YELLOW THROAT The newsletter of BirdLife : a branch of BirdLife Number 113, Autumn 2021

Please join us for BirdLife Tasmania’s 50th anniversary celebrations

BBQ Sunday 7 March, 2021

starting at 12.00 noon at Site #9, Waterworks Reserve, Ridgeway Road, Hobart. All welcome. (more details inside)

Celebration (following the AGM) Thursday 11 March, 2021 7.00 pm — 9.15 pm With refreshments afterwards Hobart Function and Conference Centre 1 Elizabeth Street Pier, Hobart We will be joined by

Paul Sullivan, BirdLife Australia CEO

Guest presentations from Mike Newman, Priscilla Park, Peter Duckworth, Bob Patterson and others MCs: Warren and Sue Jones

RSVP by 8 March 2021 (essential for COVID and catering purposes)

[email protected]

1 BirdLife Tasmania BBQ Sunday 7th March

Join us in the 50th anniversary year of BirdLife Tasmania/BOAT* to look back and to look forward Sunday 7th March starting at 12.00 noon at Site #9, Waterworks Reserve, Ridgeway Road, Hobart. All wel- come.

Registration for COVID and catering purposes is essential. Please contact the Secretary, BirdLife Tasmania at [email protected], including whether you are gluten free or vegetarian/vegan. RSVP 5 March 2021 by 6pm please.

BirdLife Tasmania will provide meat, veggie burgers and bread (including gluten free if requested) plus paper plates & cutlery (BYO re-usable gear is encouraged). Please bring a plate to share of nibbles, a salad or a sweet plate/fruit, and any drinks you would like to have (eg wine, tea etc). There will be a guided birding walk in the reserve following the BBQ. Please bring along your recollections of the past 50 years of BirdLife and birding. We look forward to hearing them!

Further information about the Waterworks Reserve, including Site 9, can be found here. *BOAT - Bird Observers' Association of Tasmania (predecessor organisation to BirdLife Tasmania).

Welcome to the first issue of 2021 and what a special Contents in this issue year this is: BirdLife Tasmania/BOAT’s 50th. This year Short-tailed Shearwater in Tasmania – a short summary of their is full of special events to celebrate the significant biology, harvest and population …………………………………………...3 milestone. Shearwaters on ……………………...………….…...7 We hope you can join us for one or more of the A tribute to the sustained and selfless commitment of our events. (Calendar p 22). Something you should plan members to assessing Tasmania’s bird populations………….……9 on attending if possible is the camp-out on Maria Wings on King……………………………………………………………………...11 Island booked for 12—14 November with accommo- dation in the penitentiary building. Pied Oystercatchers, Melbourne Street, Triabunna ………..…...12 Details of the program to follow in time but lock the Masked Lapwing Attack………………………………………………...…...13 dates in for that one! Raptor Refuge …………………………….……………………………….…..….14 In this issue you will find a small focus on shearwa- BirdLife Tasmania news and views ters. We have a key article by Ross Monash and Sher- AGM notice……………………………………………….…..15 yl Hamilton from the Marine Conservation Program, of DPIPWE, followed by a perspective from caretak- BirdLife Tas 50th anniversary calendar of events ers on Maatsuyker Island where they are surrounded in 2021………………………….………………….…..……….16 by the spectacle of shearwaters coming and going Northern Wader Forum and outing 15 and 16 January 2021..17 on mass. Wanted……………………………………………….………………………….…...18 Mike Newman has also written a tribute to all those Outing Report: Peter Murrell Reserve, 24 January 2021 ……..19 amazing birders who are carrying out an amazing number of Birdata surveys, which provides an ongo- Outing note: Old Mac’s 7 February 2021………………………...…..20 ing picture of the presence of birds in our state. A Outing Report: Bird Walk Arboretum, Eugenana, Devoport Feb- staggering 5960 surveys were completed in the last ruary 2021 ………………………………….……………………………….…...... 21 year. Check out who did the most! Crisis in our forests—Media release ………………………...... 22 There are several reports on outings, which are help- End Duck Shooting TAS………………………………………………..22 ing members to identify birds and hopefully take up Birdata surveys! Ed BirdLife Tasmania Outings March2021 –May 2021……..23 2 Short-tailed Shearwater in Tasmania – a short summary of their biology, harvest and population. By Ross Monash and Sheryl Hamilton By Ross Monash and Sheryl Hamilton

The Short-tailed Shearwater (STSW; Ardenna tenuirostris; formerly Puffinus tenuirostris), also known as yolla, moonbird and muttonbird, breeds in south-east Australia and is Australia’s most abundant seabird. Population abundance based on colony estimates obtained since the 1980s suggest around 18 to 23 million birds return to breeding colonies each year. Recently there was considerable discussion, speculation and media reporting around their apparent late arrival to their breeding grounds in south-east Australia in spring 2019/20. This fol- lowed concern about die-offs at their northern feeding grounds in the Bering Sea due to lack of available food. STSW are a long-lived bird (up to ~35 years) that commence breeding at around 7 years of age. They make strong pair bonds and generally pair for life, although they also have a ‘divorce’ rate of around 25% – generally after several failed breeding attempts. STSW undertake an annual trans-hemispheric migration that has been known to be so synchronous that many people say you can set your calendar by their migration patterns. In late September, they return to their 285 known breeding colonies in south-east Australia (around 209 in Tasmania) – largely on Tasmania’s offshore islands. On arrival at their colony, they re-establish pair bonds and either repair (scratch out) the burrow they used last year or construct a new burrow before mating. In early November, they depart their colonies to for- age around the sub-Antarctic Front and Polar Frontal Zone, arriving back at breeding colonies in late Novem- ber when the female lays a single egg (peak laying 27-28 November). Incubation takes 53 days, with the male undertaking the first incubation shift of around two weeks while the female is away foraging at sea and re- couping the energy expended in egg production. The adult birds use several local and long-range foraging strategies while incubating eggs and feeding their chicks and the chicks grow rapidly until the adults depart colonies from early April. With the cessation of provisioning by parents, chicks lose weight and acquire their flight feathers before leaving their colonies and commencing their northern migration in late April–early May.

