Changes in Taroona Bird Species Occurrences 1986-2019
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The Tasmanian Naturalist 141 (2019) Changes in Taroona bird species occurrences 1986-2019 Mick Brown 1 & Peter Vaughan 2 [email protected] [email protected] Introduction long-established gardens cultivating plants favoured by birds. The native Taroona is a township in the north of vegetation has been described by Brown the Kingborough municipality and is (1988) and includes coastal vegetation part of greater Hobart. and dry sclerophyll which is dominated In 1988, the Taroona Historical Group by Eucalyptus pulchella on Jurassic dolerite published a book about Taroona’s ridges and sunny aspects, and E. history from 1808 to 1986 (Taroona tenuiramis on Permian mudstones. E. Historical Group 1988). The book globulus predominates along the coast included a chapter on Natural History, and immediate hinterland, on back including an account of the fauna by slopes and in gullies of wet sclerophyll, Hans and Jolanda Naarding (1988). having secondary trees and/or shrubby This article contained a list of birds and broadleaf understoreys. The driest their status in Taroona, rating the birds fire-affected ridges and slopes bear as common, uncommon or rare, and Allocasuarina verticillata low forest. There whether they were vagrant or known has been some reduction in the total to be breeding. We were interested to amount of native vegetation within observe whether there had been much Taroona in the past 33 years. This is change in the number of species and predominantly due to new housing their status over the past three decades, sub-divisions, although these have given the changes in status of birds mainly occurred in adjacent areas, for observed in Tasmania more generally example around Bonnet Hill. If the bird over that period. community composition is related to the composition and diversity of vegetation The suburb has maintained many then we would expect bird diversity to pockets of native vegetation across a broadly remain the same, unless other range of habitat types, and also has many factors are operating. 41 The Tasmanian Naturalist 141 (2019) We have an ongoing interest in the observed either from our own records birds to be seen in Taroona, and whilst or from those of other observers in the we have undertaken this study out of past two years. personal interest, we feel it may be of Species that have disappeared or interest to other bird enthusiasts in the suburb as well as more broadly. declined H&J Naarding (1988) reports the Methods Spotted Quail-thrush (Plate 1) as being common and breeding, but there are We have used the list of birds in no more recent records of this species. Taroona from H&J Naarding (1988) as It was quite commonly seen in the the basis for comparison with today’s forest verges above Atunga Street by avifauna in the same area. The updates the Naardings (Hans Naarding pers. and amendments are drawn from our comm.) in the 1980s. There are only own observations, and from personal seven records for the Spotted Quail- communications, together with reports thrush in the greater Hobart area in the in the literature, the most recent eBird ALA database, and they all predate the list (eBird 2019), the Atlas of Living 1988 publication. It is now mainly found Australia (ALA 2019) and reliable in eastern Tasmanian dry forests and records/photographs from social woodlands, for example near Buckland media sites such as the Tasmanian Bird and in the Douglas-Apsley and Freycinet Sightings and Photography Facebook National Parks. The authors list the Group and the Tasmanian Field Common Diving Petrel (Plate 2) as Naturalists Facebook Group. being sometimes observed ‘skimming close to the waves, fairly far out in the Results and Discussion river’ when the water is very rough. Species composition The only record of this species in the Derwent River in the databases is from A composite list of the birds observed 1988. There are no more recent records in Taroona from all canvassed sources is of this species from Taroona. presented in Table 1. The species order follows that used by DPIPWE (2019a), No other species appear to have with introduced species being listed disappeared from Taroona, but the at the bottom of the table. The table status of some other species has contains 107 species, 97 of which are changed markedly. The Swift Parrot native Tasmanian birds and 10 of which is dealt with below. The Horsfields are introduced. H&J Naarding (1988) list Bronze-cuckoo was recorded as 72 bird species as occurring in Taroona, common and breeding, but now appears whilst the more recent e-Bird list which to be rare. This is surprising, given the includes birds from 2000 to 2018 has abundance within Taroona of the host 76 species, or 77 if Mallard is included species it parasitises, mainly Superb (Table 1). There are 105 bird species Fairy-wrens and Thornbills. It may be that its reported earlier abundance is due 42 The Tasmanian Naturalist 141 (2019) Plate 1. Spotted Quail-thrush near St Helens. Photograph Peter Vaughan. Plate 2. Common Diving-Petrel from Eagle Hawk Neck pelagic trip. Photograph Peter Vaughan. 