setting for a gentle coming-of-age story. Despite the serious environmental themes, Sunny’s journey ultimately ends happily. He finds a singing teacher, a band of birds, and eventually, a mate named Goldie. Goldie’s leg bands reference real-life efforts to save the species through captive breeding and release programmes.

The book also highlights the importance of preserving habitats and feeding grounds for nectar-feeding birds. Regent Honeyeaters, nomadic in search of gum blossoms, are particularly associated with the often-overlooked box-ironbark woodlands. These woodlands are biodiversity hotspots, crucial for many species, including Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots.

Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda

Australia has lost 70% of its temperate eucalypt woodlands. Box-ironbark country is also gold country. During the gold rush in the mid-1800s, box-ironbark woodlands were dug up in search of gold.  Trees were cut down and used for building materials or were burned as firewood.  After the gold rush, box-ironbark country continued to be cleared for firewood, farms and houses.

 Woodlands on the fertile soil most suitable for farming were quickly cleared. Remaining woodlands now occur in less fertile places, where eucalypt trees grow more slowly and provide a less predictable supply of nectar. Older trees also provide a more predictable nectar source, and the amount of nectar they produce within a small space cannot be replaced by smaller and younger trees.

Cate, Penny, and Sarah hope that the story will get families talking about the value and importance of Australia’s eucalypt woodlands. “Because these woodlands once dominated our landscape, many of our species have evolved to depend on them, and I think woodlands are often overlooked when we think of habitat conservation,” Cate explains. She goes on to suggest, “The next time you are travelling, have a look out of your car window and observe what areas have been cleared and what remains. Of course, fertile plains have been mostly replaced by farmland because of their value for growing crops and grazing. But it was the very trees that grew on these fertile plains that produced the most reliable nectar supply.”

Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda

Cate also explains that intact and healthy box-ironbark woodlands are a delight for wildflower enthusiasts, with many wildflower treasures waiting to be discovered in the understory, such as native orchids and native pea flowers. These unique Australian wildflowers have been celebrated in Sarah Matsuda’s illustrations.

Cate, Penny, and Sarah would also like to acknowledge Mick Roderick, Woodland Bird Program Manager at Birdlife Australia; Allison Beutel and Jordan Mountney from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary; Dr. Daniel Appleby and Sara Petrovic for sharing their knowledge on the Regent Honeyeater; as well as Quentin Bel, Sue Brunskill, and Karen Retra for sharing their knowledge of Victorian wildflowers. A special thank you also to Mick Atzeni for recently taking Cate to see her first Regent Honeyeater in the wild, and Deb Metters for cultivating Cate and Penny’s love of birds.

Cover Image Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda

One Lonely Little Bird

A reflection on meeting my first regent honeyeater in the wild

Regent Honeyeater, Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda.

Recently, I had the absolute privilege of seeing my first Regent Honeyeater in the wild. This little bird was incredibly significant. He is one of fewer than 200 to 300 Regent Honeyeaters left in the wild, and he was found thousands of kilometres from the last stronghold of the species in the Lower Hunter Valley. But he was also particularly special to me on a very personal level. 

I set the alarm for 4:45 in the morning, was out the door by 5:30am, and headed off in the dark towards Murphy’s Creek, just outside of Toowoomba. There, I was meeting Mick Atenzi from Toowoomba Bird Observers Club, so we could head to the site where the Regent Honeyeater had been seen over the last two weeks. I am incredibly thankful to Mick for sharing his local knowledge with me. Without him, I may not have sighted the Regent Honeyeater, far up in the canopy among other honeyeaters.

As we walked down the path, Mick explained that the Regent Honeyeater had been occupying the same yellow box tree for the last few weeks, specifically in the northwest corner of the tree, defending his blossom-filled territory. Despite some saying that there was more than one Regent Honeyeater, it’s believed that there was only a single bird there, although there were other species of honeyeaters around. One little lonely Regent Honeyeater.

Regent Honeyeater, Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda.

We arrived at the yellow box. I was hopping with anticipation. I had seen a number of Regent Honeyeaters in captivity but never in the wild (and not for lack of trying). Whoop! Whoop! I saw him! Our little Regent Honeyeater, defending his quarter of a fully-blossomed yellow box tree.

