Importance of Critically Endangered Swift Parrot Habitat on the South Coast of NSW

Importance of Critically Endangered Swift Parrot habitat on the South Coast of NSW

A report prepared for the NSW Environmental Trust, SOS program 2015/SS/0002

By Dr Debbie Saunders, Saving Our Swift Parrot Project Manager

August 2019

Importance of NSW South Coast habitats for Swift Parrots ...... 3 1) NSW Government Priority Management Area for Swift Parrots (SOS Project) ...... 5 2) NSW Climate Change Refugia project ...... 6 3) National Recovery Plan ...... 7 4) Internationally significant Important Bird Areas ...... 8 5) IUCN Red List Critical Food Resources ...... 9 Coastal drought refuges ...... 11 Swift Parrot roosting habitat ...... 12 References ...... 13 Appendix 1 ...... 15 Appendix 2 ...... 29

Importance of NSW South Coast habitats for Swift Parrots

Critically Endangered Swift Parrots (Lathamus discolor) are dependent on a combination of suitable wintering, migration and breeding habitats in order to survive their annual migration cycle. Identification and protection of these habitats is essential for their conservation.

However, the majority of Swift Parrot foraging sites in New South Wales occur outside conservation reserves and therefore continue to be vulnerable to loss, fragmentation or disturbance (Saunders and Tzaros 2011, Saunders and Heinsohn 2008). For example, of the 270 records of Swift Parrot flocks on the south coast of NSW (1998-2016), 94% occurred outside conservation reserves (Figure 1). This clearly demonstrates how existing conservation reserves do not adequately represent or protect habitat used by this critically endangered species.

With over half (52%) of all Swift Parrot records from on the south coast occurring within state forests (Figure 1), and more than 60% of the population (1200 birds) known to use these mature habitats (BioNet Data), the harvesting of timber within Swift Parrot habitat on the south coast of NSW has potential to significantly impact on the long-term viability of the species.

Batemans Bay

Merimbula

Narooma

a) b) Figure 1 - Swift Parrot records (orange dots) on the south coast of NSW: 94% occur outside conservation reserves (green) and 52% occur within state forests (dark grey). Based on BirdLife Australia and NSW Government BioNet records of Swift Parrots.

Swift Parrots have been demonstrated to prefer foraging in mature trees since they provide more reliable food resources, as well as greater quantity and quality of food than younger trees (Wilson and Bennett 1999; Kennedy and Overs 2001; Kennedy and Tzaros 2005). The logging of mature habitat and retention of younger habitat trees therefore reduces both the availability and quality of food resources. This increases pressure on the population to travel further for less food, reducing their overall fitness and ability to return in good condition to the breeding area. Key forage tree species on the south coast include four winter flowering tree species, with the Spotted Gum being the most commonly used (Table 1).

Table 1: Winter flowering trees providing key habitat for Swift Parrots on the south coast of NSW (National Swift Parrot Recovery Plan 2011)

South Coast NSW key feed tree species Key tree species – scientific name Swamp Mahogany Eucalyptus robusta Forest Red Gum Eucalyptus tereticornis Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata Red Bloodwood Corymbia gummifera

The importance of NSW south coast forests for the critically endangered Swift Parrot has long been recognised at state (NSW), National (Australian) and International (IUCN) levels. This includes recognition of these forests as:

1) A Priority Management Area of NSW for Swift Parrots (NSW Government SOS Project) 2) An important climate refuge for Swift Parrots (NSW climate refugia project) 3) Key habitat in the National Swift Parrot Recovery Plan (2011) 4) An Internationally recognised Important Bird Area (Birdlife Australia/BirLife International) 5) IUCN Red List critical food resource for the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot (2018)

1) NSW Government Priority Management Area for Swift Parrots (SOS Project) Across the state of NSW, only 12% of the species' distribution occurs on reserve (within NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service estate). Within the Priority Management Area for Swift Parrots on the south coast of NSW (Figure 2) this reduces to only 6% of the known species records occurring within conservation reserves (Figure 1).

The key threats to the viability of this landscape-managed species are loss, fragmentation and degradation of habitat, and widespread pervasive factors such as impacts of climate change and disease. To address these threats, actions from the NSW Government’s Action Toolbox need to be implemented, with the following four actions being most pertinent for the NSW South Coast habitats. https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/savingourspeciesapp/project.aspx?ProfileID=10455

Figure 2 – NSW government Priority Management Area for Swift Parrots.

Action Toolbox – Critical actions for recovery of the Swift Parrot population in NSW:

1) Raise public awareness of the importance of large old trees of species that provide important food resources. Protect large old trees, including from the effects of fire. Ensure the recruitment of large old trees by retaining medium-sized trees, facilitating regeneration, and undertaking replanting.

2) Within a region, increase the extent and quality of habitat to increase food supply and improve foraging efficiency. Focus on sites that may better function as drought refuges. Include locally occurring species that provide important food resources in revegetation programs where appropriate. Ensure that fuel reduction burns do not result in canopy scorch, which can reduce flowering in subsequent years. Manage aggressive honeyeater impacts through habitat modification (e.g. reduce the amount of edge and establish a structurally complex understorey).

3) Engage the community in the identification and enhanced management of priority sites. Priority sites are those that a. have been used by a large proportion of the population, or b. have been used in multiple seasons, or c. have been used for an extended period of time within a season.

Engage stakeholders in the identification and development of site-based management projects for priority areas, being areas containing a high proportion of priority sites, or areas that contribute to the overall diversity and distribution of resources available to swift parrots under a range of environmental conditions.

4) With the assistance of the community, monitor swift parrot distribution, abundance, and habitat use. Investigate knowledge gaps to improve the effectiveness of management actions, including understanding the phenology of key food species, determining movement strategies, patterns and pathways between regions, and modelling the impacts of climate change projections on the distribution and abundance of foraging habitat and resources.

2) NSW Climate Change Refugia project http://nswclimaterefugia.net/map/lathamus_discolor

NSW Government climate change modelling indicates that the NSW south coast and the Riverina will both become increasingly important for Swift Parrots over time (Figure 3).

