newsletter is sent to members. Activities provided for members include meetings, a variety of field trips, bird surveys and conservation projects. Birds Australia Southern NSW & ACT (BASNA) Birds Australia Southern Queensland (BASQ) Birds Australia Victoria (BA-VIC) is the Victorian regional group of Birds Australia. BA-VIC was formed in 1982. Members of Birds Australia resident in Victoria are automatically members of BA-VIC. The quarterly newsletter is Vic Babbler. Activities provided for members include monthly meetings, a variety of excursions and campouts, bird surveys and conservation projects. Past presidents include prominent ornithologists Margaret Cameron and Tim Dolby. BA-VIC also organizes the Victorian Twitchathon and Birdline Victoria. In 2009, in association with Allen & Unwin, BA-VIC published a new bird book, Where to See Birds in Victoria, edited by Tim Dolby, featuring the best places in Victoria for seeing birds. Birds Australia Western Australia (BAWA) is the Western Australian regional group of Birds Australia. BAWA was formed in 1943 and incorporated in 2001. Members of Birds Australia resident in Western Australia are automatically members of BAWA. BAWA maintains an office, Peregrine House, at Floreat, Perth. It also publishes a quarterly newsletter, WA Bird Notes. Activities provided for members include monthly meetings, a variety of excursions ranging from half-day outings to extensive campouts, bird surveys and conservation projects. Birds Tasmania (BA-TAS) Special Interest Groups The RAOU / Birds Australia has Special Interest Groups that focus attention on particular groups of birds that have special study and conservation needs. These are: Australasian Raptor Association (ARA) - birds of prey, including eagles, falcons, hawks and owls Australasian Seabird Group (ASG) - seabirds, including albatrosses, petrels, penguins, gulls and terns Australasian Wader Studies Group (AWSG) - waders or shorebirds Birds Australia Parrot Association (BAPA) - parrots, including cockatoos, lories and lorikeets. It publishes the newsletter Eclectus. It was formed in 1996 with the objectives: To develop plans for parrot research and management in Australasia in conjunction with other interested bodies; To coordinate and encourage scientific projects using amateur and professional skills; To encourage and assist with the publication of results; To maintain effective communication on parrot matters within Australasia, and with similar groups elsewhere; and To formulate and promote policies for the conservation and management of parrots and their habitat. In 2007 a new Birds Australia Ethnoornithology Special Interest Group was established. Bird observatories Four bird observatories were established by the RAOU in order to provide