Short-tailed Shearwater harvest In Tasmania, STSW are harvested under permit or licence for their meat, feathers and oils. Three sectors par- ticipate in the harvest: Tasmanian aboriginal commercial harvesters, Tasmanian aboriginal cultural harvesters and recreational harvesters. The Tasmanian aboriginal commercial harvest occurs on three islands which support huge colonies: Trefoil Island off Tasmania’s north-west coast and Great (Big) Dog Island and Babel Islands in the Furneaux Island Group. These islands are estimated to contain 700,000, 950,000 and 2.8 million burrows respectively. Annual- ly, commercial harvesters take around 71,000 birds (2010–2016). The recreational harvest is open for 16 days in late March–early April. Over the last ten years, this harvest has been taken from 38–44 of Tasmania’s 209 colonies. The estimated number of burrows from all recreationally harvested colonies is 1.6 million. An average of around 840 licences are sold each year (2013–2019) and a daily bag limit of 25 birds applies. Around 44,000 birds were taken annually by recreational harvesters during this period (2013–2019). The cultural harvest occurs on a couple of sites around Tasmania, but predominantly from Fort Direction on the southern extent of South Arm where an average of 1,444 birds were harvested (2008–2017) from a colony that contains approximately 189,000 burrows.

3 How’s the population doing?

DPIPWE monitoring The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment has been monitoring STSW on four is- lands (Little Dog, Little Green, East Kangaroo and Big Green) in the since 1993 (Figure 1). Moni- toring involves counting burrows and assessing whether birds are present along 32 transects totalling 3.2km by 2m across the four islands. This information contributes to managing a sustainable harvest. Despite some drops in annual estimates from 2008 to 2015 and significant variation in annual breeding effort, long-term monitoring suggests the monitored populations remain relatively stable (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Short-tailed Shearwater long-term monitoring sites in the Furneaux group.

Sheryl checking a shearwater burrow with a burrowscope: Photo by Georgia Hedley

4 % Burrows with adult birds % Burrows containing chicks

Figure 2. Results of DPIPWE long-term shearwater monitoring in the Furneaux Islands.

Notably, despite numerous anecdotal reports of shearwaters arriving ‘late’ in Tasmania for the start of the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 breeding seasons, DPIPWE surveys, undertaken within a week of the normal peak lay- ing dates, found above average numbers of breeding birds in burrows. Surveys conducted later in the season also showed chicks at an expected stage of development, further indicating that the timing of laying was con- sistent with previous years. This provided empirical evidence that breeding season timing was likely to be nor- mal and that birds were likely to have arrived ‘on time’ in Tasmania. Perhaps, following a poor northern hemi- sphere winter-feeding season, they spent less time in the colonies during the scratch-out period than usual as they may have needed to build up their body condition. In addition to this long-term monitoring in the Furneaux Islands, DPIPWE’s Marine Conservation Program has undertaken surveys of a number of other colonies around Tasmania. Compared to previous surveys published in the 1990s, surveys have found that just over half the surveyed colonies have increased in size, with a few colonies having changed significantly. For example, Lillico Beach colony has increased by almost 1,000% (500 to 4,900 burrows), by around 570% (15,000 to 86,000 burrows) and by around 250% (15,000 to 39,000). In contrast, Martha Lavinia on has decreased by around 91% (from 11,200 to 1,200 burrows), Cape Deslacs colony by around 52% (from 18,800 to 9,100) and Southport Island by 37.5% (from 24,000 to 15,000).

Monitoring undertaken by other groups In the 2013-2014 breeding season, the Friends of Maatsuyker Island (Wildcare Inc.) began long-term monitoring of the large STSW population on Maatsuyker Island. This population is the third-largest in Tasmania, the largest in southern Tasmania and the largest unharvested population. Each season, using a specialised camera bur- rowscope, about 900 burrows in marked plots are checked during early egg incubation and again pre-fledging. In general, burrow occupancy during early egg incubation (early December) has followed a similar pattern as the colonies monitored by DPIPWE for the monitoring period 2013–2020, with no indication that the breeding was delayed in December 2019 or in December 2020.

5 BirdLife Tasmania also undertakes monitoring of STSWs at two locations on and University of Tas- mania researchers undertake demographic and foraging ecology studies on , off Tasman Peninsu- la. More recently the Friends of Lillico Penguins (Wildcare Inc.) initiated monitoring of the STSW colony at Lillico.

Importance of long-term monitoring Monitoring of the STSW population is important, not only to inform harvest management but also to under- stand population status, trends and dynamics over time. Such long-lived migratory species are also important indicators for detecting change in the marine environment. The trend of warmer waters in the Bering Sea (https://www.arctictoday.com/warming-temperatures-and-less-ice-are-transforming-the-bering-sea-ecosystem- scientists-say/) may lead to an increased frequency in shearwater mortality events at their winter foraging grounds. This is likely to lead to decreased breeding productivity at southern breeding colonies, and on-going annual monitoring at breeding sites is crucial to be able to detect changes, identify issues and where possible, mitigate impacts. Ross Monash and Sheryl Hamilton Wildlife Biologists Marine Conservation Program Wildlife Management Branch Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

Ross Monash down a burrow on Little Shearwater burrows on Cape Sorell

All photos supplied by Ross Monash on this page Field work on 6 Shearwaters on Maatsuyker Island By Heidi Krajewsky and Stephen Anstee