This climate modelling project used the SRES A2 emission scenario for climate projections because the global emissions trajectory suggested that it was the most likely scenario. Recent publications have confirmed that we are tracking at the higher end of the A2 scenario.

Figure 3 - NSW government Climate Change modelling for Swift Parrots indicating increasing importance of habitats in southern NSW, including the forests of the south coast. 3) National Recovery Plan The National Recovery Plan (2011) highlights the criteria for priority habitats of particular importance for conservation management. That is, within the wintering range this includes habitats used:

• by large proportions of the Swift Parrot population, • repeatedly between seasons (site fidelity), or • for prolonged periods of time (site persistence).

The forests of the south coast fit all these criteria.

In addition to the NSW Government Climate Change Modelling highlighting the increasing importance of the south coast for Swift Parrots (Figure 3) there is strong evidence from the records of the species over the past 15 years that this transition has already begun (Figure 4).

That is, increasingly large flocks are being reported over the past 15 years, including up to 1200 birds (60% of population), there are records of birds are in the same areas between both historical and recent times, as clearly highlighted in Figure 4.

a) Maximum flock size of Swift Parrots on NSW South Coast 1980-2018 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400

Largest Swift Parrot flock Parrot Swift Largest 200 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Year

b) Number of Swift Parrot sightings on NSW South Coast 1980-2018 120

100

0 Number of Swift Parrot sightingsParrot Swift of Number 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Year

Figure 4 – Increasing importance of the south coast of NSW for the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot demonstrated by a) increasing maximum flock size and b) increasing number of sightings. 4) Internationally significant Important Bird Areas

Internationally Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are:

• Places of international significance for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity • Recognised world-wide as practical tools for conservation • Distinct areas amenable to practical conservation action • Identified using robust, standardised criteria • Sites that together form part of a wider integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of the natural environment IBAs threatened by Forestry Operations Although the South Coast of NSW has been identified as an Important Bird Area (Figure 5) the majority of Swift Parrot habitat within the region has been managed for timber harvesting as part of the Regional Forest Agreements. These RFAs have prioritised production over conservation despite the status of these forests and their importance to a diversity of threatened species.

The inadequate protection afforded to Swift Parrot habitat under forestry agreements on the South Coast has repeatedly been reported by the National Swift Parrot Recovery Team over the past 14 years (2005, 2008, 2010, Appendix 1). However, the importance of these habitats for the Swift Parrot continues to be inadequately addressed within the conditions and protocols of the current Coastal Integrated Forest Operations Approval (IFOA) despite the strong body of evidence and data that has accumulated over more than two decades (Figures 1-6).

Furthermore, recent evidence has become available in relation to multiple instances of serious non-compliance with Coastal IFOA conditions. This includes the Spotted Gum forests within Boyne and Mogo State Forests reported on the 14th June 2019 as well as further instances within Mogo and Benandarah State Forests, reported on the 30th August 2019 (Attachments 1-4).

Figure 5 – BirdLife International and BirdLife Australia’s map of the Important Bird Areas of NSW, including the south coast of NSW (from Ulladulla to Merimbula). https://birdlife.org.au/documents/OTHPUB-IBA-supp.pdf

5) IUCN Red List Critical Food Resources Critical food resources, principally nectar from prolific flowering species including Swamp Mahogany Eucalyptus robusta, Forest Red Gum Eucalyptus tereticornis and Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata occur in coastal areas. During the winter the birds are semi-nomadic and visit a network of traditional sites in reaction to flowering events and lerp availability (Kennedy and Tzaros 2005). Their wintering distribution varies greatly between years, depending on climatic conditions and the resulting food availability (Saunders and Heinsohn 2008).

However, sites will also repeatedly use the same sites between years and often remain in winter foraging habitats for extended periods within a season (Saunders 2008, Saunders 2017). In some years, urban landscapes containing indigenous or non-local flowering eucalypts are also readily used (Saunders 2008). The importance of larger trees as a food source has been shown in both the species' breeding range (Brereton et al. 2004) and wintering range (Kennedy and Tzaros 2005), given such trees tend to offer a more reliable and abundant source of nectar.

Individuals can travel up to 5,000 kilometres between their mainland wintering grounds and their Tasmanian breeding sites, making theirs the longest migration undertaken by any parrot in the world (Tzaros et al. 2009).

Historic South Coast Swift Parrot records: Recent South Coast Swift Parrot records: 1900-1999 2000-2017

Figure 6– Historic (1900-1999) and recent (2000-2017) records of Swift Parrots on the South Coast of NSW, highlighting the species’ habit of returning the same areas and habitats repeatedly whenever suitable flowering resources are available (BioNet and BirdLife Australia Data). Coastal drought refuges Although the abundance of Swift Parrots fluctuates between years and regions depending on the availability of food resources, coastal habitats are known to provide important drought refuge habitat for a large proportion of the population and are also used repeatedly over time (Saunders 2008, Tzaros et al. 2009, Saunders et al. 2016). Such site fidelity is considered to be important for the long-term survival of migrants at both breeding and non- breeding sites (Villard et al. 1995). Information obtained through the recovery program demonstrates the importance of site fidelity for the Swift Parrot population (Kennedy and Tzaros 2005, Saunders and Heinsohn 2008). However, the importance of areas where site fidelity has not yet been established should not be dismissed since this may be due to observational and accessibility limitations and long-term resource availability cycles (Saunders et al. 2007). in severe drought (Bureau of Meteorology 2006), Swift Parrots become more vulnerable since they either have to concentrate in large flocks in a small number of regions or, if drought is unevenly spread across their range, migrate substantially longer distances to drought refuges. When faced with uncertainty about the location of food sources during widespread drought, the strategy of concentrating in large flocks may enable individuals to acquire important information about surrounding resources and conditions from the behaviour of con-specifics (Dall et al. 2005; Hancock and Milner-Gulland 2006), increasing their likelihood of finding sufficient resources (Saunders 2008).

