DOCSLIB.ORG

New Records of the Eastern Grass Owl, Tyto Longimembris, in South Australia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
New Records of the Eastern Grass Owl, Tyto Longimembris, in South Australia 74 South Australian Ornithologist 39 (2) New records of the Eastern Grass Owl, Tyto longimembris, in South Australia REECE D PEDLER & BEN J PARKHURST Abstract border (Parker 1977); Mirra Mitta Bore on the mid Birdsville Track (Parker 1977, Schodde 1978); The Eastern Grass Owl, Tyto longimembris, has a resident population at Coward Springs Bore been recorded infrequently from arid zone springs, Drain in the Lake Eyre South region between boredrains and wetlands in South Australia since December 1992 and March 1993 (Read 1995); first reported in the far north-east of South Australia Morris Creek Bore, Callanna Station in 1993 in 1975. During the 2010-2012 La Niña event, (Read 1995) and Trinity Well, Mt Freeling Station rainfall in inland South Australia was at its highest in 2001 (Rogers 2003). in decades, resulting in irruptions of small native mammal populations, particularly the Long-haired The presence of Eastern Grass Owls in the Rat, Rattus villosissimus. We present seven new Lake Eyre Basin has previously been linked to records of Grass Owls from five locations, including irruptions of the Long-haired (or Plague) Rat, the first records from the western Lake Eyre Basin. Rattus villosissimus (Cox 1976; Parker 1977); a Habitat and food resources are discussed in context species well known in the Channel Country for with the sightings and we suggest methods for future its population irruptions during exceptional surveys targeted at Grass Owls, along with reference seasons (Predavec and Dickman 1994). However to the management of the artificial bore drain habitats in the southern Lake Eyre Basin, Eastern Grass often used by the species. Owls have also been linked to high numbers of other small mammals such as House Mouse, Mus musculus, and Forrest’s Mouse, Leggadina forresti, INTRODUCTION following infrequent high rainfall conditions The Eastern Grass Owl, Tyto longimembris, is (Read 1995). known from high rainfall environments in Queensland and New South Wales as well as arid This note summarises some our own and others’ inland sites in the Lake Eyre Basin and Murray- recent opportunistic observations of Eastern Darling Basin (Parker 1977; Debus, Maciejewskie Grass Owls in the far north of South Australia and McAllan 1998). during such a period of exceptional rainfall and flooding, with irruptions of Long-haired Rats After the first report of the species in South and similar population expansion in other small Australia from floodplain habitats near mammal species. Koonchera Waterhole in Goyder Lagoon (Cox 1976; Foale 1982), the Eastern Grass Owl has METHODS been recorded at further floodplain sites, artesian boredrains and mound springs in the north- Following the opportunistic discovery of Eastern east and southern Lake Eyre Basin. Subsequent Grass Owl feathers at Pandiburra Boredrain in records include sightings and specimens from October 2009 and further reports of owls flushed upstream in the Diamantina and Eyre Creek from bore-fed wetland vegetation on at Big Blyth systems near the Queensland/South Australia Boredrain, other sites of appropriate habitat in February 2014 75 Table 1. Summary of targeted search effort for Eastern Grass RESULTS Owls during 2009-2013. Eastern Grass Owls were found at No. of seven sites during the survey as Location Dates Observers detailed in Table 2 and shown on 25 Oct 2009 5 Figure 1. Pandiburra Boredrain, Clifton 17 June 2011 2 Hills Station 13 April 2013 2 DISCUSSION 9 Jan 2011 3 10 April 2011 4 Significance of records 15 May 2011 2 The observations presented here Coward Springs Boredrain, 5 Nov 2011 4 include the first records of Eastern Oodnadatta Track 27 Nov 2011 3 Grass Owls from the western Lake 22 Sept 2012 2 Eyre Basin and the first records 24 Mar 2013 2 for many years from a number of Coward Springs (proper), Stuart previous sites in the north-east 5 Nov 2011 4 Creek Station and southern Lake Eyre Basin. Big Blyth Boredrain, The Peake 8 Oct 2011 4 Station 26 Oct 2011 5 During the period of our Outside Springs and Johnson’s observations, Eastern Grass Owls 26 Nov 2011 3 No.3 Bore, The Peake Station. were also reported elsewhere Wabma Kadarbu Mound in northern South Australia Springs (6 vents), Wabma 5 Nov 2011 4 and neighbouring western Kadarbu Conservation Park Queensland. A female Eastern Buttercup Springs, Stuart Creek Grass Owl was flushed from 5 Nov 2011 4 Station samphire and sedge at Coward Emerald Springs, Stuart Creek Springs on 2 November 2011 by 5 Nov 2011 4 Station Colin Rogers and Peter Koch, Jacob Springs, Stuart Creek who subsequently saw an Eastern 5 Nov 2011 4 Station Grass Owl, suspected to be the Johnson’s No. 3 Boredrain, The same bird, near The Bubbler 26 Nov 2011 3 Peake Station Mound Spring (~7 km to the Outside Springs, The Peake east) while spotlighting (South 26 Nov 2011 3 Station Australian Rarities Committee 21 Aug 2012 4 #51). Three Eastern Grass Owls Mirra Mitta Boredrain, Cowarie 2 Sept 2012 3 (and numerous Eastern Barn Station 6 Sept 2013 3 Owls) were observed in a spotlight The Bubbler Mound Spring, using call playback on Cooper 22 Sept 2012 2 Wabma Kadarbu Conservation Creek near Moomba in June 2012 24 Mar 2013 3 Park by Ian and Pat May (Eremaea Birdline South Australia; accessed northern South Australia were searched between 6 July 2013, South Australian Rarities Committee 2009-2013 by the authors and other observers #53) and a bird was flushed from vegetation in (Table 1). Twenty-four individual searches were the Cooper Creek floodplain east of Ballera Gas undertaken (Table 1) and our techniques for Centre on 6 November 2012 (Jaensch et al. 2013). detection evolved with increasing experience, becoming progressively targeted and intensive (see Discussion). Table 2. Details of confirmed Eastern Grass Owl records 2009-2013. 