I say “he” because our little bird was singing his heart out. And I realised that seeing this beautiful bird, this rare and precious gem, was bittersweet. Let me explain.

“Regent Honeyeaters were once a common sight in woodlands, west of the Great Dividing Range.”

I am the author of a children’s book about a lonely Regent Honeyeater. Regent Honeyeaters were once a common sight in woodlands, especially west of the Great Dividing Range. Nowadays, they are primarily associated with box-ironbark woodlands. These birds are nomadic, always in search of the best gum blossoms. They once flew in flocks, with their range extending as far south as Adelaide and as far north as Gladstone.

As woodlands have been cleared, this once common bird has disappeared and is now critically endangered. Next time you are travelling, have a look out of your car window. Of course, fertile plains have now been cleared and replaced by farmland.  But it was the very trees that grew on these fertile plains that produced the most reliable nectar supply. Older trees also provide a more predictable nectar source, and the amount of nectar they produce within a small space cannot be replaced by smaller and younger trees. As woodlands have disappeared, so have the Regent Honeyeaters.

“Next time you are travelling, have a look out of your car window. Of course, fertile plains have now been cleared and replaced by farmland.  But it was the very trees that grew on these fertile plains that produced the most reliable nectar supply.”

But let’s go back to our lonely little Regent Honeyeater. Because there are so few of his kind left, I wonder if he will ever find others of his kind or a nest mate. Due to the vast distances that Regent Honeyeaters travel, it’s possible for a young male bird to leave the nest area to make his own way in the world and then never actually find another Regent Honeyeater. Oh, my heart! These lonely little birds will not only always be lonely, but they will never have families or children, further decreasing the viability of the remaining population.

We explain this very phenomenon at the back of our book, and the narrative, in fact, starts with a lonesome Regent Honeyeater.

Regent Honeyeater, Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda.

But there is more to the story, and it’s the story of the little bird I met yesterday. Although, of course, the story was written years before I had the privilege of meeting this precious bird. Regent Honeyeaters have a unique song. Only male birds sing the full song, and it was the fact that I observed this little bird singing so often that I believe it’s a boy.

Unlike some species where the father will teach the children a species-specific call or song, Regent Honeyeaters do not learn their songs from their father. This is because father birds rarely sing while raising young, and young birds have left their nesting area by the time they are ready to learn. So young birds,need to find another teacher.

Mick explained to me that a recording of our bird’s song was sent to BirdLife Australia. And our little Regent Honeyeater is NOT singing the full rich song of his species! This means he never found the right teacher. Oh, my heart!

If a Regent Honeyeater fails to effectively learn his species-specific song, he will struggle to find a mate, defend territory, and find others of his kind to travel with. In our story, our Regent Honeyeater, called Sunny, finds a teacher, his flock, and a lady love. I hope the beautiful bird I met recently also has his happy ending. But there may be hundreds or even thousands of kilometres between him and others of his kind, and if he doesn’t learn his song by the time he is a year old, he may never be able to learn it….

There is something so incredibly heartbreaking about the thought of a songbird losing its song. Even among birds that have learnt the species-specific Regent Honeyeater song, the song that they are now singing is shorter and simpler than the song sung by their ancestors.

As someone who loves the Australian bush, I feel like we have lost so much, and I grieve the thriving eucalyptus woodlands that once covered so much of our vast country. I wonder if our children will ever grow up knowing what a healthy bushland looks like, the plethora of uniquely Australian wildflowers that are now drowned out by weeds. I think of all the amazing people I met while seeking out our little bird, all driven by the excitement of seeing this rare, beautiful and unique creature. And I’m reminded that our children may never see a Regent Honeyeater in the wild, like I did.

Cate Storey is an Australian Children’s Author and founder of Wet Season Books.  

Regent Honeyeater, Illustration from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda.

Cate Storey is the author of three children’s picture books: Snuggled Away, The Perfect Hollow and co-author of Sunny Finds His Song.

Each book is stunningly illustrated by Sarah Matsuda.