Although variable inter-annual and drought-related movements by the Swift Parrot population highlight their adaptability to the highly variable Australian environment, they also emphasize their potential vulnerability to resource bottlenecks. That is, with the cumulative effects of naturally variable food resources (Law et al. 2000) and ongoing habitat loss throughout their range (Swift Parrot Recovery Team 2001; Munks et al. 2004), there is an increasing risk of critical food shortages at some point in the annual cycle of the Swift Parrot. For example, although some important Swift Parrot habitats are now included in conservation reserves (Environment Conservation Council 2001), most habitats throughout the species’ winter and breeding ranges (including old-growth nesting and drought refuge habitats) occur outside the reserve system and continue to be lost or impacted upon. This is despite legislation and environmental impact assessment processes intended to protect them (Swift Parrot Recovery Team 2001; Munks et al. 2004; Marshall 2006).

Furthermore, with global warming increasing drought frequency and intensity (Nicholls 2004; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007), altering habitat productivity, migratory phenology (Hughes 2000; Keatley et al. 2002; Howden et al. 2003; Bairlein and Huppop 2004; Beaumont et al. 2006), and substantially reducing availability of habitat (Bennett et al. 1991), the current and ongoing stresses on the Swift Parrot population are likely to be exacerbated (Saunders 2008). Swift Parrot roosting habitat Roosting sites provide critically important gathering points for Swift Parrots that enable the communication of social information between both individuals and flocks. The largest known Swift Parrot roost site in over 50 years was recorded in the Spotted Gum forests of the South Coast of NSW in 2012. This was also the second largest roost site ever recorded for the species (Appendix 2).

Such mass roosting increases their capacity to find highly variable food resources across vast landscapes. This is particularly important during periods of drought when food availability is reduced and birds are forced to travel further and compete more for dwindling resources. Coastal habitats are known to provide important, regular food sources for Swift Parrots regardless of conditions elsewhere, however they also provide essential drought refuge habitat when conditions inland are poor.

It is important to note that Swift Parrot roosting habitat information has only ever been collected in detail when there has been someone undertaking specific, dedicated observations on the species. With very little to no funding for many years and the increasing reliance on volunteers means that most roosting events go unrecorded.

It should also be noted that it is incredibly challenging to confidently identify roosting sites given the birds tend to go very quiet and cryptic as dusk settles in. If the birds move away from their foraging sites to roost communally it can take many days of following the general direction of the birds each evening to finally discover where the mass roosting site is. At sites where the birds have been radio-tracked in the past couple of years, this has provided the most detailed information available on the combinations of important foraging and roosting habitat use by the species. A summary of detailed descriptions of Swift Parrot roosting sites are provided in Appendix 2 and a definition for the two different types of roost sites used by Swift Parrots are provided below. Swift Parrot roost site definitions: Swift Parrots need to roost somewhere every night, however roost sites within their winter range fall into two broad categories:

a) foraging roost sites: where Swift Parrots roost or shelter near their foraging sites overnight. These roosts typically occur within a radius of 1km of the sites where they forage during the day; or b) mass roost sites: where multiple flocks of Swift Parrots roost or shelter overnight. Given the average Swift Parrot flock size is 15 birds (based on a 14 year average), a mass roosting site can contain 30 birds or more at any one time. However, mass roosting sites are also known to be used by hundreds or even thousands of birds representing significant proportions of the entire population. Given birds have been documented travelling up to 6km from their foraging sites in order to roost communally, mass roosting sites extend across a radius of 6km from the actual roosting location.

References • Bairlein, F. and Huppop, O. (2004). Migratory fuelling and global climate change. In 'Birds and Climate Change'. (Eds A. Moller, W. Fiedler and P. Berthold) pp. 33-47. (Academic Press) • Beaumont, L. J., McAllan, I. A. W. and Hughes, L. (2006). A matter of timing: changes in the first date of arrival and last date of departure of Australian migratory birds. Global Change Biology 12, 1339-1354. • Bennett, S., Brereton, R., Mansergh, I., Berwick, S., Sandiford, K. and Wellington, C. (1991). 'The potential effect of enhanced greenhouse climate change on selected Victorian fauna.' (Department of Conservation and Environment: Melbourne). • Brereton, R., Mallick, S. and Kennedy, S. (2004). Foraging preferences of Swift Parrots on Tasmanian Blue-gum: tree size, flowering frequency and flowering intensity. Emu 104, 377-383. • Bureau of Meteorology (2006). 'Living with drought.' (Commonwealth of Australia: Melbourne) Available at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/. • Dall, S. R. X., Giraldeau, L.-A., Olsson, O., McNamara, J. M. and Stephens, D. W. (2005). Information and its use by animals in evolutionary ecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 20, 187-193. • Environment Conservation Council (2001). 'Box-Ironbark Forests and Woodlands Investigation'. (Environment Conservation Council: Melbourne). • Hancock, P. A. and Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2006). Optimal movement strategies for social foragers in unpredictable environments. Ecology 87, 2094-2102. • Howden, M., Hughes, L., Dunlop, M., Zethoven, I., Hilbert, D. and Chilcott, C. (2003). 'Climate Change Impacts On Biodiversity In Australia.' (Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra). • Hughes, L. (2000). Biological consequences of global warming: is the signal already apparent? Trends in Ecology & Evolution 15, 56-61. • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007). 'Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Summary for Policymakers.' Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, (IPCC: Geneva). • Keatley, M. R., Fletcher, T. D., Hudson, I. L. and Ades, P. K. (2002). Phenological studies in Australia: Potential application in historical and future climate analysis. International Journal of Climatology 22, 1769-1780. • Kennedy, S. and Tzaros, C. (2005). Foraging ecology of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in the Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands of Victoria. Pacific Conservation Biology 11, 158-173. • Kennedy, S. J. and Overs, A. E. (2001). Foraging ecology and habitat use of the swift parrot on the south-western slopes of New South Wales. Corella 25, 68-74. • Law, B., Mackowski, C., Schoer, L. and Tweedie, T. (2000). Flowering phenology of myrtaceous trees and their relation to climatic, environmental and disturbance variables in northern New South Wales. Austral Ecology 25, 160-178. • Marshall, J. (2006). 'Brown v Forestry Tasmania Summary (No 4) FCA 1729, 19 December 2006'. (Federal Court of Australia: Hobart). • Munks, S., Richards, K., Meggs, J. and Brereton, R. (2004). The importance of adaptive management in 'off-reserve' conservation for forest fauna: implementing, monitoring and upgrading Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor conservation measures in Tasmania. In 'Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna'. (Ed. D. Lunney) pp. 688-698. (Royal Zoological Society: Mosman) • National Swift Parrot Recovery Plan (2011) Prepared by Saunders, D.L. and Tzaros, C.L. for Birds Australia, Melbourne. • Nicholls, N. (2004). The changing nature of Australian droughts. Climatic Change 63, 323-336. • Saunders, D. (2017) Radio-tracking movements of critically endangered swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) within the Riverina, New South Wales. Scientific Report prepared for the NSW Government, Riverina Local Land Services Project RV01221. • Saunders, D.L., Brereton, R., Tzaros, C. and Price, R. (2007). Conservation of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor – management lessons for a threatened, migratory species. Pacific Conservation Biology, 13 (2), pp 111-119 • Saunders, D. et al. (2016) Responses of Critically Endangered migratory Swift Parrots to variable winter drought. Emu, 116 (4), 350-359 • Saunders, D.L. (2008). Ecology and conservation of the swift parrot – an endangered austral migrant. PhD thesis, Australian National University, Australia. • Saunders, D.L. and Heinsohn, R. (2008). Winter habitat use by the endangered, migratory Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in New South Wales. Emu 108, pp 81-89 • Swift Parrot Recovery Team (2001). 'National Swift Parrot Recovery Plan 2001-2005.' (Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment: Hobart). • Tzaros, C., Saunders, D., Webb, M. and Ingwersen, D. (2009). Swift Parrots - dynamic migrants within a drought-prone environment. Wingspan 19 (3), 14-15. • Wilson, J. and Bennett, A. F. (1999). Patchiness of a floral resource: flowering of Red Ironbark Eucalyptus tricarpa in a Box and Ironbark Forest. Vict. Nat. 116, 48-53.