43 The Tasmanian Naturalist 141 (2019) to misidentification, as the 1988 report peri-urban areas, including Taroona. does not record the Shining Bronze- Populations of Long-Billed Corellas cuckoo, a species which has been are also thought to have been founded recorded many times since. The Flame originally from aviary escapes, and there Robin is recorded in the 1988 report are active flocks in Lower Sandy Bay as being a ‘common vagrant’, but while and in Kingston. They are frequently there are plentiful records in adjacent observed flying over Taroona. The areas of Hobart and Kingborough, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is a native there are few more recent records of Tasmanian species. It was not recorded this species in Taroona. in the 1988 account, but is now very commonly seen and heard. Species that were not reported in 1988 The Spotted Dove, a native of eastern There are a number of species not Asia, was not recorded previously, but is reported in the 1988 report, but which now ubiquitous. are now commonly observed in Taroona, including three native Australian species Some previously unrecorded waterfowl thought to be introduced. Rainbow species have been observed in habitats Lorikeets are a potentially invasive pest such as dams occurring on private DPIPWE (2019c). There is a large land, which would not have been established colony in Kingston which accessible to the authors of the 1988 has arisen from aviary escapes, and these report. These include the Black Swan, birds are spreading north to Taroona. Mallard, Australasian Grebe, Hoary- Galahs have self-introduced along the headed Grebe, Pacific Black Duck, north coast of Tasmania, but southern and Australian Wood Duck. The latter populations may be aviary escapes. species has also been observed as an They are now common and widespread occasional vagrant on Hinsby and throughout Tasmania in urban and Taroona beaches. Plate 3. Painted Buttonquail at Taroona. Photograph Peter Vaughan 44 The Tasmanian Naturalist 141 (2019) There are some species that are resident Taroona in recent times, including Snug and breeding in Taroona, but which River to the south (Els Wakefield pers. occur in low numbers or are highly comm.) and from Wielangta to the north cryptic, and therefore easily missed. (D. Gunson pers. comm.), therefore this These include the Brown Quail, Painted exciting record is hopefully a harbinger Button-quail (Plate 3), Tasmanian of future sightings. Native Hen, Australian Owlet-nightjar, The absence of the Grey Currawong Bassian Thrush, Lewins Rail (Plate 4) from the early list is somewhat surprising, and Pink Robin. since it is now common, and its calls are Other more recent observations of heard throughout the suburb. The Noisy species absent from the earlier list are Miner is found in large numbers in Sandy of occasional vagrants, migrants, or Bay and Kingston, but is still relatively non-breeding residents of Taroona. rare in Taroona. The introduced Rock These include Australian Pelican, White- Dove has been recorded since 1988, necked Heron, Wedge-tailed Eagle, but records are few and the species is Great Cormorant, Pied Oystercatcher, not common. Sooty Oystercatcher, Blue-winged Species that have increased in Parrot, Pacific Swift, and White-throated Needletail. There is a single record of abundance a Little Grassbird in Taroona from The Laughing Kookaburra was listed 2015, but this has not been confirmed as an uncommon vagrant in 1988 but since. There is also a single sighting of is now common and probably breeding an Azure Kingfisher in the Creek near in Taroona or its environs. The Little Hinsby Beach (Vica Bayley pers. comm.). Wattlebird, previously considered Vagrants of this species have been uncommon and breeding, is now reported from several locations near to one of the most ubiquitous birds in suburban areas. Plate 4. Lewin’s Rail at Taroona. Photograph Peter Vaughan 45 The Tasmanian Naturalist 141 (2019) Significant avifauna Taroona, although there are reports of colonies having been there in the past. Endemic species The following information on Forty- 11 of the 12 Tasmanian endemic species spotted Pardalote residency is taken occur in Taroona along with one of the from SPRAT (2019): two breeding endemics, the Swift Parrot. ‘Two small colonies of Forty-spotted Pardalote The Scrubtit is the only endemic species on the lower slopes and gullies of Mount not recorded in Taroona thus far. Nelson at Taroona, have been difficult to Threatened species and their locate and monitor on a regular basis. When status in Taroona the location was comprehensively surveyed in 1995 it was found to have declined to Seven species listed under threatened one colony containing just six birds or three species legislation occur in Taroona.