Services on this project
On this Transport for NSW infrastructure project in the Hawkesbury, ESEA has prepared and implemented the environmental documentation and provided ecological supervision during construction, so works can progress while multiple significant environmental constraints are managed.
What did the project need?
The works sit beside a river corridor with a confirmed White-bellied Sea-Eagle nesting site and koala habitat. The White-bellied Sea-Eagle is listed as Vulnerable in NSW and is sensitive to disturbance while nesting, so the nest had to be protected through the breeding season while construction continued.
What ESEA did
ESEA contributed to the Review of Environmental Factors and prepared the biodiversity assessment, a Vegetation Management Plan, a Koala Management Plan and a White-bellied Sea-Eagle Management Plan. Once works began, ESEA delivered pre-clearing surveys, clearing supervision and ongoing fauna and nest monitoring as the project ecologist.
Monitoring the Sea-Eagle nest
Nest cameras were installed on 3 June 2025 so the nest could be watched without people approaching it, and two hatchlings were recorded on 18 July 2025. Construction continued under the species management plan. The nest location is not published, to protect the birds from further disturbance. The full story is in two Sea-Eagle chicks on a Hawkesbury bridge project.
Ecological hold on the riverbank
In September 2026 ESEA confirmed an active Spotted Pardalote nesting burrow with dependent chicks in the riverbank works area and maintained an ecological hold over approximately 0.14 hectares of riverbank works. Clearing in that section stays on hold until fledging and nest inactivity are confirmed, while the White-bellied Sea-Eagle and koala management measures continue.
Related reading
For koala habitat, see the team’s research on koalas and stemflow. For how REFs for infrastructure are now assessed, see the 2026 guidelines for Reviews of Environmental Factors.