Appendix 1

2010 NSW State Forests Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) submission

17 November 2010 Attn: Manager, Forest Agreement Review Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 [email protected]

Review of NSW Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals

Dear Forest Agreement Review Manager, The current review of NSW Forest Agreements (FAs) and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (IFOAs) has failed to address critical environmental issues in relation to the endangered swift parrot (Lathamus discolor), despite repeated submissions in this regard (Appendices 1 and 2). Swift parrots are migratory birds that are heavily dependent on coastal forests of NSW as winter foraging habitat. Improved protection of habitats within the coastal forests of NSW is essential given the species repeatedly uses the same habitats during their winter migration and a large proportion of the population is dependent on these forests during increasingly frequent and severe periods of drought (Saunders 2008; Saunders and Heinsohn 2008). Of particular concern is the inadequate implementation of processes for incorporating new information (Section 2.5), and the absence of any information on how key issues raised during the review process have been assessed (Section 3 – TSL 15), as detailed further below. 2.5 Threatened Species Management Despite the establishment of an assessment process for new information in IFOAs and for the review of threatened species licences (TSL), this process has not been adequately implemented in regard to the endangered swift parrot and cannot be considered complete. New and important ecological information and species records within NSW forests have not been incorporated or given due consideration in either the previous or the current review. This is evidenced by the lack of information on issues associated with this species in the report despite repeated submissions, including scientific data and recommendations from the National Swift Parrot Recovery Team and (the former) NSW DEC Threatened Species Unit, on this issue (Appendices 1 and 2). 3. Review of IFOAs – TSL15 Although the swift parrot is mentioned in section TSL15, the report fails to provide any information on the exact nature of relevant issues, any background information and findings, and offers no recommended changes to the grossly inadequate swift parrot prescriptions. Therefore I request acknowledgement of receipt of this submission, and a detailed response justifying why new information on the swift parrot has not been included in any review documents and why the recommended amendments to the relevant IFOAs and TSLs have not been incorporated.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Debra Saunders and Assoc. Prof. Robert Heinsohn Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

2008 NSW State Forests Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) submission

Submission for the review of the Upper North East, Lower North East, Southern and Eden NSW Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals.

17 December 2008

Dr Debra Saunders National Swift Parrot Recovery Team Fenner School of Environment and Society, W.K. Hancock Building West, Biology Place, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200 Email: [email protected]

This submission for the review of the Upper North East, Lower North East, Southern and Eden NSW Forest Agreements and Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (IFOAs) is focused on the following term of reference: “Whether the IFOAs are effective in achieving their purpose. The effectiveness of the ‘purpose’ of IFOAs will be assessed through determining the extent to which the terms of the three licences have been successfully integrated; the extent of compliance with terms and conditions; and identification of areas where improvements in administration, enforcement and compliance can be achieved.” Each of the forest agreements and IFOAs considered as part of this review have not been effective in achieving their purpose in relation to the terms of the Threatened Species Licences, their review and the incorporation of important new information. In particular, this has not been effective in relation to the Swift Parrot, an endangered species included in the Threatened Species Licences for which new information was provided in 2005 (Appendix 2). This new and important information was not included in the prescriptions and licence conditions during the review process as required in each of the agreements:

CAR reserve system: The primary function of the CAR reserve system is to ensure the conservation and protection of biodiversity and heritage values and has three components: dedicated reserves, informal reserves and values protected by prescription. Prescriptions include those set out in the Conditions for the Conservation of Threatened Species or a licence under the TSC Act 1995 or in any IFOA for the region. The conservation of Threatened Species in timber production areas of SFs will primarily be achieved through the implementation of the Threatened Species Licences (TSL).

Important new information

Where important new information concerning the biology and ecology of species covered by the Threatened Species Licences and also concerning the effectiveness of the licence conditions contained in the IFOA becomes available, a process of assessment of the new information is required and the TSL are to be reviewed and amended accordingly. The following recommendations were previously provided by the National Swift Parrot Recovery Team/NSW DEC as part of the Licence Review process in 2005 (for full details see Appendix 2). However these recommendations were not incorporated into any of the TSLs for the Upper North East, Lower North East, Southern or Eden regions despite the current licence conditions being identified as inadequate for protection of habitat for this endangered species. These recommendations were based on the current level of knowledge about the ecological requirements of Swift Parrots and remain applicable for inclusion in the TSLs. As a result of this review process, I recommend that the updated information and prescription recommendations provided below be incorporated into the TSLs for each of the four regions examined during this review.

