The WandererThe Wanderer This occasional newsletter covers news and information about Plains-wanderer Summer 2019 Issue 6 conservation and management. Past newsletters are available via a link on the Trust for Nature website http://www.trustfornature.org.au/our-conservation-work/priority-species/ plains-wanderer/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pedionomidae/ Inside this issue: Thanks to all of the contributors to this issue. If you have articles that may be of interest to others, please Thermal scanning 1 send copies to the editor David Baker-Gabb at [email protected] cameras Nocturnal monitoring on 3 Plains-wanderer Facebook page the Northern Plains, Vic Have you been on the Plains-wanderer Facebook page? Even if you are not on Facebook, Monitoring on Terrick 4 by pasting the URL into your browser you will be able to view the page. It contains media Terrick National Park articles and social media posts about Plains-wanderers from state agencies, zoos and others. Song meters monitoring 6 It is well worth a look. https://www.facebook.com/Pedionomidae/. calls on Northern Plains A new covenant in 9 Thermal scanning cameras has also been adopted by outback truck Victoria drivers to help avoid collisions with NSW monitoring: 10 - a potential new tool for improving wandering livestock, and has proved very Autumn & Winter Plains-wanderer detection successful. For our trial, custom-built 2019 thermal equipment and expertise on how to Dan Nugent, La Trobe University NSW Plains-wanderer 11 use the device was provided by Monash report, 2018 The Plains-wanderer is a highly cryptic University researcher, Dr Rohan Clarke. species that is typically hard to find because Male Plains-wanderer 13 of its excellent camouflage and strategies display used for avoiding detection by predators. Paddocks for Plains- 14 Over the past 30 years, the most effective wanderers Incentive method for detecting and surveying for the Project Plains-wanderer has been spotlighting from Update for Western 16 vehicles at night. A new piece of technology, Queensland a thermal scanning camera, has recently come Vale Rick Webster 20 onto the wildlife detection scene which has the potential to greatly improve our ability Australian Magpies are 22 to find Plains-wanderers. predatory ‘butcherbirds’ Buttonquail are 23 In autumn this year, a vehicle-mounted shorebirds too thermal scanner (FLIR MD625 NTSC 30hz Captive breeding — 24 thermal vision camera, price= $9,100) was trialled Taronga and Werribee alongside spotlights to assess the potential of this technology to be used as a tool for detecting Plains-wanderers. This type of thermal scanning unit was originally designed as a tool for use on open-water vessels to enable objects, such as other boats, to be FLIR thermal camera fixed to the window of the vehicle using a seen and avoided. In recent years, this camera specially designed mount. Photo: Dan Nugent 2 Thermal scanning cameras (cont) The thermal camera, fixed on a spotlight wanderers during this survey. It is difficult mount, was rotated from side to side by a to determine if this high number of passenger, thus scanning a 180-degree detections, relative to other sites, is a area. As the vehicle was driven slowly consequence of this particular site having forward, the person rotating the camera more Plains-wanderers at the time of the Heat signatures watched a live video feed on a screen survey, or if the thermal scanner enables from warm- positioned on the dash of the vehicle. individuals to be detected that would have been missed using traditional spotlighting blooded animals White heat signatures from warm-blooded techniques alone. When this same site was animals were readily distinguished on the (white) could be surveyed three weeks later using only spot- screen from the surrounding cooler grass- lights, no Plains-wanderers were recorded. readily identified land (in shades of grey). When an animal Given the short time between surveys it is on the screen was seen on the screen, the vehicle was unlikely that all birds at the site had stopped and the source of the heat from the dispersed, and more probable that at least signature investigated on foot to some individuals were missed when using surrounding, determine the species detected. It was the spotlighting method. Further research cooler, grassland possible to separate birds from mammals into the possible applications of this on the screen, but required further (shades of grey). technology will get underway in early 2020 investigation to identify specific species. as part of a joint project between Monash During this trial, the thermal scanner University, La Trobe University, and Zoos proved to be a very useful tool for Victoria. This research aims to determine detecting Plains-wanderers and other differences in detection rates between grassland fauna. At one site alone it survey techniques and, if thermal detected six Plains-wanderers, other birds technology proves superior, to devise a and numerous Fat-tailed Dunnarts. monitoring plan that incorporates the new Although other observers