[Heidi] It is estimated that there are 800 000 pairs of Short-tailed Shearwaters nesting on Maatsuyker Island. It is easy to miss this abundance during the daylight hours, when there are none to be seen. But after sunset the birds start to crash-land through the scrub and fill the burrows that literally cover the entire island. Their raucous calls can be heard throughout the night from anywhere on the island. One morning in January, we got up in the dark and walked to the old grass helipad on the north end of the island, listening to their calls fill the forest the whole way. Several birds were just sitting on the road or courting and preening each other. Perhaps these birds had finished feeding the young chick in the burrow and were getting some fresh air be- fore the dawn take-off. We set up a trail camera and sat ourselves on a blanket with a vantage point a few metres away from their runway. There was a westerly wind blowing at about 10--15 knots. We were in posi- tion with a thermos of coffee at 0415 and the first shearwater took off at 0439. The forest surrounding this helipad was simply screaming with shearwater sounds combining to make a ‘white noise’. At first it was just a bird at a time, then a couple at a time. I had a clicker-counter in hand to try and count all the birds that took off from this one point, which is the most popular runway on the whole island. I furiously clicked away with the counter as the birds increased to take-off a few at a time. They walked down the hill on the footpath, then turned the corner to the left, started running, kicking up sand as they went and took off into the wind. At their peak, I couldn’t physically click fast enough, and despite switching hands repeatedly, would cramp while trying to keep up the tempo. If one bird hesitated or decided to abort take-off it would be steamrolled by the next birds in line. The path where the birds turned onto the helipad and started their acceleration has eroded into a groove over 10 cm deep. I conservatively estimated that 10 000 birds took off from this one spot on the morning that we were watching. If you include the birds that were already airborne but only a few metres off the ground, this number could be doubled. At this point the chicks had hatched over a week before and were being left alone during the day. Both adults were coming and going to bring krill to regurgitate and feed that fluffy little chick. There is one burrow dug into the road cutting between the house and the veggie garden. This burrow is very shallow as the bedrock is close to the surface and allows us a peak as we walk past each day. We can keep track of the nesting proceedings without causing any interference. The morning take-off took over an hour and we had to rush back for the 6 am weather ob- servation. It was simply impossible to start walking back any earlier as the path up to the road was filled by a veritable river of shearwa- ter bodies. They seemed single-minded in their scramble for take-off. The groove made by generations of seabird feet pointed them to a gap in the forest and there was not a lot of spare height as they just cleared the tops of the trees. The first birds start to stream past: photo by the infrared TrailCam

It made us wonder, what did they do before the grass road and helipad was cleared? It must have been a slow trod through the scrub to a headland to get some clearance for take-off before the lighthouse was built. We are quite happy to continue mowing for the shearwaters. We believe that we witnessed a phenomenon!

7 [Stephen] One morning recently we rose just after three o’clock for a mandatory vigil. Shearwater chicks have now hatched, and the tiny balls of down are being left to their own devices most days as the parents spend time at sea providing for them. This means an increase of activity in the comings and goings morning and night. We have spent many an evening watching the skies fill and birds land close to their burrows. But mornings are different. Unlike most birds, they cannot take off through the forest, so must make their way to a clear take-off strip or high ledge to jump from to get airborne. This creates highways through the undergrowth to accessible runways that become jammed with a flurry of hungry birds eager to depart before morning light. The most spectacular of these runways is the old helipad where a narrow foot track leads down from the road to the per- fect opening in the saddle of a hill where wind can assist take-off. For us being late was not an option and even walking along the road guided by the red light of our head torches was an exercise in deft foot placement as we meandered around birds resting on the road. Some alone, some cuddled cutely as couples and we felt a bit of guilt for disturbing their snuggles. We were early enough that none were yet on the move, arriving at the helipad in time to set up our temporary camp on a tarp and under a blanket and followed suit on the snuggles as a cool morning breeze blew and the first signs of twilight showed. Coffee, dried banana and chocolate were devoured as the first of the early risers started the hour-long parade. The forest had been alive with the chattering and occasional guttural squawk of shearwaters since we entered the forested part of the road and now, in shearwater central, these sounds intensified. The legs of these birds seem to tire quickly, and they rarely manage more than 30 ft before sitting down for a rest. As the numbers in- creased coming down the narrow path, this creates obvious mayhem as groups surge and stop.

Traffic increases as the sky starts to lighten: photo by the infrared TrailCam A last downhill run on to the open and they are off. If not, they have to back-track a tad and try again, in the meantime getting clobbered by low-flying compatriots. The scene resembles a black river spilling over a cliff. Like water droplets spreading apart, the birds do likewise into the sky. Time passed rapidly as we soaked in this natural phenomenon. As we walked back to the house the island felt transformed. The call of the shearwaters gone, replaced by the occasional high-pitched chittering of silvereyes, the raucous call of the currawong and the distant dull hoot of a brush bronzewing.

[Heidi] The footnote: We couldn’t resist repeating the experience and watched the take-off from the same spot a week later. It was a very different morning! This time the wind was blowing from the east. At first, we worried that this would mean that the birds took off from a different spot. But this was not the case. Perhaps because of a near-full moon, or the southerly that blew the day before bringing krill closer to the island, who knows why, but the traffic was much heavier this time. Forget even trying to handle the clicker-counter. We simply estimated the number of birds taking off each second and how many minutes the rate continued before changing. At the height of take-off, we reckon there were 25 birds/ second, which was 1500 birds per minute. This roughly equated to over 36 000 birds taking off in front of us.

Our thanks go Karen Dick for the loan of an infrared-equipped TrailCam. 8 A tribute to the sustained and selfless commitment of our members to assessing Tasmania’s bird populations By Mike Newman

A hallmark of BirdLife Tasmania’s activities throughout the 50 years since its formation as the Bird Observer’s Club of Tasmania has been the support of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union’s (now BirdLife Austral- ia’s) scientific programs. This proud tradition now embraces the coordination of Tasmania’s contribution to na- tional Atlases in 1977–81 and 1998–2001, the second of which was sustained as Birdata, an ongoing survey pro- gram designed to measure changes in bird populations and inform conservation policy. During the last 12 months (commencing 22 February 2020) a record 5969 Birdata surveys were submitted for the Tasmanian region. These have come from approximately 125 contributors, primarily residents because of the closure of the state borders caused by COVID--19 restrictions. Almost 71% of these surveys (4261) were submitted by just 13 contributors, although this involved several couples and in one instance a team of people. The top six contributors submitted more than 200 surveys each, in total an amazing 3364 surveys, over 50% of all surveys.