Recommended prescriptions for the Swift Parrot in NSW Where there is a Swift Parrot record in a compartment, or within two kilometres of a compartment boundary, the following prescriptions are recommended:

• 10 largest feed trees retained per two hectares for foraging purposes; • 10 next largest feed trees retained per two hectares for recruitment purposes • Feed trees for these purposes must be key eucalypt feed tree species as listed in Table 2. It is recommended that the existing forestry prescription “Definition of eucalypt feed tree species” be expanded to include key Swift Parrot foraging tree species listed in Table 2. Table 2: Key feed tree species for the Swift Parrot in NSW

Scientific Name Common Name Eucalyptus robusta Swamp Mahogany Eucalyptus tereticornis Forest Red Gum Corymbia maculata Spotted Gum Eucalyptus pilularis Blackbutt Eucalyptus moluccana Coastal Grey Box Corymbia gummifera Red Bloodwood Eucalyptus sideroxylon Mugga Ironbark Eucalyptus microcarpa Grey Box Eucalyptus albens White Box Eucalyptus melliodora Yellow Box

2005 NSW State Forests Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) submission

Swift Parrot Prescription Recommendations

Forests NSW Threatened Species Licence Review February 2005

Report prepared by Debbie Saunders on behalf of the Swift Parrot Recovery Team

for the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)

Forests NSW Threatened Species Licence Review The Swift Parrot Recovery Team has provided the following detailed information for incorporation into the review of prescriptions for the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in New South Wales. This species is listed as Endangered on the Commonwealth Environment Biodiversity Protection and Conservation Act 1999 as well as on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. The following information is based on the current level of knowledge regarding the ecology of this species and should be incorporated into the reviewed licence agreements to provide habitat protection for this species. The National Recovery Plan for this species includes a strategy for recovery that identifies the implementation of appropriate forestry management prescriptions as important in the conservation of habitat for Swift Parrots. The development of suitable habitat prescriptions for Swift Parrots is listed under Actions 1a and 2b of the recovery plan, with specific reference to New South Wales prescriptions as follows: Ensure that codes of practice for forestry including plantation establishment include prescriptions for the protection of the habitat of the swift parrot. Develop and implement management guidelines in New South Wales for habitat that remains in State Forest under the Integrated Approval process (NSW). Interstate forestry The importance of detailed management prescriptions for foraging habitat has been acknowledged and implemented in both Tasmania and Victoria. In Tasmania all Grassy Blue Gum Eucalyptus globulus foraging habitat trees with a DBH greater than 40cm are retained, together with a range of other age class trees to ensure long term habitat recruitment (DPIWE 2003). In the Box-Ironbark Forests and Woodlands of Victoria, such as in the Bendigo Management Area, all of the largest trees are retained, together with a specified number of trees for each size class (20-80cm DBH) per hectare (DSE 2003). In addition, more comprehensive protection of large trees will be provided in areas known to be used by Swift Parrots in Victoria once Swift Parrot Management Area (SPMA) plans are finalised. New South Wales forests The Swift Parrot Recovery Database currently contains records of Swift Parrots within the following state forests as previously reported under the relevant Forest NSW Research Permit. However future surveys may result in Swift Parrots being located in additional forests and therefore this list should be updated as new information becomes available. It should be noted that several of these forests are no longer harvested for timber and therefore the recommended prescriptions are unlikely to result in any alteration to current management practices.

Aberdare SF Flat Rock SF Back Yamma SF Jindalee SF Benandarah SF Kentucky SF Bodalla SF Mogo SF Boyne SF Ourimbah SF Cessnock SF Queens Lake SF Combaning SF Warraderry SF Cookamidgera SF Yeo Yeo SF Currambene SF

Swift Parrot habitat research The following information provides a summary of detailed ecological research on the habitat requirements of Swift Parrots on mainland Australia. This provides a basis for the proposed forestry prescriptions for Swift Parrots provided below. Coastal NSW Surveys for Swift Parrots were undertaken from May to October in coastal habitats of NSW between the Victorian and Queensland borders from 2001 to 2004. Foraging observations were made at a total of 34 sites. These sites were widely distributed with four sites occurring on the South Coast, 23 sites on the Central Coast and seven sites on the North Coast of NSW. Four of these sites occurred within State Forests. In these coastal habitats, Swift Parrots were found to forage in trees in the two largest size classes (over 40cm and 60cm DBH) more often than expected given the abundance of these trees at foraging sites. A strong preference for trees above 60cm DBH was also apparent, with actual foraging observations much higher than the expected frequency based on mature tree availability (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Tree Size Classes used by Swift Parrots for foraging in relation to the abundance of these trees in coastal habitats of NSW

60.0

50.0 Foraging observations Relative tree abundance 40.0

30.0

Percentage 20.0

10.0

0.0 10-19cm 20-39cm 40-59cm 60+cm Tree Class sizes (Diameter at Breast Height)

For individual tree species in coastal habitats Swift Parrots were also found to forage in the largest trees more often than expected given their abundance within the available habitat (Figure 2). This figure does not include some important coastal feed tree species, such as Coastal Grey Box and Red Bloodwood due to minimum data requirements. However these species are known to be important for the Swift Parrot and further data on the use of these species by the Swift Parrot needs to be collected in future when climatic conditions and foraging resource availability are suitable.

Figure 2: Swift Parrot foraging in mature trees (>60cm DBH) in relation to their abundance in coastal habitats of NSW.