You can pre-order copies of Sunny Finds His Song here.

 Images in this blog are copyright Sarah Matsuda, Illustrations from Sunny Finds His Song, written by Cate Storey and Penny Watson and illustrated by Sarah Matsuda and published by Wet Season Books

The Greater Glider: Gliding, Fluffy and Gorgeous!

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

Greater gliders are uniquely Australian, gliding marsupials that live in hollows in tall eucalypt trees.  I’m starting the week with some interesting greater glider facts to share with your friends, family or school. 

1.     Gum-leaf eaters

Like the iconic koala, the greater glider is a gum-leaf-eater and has favourite feed trees, including the lemon scented gum (Corymbia citriodora), grey box (Eucalyptus moluccana) and forest red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis).

2.     Hollow dependant

Eating gum leaves can make you slow and sleepy. Rather than depending on speed to escape danger, greater gliders rely on a network of familiar den trees to quickly hide from predators.

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

3.     Not just any tree

Greater gliders reside high in the canopy. They prefer to feed from trees with a diameter greater than 30cm (about the size of an adult hug) and live in hollows in trees with a diameter greater than 50cm. An individual glider uses between 4 and 18 den sites, within small home ranges of approximately 1.5 hectares. This means gliders need quality habitat, with many mature hollow-bearing trees. With hollows often taking over 100 years to form, greater gliders are very vulnerable to habitat loss from logging, development and intense bushfires.

4.     Very rare

Once widespread across Eastern Australia, greater gliders had no listing under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) only six years ago.  In 2016 they were listed as Vulnerable (to extinction) and this year this listing was updated to Endangered. Research published in The Conversationfound that after the greater glider was listed as Vulnerable, destruction of its habitat actually increased in some states. For many, the greater glider has become a symbol of Australia’s failing environmental laws.  

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

5.     Vulnerable to a heating climate

Greater gliders’ physiology and eucalypt diet makes them vulnerable to higher temperatures and extreme weather events, specifically a greater number of nights above 20 degrees C and prolonged drought. Greater gliders also need appropriately insulated hollows, which can be hard to replace with man-made alternatives.

Along with the threat posed by logging and clearing for development, more severe storms, droughts, and intense bushfires driven by climate change, mean a loss of hollow bearing trees.

One of the most harrowing images emerging from the 2020 bushfires was of scared greater gliders, attempting to flee and becoming tangled in barbed wire fencing, which is particularly hazardous to Australia’s gliding marsupials.  

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

6.     People like you are fighting to protect them

On Sunday night, 2 October 2022, 66 citizen scientists conducted a nocturnal survey of 12 areas identified on the Victorian government’s current timber harvesting plan or its proposed plan. They found 60 greater gliders! The findings of the night survey should now trigger the terms of a temporary court injunction to prevent logging in the 12 areas where the greater gliders were found.

Kinglake Friends of the Forest (KFF) and Environment East Gippsland (EEG) have an ongoing case against government owned logging company VicForests, in that state’s Supreme Court. KFF and EEG believe VicForests has failed to properly survey for threatened species, including the greater glider and yellow-bellied glider.

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

7.     Detection dogs

Finding greater gliders in no easy task. Residing high in the canopy, greater gliders can be challenging to detect through traditional spotlighting surveys. The insulation provided by their fluffy fur also makes them difficult to find using thermal imaging, often used to detect koalas.

Detection dogs have come to the rescue. Trained to sniff out the greater glider’s scats (poo), much smaller than possum scats, detection dogs can help identify where spotlighting efforts should focus.

The more data we have on greater gliders and where they can be found, the greater our opportunity to protect this unique Australian treasure.

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

8.     Their habitats may be closer than you think

 Greater gliders have been found in bushland close to (and sometimes within) Australia’s east coast capital cities (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne). This means that development decisions within our local government areas can have direct impacts on the animal’s survival.

9.     Three distinct species

Once considered a single species, recent research has revealed that northern, central and southern greater glider populations are genetically distinct and should be separated into three different species: Petauroides minor, Petauroides armillatus and Petauroides volans. 