were doing technology. parallel searches using spotlights, it was the scanner that detected all of the Plains- Far right: Male Plains-wanderer Photo: Chris Tzaros Right: Photo of thermal scanner video feed showing a Plains- wanderer (visible at centre of screen) being approached prior to its capture for the captive breeding program at Werribee. Photo: Yvette Pauligk 3 News from the Range States A decade of nocturnal monitoring on the Northern Plains, Vic. David Baker-Gabb Much of this increase in 2018 was likely due to immigration from overgrazed The Northern Plains of Victoria are one of drought-affected areas further inland. two known strongholds of the Plains- wanderer, the other being the larger NSW A banded bird has been recorded moving Riverina. North-east South Australia and 124 km from Victoria’s Northern Plains to Much of this south-west Queensland are currently the NSW Riverina. Moreover, there is no recorded as regions of lesser importance increase in 2018 genetic difference between northern for the species. Victoria and NSW Riverina Plains- was likely to due wanderers and so movements between the to immigration The autumn monitoring data from 20 sites two regions may be reasonably common. across Victoria’s Northern Plains show from overgrazed that the regional Plains-wanderer In summer and autumn 2019, conditions drought-affected population crashed by >90% following the were very hot and dry across northern areas further exceptionally wet years of late 2010 Victoria and nearly all of the private through 2011 (Figure 1). The population inland. grassland, which comprises about 70% of remained at a very low ebb for three years, the potential Plains-wanderer habitat there, but began to recover in 2015-17 on the was overgrazed. Reserved grasslands eastern (Patho), but not on the western remained in structurally ideal conditions (Lower Avoca) sections of the Northern for Plains-wanderers. Monitoring by Dan Plains. In 2018, there was a marked Nugent in autumn 2019 recorded Plains- increase in the population in the eastern wanderers in only three reserved half of the Northern Plains, to almost grasslands and encounter rates were back reach the population levels of autumn to 2012-14 post-crash levels. 2010. This result appeared to exceed the potential reproductive ability of the regional population there in 2017. Left: Female Plains-wanderer Photo: Mark Antos 4 News from the Range States Monitoring on Terrick Terrick National Park: 2018-19 Mark Antos, Parks Victoria The 2018-19 monitoring period has been Our habitat monitoring revealed that 60% a busy and productive one for our intrepid of over 200 assessment plots had ideal citizen scientists. It resulted in 32 Plains- Plains-wanderer habitat. This has been due It has been a wanderer detections, including the to a combination of dry conditions and the number of years presence of chicks. Most of these birds careful application of conservative grazing were banded and many had genetic regimes. An example of the importance of since so many samples retained. Even more significant is maintaining suitable habitat structure was different sites the fact that birds have been recorded provided in the case of a female Plains- have been from six different paddocks. It has been a wanderer that was banded in April 2018 in number of years since so many different a high-quality paddock. This same bird was occupied within sites have been occupied within Terrick recaptured exactly one year later only Terrick Terrick Terrick National Park (Figure 1). 300 m from the original capture point. Plains-wanderers can show high site National Park. Other species recorded included Curl fidelity if the quality of their habitat is Snakes, Hooded Scalyfoots and Fat-tailed maintained. Dunnarts. Some species, such as Stubble Quail, Little Button-quail and Brown Data generated by the project have been Songlarks were recorded at lower analysed by Dr Nick Schultz of Federation encounter rates than in previous years. University and resulted in a peer-reviewed This may be a reflection of the lower and publication examining the impact of more open grass structure. climate and habitat structure on Plains- Key challenges for the immediate future wanderer occupancy (See M. Antos & N. include careful monitoring and L. Schultz (2019): Climate-mediated management of grassland structure to changes to grassland structure determine ensure it stays in optimum condition habitat suitability for the critically throughout spring, and the development endangered plains-wanderer (Pedionomus of paddock plans based on the latest torquatus), Emu - Austral Ornithology, knowledge to help future management. DOI: 10.1080/01584197.2019.1641415). Right: The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio releasing a Plains-wanderer. Photos: M Norman 5 Monitoring on Terrick Terrick National Park: 2018-19 (cont) This monitoring program demonstrates We have had further requests from the that citizen science can make significant Minister’s office to supply photos and contributions to knowledge of Plains- information about grasslands.