This might seem astonishing, but there has been a tendency for most of the data to come from a relatively small number of dedicated contributors throughout the history of Atlas and bird-monitoring projects from the time of the first RAOU Atlas in 1977 to the current Birdata monitoring phase. Indeed, some of the initial zealots remain addicted 44 years later. Tim Reid topped the list last year with 951 surveys, closely followed by Richard Ashby at 790. Others exceeding the 200-mark included Mike Newman, Warren and Sue Jones, Albert and Robin Nichols and Ralph Cooper. An- other six, Barry Baker, Mark Holdsworth, Sharon Moore, Andrew Walter, Hazel Britton and Kate Ravitch exceed- ed 100 surveys. The collaborative Tasmania Fire Service Project, involving some of the same people, provided 198 surveys. A feature of these efforts is a dedication to generating information in a manner (e.g. repeated standard surveys) that can be meaningfully used to establish the status of Tasmanian birds, both common and rare, to inform con- servation priorities. To put this into perspective, the value of these in-kind contributions is of the order of $75,000, based on the time conducting surveys and excluding travel costs. These contributions are ongoing, and in three cases stretch back more than a decade. Constraints on the availability of funds don’t apply to these efforts. Richard Ashby (5972 surveys) has long-legs and a kayak, attributes which take him to remote places others seldom visit, including an epic solo trip to the south-west in his kayak last summer. Yet he also sustains his rou- tine surveys near his home at Sisters Beach at places like Lake Llewellyn, where he has made 609 surveys since 1998.

Richard Asby in a kayak up the Gordon River 12 years ago, trying to drum up an Azure Fisher perhaps:

Photo by Jono Fielding

9 Studies at Cape Portland and the Tamar wetlands are highlights of Ralph Cooper’s 4650 surveys, again provid- ing continuity throughout the last two decades. Another example of dedication that has generated a lasting legacy by documenting the bird populations in important areas, both near his home near the Tamar Estuary, and at Cape Portland in a remote area in the extreme north-east, a destination involving significant travel. Both areas have been designated Key Biodiversity Areas. Over the last decade, Albert and Robin Nichols (2641 surveys) have generated arguably the most comprehen- sive characterisation of an area of woodland habitat in Tasmania, regularly visiting a number of sites in the vi- cinity of their home in north-east Tasmania. A mouth-watering list of species regularly occurs on their doorstep. Tim Reid, like Richard Ashby, has sturdy legs and a kayak. Like Richard he gets to places others seldom venture. His prolific survey efforts are shorter-term, but his recent documentation of the high-altitude areas of Mt Wel- lington is providing insights into the current status of birds in an alpine area, probably the least-studied habitat type in Australia. His exploits include birding while snowing, an experience which few Australian birders have shared. The TFS Project (870 surveys) involves 6 people monitoring 20 sites of known fire history in the areas surround- ing Hobart to provide a better understanding of the impact of fuel reduction strategies on bird populations. It has now been running for nearly four years.

Many other people provide similar contributions, albeit not as frequently, which are collectively important to our goal of understanding what is happening to our bird populations. In the near future we will receive the first results from the BLA Research team that is currently analysing the Tasmanian Birdata. Not only will this tell us how our bird populations are faring, but also the effectiveness of our survey efforts. Almost inevitably, for some species and habitats, they will conclude, like Tim has for his high-altitude surveys, that we need more data. Hopefully, the heroics outlined above will inspire others to join our ranks. Just two surveys a week, taking at most two hours of your time and ideally in your favourite local patch, would put you in that presently distin- guished category of 100+ surveys per annum and greatly enhance our conservation efforts.

If you would like to find out more about Birdata, check out the web- site:

https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/

During February, the Yellow- throated Honeyeater was the most recorded species, occurring during 46 percent of all surveys.

Yellow-throated Honeyeater: Photo by Alan Fletcher

10 11 Pied Oystercatchers, Melbourne Street, Triabunna Maggie Mars

I was not much involved with shorebirds before coming to live in Triabunna six years ago. I knew nothing of Australian Pied Oystercatchers, but they have become part of my life since living here. They are very noticeable birds and most years I become alarmed at the propensity of a couple to forage near the roadside, often with a chick close by. Whether it is the same breeding pair I don’t know. This month (November 2020) has been disastrous for them. Early in the month I was charmed to see two oys- tercatchers standing on my front wall and later running around my garden. I had never observed behaviour like this before. Their cries became increasingly frequent and shrill, and it became apparent that they were separat- ed from their chicks and trying desperately to reunite the family now divided by a wire fence. Not wishing to further distress them, I left them to work it out. They did. The next time I saw them all four were running along Melbourne Street, the two chicks in pursuit of their parents. A couple of days later I witnessed the same scene except this time one chick was limping badly and a considerable distance behind the other three.

Later in the week a friend called to ask for help to keep the chick with the damaged leg off the road while she sought advice from Eric Woehler as to what to do. We managed to corral the apparently abandoned chick and eventually caught it. As suggested by Eric, it was taken to Bonorong Park for care. The next day, the news from Bonorong was not good: the chick’s leg was infected and the bird had to be euthanised. The following day the news was even worse. The remaining chick had been run over and killed outside the school. One parent bird stayed close by, obviously distressed, and at risk itself of being run over. My friend and I removed the dead bird and buried it. For a couple of days I saw a lone pied oystercatcher on the school oval and the Community Health Centre lawn. Then last Saturday I saw a pair of oystercatchers in full flight over Maclaines Estuary. I can only hope they don’t nest near the road next time.

