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The Avifauna of Northern Torres Strait: Notes on a Wet-Season Visit

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The Avifauna of Northern Torres Strait: Notes on a Wet-Season Visit 49 AUSTRALI AN FIELD ORNITHOLOGY 2004, 21 , 49--U6 The Avifauna of Northern Torres Strait: Notes on a Wet-season Visit ROHAN H. CLARKE Zoology Department, LaTrobe University, Victoria 3086 (Email: [email protected]) Summary A survey of the birds present on each of the northern Torres Strait islands of Boigu, Saibai and Dauan was conducted in January and February 2002. This is the first systematic bird survey of the region to be undertaken during the wet season. Despite a number of d1y-season visits by bird-watchers in the past, my surveys revealed 20-24 species on each island that had not previously been reported. Several species and subspecies that occur nowhere else in Australian territories were also detected during these surveys. Estimates of the number of individuals recorded on each island, as well as a full species list that incorporates records from this study and previous published and unpublished material, are provided. Given the short duration of the survey period, and the wealth of new information that was gathered, it is clear that much remains to be learnt about the region's avifauna. Introduction Situated between 6 and 14 km offthe southern coast of New Guinea, the islands ofBoigu, Saibai and Dauan collectively form the north-western Torres Strait Island group*. Despite their close proximity to New Guinea, these islands are Australian territory. Saibai Island (population 380) is the largest of the group at 9625 ha. Situated 40 km west-north-west of Saibai Island is the slightly smaller Boigu Island (population 340) covering some 7150 ha. As both islands were fo rmed by the deposit of alluvial soil from the rivers of Papua New Guinea (for an overview see Jennings 1972), they are low-lying and have similar structural features. A coastal strip of mangroves is backed by a thin patchy strip of dry vine scrub, but the centre of each island is predominantly open grassy Pandanus and Melaleuca plains (more widespread on Saibai) and extensive brackish swamps that support freshwater mangroves (more widespread on Boigu). The centre of each island is accessible via dirt tracks in the dry season but following wet-season rains much of each island becomes flooded and impassable. On the northern coast of each island a modern township, associated airstrip, covered water supply, cemetery and refuse dump occupy a small area of the available land. In contrast, Dauan Island (population 165), situated c. 4 km west of Saibai Island, is significantly smaller (325 ha), rocky and mountainous. Indeed, at 297 m above sea level, the Devil's Marbles is the second-highest peak in Torres Strait. Despite its small size, a variety of habitats occurs on Dauan Island including a large stand of mangroves and a narrow coastal strip of dry vine scrub. The lower slopes of the island are dominated by tall grassland with emergent Pandanus, while boulder fi elds, with a patchy cover of vine scrub, dominate the upper slopes. On the south-facing slopes of the island small pockets of denser vine forest also occur. The modern township has developed along a narrow coastal strip backed by steep hills on the north-eastern side of the island. *Permission to visit the northern Torres Strait Island group must be obtained in advance from the chairperson of each island council. Bird-watchers intending to visit these islands should also be aware that at present there is no infrastructure for tourists, Estuarine Crocodiles Crocodylus porosus occur in all wate1ways, mosquitoes are prevalent at certain times of the year and mosquito­ borne malaria and Japanese encephalitis, although infrequent, have both been reported. AUSTRALIAN so CLARKE FIELD ORNITHOLOGY Although many of the bird species that occur in the northern Torres Strait group have a wider distribution in nearby Papua New Guinea, this remains the only place in an Australian territory where several avian taxa occur (e.g. Singing Starling*, New Guinea Eclectus Parrot Eclectus roratus polychloros) (Draffan et a!. 1983, Carteret a!. 1997, Garnett & Crowley 2000). The presence of these birds, and the potential for visitors to locate species not previously recorded in Australia, make the area an increasingly popular destination for bird-watchers (e.g. Roberts 1996; Carteret a!. 1~97 ; Lansley 1997a,b; Carter 1999) . Despite the increasing number of visitors, published information on the avifauna of the region remains scant. Indeed, at present almost every bird-watching visitor is making new discoveries and regularly recording species previously thought to be vagrants (pers. obs.). Given that the avifauna! assemblage of this island group is unique in an Australian context, local, regional and federal