Illustration from The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

10.  Gliding, fluffy, gorgeous but not well known

Greater gliders are Australia’s largest gliding marsupial. Their gliding membrane extends from their elbows to their ankles. They can glide up to 100m and use their tail to steer as they glide between trees. Their fluffy, thick fur is found in a range of colours from deep brown to almost white.

Despite their obvious charm, greater gliders are far less familiar than Australia’s most famous gum-leaf eater, the koala, or the sweet as pie sugar glider. Once people get to know them, they have no trouble winning hearts and minds.

Like many Australia’s rare mammals, raising their profile is important for ensuring their future protection.

"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught" (Baba Dioum, 1968.)

Cover Image: The Perfect Hollow: A Greater Glider Story, Author: Cate Storey, Illustrator, Sarah Matsuda, published by Wet Season Books.

About the author of this blog:

Cate Storey is a children’s author and founder of Wet Season Books. Cate writes stories that celebrate Australia’s unique landscapes, wildlife and ecology. Her second book, The Perfect Hollow, illustrated by Sarah Matsuda, follows one greater glider’s search for the perfect hollow, with some scary, hairy and amusing adventures along the way.

10 bilby facts to share with your class or family this Easter

Easter Bilby, Illustration by Sarah Matsuda

There is so much to love about bilbies.  As super-charged-burrow-builders, bilbies help turn the soil, decompose leaf litter and provide homes for other small animals.  They are also a uniquely Australian Easter mascot. Here are 10 bilby facts to share with your class or family this Easter: 

1.     Bilbies are excellent diggers.  Their specially designed claws allow them to excavate spiral shaped burrows up to 3m long and 2m deep.

2.     Bilbies frequently dig new burrows while abandoning old ones, creating shelters and for other animals (such as hopping mice) in the harsh arid/semi-arid environments where they live.  Their burrows even provide shelter for other animals during a bushfire. 

3.     As they dig for food, bilbies make small furrows in the soil.  These small holes collect seeds, leaves and moisture, helping plants germinate and grow. 

4.     Bilbies are marsupials (mammals with a pouch).  They have one or two young at a time (and very rarely 3), although not all baby bilbies survive to adulthood. 

5.     A bilby’s pouch faces backwards, so that mother bilby doesn’t get dirt on her baby as she digs a burrow or searches for food.

6.     Bilbies have soft, grey fur, a long tail with a black tuft on the end and large pointed ears.

7.     The bilby’s large oversized ears work like inbuilt air-conditioning systems.  The bilby’s blood circulates around the large surface area of the bilby’s ears and then returns cooling the bilby’s overall body temperature. This is just one of the many ways the bilby has adapted to Australia’s deserts. 

8.     Bilbies are omnivores.  Although they have poor eyesight, they have a keen sense of smell. They use their long-pointed snouts to search out termites, spiders, seeds and roots.  Bilbies particularly love termites and lick them up with their long, sticky tongue.

9.     Like many native burrowing mammals, bilbies are often referred to as “ecosystem engineers” because of the important role they play in keeping our environment healthy.  

10.  Bilbies are now very rare.  The greater bilby once occupied a range of habits across 70% of the Australian mainland. Sadly, bilbies now live only in isolated areas in arid and semi-arid regions in Northern and Central Australia.  Their cousin the lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s. Unfortunately, many of Australia’s small ground dwelling mammals are now endangered due to the key threats posed by introduced predators: feral cats and the European red fox as well as degradation caused by cattle and European rabbits. 

The Easter Bilby campaign began in 1991 to raise awareness of the environmental destruction caused by introduced European rabbits and to raise awareness of the plight of the greater bilby.   To find out why it’s important to celebrate bilbies not bunnies this Easter read our previous blog post. 

Cate Storey is a children’s author and founder of Wet Season Books, her first book Snuggled Away will be released April 2022

Why, in Australia, it should be Bilbies not Bunnies this Easter.

Greater Bilby, illustration by Sarah Matsuda

My children are excited about the Easter bilby visiting this year.  While Aussie kids are surrounded by images and stories of the Easter bunny, I purposely tell stories of the bilby and the way this precious animal helps the Australian bush come alive.  