Pied Oystercatchers: Photo by Michelle Turner

12 Masked Lapwing Attack Rob Kelly

They were really giving me a serve. Walking my dog Snowy along the Triabunna Dead Island Sanctuary track one evening, the loud cackling sounds of the Masked Lapwing burst on to me as the bird swooped very close towards my head. Whirling away, a second lapwing swooped straight at me. I gathered there must be some chicks nearby and as I peered into the gloomy rocks along the edge of the wa- ter, I could just make out a small shape skipping amongst the rocks. It was a tiny lapwing chick and then an- other appeared a little further along. This was the middle of August and I was not expecting to see any young birds. I left quickly but next evening cautiously approached the same area. Sure enough the parents and their chicks were still moving around the rocky shoreline. I could see three chicks, faintly in amongst the rocks, but kept my distance. The parents were very vigilant and loudly calling as they shepherded their babies along. Over the next few weeks, this little family stayed around this area and the chicks seemed to be growing very quickly. I eventually counted four of them through the shadows of the evenings, but, as time went on, and they ventured further towards the grassy areas surrounding the health centre, two of the chicks disappeared. Over the weeks, the parents became calmer and just called the two young adventurous survivors away from anyone approaching. They left the area one day and I haven’t seen them since. Another nesting Masked Lapwing appeared in the grassy vacant land behind my house in late September and sat patiently there in the long grass for several weeks. The mower man arrived but carefully circled around the nesting lapwing leaving a wide berth of long grass for its chosen nesting site right in the middle of the vacant land. The male could often be seen nearby but I never caught him next to the sitting female. One day the bird was gone, but I found a family not far off near the Dead Island Sanctuary again, with four little chicks in tow. The attacks started again on anybody passing nearby as the parents defended their brood. They seemed to settle down after a week or so and just again shepherded their chicks out of the way. Three chicks have survived so far and they have continued to maintain their presence in this fairly confined area close to the Dead Island Sanctuary shoreline. They can often be seen on the grassed areas around the health centre and council offices. The chicks seem to grow remarkably quickly and are very adventurous as they explore the world some distance from their parents. It’s only when someone approaches that the par- ents become noisy and active, and start marshalling the young birds back into their fold. They seem to appear very road- and street-smart. Not so the two local pied oystercatchers that are the subject of Maggie Mars’ story (pg. 12).

Masked Lapwing: Photo by Sue Wragge 13 Raptor Refuge By Craig Webb

Hello Raptor fans,

As usual, it’s been busy times at Raptor Refuge! I may sound like a cracked record, but we are constantly receiving new patients and doing our utmost to help them, so sad and happy times are abundant. Our 1800RAPTOR hotline is exactly that, a hotline for DEAD OR INJURED RAPTORS (not for general enquir- ies). We get calls regularly, but sometimes volume jumps from a few calls a week to 5 calls in a day. I have not put my finger on the reason why yet: is it weather conditions? Moon phases? Public Holidays? But we attend to these calls and perform a rescue or a recovery either way, offering injured birds a chance to recover in our world-class care facility. Speaking of which, since those horrific fires in SW Tassie 2 years ago, we realised how vulnerable our rescue establishment would be in an evacuation scenario. At that time, we used a whiteboard to work out where all 47 raptors could be moved (I recall that number vividly). We plotted on the board where all 13 eagles and the 34 smaller raptors could be housed, readying them for transportation in a large range of pet packs, velcro eagle bags, eagle tubes, crates and an assortment of other-worldly transportable cages etc, should the flames reach us. I found local aviaries for a handful, but the realisation of how immovable our operation was struck me. We formulated the plan to safeguard the entire establishment by installing a sprinkler system that would douse every structure, from buildings to aviaries, allowing our birds a greater degree of safety in the event of an ember attack. We raised funds to purchase the bulk of the gear through our donations, calendars, membership, and Walk 'n' Talk program, with TasNetworks also supporting us through a hugely appreciated $20K grant. We imagined the end result, including 38 sprinklers, with a radius of 15 metres each. These would be installed on all the poles on our massive flight aviaries, our banks of slated aviaries, the Education Centre, and the owl aviary, alongside newly installed fire hose stations. Sounds easy? Wrong!

--

14 There is so much to understand, and we had very little idea about things like the pump sizes, friction and water rates required. With so many questions needing an answer, enter Pater Barwick from Wa- ter Industry Solutions. In the truest sense of the word, this man is a living legend, with sheer com- mitment and a serious amount of generosity. His belief in our cause led to Peter and his team in- stalling a massive electric-start diesel pump, with all the associated hardware, gate valves, and a huge main poly water pipe that leads to dozens of sub- sidiary lines and sprinklers.

He and his team worked over almost 3 solid weeks; sometimes up to 6 men here working with a myriad of ex- cavators, trucks, and specialised equipment. The end result is the beautiful tool we now proudly possess, a fire- suppression system that ensures the safety of our Raptor Refuge and all the birds within. The sprinklers are capable of delivering 700 litres of water a minute, protecting all the vital components that make our refuge so grand. So, I say farewell to that sickening, gut-wrenched feeling that lasted for the many days over the last bout of fire storms. Hello to a new sense of security and peace of mind, for if and when we find ourselves facing the threat of fire again. Photos supplied by Craig Webb

BirdLife Tasmania news and views

March BirdLife Tasmania meeting

Annual General Meeting

The Birdlife Tasmania Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 11 March 2021 at 7:00 pm. Hobart Function and Conference Centre 1 Elizabeth Street Pier, Hobart

The minutes of the 2020 AGM can be found at https://birdlife.org.au/locations/birdlife-tasmania Followed by Celebration event of the last 50 years

15 Annual General Meeting 2021

2021 AGM - nominations received The following nominations were received for the BirdLife Tasmania Committee for 2021:

Convenor: Eric Woehler Secretary: Karen Dick Treasurer: Cathy Bulman

Committee members: Perviz Marker Peter Vaughan Mel Kelly Mark Holdsworth Heidi Krajewsky Sue Wragge

A proposal to invite all six nominees on to the 2021 committee was unanimously approved by the Exec Com- mittee, with 2 existing Committee members being excluded from comment, owing to a conflict of interest.

As a result there is no need for an election this year. The Convenor and Committee would like to thank our outgoing committee members Geoff Shannon, Andrew Walter and Mona Loofs-Samorzewski, who together have contributed many years of service to the BirdLife Tasmania Committee. They have all agreed to continue to act on the Engagement Subcommittee, helping to inform and involve our members and supporters, and we are grateful for their continued involve- ment and support.

