A Song Returns: Noisy Scrub-Birds at West Cape Howe

At Amaris, we often say that healing takes many forms—sometimes in the quiet blink of a joey, sometimes in the rustle of browse, and sometimes, gloriously, in song.

This week, we join the chorus of celebration as noisy scrub-birds—one of Australia’s rarest and most elusive songbirds—have been successfully translocated to West Cape Howe National Park, just outside Albany. These tiny, ground-dwelling birds are known for their powerful, melodic calls and their stubborn refusal to be seen. For decades, they’ve clung to survival in isolated pockets, their voices growing fainter with each passing year.

Now, thanks to the dedicated efforts of DBCA and conservation partners, their song is returning to the south coast.

For us at Amaris, this is more than good news—it’s a moment of deep emotional resonance. The scrub-bird’s return reminds us that restoration is possible, even for species on the brink. It’s a testament to what happens when science, care, and long-term vision come together.

We’ve long shared this landscape with the scrub-bird, even if we rarely see them. Their presence is felt in the undergrowth, in the hush of morning, in the knowledge that wildness still lives here. And now, with this translocation, their future feels just a little more secure.

To the teams who made this possible: thank you. To the scrub-birds finding their feet in new terrain: welcome home. And to everyone who believes in the power of quiet persistence—this song is for you.

You can read more about the translocation efforts here: 🔗 ABC News 🔗 DBCA Announcement

Let’s keep listening. Let’s keep caring. Because every voice matters—even the ones we rarely hear.

A Caution to Those Who Authorise Controlled Burns

At Amaris, we celebrate the return of species like the noisy scrub-bird with deep joy—but we also urge caution. Every time a controlled burn is authorised, especially in spring, it carries consequences for the very wildlife we strive to protect.

Spring is a time of birth, growth, and vulnerability. Tiny joeys are emerging, possums are nesting, and birds like the scrub-bird are reclaiming fragile ground. Fire—even when planned—can undo years of conservation in a single afternoon.

We ask departments and agencies to pause, consult widely, and consider ecological timing. Cultural fire practices, ecological surveys, and community input must be part of every decision. Because protecting life means protecting all life—not just the human kind.

Let’s not celebrate a species’ return while risking it again plus the disappearance of other species..

Let’s choose care, every time.

By JJ Harrison - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147477096

The Sweet-Voiced Survivor: Noisy Scrub-Bird at West Cape Howe

At Amaris, we celebrate every whisper of wildness—and few are as precious as the call of the noisy scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus). Endemic to the coastal heaths east of Albany, this elusive little bird is one of Australia’s rarest. Once presumed extinct, it was rediscovered in the 1960s at Two Peoples Bay, and has since clung to survival through decades of careful conservation.

With rust-coloured wings, a speckled chestnut breast, and a voice that carries through dense undergrowth, the scrub-bird is a quiet miracle. Males wear a black triangle on their throat, and their song—powerful and haunting—is a rare gift to those lucky enough to hear it.

But this species is fragile. It depends on very specific habitat: dense leaf litter, recovering bushland, and the kind of understory that only grows after environmental damage. Ironically, it thrives in places healing from fire—but cannot survive fire itself. Its range is tiny, its clutch size is just two eggs, and its chicks take weeks to fledge. Every individual matters.

Despite 50 years of conservation, threats remain: introduced predators, habitat loss, climate change, and the devastating spread of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a soil fungus that kills forests and invites more predators. Even translocations have struggled, as the scrub-bird’s needs are so precise.