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YELLOW THROAT the Newsletter of Birdlife Tasmania: a Branch of Birdlife Australia Number 115, Spring 2021

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YELLOW THROAT the Newsletter of Birdlife Tasmania: a Branch of Birdlife Australia Number 115, Spring 2021 YELLOW THROAT The newsletter of BirdLife Tasmania: a branch of BirdLife Australia Number 115, Spring 2021 1 Drawing by Inala Swart Mission: long-term, state-wide monitoring of Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles (Aquila audax fleayi) – and more… Clare Hawkins Tasmania's Wedge-tailed Eagle is listed as endangered, because of its estimated population size (from 1990s nest surveys) and numerous human activities found to cause death or disturb breeding. But we don't know if the huge efforts to minimise some of these problems are effective, and some problems are increasing (e.g. second- generation rodenticide use). More generally, many Tasmanians have no idea of their potential impact on eagles (details here: https://www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov.au/Pages/Wedge-tailed-Eagle.aspx) The Bookend Trust launched the NatureTrackers program in 2018 – 'Coordinating schools and the community to track the progress of our threatened species and better understand their needs'. We started with raptors and the Where? Where? Wedgie! (WWW) project. The methods are straightforward, but sufficiently rigorous to monitor eagles and other raptors accurately. People survey 4 km x 4 km squares across Tasmania on up to three of six set dates each May, now coordinated through an upgraded online map (thank you Possible crowd-funders!) and supporting information. One 'survey day'– compris- ing six 10-minute surveys in different spots– can be achieved in a morning, or spread across an enjoyable day out. To detect a population decline, we look for change in the proportion of surveys that recorded birds; thus every sur- vey is important, whether or not you see a bird. Results are recorded on an app or datasheets, with photos if possible. With this year's new app, we encountered a few uncomfortable glitches, and data-error-chasing has been extra time-consuming; but we're ironing out the wrin- kles and we think the change is worthwhile. It builds on the new online map, with some very useful extra features. So – are population numbers changing? Since they can jump about, formal threatened status reviews consider pop- ulation trends across at least 10 years. If everyone keeps participating, the WWW data will be more than adequate for this. However, early warning of any serious decline is clearly preferable, and we'd all like regular feedback. An- nually, 80–90 squares are each surveyed for at least two days (85 squares in 2021). Our power analyses show that, with annual two-day surveys of 100 squares, we could confidently detect a dramatic (over 30%) wedgie population change from one year to the next. But generally, the more squares and days we survey, the more swiftly we pick up changes – for all species surveyed. Details are in our 2018–2020 report naturetrackers.com.au/news18.php 2 How can you help? To increase coverage and participation rates, please take part (2022 dates are 13–15 and 27– 29 May), and spread the word – including teaching the methods and species identification. An encouraging, Aus- tralia-wide, survey by our social scientist Dr Angela Dean found only 6.6% of 3946 respondents had helped monitor nature in a community survey, but 30% were willing to find out more! The more promotion, the more useful WWW data, the better awareness and coordination for conservation efforts. Additionally, more even spread of surveys across habitats provides more accurate information. If a survey square is on your land, do consider inviting surveyors; or perhaps you can help transport people to remote places. For keenies, 'bonus' surveys can be especially fun, and help to motivate new people. Surveys near James Pay's GPS -tagged eagles can help us find out how frequently WWW surveys miss nearby eagles, and thus how recorded numbers translate to real numbers. Love wildlife monitoring in general? Check out the website naturetrackers.com.au for Claws on the Line (burrowing crayfish) and– coming soon – bioacoustics on bats and bitterns... WWW21 results so far: see app.naturetrackers.com.au/map_results Interested Tasmanian tweet 2021 Facebook post by Michael Dempsey 3 Conservation Priorities for the Forty-spotted Pardalote Sally Bryant Thirty years of conservation effort on the Forty-spotted PardalotePardalotus quadragintus has translated into major successes that other recovery programs only dream about. Foremost has been the protection of habitat in public and private statutory reserves of over 80 percent of known colonies. Even as recently as December 2020 a private property on Tinderbox Hills was purchased through fundraising by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, securing one of the last viable colonies on mainland Tasmania. Today, more people are aware of the plight of the forty-spot due to the tremendous increase in education and advocacy, particularly by the Bruny Island community who continue to showcase the species in bird festivals and land-management efforts. New research and uptake in recovery tools, such as