100.0 Foraging observations 80.0 Relative tree abundance 60.0 40.0

Percentage 20.0

0.0

Gum

Spotted

Gum

Swamp

Blackbutt

Mahogany ForestRed Forage Tree Species

Coastal NSW - Kennedy (2000)

Although this study was limited to a single region on the coast of NSW, it demonstrates the importance of mature trees for providing foraging resources for the Swift Parrot. A total of 15 days was spent searching for the Swift Parrot in Spotted Gum forests of coastal New South Wales in June 2000. The species was found at ten locations, with foraging observations recorded at five of these sites. The tree size distribution of Spotted Gums used for foraging by Swift Parrots was compared with tree size distribution of Spotted Gums on habitat plots. Swift Parrots were found to forage in Spotted Gum trees >20cm DBH more often than expected given the abundance of these trees at foraging sites. A particularly strong preference was apparent for trees in the largest size classes (above 40cm DBH), with actual foraging observations much higher than the expected frequency due to mature tree availability (Figure 3). Figure 3 Distribution of Swift Parrot foraging observations in size classes, and the relative abundance of stems in each size class, within Spotted Gum forest in the Hunter Valley NSW.

70 60 50 Foraging 40 observations 30 Relative 20 abundance

Observations (%) Observations 10 0 10-19 20-39 40-59 60+

Diameter class (cm)

This survey highlighted the importance of Spotted Gum habitats to the Swift Parrot in coastal New South Wales. The results suggest that Spotted Gum habitat in the Hunter Valley supported a significant percentage of the state’s Swift Parrot population in the winter of 2000. The concentration of Swift Parrots in the Hunter Valley coincided with a poor year in other primary foraging habitats in NSW. Annual winter surveys in 2000 located only small numbers of Swift Parrots in the box-ironbark region, and none in Swamp Mahogany habitat. Box-ironbark and Swamp Mahogany habitats were previously considered to be the two major forest types for the Swift Parrot in New South Wales. However, it now appears that there are additional forest types that may support a significant percentage of the state’s population in a given year. Western Slopes of NSW

Saunders (in prep)

Surveys for Swift Parrots were undertaken between Albury and Grenfell on the western slopes of NSW, between May and October, each year from 2001 to 2004. Foraging observations were made at a total of 17 sites. Of these, three sites occurred on the central western slopes and 14 sites occurred on the south western slopes of NSW. Four of the south western slopes sites occurred within State Forests. In these western habitats, Swift Parrots were found to forage in trees in the largest size classes more often than expected given the abundance of these trees at foraging sites (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Tree Size Classes used by Swift Parrots for foraging in relation to the abundance of these trees in western habitats of NSW

60.0

50.0 Foraging observations 40.0 Relative tree abundance

30.0

20.0 Percentage

10.0

0.0 10-19cm 20-39cm 40-59cm 60+cm Tree Class sizes (Diameter at Breast Height)

For individual tree species in western habitats Swift Parrots were also found to forage in the largest trees more often than expected given their abundance within the available habitat (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Swift Parrot foraging in mature trees (>40cm DBH) in relation to their abundance in westerm habitats of NSW. 100.0 90.0 Foraging observations 80.0 Relative tree abundance 70.0 60.0 50.0 40.0 30.0 Percentage 20.0 10.0

0.0

Box

Yellow

Mugga

Ironbark GreyBox Forage Tree SpeciesBox White

Kennedy and Overs (2001) This study was undertaken to provide an indication of the distribution and resource use of the Swift Parrot on the south western slopes of New South Wales. Twenty-seven public forest blocks supporting box-ironbark and box woodland habitats were surveyed for Swift Parrots in May 1999. Tree selection by Swift Parrots in this study suggest that the largest trees remaining within box-ironbark forests and woodlands are of great importance as a food resource for the Swift Parrot. The utilisation of foraging trees in larger size classes more often than expected given their abundance (Figure 6, Table 1) is consistent with results from Victoria (Kennedy and Tzaros in press). This is particularly important given the scarcity of large trees in the temperate woodlands of Victoria and New South Wales. The site fidelity displayed at some locations between years emphasises their importance. This study concentrated on public land and located 150 Swift Parrots. It is also likely that some of the forests in which no birds were found in this study will support Swift Parrots in the future given the mobility of the species and the well-known temporal fluctuations in flowering of the key eucalypt feed tree species. Figure 6. Distribution of Swift Parrot foraging observations in tree size classes, and the relative abundance of stems in each size class. (DBHOB=Diameter at Breast Height Over Bark)

70 60 50 Foraging 40 observations 30 Relative 20 abundance 10 Percent Percent of Observations 0 10-19 20-39 40-59 60+ DBHOB class (cm)

Table 1 Comparison of mean DBHOB (cm) of Swift Parrot foraging trees with mean DBHOB of all stems at foraging sites using Mann-Whitney U-test.

All trees at SD Foraging SD U P foraging sites trees

Grey Box 22.1 (n=86) 10.6 35.3 (n=15) 14.7 309.0 <0.01 ** Mugga 27.8 (n=69) 12.7 42.8 (n=25) 9.4 260.5 <0.01 Ironbark ** Mean 25.0 (n=157) 11.9 40.0 (n=40) 12.1 1129. <0.01 0 **

Central Victoria

Kennedy and Tzaros (in press) This project surveyed the box-ironbark forests and woodlands of northern and central Victoria for Swift Parrots from 1997 to 1999, with a total of 58 forest blocks of public land visited. The selection of forage trees by Swift Parrots within each foraging site suggested a preference for trees in the largest size classes each year of the study (Figure 7) That is, Swift Parrots were found to select trees in larger size classes (over 40cm and 60cm DBH) for foraging more often than expected given the relative abundance of such trees. Larger trees also flowered more reliably across the study area in all years. Prior observations and literature suggest that the Swift Parrot not only actively seeks areas with a high density of lerp and/or nectar (Hindwood and Sharland 1964), but also selects areas with larger trees, which provide a reliable food resource (Traill 1993; Environment Conservation Council (ECC) 1997). These inferences are supported in this study. The attrition of large (60cm+ DBHOB) trees has been implicated in the decline of both of the Swift Parrot in south-eastern Australia (ECC 1997). This study suggests that Swift Parrot foraging site selection is linked to higher food availability from large trees. Traill (1993) noted the importance of larger trees for nectar production, and a study by Wilson and Bennett (1999) on tree size and nectar production in Red Ironbark forests in the box-ironbark region found that larger trees flowered more reliably than smaller trees, a result supported by our findings. The Swift Parrot is a highly mobile species, and is often very unevenly distributed across the Victorian box-ironbark region. The phenology and distribution of eucalypt flowering are highly variable between years, and the non-breeding distribution of the Swift Parrot fluctuates accordingly. Management actions need to account for the possibility that any one of the key Swift Parrot sites in the study area could be critically important in a given year.