BirdLife Tas 50th anniversary calendar of events in 2021

Date Event

7 March BBQ

11 March AGM Special event

General meeting talk on our special 8 July birds 12 – 14 November Camp-out

Decemberish Publication of book

16 Northern Wader Forum and outing 15 and 16 January 2021

Geoff Shannon, Angela Hansen, Perviz Marker and Karen Dick

We had a great turnout to the wader forum in Launceston and field trip Bird List th to Bridport on January 15th and 16th. On the evening of the 15 January, 44 people turned out at the Tamar Function Centre at Riverside to listen Australian Shelduck to a variety of speakers give informative and interesting talks on wader Australian Pied Oystercatcher migration, the importance of Tasmania for shorebirds, wader identifica- Sooty Oystercatcher tion, counting and monitoring protocols, global declines, and habitat Pacific Golden-Plover restoration and monitoring. Karen Dick's talk set the scene with an over- Red-capped Plover view of what waders are, their migration patterns and the importance of Hooded Plover Tasmania in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. This was followed by a Red-necked Stint great talk by Ralph Cooper, who has been a stalwart for decades of moni- Silver Gull toring and conservation of shorebirds, and who impressed upon every- one the importance of good-quality data in informing conservation Pacific Gull decisions. After a panel discussion led by Geoff Shannon, with some very Fairy Tern interesting questions about the logistical challenges of counting waders, Little Pied Cormorant we heard from Ramit Singal, who provided a very entertaining and in- White-faced Heron structive presentation on the identification of the waders that can be Swamp Harrier seen in Tasmania. White-fronted Chat The following day, 30 participants, most of whom had attended the previ- Welcome Swallow ous evening’s forum, met in Bridport to try out some wader identifica- Caspian Tern tion. We met in the centre of Bridport before sharing transport out to Superb Fairywren Lade’s Beach, which is just west of Bridport on the west side of the estu- Grey Butcherbird ary of the Little Forester River. Apart from some large puddles, probably Grey Currawong due to pivot irrigators, the track was in reasonable condition. From the Grey Fantail car park down the track, we walked to the beach and as we approached Common Starling the inlet behind the beach we saw our first waders, a pair of Hooded Plovers. A strong westerly kept the flies away and possibly the birds as well (or they may have been sheltering on the estuary shore). Most of the group stayed on the first dunes overlooking the head of the inlet where the small waders were expected to gather at high tide. The variety of waders was low with the resident Hooded Plovers, Australian Pied Oystercatchers and Red-capped Plovers joining the visiting Red-necked Stints, Double-Banded Plovers and single Pacific Golden Plover. Despite the wind, we still had great views of the waders that were there, foraging and roosting, as well as other coastal birds, including terns, gulls and shelducks. Despite the low species count, people seemed to have gained some ideas about wader observation and counting as well as a pleasant day out. Wader forum on Friday 15 2021 The birds listed on the outing totalled 22 species, including 6 wader species. All photos by Perviz Marker

17 Walking along the beach to the bird-watching site ‘What bird was that Karen?’

Field survey work from the past! Can you identify anyone? Photo by Alan Fletcher

As part of our 50th anniversary activities, we are trying to organise and digitise the full set of publications that have been produced since BOAT began in 1971 (BOAT / Birds Tasmania / BIrdlife Tasmania newsletters, and Tasmania Bird Reports). We have access to most of these, but are missing the BOAT newsletters prior to March 1983 and the very early Tasmanian Bird Reports. If you have any of the issues that we are missing and would be willing to loan them to us for a time, or if you no longer need them and would be happy to donate them, please get in touch with Karen Dick at [email protected] or PO BOX 68, Hobart, 7000. Also do you have any photographs from past years of member activities (as above , thanks Alan), or outings? Please could you have a look and contact Perviz Marker at [email protected] . We are looking to use them in a variety of publications and displays over the year. Hopefully, we will have all our publications online and available to all members by the end of 2021. We look forward to your help.

18 Outing Report: Peter Murrell Reserve, 24 January 2021

Sue Jones

A keen group of twelve assembled on a warmish morning to walk in the Peter Murrell Reserves (PMR). With a broad mix of experiences among the participants, everyone had the opportunity to learn something from another walker. The walk was led by Sue and Warren Jones, who know the ‘patch’ well. Warren gave a brief talk at the start, explaining how they regularly carry out Birdata surveys (both 20 min/2 hectare and 500 m area searches) at the PMR. During the walk, we collectively surveyed two of the five 500 m area search sites.

We started off by walking along one of the Jones’s shared 20 min/2-hectare sites, which runs along Coffee Creek and is characterised by its tall white gums (E. vimi- nalis). There were lots of Yellow Wattlebirds around in the canopy, and some smaller birds using a bathing spot just off the path. We also had a good look at a lovely male

Common Bronzewing that obligingly perched in a tree. We saw where Forty-spotted Pardalotes bred for some years inside a dead branch of a large white gum right be- side this path, but sadly, they have not been seen at this site since 2016. Purple Swamphen

The next section of the walk took us past Penryn Pond, where the single resident Purple Swamphen obligingly appeared. There were Australian Wood Ducks resting on the little jetty, with Pacific Black Ducks on the water. Carrying on south past Tarremah School, and dodging numerous patches of mature ‘buzzies’, we spotted a big- ger range of waterbirds on the larger Heron Pond: Australian Wood Duck, Black Duck, Chestnut Teal, Hoary- headed Grebe and Eurasian Coot. A family of Tasmanian Native-hens ran in from the adjoining grassy area and swam across the pond, while Welcome Swallows skimmed over the water. We continued along the edge of the reserve, keeping an eye out (unsuccessfully) for birds perching on the pe- rimeter fence. There were lots of Pardalotes, both Spotted and Striated, in the big white gums, and we took notice of the different calls of these two species. There were juveniles of both species present and we noted that care was needed so as not to confuse these with Forty-spotted Pardalotes. Our path took us across the new ford over Coffee Creek, constructed as part of the rehabilitation of the PMR after the 2018 floods, and then down into the ‘Bandicoot paddock’. We staked out the big bracken patch in the hope of spotting a Striat- ed Fieldwren (keeping out a weather eye for snakes at the same time!). While no field wrens appeared today, several Superb Fairy-wrens popped up and down. The group that walked the outer edge of the patch also spotted some Yellow-rumped Thornbills. The rest of us had a good look at a couple of Grey Currawongs and discussed how to differentiate them from the Black Currawong, as well as seeing three Black-faced Cuckoo- Shrikes. Near the Howden Road entrance, we took some time looking for birds in the area around the powerlines. Strangely, the Dusky Woodswallows that usually frequent this area in summer were not evident. We did hear a Satin Flycatcher call several times but frustratingly it did not show.

