During a recent survey of private property on the northern plains of Victoria two adult female and one adult male Plains Wanderer were located and banded. This is the largest number of Plains Wanderers found on a single night in Victoria since the population crash following two wet summers and flooding rains in 2010/2011. The birds were in excellent condition and hopefully will breed successfully this spring/summer after the good winter rains the area has received. Intriguingly none of these birds had bands, despite this being the site where one or two Plains Wanderer have been recorded and banded over the previous three years.
This bird remains on a knife edge in Victoria, and long term strategies are needed to actively manage grasslands to keep them suitable for this unique bird.