Figure 7: Distribution of Swift Parrot foraging observations across tree-size classes, and the relative availability of these size classes at foraging sites in the box-ironbark region of Victoria 1997-1999. Error! Objects cannot be created from editing field codes. Error! Objects cannot be created from editing field codes. Error! Objects cannot be created from editing field codes.

Recommended prescriptions for the Swift Parrot in NSW

The following recommendations are based on the current level of knowledge about the ecological requirements of Swift Parrots as summarised above. Where there is a Swift Parrot record in a compartment, or within two kilometres of a compartment boundary, the following prescriptions are recommended:

• 10 largest feed trees retained per two hectares for foraging purposes;

• 10 next largest feed trees retained per two hectares for recruitment purposes Feed trees for these purposes must be key eucalypt feed tree species as listed in Table 2. It is recommended that the existing forestry prescription “Definition of eucalypt feed tree species” be expanded to include key Swift Parrot foraging tree species listed in Table 2.

Table 2: Key feed tree species for the Swift Parrot in NSW Scientific Name Common Name

Coastal habitat species Eucalyptus robusta Swamp Mahogany

Eucalyptus tereticornis Forest Red Gum

Corymbia maculata Spotted Gum

Eucalyptus pilularis Blackbutt

Eucalyptus moluccana Coastal Grey Box

Corymbia gummifera Red Bloodwood

Inland habitat species Eucalyptus sideroxylon Mugga Ironbark

Eucalyptus microcarpa Grey Box

Eucalyptus albens White Box

Eucalyptus melliodora Yellow Box

References Environment Conservation Council, (ECC) (1997). Box-Ironbark Forests and Woodlands Investigation - Resources and Issues Report. ECC, Melbourne. Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE)(2003). Swift Parrot Forestry Prescriptions. DPIWE, Hobart.

Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) (2003). Habitat Tree Prescriptions for Bendigo Forest Management Area. DSE, Bendigo. Hindwood, K.A. and Sharland, M. (1964). The Swift Parrot. Emu 63: 310-326. Kennedy, S.J. (2000). A Winter Survey of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in coastal NSW. Unpub. Report for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Kennedy, S.J. and Overs, A.E. (2001). Foraging ecology and habitat use of the Swift Parrot on the south-western slopes of New South Wales. Corella 25(3): 68-74. Kennedy, S.J. and Tzaros, C. L. (in press) Foraging ecology of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in the Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands of Victoria. Pacific Conservation Biology Saunders, D.L. (in prep). Foraging ecology of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in New South Wales - coastal habitats. Saunders, D.L. (in prep). Foraging ecology of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in New South Wales – western slopes habitats. Traill, B.J. (1993). Forestry, birds, mammals and management in box and ironbark forests Victorian Naturalist 110: 11-14. Wilson, J. and Bennett A.F., (1999). Patchiness of a floral resource: flowering of Red Ironbark Eucalyptus tricarpa in a box and ironbark forest. Victorian Naturalist 116: 48-53

Appendix 2 Swift Parrot roosting observations

Observations of Swift Parrots roosting communally have varied from mass roosting repeatedly for many consecutive weeks throughout a season, through to roosting at foraging sites with sporadic mass roosting occurrences. There are a number of potential explanations about why birds roost communally, including social interaction and knowledge sharing when foraging resources are highly variable, minimising weight loss at sub-zero temperatures, increased thermal protection from dense leaves or roosting on east facing ridges, or increasing foraging efficiency by juveniles roosting and following efficient adult feeders.

Mass roosting events have been recorded throughout the species’ range within a diversity of vegetation communities. The documentation of mass roosting events, and repeated use of both foraging and roosting sites between seasons, highlights the importance of both foraging and roost sites for survival of the species. Mass roosting is likely to be important for communication within the population regarding food resource availability, increasingly the ability of the population to find adequate resources, especially when resources are scarce such as during drought conditions.

Below is the first detailed summary of Swift Parrot communal roosting behaviours observed over the past 50 years (1966-2018) throughout the species’ range. Bodalla State Forest mass roosting 2012 By Julie Morgan (Eurobodalla Natural History Society)

A group of 5 volunteers from the Eurobodalla Natural History Society gathered on Mitchells Ridge Road in Bodalla State Forest about 1km from the highway. We chose this spot as earlier in the day we had seen hundreds of Swift Parrots feeding either side of the road in flowering Spotted Gum. On the previous day 400 Swift Parrots were counted next to the road and along a track that ran south off Mitchells Ridge Road.

We positioned ourselves along the road at approximately 100 metre intervals and waited. Around 200 birds arrived and roosted in a Spotted Gum about 80 metres south of the road. I could hear more activity further south so decided to walk down the track where we had seen the birds on the previous day. I took one another volunteer (Dianne Deans) with me. As we walked along this track, the calls of the Swift Parrots increased in volume and became almost deafening. We watched as up to 100 birds flew into each of 10 large saplings to the north of this track over a 20 minute period. The saplings had dense foliage and the birds just seemed to just disappear into the trees.

The total estimate was 1200 birds across this roosting site which was 60% of the known population at the time.

Figure 7: The second largest known swift parrot roost site ever recorded on mainland Australia was among the Spotted Gum production forests on the South Coast of NSW in 2012.

Tarcutta mass roosting 2018 By Debbie Saunders (for Riverina LLS)

Late in the afternoon, approximately one hour prior to sunset, all the Swift Parrots foraging throughout the White Box and Mugga Ironbark habitats on Bush Heritage’s Tarcutta Hills property would move in small groups towards their daily roost site on a ridgeline up to 2km away on an adjacent private property.

Before they took off they would start flying around in circles a lot more and calling with their “chit chit” contact calls, appearing to build up in excitement until the finally took off at speed above the canopy.

