This section records the observations made in the Castlemaine District. Regular bird counts have been made in about ten areas of the district.

For each area, the number of bird species seen in 20 minutes for a 2ha site has been recorded. Seven of these blocks have been visited for over 10 years. These blocks are

Fryerstown Cemetery. Some tall eucalypts (Yellow Box, Yellow Gum and Grey Box) and adjacent to bushland and farmland.
Kaweka Wildflower Reserve A bushland reserve in the Castlemaine township. The reserve has regrowth box.stringybark/Yellow Gum and a varied shrub/grass layer.
Lewis Road, Muckleford. Bordered by farmland. It is lined with large trees (Red Gum, Yellow Gum, Yellow Box, Grey Box) with a very sparse shrub layer.
Spring Gully Turnoff is at the corner of the Chewton-Fryerstown and Spring Gully Roads. It is regrowth heathy box-stringybark forest.
Walmer Flora Reserve A small bushland reserve, with mixed box and Yellow Gum. The heathy understorey is drought affected.
Walmer School Road. N of Fogarty Gap Road. It is lined with Red Stringybark and mixed box trees. It has a varied understorey. The ajoining paddocks constain shrubs and trees.
Youngmans Track is in Wattle Flat Forest, north-west of the Castlemaine township. It is a mixed box/Red Stringybark Forest. It was burned in 1998 in a fire-reduction burn, and much was cut for firewood in 2006.

For each year, the average number of species/visit was calculated, and the yearly results plotted. The least-square line of best fit was calculated for those species seen in at least moderate numbers.

10 year combined records 1999 - 2008 From best-fit least-square line. Seven 2ha sites
.
Increase                       50-75% reduction
Striated Pardalote 9.7  17     White-winged Chough  4.2  1.5
Galah              35   49     Eastern Shrike-tit   4.7  1.9
Long-billed Corella14   17     Welcome Swallow      12   4.3
Grey Currawong     8.4  10     Thornbills           30   9.4
Magpie             35   40     Weebill              10   4.9
Ravens             15   16     Blackbird            5.2  2.5
Brown Treecreeper  8.9  11     Grey Shrike-thrush   17   4.4
                               Whistlers            6.0  2.3

0-25% reduction                Over  75% reduction
S-crested Cockatoo 5.8  4.2    Cuckoo Shrikes       3.3   0.8
Noisy  Miner       18   16     Cuckoos              1.6   0.3
Spotted Pardalote  8.6  7.6    Grey Fantail         8.8   0.9
Eastern Rosella    33   32     Firetails            3.6   -0.9
Red Wattlebird     45   40     Restless Flycatcher  12    2.5
                               Red-rump Parrot      23    3.0
25-50% reduction               Jacky Winter         12	  1.7
Common Bronzewing  17   10     Eastern Yellow Robin 18    -2.2
Honeyeaters       109   66     Other robins         18    1.1
Kookaburra         4.1  2.7    White-br Scrub-wren  3.4   -0.3
Martins            3.7  2.0    White-th Treecreeper 9.3   0
Crimson Rosella    33   22     Superb Fairy-wren    30    9
Willie Wagtail     19   11     Varied Sittella      3.3   0.7
Woodswallows       9.4  5.6
Lorikeets          13   8.9