Foreshore birds sing praises of new watering station

A new bird watering station on the foreshore is helping enhance Hurlingham Living Stream’s role as an important habitat for local birds and wildlife. 

Known as a Cockitrough®, the plumbed watering station was developed by the Town of Victoria Park and provides a safe, reliable source of fresh water year-round for native birds, particularly the threatened Western Australian black cockatoo. 

The Cockitrough® was installed as part of Stage 2 of the Hurlingham Living Stream project, a conservation initiative supported through the Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest Program. The project is transforming the existing Hurlingham open drain into a living stream that naturally filters stormwater and improves water quality entering the Swan Canning Estuary.  

Stage 2, which is currently underway, will connect the completed Stage 1 stream with Lake Hurlingham and further enhance the area's biodiversity. Alongside the construction of pathways, around 25,000 native shrubs, rushes and sedges are being planted during this stage, building on the 20,000 plants established in Stage 1 to create a thriving urban ecosystem for local wildlife. The area will also be mulched, with turtle nesting areas established and interpretive signs installed to help visitors learn more about the habitat. Stage 2 is expected to be completed by December.  

The $925,708 Hurlingham Living Stream project is supported by $602,350 from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions through the Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest Program. The Cockitrough® also supports the City's Urban Greening Strategy by enhancing habitat for native wildlife and providing a reliable source of fresh water, helping create greener, more resilient urban environments. 

More than 130 Cockitroughs® have been installed across the Perth metropolitan area since 2018. This one is the twelfth in the City of South Perth, joining others at Collier Park Golf Course, Ryrie Avenue Reserve in Como and Godwin Avenue Sump Reserve in Manning. 

A thirteenth Cockitrough® will soon be installed at David Street Reserve in Kensington after the Friends of David Street Reserve received funding through the City's Urban Greening Grants Program to support the project.