agencies have both an obligation and responsibility to protect and conserve the fauna that occurs here. In recognition of this, Garnett & Crowley (2000) prepared a coordinated conservation plan for the birds of the northern Torres Strait islands. This plan highlighted the potential for visiting bird-watchers, in cooperation with local communities, to monitor the bird populations and their habitat. With this in mind, during January-February 2002, I visited all three islands to survey the birds. Although the islands have received increasing attention from bird-watchers, this appears to be the first attempt to thoroughly document the avifauna of the islands during a wet-season visit. Conditions and activity Boigu Island I was present on Boigu Island for the period 18- 26 January 2002. Weather was mostly fine and hot throughout my stay, with rain falling on two nights. Following heavy rainfalls in December 2001, freshwater swamps extended across much of the island south of the airstrip. Activity on the island included a daily traverse of the township, grass airstrip, grassy marshland to the south­ east of the airstrip and refuse dump, which provided an access point to mangroves and vine scrub. On three occasions I waded through the freshwater swamps towards the middle of the island for a distance of c. 2 km and entered the mangrove forest beyond the refuse dump for a distance of at least 100 m. On 23 January I was taken by boat via the island channel to the southern shore of Boigu Island where we landed at two locations to inspect narrow strips of vine scrub. On the same day I also visited a narrow strip of vine scrub and coconut palms near the northern entrance to the island channel and traversed a grassy marshland c. 2 km east of the township. On 24 January I searched for nocturnal species with the aid of a spotlight along the airstrip to a point just beyond the refuse dump. Seventy-two hours were spent searching for birds during my stay. Saibai Island I was present on Saibai Island for the periods 26-31 January and 4-8 February 2002. Weather was mostly fine and hot throughout my stay, with heavy rain falling on just one night. As was the case on Boigu Island, following heavy rain in December 2001, freshwater swamps extended across much of the island. However, access was less restricted and I was able to walk to the centre of the island on several occasions. Activity on the island included a daily traverse of the township, and a visit to the mangroves and narrow strip of vine scrub beyond both the refuse dump to the east and cemetery to the west. Other areas visited less frequently included the grassy marshland inland of the radio mast, both the old and new town water supply, marshland and gardens inland and to the south-east of the airstrip, a strip of vine scrub c. 2 km south­ south-east of the airstrip and several large lagoons towards the centre of the island. l did not search for nocturnal species because of the presence of large numbers of mosquitoes. Sixty­ eight hours were spent searching for birds during the visit. *As all scientific names are presented in Table 1, except where subspecific identification is of interest, only E ngli sh names are provided in the text. VOL. 21 (2) Birds of Northern Torres Strait JUNE 2004 in the Wet 51 Wet-season clouds building over the Pandanus plain on Saibai Island, February 2002 Plate 7 Photo: Rohan Clarke Dauan Island I was present on Dauan Island for the period 31 January to 4 February 2002. Conditions were mostly overcast but hot throughout, with rain falling on two nights and two days. A strong wind blew from the north-west on2- 3 Februaty. Daily activity included a traverse of the township, refuse dump and grassy peninsula on the north-east of the island. On 2 February I also traversed the island's upper slopes on the north-east side overlooking the grassy peninsula. On 3 February I walked around the entire island, spending several hours in dense vi ne forest on the south­ facing slopes of the island. Thirty-four hours were spent searching for birds during my stay. Results and discussion An annotated list of species detected during the course of this fieldwork is presented in Appendix 1. It provides a measure of abundance for all species observed and other notes. A complete list of species recorded on all three islands, compiled using both published and unpublished sources, is also provided (Table 1). A total of98 species was recorded on Boigu Island including 24 species not previously reported. The total number of species reported from Boigu Island now stands at 131. On Saibai Island a total of 93 species was identified including 18 species not previously reported, bringing the total number of species recorded on this island to 133. A total of 41 species was recorded on Dauan Island, half of which (21 species) had not previously been reported.
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