By this time, it was getting rather hot, so we started the return journey along the Coffee Creek Fire Trail to the carpark. On the way, we were diverted by a Yellow-throated Honeyeater bash- ing something nearly as long as it very vigorously against a tree Yellow-throated Honeyeater branch. 19 Bird List Opinions differed on what the food item actually was– a lizard? A large grey Australian Wood Duck caterpillar? A worm? We never did work it out, but the bird did eventually Pacific Black Duck manage to swallow it. Chestnut Teal In all, it seemed to be a bit of a quiet day from a birding perspective apart Hoary-headed Grebe from an unusually large number of Yellow Wattlebirds. However, we did Masked Lapwing amass an overall list of 31 species, with 22 species recorded in the north-west Purple Swamphen and 16 in the south-west survey areas respectively, plus an echidna that oblig- Tasmanian Native-hen ingly crossed the path at one point. After the walk, some of us adjourned to Eurasian Coot the café at the Fork-in-the-Road to continue the bird chat over restorative drinks. Kelp Gull Common Bronzewing Birdata surveys Rainbow Lorikeet The Birdata surveys for the two 500 m Area Search sites can be seen at: Laughing Kookaburra https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/survey?id=3462680&h=ae258583 Superb Fairy-wren and Spotted Pardalote https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/survey?id=3462682&h=408be274 Striated Pardalote while information and data for the Peter Murrell #1 2 ha/20 min survey site Brown Thornbill that we visited can be found at: Yellow-rumped Thornbill https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/shared-sites/shared-site-details?id=19983 Yellow Wattlebir All photos by Sue Jones Little Wattlebird Yellow-throated Honeyeater Black-headed Honeyeater New Holland Honeyeater Grey Shrike-thrush Satin Flycatcher Grey Fantail Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike Grey Butcherbird Australian Magpie Grey Currawong Forest Raven Welcome Swallow Some of the group relaxing after the outing

Outing note: Old Mac’s 7 February 2021

Angela Hansen

Walk report: On our first BirdLife walk for the Launceston area on February 7th at Old Mac’s Farm we had su- perb weather conditions and lovely bird viewing. We saw Pink-eared Ducks at Queechy Lake on the way in, and Hardheads were out in good numbers at Old Mac’s and had a brood of fluffy ducklings. The Little Grassbird was singing in the reeds, and Yellow-throated Honeyeaters from the mature trees adjacent to the lakes. In total we saw and heard 31 species: 14 waterbirds, 16 passerines (perching birds)/woodland birds, and a Swamp Harrier. Our next walk on the morning of Sunday, March 7th, will be at Punchbowl Reserve and promises a variety of woodland passerines, in a lovely and varied habitat within the city suburb of Norwood. See the outings sched- ule for details of how to sign up for this walk. 20 Outing Report: Bird Walk Arboretum, Eugenana, Devonport 22 February 2021

Geoff Shannon

Sixteen of us, a mixture of Birdlife Tas and U3A Port Sorell, met on a Bird List still sunny morning. Wind came later in gusts but it stayed warm. Ini- Black Swan tially the birdlife was quiet except for a few of the native hens chasing Australian Shelduck each other. Our piebald friend was not in evidence. As we approached Mallard x Pacific Black Duck (hybrid) the lake wrens started to appear in numbers; most of the males were Grey Teal in eclipse plumage. Chestnut Teal male eclipse As we entered the first stand of old eucalypts even the more experi- Brush Bronzewing brief distant call enced of us were wrong-footed by a loud, persistent single note. The Fan-tailed Cuckoo nearest we came was currawong, but when we were able to see the Tasmanian Native-hen bird a fully plumaged male magpie was the culprit. We all still have Eurasian Coot things to learn. Wedge-tailed Eagle Collared Sparrowhawk A short time later one member spotted a bird in the woodland which Laughing Kookaburra had us puzzled for a while. It was sitting so still that most, if not all, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo heard had good views. This turned out to be a plain brown juvenile Fan- Green Rosella tailed Cuckoo. Walking up from the Don River where there was a small Superb Fairy-wren flock of Grey Fantails we came across, in a small area, Eastern Spine- bill, Scarlet Robin, Beautiful Firetail and at last the only two Dusky Eastern Spinebill Wood-swallows of the day. During all of this a Wedge-tailed Eagle flew Little Wattlebird over. New Holland Honeyeater Yellow-throated Honeyeater There were few ducks on the lake but on the floating platform a Grey Black-headed Honeyeater Teal stood next to a female Chestnut Teal giving a good comparison. Striated Pardalote The eclipse male was a bonus. Our honorary bird for the day, a platy- Brown Thornbill pus, as usual made its appearance. Tasmanian Thornbill A good day’s birding, 36 species, good company in lovely surround- Grey Shrike-thrush ings. There is a sight change in leaf colour so by the end of next month Dusky Woodswallow the views will be spectacular. Grey Butcherbird Australian Magpie Our March outing is to Moorland Point to see the departing Turn- Grey Fantail stone, which should be showing some breeding plumage. Noon on Forest Raven Monday 15th March at the end of Moorland Beach Road (off Mill Rd) Scarlet Robin Wesley Vale. Welcome Swallow The full list for the group for the day. I do not believe everyone saw Silvereye everything. Common Blackbird Beautiful Firetail European Greenfinch European Goldfinch House Sparrow

Superb Fairy-wren: Photo by Helen Cunningham 21 Crisis in our forests MEDIA RELEASE - 9 December 2020

The study by ANU that showed Swift Parrot numbers were far lower than previous estimates was today de- scribed as a, ‘crisis’ by BirdLife Tasmania. The ANU study suggested that the global population of Swift Parrots could be as low as 100 – 200 breeding pairs.