feather fumigation and nest boxes, are providing greater insight into the species’ ecology and how to deal with emerging threats like the fly larvae parasitising nestlings. With so many positives, it’s hard to believe why the Forty-spotted Pardalote remains in an ever-perilous position and that recovery efforts are far from over. Climate change is affecting the health of white gum and cumulative threats continue to cause colony extinction and population decline. The Forty-spotted Pardalote National Recovery Plan is ten years out-of-date; no dedicated state or commonwealth funding is in place to aid recovery efforts and the recovery program is totally reliant on volun- teers to undertake the management and monitoring necessary to track species status. We urgently need to replen- ish outlying colonies especially on Flinders Island where barely a handful of birds, if any, still remain. A devastating wildfire on Maria Island or Bruny Island, not if but when, could decimate half the species’ total population, leaving few ecologically viable sites available to aid recovery. Despite these challenges, it’s heartening to know so many people are willing to provide support as we forge a plan of action. As the recovery team now sets about harnessing the collective effort needed for citizen science monitoring, we hope to better protect what is undeniably one of Australia’s most unique and tenacious little woodland birds. Forty-spotted Pardalote: Photo by Alan Fletcher 4 Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Sue Jones At the July meeting of Birdlife Tasmania, Dr Shannon Troy presented one of the three fantastic talks on conserv- ing Tasmania’s birds. Shannon is a Wildlife Biologist with the DPIPWE Orange-bellied Parrot (OBP) Tasmanian Pro- gram. Her talk began with a historical overview of the milestones in OBP conservation, beginning with the 1770s – when they were ‘abundant’. Contrast that with the dire situation in 2016, when only 17 birds returned to Mela- leuca for the breeding season from their mainland over-wintering sites. However, there is still hope. Captive OBPs are thriving in the breeding facility at Five Mile Beach, which is the DPIPWE part of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) managed insurance population, and captive releases at Melaleuca are working well. The wild population of OBPs is the furthest it’s been from extinction since 2008 (51 birds in 2021). The main objectives of the OBP Recovery Plan are to attain a stable or increasing wild population and to have enough habitat to support that wild population. Shannon explained that the challenges still facing the recovery team include the small overall population, the need for planned burns to regenerate feeding sites at Melaleuca, decreasing the species’ dependence on human management, and increasing migration survival. She ended by acknowledging everyone involved in this complex program, including the many volunteers whose contributions are invaluable. Read more at: https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/conservation/threatened-species-and-communities/lists-of-threatened-species/ threatened-species-vertebrates/orange-bellied-parrot Research papers on OBP conservation can be found at: https://www.difficultbirds.com/research-output Orange-bellied Parrot: Photo by Helen Cunningham 5 General Meeting 8th July 2021 ‘Endangered Birds’ From L to R: Dr Clare Hawkins, Dr Eric Woehler, Dr Sally Bryant and Dr Shannon Troy Photos by Sue Wragge and Perviz Marker 6 Restoration of seabird islands through pest eradication SUE ROBINSON Tasman Island, off the SE corner of Tasmania, is home to Australia’s largest Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur) colony. Feral cats were eradicated from the island in 2010 by the Parks and Wildlife Service. Prior to the eradication, the cat population was around fifty and stomach samples showed cats each ate at least two to four Fairy Prions per night. On occasions, it was observed that individual cats could kill many more than this per night, often eating only the heads or the fishy stomach contents of the prions. Using the estimated 300 days of the year that Fairy Prions are present at Tasman Island, the number of prions killed by cats was estimated at between 30,000 and 60,000 per year. Cats also predated heavily on Short-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris) and Sooty Shearwaters (A. griseus). A series of survey transects was established on the island in 2009 to monitor Short-tailed Shearwaters. Since the eradication of cats, shearwater breeding success has increased from 13% to over 63% and numbers of burrows have doubled. Fairy Prion numbers are difficult to estimate because the birds breed in dolerite boulder fields, but observations indicate that their numbers have increased and more chicks are fledging. The Lewin’s Rail (Lewinia pectoralis) population at Tasman Island has also increased significantly since the cats were removed. Big Green Island—now free of rats Pest eradication programs have also recently been undertaken on Big Green Island in Bass Strait (2016–18), and George Rocks, north of Eddystone Point (2020) with support from Parks and Wildlife, Wildcare Tasmania volun- teers, Biosecurity Tasmania and the Pennicott Foundation.
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