Birds With Altitude: Building a long-term monitoring network for the Wet Tropics
- Ceri Pearce
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Ceri Pearce | Birds With Altitude Project Leader
What began as a small citizen science pilot project in Wooroonooran National Park has rapidly evolved into one of BirdLife Northern Queensland’s most ambitious conservation initiatives.
Established in 2022, the Birds With Altitude (BWA) project was created in response to growing evidence that climate change is affecting the unique birdlife of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Some of our rainforest bird species are highly dependent on cool, moist mountain environments, making them particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Three years on, the BWA project has grown into a region-wide monitoring program spanning the Atherton Tablelands, Coastal Wet Tropics, Daintree, Paluma and Wooroonooran Key Biodiversity Areas. More importantly, it is creating a valuable long-term dataset that will help researchers and conservation managers understand how rainforest bird communities are changing over time.
From pilot project to regional program
The project began with support from a Queensland Government Sustainability Action Grant and a partnership with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Initial efforts focused on establishing monitoring sites in Wooroonooran National Park and training volunteers in bird identification, survey techniques and the use of BirdLife Australia’s Birdata platform.
The success of that pilot demonstrated the power of community-led monitoring and provided the foundation for expansion across the broader Wet Tropics region.
Today, BWA volunteers conduct standardised bird surveys throughout five Key Biodiversity Areas, collecting data that contributes to one of Australia’s largest citizen science databases.
Why monitoring matters
The Wet Tropics supports an extraordinary diversity of birdlife, including many species found nowhere else in the world. Research undertaken over several decades has shown that some rainforest birds are already changing their distributions in response to a warming climate, moving upslope in search of cooler conditions.
Among the species of greatest concern are Wet Tropics endemics such as the Fernwren, Wet Tropics Brown Gerygone, Atherton Scrubwren, and Mountain Thornbill. Many of these birds are closely associated with cool, high-elevation rainforest habitats and are considered particularly vulnerable to climate-driven habitat change.
For species confined to mountain-top environments, the implications are profound. As suitable climate conditions contract upslope, available habitat may become increasingly fragmented and limited. Understanding how populations respond to these changes is essential if conservation managers are to make informed decisions about protecting these species into the future.
BWA helps address this challenge by collecting repeatable, standardised data that can be compared over years and decades. Volunteers complete BirdLife Australia’s 2-hectare, 20-minute area searches and 500-metre area searches, recording both common and uncommon species across a wide range of elevations and habitats.
Every survey contributes another piece to a much larger picture.
A growing conservation success story
The growth of the project has been remarkable.
Since 2022, volunteers have completed more than 1,100 bird surveys across the Wet Tropics. Annual survey effort has increased dramatically, rising from 134 surveys in 2020 to 475 surveys in 2025 – an increase of more than 250 per cent.
Just as importantly, the project has built a skilled and enthusiastic community of birders who are contributing directly to conservation science. Through workshops, field training, annual campouts and collaborative survey events, participants have developed the knowledge and confidence needed to collect high-quality monitoring data.
The project’s success was recognised in 2024 when BirdLife Northern Queensland received the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s prestigious Chair’s Award, acknowledging the contribution of volunteers and partners to the conservation and presentation of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
Looking ahead
Birds With Altitude continues to grow as new volunteers join the project and survey coverage expands across the Wet Tropics.
BirdLife Northern Queensland is working with BirdLife Australia, James Cook University and other research partners to build a permanent network of long-term monitoring sites spanning the region’s altitudinal gradients. By returning to the same locations year after year using standardised survey methods, the project is creating an invaluable long-term dataset that will help researchers detect ecological change and inform future conservation action.
As climate change continues to reshape ecosystems around the world, long-term monitoring programs like Birds With Altitude will become increasingly important.
Every survey completed today helps build the knowledge needed to protect the unique birds of the Wet Tropics tomorrow. Whether recording a Fernwren in the moist upland rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands, a Wet Tropics Brown Gerygone in the mountains of Wooroonooran, or an Atherton Scrubwren or Mountain Thornbill in the cool highlands, volunteers are contributing directly to one of Australia’s most significant community-led rainforest bird monitoring programs.
Citizen science making a difference
One of the greatest strengths of BWA is that it demonstrates the value of citizen science. The project shows that volunteers can make a meaningful contribution to conservation by collecting robust, scientifically useful information while enjoying some of Australia’s most spectacular birding locations.
As climate change continues to reshape ecosystems around the world, long-term monitoring programs like BWA will become increasingly important.
Every survey completed today helps build the knowledge needed to protect the unique birds of the Wet Tropics tomorrow. Whether recording a Fernwren in moist upland rainforests, a Victoria’s Riflebird in the rainforests of Daintree to Paluma, or an Atherton Scrubwren or Mountain Thornbill near the highest peaks of the Wet Tropics, volunteers are contributing directly to one of Australia’s most important long-term climate change monitoring programs.
Learn more about BWA
Want to learn more about the project, access training resources, find survey locations or explore the latest monitoring reports?
Birds With Altitude welcomes birders and BirdLife Northern Queensland supporters of all experience levels. Whether you’re an experienced observer or just beginning your birding journey, there are many ways to contribute to this growing conservation initiative.
Visit the Birds With Altitude project page to discover how you can help monitor and protect the unique birds of the Wet Tropics.
Birds With Altitude Challenge Competition 2026
Survey Birds. Support Science. Win.
1 July to 30 November 2026
From 1 July to 30 November 2026, birders are invited to take part in the annual Birds With Altitude Challenge Competition.
Participants simply complete BirdLife Australia’s standard 2-hectare, 20-minute area searches or 500-metre area searches within the Atherton Tablelands, Coastal Wet Tropics, Daintree, Paluma and/or Wooroonooran Key Biodiversity Areas, then submit their records through Birdata.
The participant who completes the highest number of valid surveys during the competition period will win a fantastic prize generously donated by renowned North Queensland naturalist and wildlife guide Alan Gillanders.
The prize
A customised 4-hour wildlife tour for up to three people
Tailored to your interests and guided by one of North Queensland’s most respected naturalists, the experience could include sought-after wildlife such as the Golden Bowerbird, tree-kangaroo, platypus, nocturnal mammals, elusive owls or other Wet Tropics specialties.
How to enter
1. Complete eligible BWA surveys between 1 July and 30 November 2026.
2. Upload your surveys to Birdata.
3. The participant completing the highest number of valid surveys wins.
All survey records must be entered into Birdata by 1 December 2026.
The winner will be announced before Christmas.
Why participate?
Every survey contributes valuable information to the BWA project and helps improve our understanding of how climate change is affecting the birds of the Wet Tropics.
The more you survey, the more you contribute – and the greater your chance of winning.
Happy birding!