The study used genetic techniques to estimate the population independent of ground counts, and did not rely on locating all breeding sites used in a season. ‘This study is a shocking revelation that Swift Parrots are far closer to extinction than previously believed’ Dr Eric Woehler, BirdLife Tasmania Convenor said today. ‘The genetic study shows the current estimated population of Swift Parrots is well below estimates based on various surveys undertaken in recent years.’ The species is already listed as Critically Endangered under State and Federal legislation. Swift Parrots face the double threat of predation by introduced Sugar Gliders and the loss of habitat from forestry and land clearing operations. ‘There is a crisis unfolding in our forests’ Dr Woehler added. ‘With other woodland species such as Wedge- tailed Eagle, Grey Goshawk and Masked Owl also listed as Critically Endangered, we also stand to lose these species unless there is a fundamental change in land use and forestry practices in Tasmania.’ ‘How can we defend current forestry operations to future generations when we know what the solutions are?’ Dr Woehler concluded.

Sugar Gliders: Photo © Eric Woehler Swift Parrot: Photo © Eric Woehler

End Duck Shooting TAS

BirdLife Tasmania continues in its efforts to end the‘ sport’ of duck-shooting. In 2020, despite COVID-19 restrictions, 1100 shooters killed at least 50,000 ducks. This year, the RSPCA has joined other voices in call- ing for this practice to end. A protest event scheduled for 11am on 6 March at Moulting Lagood and an elec- tronic petition has been established to garner support (link is below):

https://www.facebook.com/events/281116950021926/

http://bit.ly/end-duck-shooting-tas

22 BirdLife Tasmania Outings March 2021–May 2021

You must register for an outing prior to the event. On all outings you must wear enclosed shoes and follow COVID- safe procedures. Full information will be supplied with the outing details for each event. To register for any outing listed here, you will need to email the organiser at [email protected]. Pre-registration is required for all outings to comply with COVID-safe planning.

To allow arrangements to be made, please be sure to register at least 7 days in advance of any outing.

REGION DATE LOCATION / LEADER NOTES Top Marshes Road, Join the Bird Observers of the North-east for a gentle North-east Wednesday roadside amble through rural country, looking for bush St Marys 3 March Liz birds. This small bushland reserve in South Launceston, with North Sunday Punchbowl Reserve its bushland walking trails, stream, ravine and pond is 14 March Angela excellent for a mix of wet and dry forest birds.

Moorlands Beach, Geoff Shannon will lead folks looking for shorebirds that Monday are at roost at high tide. North-west Wesley Vale 15 March Geoff Join us as explore this well-known reserve and take in South/North Sunday Tamar Island Wetland the wetland birds. Hopefully this excursion will allow 28 March Karen members from both north and south to attend. Join Sarah Lloyd for a walk around this reserve, looking Monday Brushy Rivulet North Reserve, Westbury for bush birds and fungi. Details will be provided when 26 April Sarah you sign up. This walk on Binalong Bay will include beach and coastal Wednesday Taylors Beach – Quarry heath, walking along an historic tramway. Targeting North-east Rd coastal and bush birds, the range-restricted Tawny- 7 April Liz crowned Honeyeater is a possibility on this walk. This outing will explore the flat dirt tracks through the North Sunday Carr Villa Flora Reserve dry mixed forest that contains significant native flora

11 April Angela and fauna, including resident Tawny Frogmouths. Autumn is a fabulous time to visit Mount Field, when the colour of the Fagus and the abundance of fungi add Sunday Mount Field National South Park plenty of interest to the beauty of the local bird popula- 11 April Karen tion. Good chances to see Pink Robins, Scrubtits and Tasmanian Scrubwrens, among other endemic species.

Port Sorrell Conservation This walk with Geoff Shannon will target bush birds in Monday the coastal Conservation Area. North-west Area, Squeaking Point 19 April Geoff

Halls Falls / Goschen / Join the Bird Observers Northeast group for a short, Wednesday easy walk through beech and myrtle forests looking for North-east Goulds Country 6 May Liz bush birds. Join experienced birders at selected survey squares on one or more days to help carry out the Where, Where, Fri 14 to Sun Wedgie! surveys, recording eagles and other species Where, Where Wedgie! 16 May across the state. This project is in its fourth year of Statewide Surveys mapping eagle distribution in Tas. See the website at Fri 28 to Sun Karen

30 May https://naturetrackers.com.au/indexWWW.php to get an understanding of the project.

23 GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001 [email protected] We apologise that we cannot publish individual contact details, due to issues with scamming emails. www.birdlife.org.au/tasmania

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Yellow Throat is produced every quarter beginning in March. Contributions, including articles, interesting sightings, photographs, letters and news, are welcome, and will be published subject to space and interest or relevance to BirdLife Tasmania members, at the editors’ discretion. Please email them to [email protected] The deadline for the next issue is 20 May 2021. Many thanks to all contributors, including the photographers, who retain copyright of their magnificent photographs. All maps drawn from the BirdLife Tasmania database remain © BirdLife Tasmania. Views ex- pressed in Yellow Throat are not necessarily those of BirdLife Tasmania, or of the editors, unless explicitly stat- ed. Please make use of our material, but we ask that you acknowledge BirdLife Tasmania as the source. Editors: Perviz Marker (co-ordinator) and Sharon Moore (copy-editor); layout: Perviz Marker. We thank the office of Mr Andrew Wilkie, MHR, for assisting in the production of Yellow Throat 112.

BirdLife Tasmania is a regional branch of BirdLife Australia

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