Fun for a cause - help save our endangered cockatoos! Join the Cockatoo Cruise & Chat
Wilderide is passionate about sharing the beauty of the Australian bush with cyclists from around the world. During the upcoming UCI Gravel World Championships visitors and locals will have an opportunity to experience a rare insight into the region’s amazing biodiversity while also supporting research into saving our endangered species.
Wilderide is hosting a fundraising ride on Thursday 8 October with all proceeds going to a research project being conducted by Clint Conner, a local Nannup field ecologist and conservationist. Clint will meet us in the bush to talk about his research project: Understanding Habitat Use and Seasonal Foraging Patterns of Black Cockatoos in the Southern Jarrah Forest.
About the Project
Three species of black cockatoos – Baudin’s, Carnaby’s, and Forest Red-tailed – face increasing pressure from habitat loss, a changing climate, and landscape disturbance. While significant research has been done on the iconic Carnaby's cockatoos across the Perth and Wheatbelt regions, there remains a major knowledge gap in the southern forest regions, particularly around the lesser studied Forest Red-tailed and Baudin's cockatoos.
While all three species of black cockatoo in the southwest are threatened, Baudin’s Cockatoo is the most endangered and yet it is the least understood. Many experts fear it could go extinct within a decade without urgent action.
Despite this, large areas of potential habitat in the Southern Jarrah Forest remain understudied – and without a clear picture of the cockatoos' needs and movements across this region, critical ecosystems are currently being overlooked and degraded through inaction and mismanagement.
PROJECT: Using Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) strategically deployed across a range of different target vegetation communities, I am conducting a long-term acoustic study to determine which habitats black cockatoos rely on at various times of the year, and why. This includes identifying the understory plant communities, and seasonal patterns that drive their habitat use across the forest.
Monitoring species presence and activity patterns
Identifying overlooked priority vegetation communities that provide disproportionately high levels of forage value at particular times of the year
Documenting seasonal variation in habitat use to understand how availability of key food sources changes over time
Identifying environmental threats such as feral pigs, fire, and seed harvesting to vulnerable and overlooked priority habitat
Building data to inform real-world conservation, habitat restoration, and land-use planning
About the Cockatoo Cruise & Chat
Thursday 8 October 2026 - bookings essential
The ride: Meet 8.30am at the Nannup Foreshore Park car park for 9am rollout. Ride 20km on trails and quiet roads, winding through native jarrah forests and banksia groves.
The chat: ~10am at Barrabup Pool. Chat only option available - Barrabup Pool is easily accessible by car.
Every $ donated helps to fund vital equipment for the research project
We have provided some suggested donation amounts as part of the event registration, or you can nominate your own amount.
Can’t make it but still want to support the research?
Donate directly to the project gofundme
Purchase merchandise through the Forest Familiar Shop
Make an in kind contribution to the running of the event