The bilby is a worthy Australian Easter mascot.  Like many native burrowing mammals, bilbies play important ecological roles in the arid and semi-arid environments where they live.  Greater bilbies are skilled excavators, capable of digging large spiral-shaped burrows, up to 2m deep, within hours.  A small group of 2 to 3 bilbies can use up to 18 burrows at a time and they regularly dig new burrows, while abandoning others.  In fact, bilbies are such proficient diggers that they are calculated to excavate more soil (volume of soil excavated per year) than any other species present in the same habitats.  Their burrows provide temperate-controlled shelter in harsh climatic conditions and help protect other animals during a bush-fire.  With these super powers, hiding eggs in the gardens of Australian children on Easter morning should pose them no problems at all. 

Using their burrows for shelter during the day, bilbies emerge at night to sniff out food with their pointed snouts.  Their foraging grounds are characterised by numerous 10 – 25 cm holes, which they dig while searching for termites, seeds, fungi, bulbs and fruit. In degraded areas, their foraging pits trap plant litter and seeds and accumulate nutrients and moisture, encouraging plant germination and growth.  Bilbies are integral ecosystem engineers, perfect for a uniquely Australian symbol of new life.

Bilbies are incredibly special Australian mammals. Sadly, bilbies are also very rare. 

Greater Bilby, illustration by Sarah Matsuda

The Easter Bilby Campaign began in 1991 to help raise awareness of the damage caused by introduced rabbits and to increase awareness of the plight of the endangered greater bilby. 

Australians love an underdog, and when it comes to bunnies and bilbies, the bilby is definitely the underdog.  The Australian landscape has changed dramatically over the last 200 years. Many of our small ground dwelling mammals have all but disappeared.  The greater bilby, whose population was once widespread over 70% of the Australian mainland is now relegated to small patches of its former range. It’s cousin, the lessor bilby became extinct in the 1950s. 

The extinction of the lessor bilby, and the dramatic decline of the greater bilby, was driven largely by introduced predators: the red fox and feral cat, and competition and habitat degradation from the introduced European wild rabbit. 

Bunnies might be cute but in Australia they have a dark past … European wild rabbits were introduced in 1859. Within 50 years, rabbits had spread across the country with devastating implications for Australia’s native flora and fauna.  

Similarly, the European red fox was deliberately introduced for recreational hunting purposes in the mid-1800s and their impact was compounded by the spread of feral cats. The wave of extinctions that followed were predominately ground-dwelling mammals in the critical size and weight range for predation from these two new hunters. 

Our small mammals, such as bilbies, bettongs, bandicoots and potoroos once dominated the Australian landscape much like rabbits are common in Europe. They also played important ecological functions by turning the soil, assisting to decompose leaf litter, helping the ground absorb moisture and providing shelter for other wildlife. I believe our landscape misses them.  

Bettong, illustration by Sarah Matsuda

By the middle of the 20th Century, Australia had lost a tragic number of our unique ground dwelling mammal species.  In total, twenty-eight Australian endemic land mammal species have become extinct since 1788. Many more unique Australian mammals were reduced to a shadow of their former ranges, persisting only on off-shore islands or within fenced predator-proof areas managed for conservation purposes.

I see the bilby as a mascot for all our small ground dwelling mammals, that have disappeared, and are continuing to disappear, from our landscape. It is time we gave them the public profile they deserve. 

To protect our unique native animals, and to stop them from silently disappearing, we need to move away from euro-centric mythologies and embrace our native fauna as our heroes. How different could things be if our children grew up with these animals in their nightly bedtime stories?  

There is so much about Australian wildlife for our children to get excited about, but we need to help them connect with what is truly unique about the Australian environment.  Getting children outdoors and into nature is a great start. However, as many of our unique animals are now locally extinct in areas accessible to our children, our unique wildlife must be kept in the national consciousness through art and storytelling. 

If our children grow up with stories and narratives that foster a connection with Australian landscapes and wildlife, our native animals will have future advocates. A perfect way to do this is by changing the narrative of the Easter bunny and championing the Easter bilby. 

Cate Storey is an Australian Children’s Author and founder of @Wet Season Books.