Each of the tagged birds did this each day despite being spread out along a valley and foraging in separate areas all day. Initially finding the roost site was challenging since all of the habitats were on private property that we couldn’t access. However, once we were able to access the property we were able to pin point the roosting area for the birds and even found a tag on the ground that one of the birds had preened off at the site. Temora mass roosting 2017 By Debbie Saunders & Richard Allen (for Riverina LLS)

Communal roosting events occurred on a daily basis at the same location on the east facing slope of a low ridge for up to two months.

This mass roosting site contained numerous Swift Parrot flocks concentrated within an area as small as 32.3 ha (320m2). This included the period when 200 birds, or 10% of the population, were recorded at the site. This was the first time a flock of this size had ever been recorded on the south western slopes of NSW.

About one hour prior to sunset, the birds foraging in the area would move towards the roost site and land in the oldest, emergent trees with dead branches. They would then preen, call, forage and fly off, before circling back and repeating this behaviour. Then additional flocks would start to arrive from the south and use the same large emergent trees as staging points (Figure 8). As the number of birds built up, the increasingly large flocks would take off, swooping and circling around, both above and below the canopy, and call excitedly before landing for some final foraging and settling into the lower, denser vegetation (generally less than 5m from the ground) to roost for the night. However, not all birds roosted together every night, with some of the tagged birds remaining at their foraging sites on some occasions but travelling up to join the flocks in the northern sections on other occasions.

Figure 8: Swift Parrots using a communal roost site in NSW. The birds regularly use emergent old trees with dead branches above the tree canopy to preen, call and gather in increasingly large flocks prior to communally roosting among the canopy vegetation for the night.

Grampians mass roosting 2003 By Debbie Saunders (2003 Swifts Across the Strait newsletter)

Over 400 birds roosted at a site near the base of the Grampian Mountains. Such large-scale communal roosting is regularly recorded for this species and although this behaviour can occur over extended periods of time, it appears to be sporadic.

One of the most puzzling parts however is where they go during the day. Despite great efforts by numerous observers to ‘follow that bird’ in order to find where they were foraging and spending the day, they all appeared to just vanish into thin air. They achieve this by splitting up into small groups and dispersing in a number of different directions at once. This combined with the noticably quiet

31 behaviour of most flocks during 2003 made it extremely difficult to find the birds in the larger landscape. Central Coast mass roosting 2002 By Debbie Saunders (Volunteer observations from 2003 Swifts Across the Strait newsletter)

In addition to the volunteer surveys it is interesting to note that over 33% of the population (650 birds) were recorded roosting in a single location on the central coast just after the August survey. This site was in the middle of suburbia with all the birds roosting in the uppermost canopy of big old trees in backyards! There were also numerous records of roosting at foraging sites that have not previously been documented, all within the uppermost canopy of tall mature trees.

Figure 9: Swift Parrot communal roost site in the tops of mature Forest Red Gum trees on the Central Coast of NSW. The birds regularly use emergent old trees with dead branches above the tree canopy to preen, call and gather in increasingly large flocks prior to communally roosting among the canopy vegetation for the night.

Victorian roosting 1995-1996 Extracted from Higgins (1999) Handbook of Australian and New Zealand Birds (HANZAB), Volume 4.

At a swift parrot roosting site used by approx. 180 birds, the birds left in groups of up to 35, usually of 5-10, and used same flight path to foraging area up to 6km away. At one roost of up to 500, most of the Swift Parrots were immatures and were concentrated in 7-8 trees (Tzaros and Davidson 1996). Gunnary TSR mass roosting 2002 By Anthony Over (2002 Swifts Across the Strait newsletter)

During the National Survey Weekend in May, … about 30 Swift Parrots were roosting in the Gunnary Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR), an 18 ha reserve near Boorowa on the southwest slopes of NSW. This was the first time that Swift Parrots had been recorded at this location.

We were also fortunate enough to observe the Swift Parrots roosting in the TSR. We counted 52 birds coming in to roost in a large cluster of young White Box trees, mostly 2-3 metre tall. There were larger trees in this spot, but the birds seemed to prefer the thicker foliage of the saplings. The first birds arrived to roost about 25 minutes before sunset, followed by a constant stream of 2 or 3 birds. The Swifties made their characteristic ‘reet-reet’ calls and lots of other quieter social calls while preparing to roost. By sunset there was not a noise to be heard, although several birds kept a watchful eye on us as they tucked their bills away under their wings. With just enough light left to observe them, we watched each bird finally nod off to sleep. A pair of Diamond Firetails were also roosting in the White Box saplings.

Tasmanian roosting 1989-1990 Extracted from Higgins (1999) Handbook of Australian and New Zealand Birds (HANZAB), Volume 4.

Roosting is often or always communal with numbers at roosts between 10 and 500 (Brown 1989; Tas. Bird Rep.1990). At two roosts, most arrived in the last 45 minutes before dusk, then settled down as it became dark. Normally the Swift Parrots leave the roost soon after sunrise in late summer; at one roost, probably of pre-migratory congregation of 500 birds, they would first feed in roosting trees and leave 20-200 minutes after sunrise (Brown 1989).

Lake Macquarie mass roosting 1966 By Bill Boyd (1966, Swift Parrot breeder, pers. Comm.)

Small flocks of 10 to 15 birds left the trees and flew out over the water in an easterly direction then turned…they were heading for Pulbah Island (Pulbah is an island in Lake Macquarie about 1km south of Wangi). More and more birds left from nearby trees and others were coming from a western direction. These birds were gathering into flocks that gradually grew larger as they headed out over the water and some of these flocks contained more than a hundred birds.

Then something unexpected happened…Flocks at least as large as the Wangi flocks were coming from the opposite direction. These birds were coming from the direction of Cams Wharf, Nords Wharf, Summerland Point and Mannering Park on the southern and eastern side of the lake.

I watched for as long as I could see clearly and by that time the birds were only in twos and threes but if all the birds were added together there were at least 2000 swifts roosting on Pulbah that night. The following weekend I drove around the areas mentioned and found Swift Parrots in all of them, they were plentiful and in these areas Forest Red Gum was the tree of choice.