Overview

Provest Creek is a part of Berowra Valley National Park in Hornsby Heights and is fed primarily by stormwater collected in the local urban catchment. At the top of the catchment is Montview Oval which was created from an old landfill site. A quarry operation mining clay shale and fireclay was also in operation from 1960 to 1975.

There are massive weed plumes along the creekline but also enough native flora to support a diverse range of fauna. It is at a tipping point where restoration is still possible.

Wild Habitats Inc. a local group restoring natural habitat successfully received funding through the Federal CEP (Community Environment Program) to do fauna surveys and bush regeneration. Here is a video of a sugar glider during a twilight survey.

Provest Creek Final Report

Volunteer Group

A volunteer group meets the first Tuesday of every month 10am-12pm to follow up on the start made by the contractors. If you are interested in getting involved then send an enquiry through our contact form.

Fauna Survey

Our fauna surveys reveals a diverse and abundant wildlife. In summary 13 species of mammals, 4 reptile species, 11 frog species and over 50 species of birds were detected during the monitoring period. Not bad for a site very close to an urban area. We are very fortunate to have our national parks which preserve habitat for the diverse fauna found in this vegetation community, the Peppermint-Angophora Forest.

Native Mammals

Ring-tailed Possum – Pseudocheirus peregrinus
Brush-tailed Possum – Trichosurus vulpecula
Swamp Wallaby – Wallabia bicolor
Possibly a Bush Rat – Rattus sp.
Sugar Glider – Petaurus breviceps
Feather-tail Glider – Acrobates pygmaeus
Whitestriped Free-tail Bat – Austronomus australis
Eastern Horseshoe Bat – Rhinolophus megaphyllus
Wattled Bat species – Chalinolobus sp.
Bentwinged Bat – Miniopterus sp.
Greyheaded Flying Fox – Pteropus poliocephalus (Vulnerable sp. NSW)

Threats

Red Fox – Vulpes vulpes
Cat – Felis catus

Reptiles

Red-bellied Black Snake – Pseudoechis porphyriacus
Eastern Water Skink – Eulamprus quoyii
Eastern Water Dragon – Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii
Eastern Snake-necked Turtle – Chelodina longicollis

Amphibians

Bleating Tree Frog – Litoria dentata
Common Eastern Froglet – Crinia signifera
Dwarf Tree Frog – Litoria fallax
Spotted Marsh Frog – Limnodynastes tasmaniensis
Striped Marsh Frog – Limnodynastes peronii
Broad-palmed Frog – Litoria latopalmata
Peron’s Tree Frog – Litoria peronii
Smooth Toadlet – Uperoleia lavigata
Ewing’s Tree Frog – Litoria ewingii
Leaf-green Tree Frog – Litoria phyllochroa
Red-crowned Toadlet – Pseudophryne australis (Vulnerable sp. NSW)

Other Aquatic Species

Eel sp. (short finned or long finned) – Anguilla reinhardtii
Spiny Freshwater Crayfish – Euastacus spinifer
Damselfly – Zygoptera order
Darner Family Dragonfly – Aeshnidae family

Birds

Australian Brush Turkey – Alectura lathami
Australian Golden Whistler – Pachycephala pectoralis
Australian King-Parrot – Alisterus scapularis
Australian Magpie – Gymnorhina tibicen
Little Raven – Corvus mellori
Australian Wood Duck – Chenonetta jubata
Black-faced Cuckooshrike – Coracina novaehollandiae
Brown Cuckoo-dove – Macropygia phasianella
Brown Thornbill – Acanthiza pusilla
Brown Gerygone – Gerygone mouki
Crimson Rosella – Platycercus elegans
Eastern Whipbird – Psophodes olivaceus
Eastern Spinebill – Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris
Eastern Yellow Robin – Eopsaltria australis
Grey Butcherbird – Cracticus torquatus
Grey Fantail – Rhipidura albiscapa
Grey Shrikethrush – Colluricincla harmonica
Laughing Kookaburra – Dacelo novaeguineae
Lewin’s Honeyeater – Meliphaga lewinii
Little Wattlebird – Anthochaera chrysoptera
New Holland Honeyeater – Phylidonyris novaehollandiae
Noisy Friarbird – Philemon corniculatus
Noisy Miner – Manorina melanocephala
Olive-backed Oriole – Oriolus sagittatus
Pied Currawong – Strepera graculina
Pilotbird – Pycnoptilus floccosus
Rainbow Lorikeet – Trichoglossus moluccanus
Red-browed Finch – Neochmia temporalis
Red Wattlebird – Anthochaera carunculata
Rufous Whistler – Pachycephala rufiventris
Satin Bowerbird – Ptilonorhynchus violaceus
Silvereye – Zosterops lateralis
Spotted Pardalote – Pardalotus punctatus
Striated Thornbill – Acanthiza lineata
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo – Cacatua galerita
Superb Lyrebird – Menura novaehollandiae
Superb Fairy-wren – Malurus cyaneus
Variegated Fairy-Wren – Malurus lamberti
Welcome Swallow – Hirundo neoxena
Willie Wagtail – Rhipidura leucophrys
White-eared Honeyeater – Nesioptilotis leucosis
White-browed Scrubwren – Sericornis frontalis
White-cheeked Honeyeater – Phylidonyris niger
White-throated Treecreeper – Cormobates leucophaea
White-headed Pigeon – Columba leucomela
Wonga Pigeon – Leucosarcia melanoleuca
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo – Calyptorhynchus funereus
Yellow-faced Honeyeater – Caligavis chrysops
Yellow Thornbill – Acanthiza nana

Introduced

Common Blackbird – Turdus merula
Red-whiskered Bulbul – Pycnonotus jocosus

Bush Regeneration

After attaining the grant we organised a Bush Regen Company Bush Habitat Restoration to begin the daunting task of starting to restore the area. After 10 visits they made an amazing start.

Through Streamwatch and Hornsby Shire Council’s Water Testing Program we also tested for water quality. This was important as we knew that Spiny Crayfish, Snake-necked turtles and Long-fin eels use the creek. There is much work to be done and we continue to reduce the weeds and work along the riparian (creekline) area.