76 Location Date Observers Observation details Primary feathers found in Cyperus sp dominated clearings between dense Typha R Pedler, domingensis reed beds (feathers verified through comparison with specimens in SA L Pedler, Pandiburra Boredrain, Museum and then lodged, specimen B58512, Figure 2). Localised Long-haired Rat 1 25 Oct 2009 P Langdon, Clifton Hills Station irruption following full flooding of Goyder Lagoon. No owls were flushed from the G Carpenter, boredrain despite two hours of searching by two observers and additional observations A Black after dark with a spotlight. Big Blyth Boredrain, D Schmarr, 2 Nov 2010 Two owls flushed in the tail of boredrain during fish survey. AustralianSouth Ornithologist 39 (2) The Peake Station D Cheshire R Pedler, J Rees, Five Eastern Grass Owls flushed from low areas of Cyperus sp. dominated areas on Big Blyth Boredrain, 3 T Gotch, edge of boredrain at dusk following shots fired in air from 12 ga. shotgun (prior to the The Peake Station 8 Oct 2011 J Gotch capping/closure of bore). Long-haired Rats and their signs very abundant. R Pedler, Eastern Grass Owl and multiple Eastern Barn Owls, Tyto javanica, attracted into Big Blyth Boredrain, B Parkhurst, floodlights over camp at ~9 pm while Long-haired Rat distress calls broadcast through 4 26 Oct 2011 The Peake Station H Spronk, car stereo. Likely that more than one individual Eastern Grass Owl observed, but only D & H Balnaves one seen at a time (two weeks post capping/closure of bore). Fence line ~20 km Eastern Grass Owl found caught on fence (alive) between Smithfield andAlgebuckina East of Algebuckina 5 Oct 2011 N & J Keogh Paddocks. Removed and cared for, but later died (primary feathers lodged with SA Waterhole, The Peake Museum, specimen B58513). Station Two Eastern Grass Owls flushed from roost in sparse patch ofT. domingensis reeds (~3 m Mirra Mitta Boredrain, R Pedler, in diameter) amongst shorter, thicker Cyperus beds in tail of boredrain (Figure 3). Some 6 Cowarie Station, 2 Sept 2012 B Parkhurst, signs of Long-haired Rat observed, but numbers thought to be much lower than their Birdsville Track D Kovac peak during 2011. Body feathers found in the roost lodged with SA Museum, specimen B58669. The Bubbler Mound One owl flushed from thick patch of Cyperus laevigatus amongst shorter surrounding Spring, Wabma R Pedler, 7 22 Sept 2012 sedges. A single pellet found at roost site contained the skull of a Plains Mouse, Kadarbu Conservation B Parkhurst Pseudomys australis. Park, Oodnadatta Track February 2014 77 Figure 1. South Australian Eastern Grass Owl records, showing confirmed records from this study (numbers refer to Table 2), additional sites searched and previous confirmed records. Other probable sightings of Eastern Grass Owls vegetated spring vents at West Finniss, Gosse and were reported to the authors during this study Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs in the summer and included an observation by Craig and of 2002/2003 while in the process of studying Sharon Oldfield of Cowarie Station, who flushed mound spring invertebrates at these sites. two owls from the ground in a dense stand of Mitchell Grass Astrebla sp. while mustering cattle Other sightings lacking sufficient detail to be in August 2012. At the time of their sighting regarded as confirmed records are listed on Long-haired Rats remained abundant in the area line from South Creek on the Strzelecki Track following a sustained population irruption which in August 2011 and the Cowarie Station area in reached that area in late 2010. The observers were August 2010 (Atlas of Living Australia; accessed quite familiar with Eastern Barn Owls, which 6 July 2013). were also particularly numerous and observed regularly at the time. Conditions and food resources Seasonal conditions in the South Australian arid After observing Eastern Grass Owls at Big Blyth zone were exceptional between 2010-2012, with Boredrain in 2011 (Table 2), Travis Gotch recalled rainfall very much above average or highest on flushing similar large pale-coloured owls from record at many recording stations (150-300% 78 South Australian Ornithologist 39 (2) of annual mean for entire region) and similar and less dense sedges which were often found to the high rainfall years of the mid 1970s fringing the taller reeds.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Australian Diurnal Raptors and Airports
    Australian diurnal raptors and airports Photo: John Barkla, BirdLife Australia William Steele Australasian Raptor Association BirdLife Australia Australian Aviation Wildlife Hazard Group Forum Brisbane, 25 July 2013 So what is a raptor? Small to very large birds of prey. Diurnal, predatory or scavenging birds. Sharp, hooked bills and large powerful feet with talons. Order Falconiformes: 27 species on Australian list. Family Falconidae – falcons/ kestrels Family Accipitridae – eagles, hawks, kites, osprey Falcons and kestrels Brown Falcon Black Falcon Grey Falcon Nankeen Kestrel Australian Hobby Peregrine Falcon Falcons and Kestrels – conservation status Common Name EPBC Qld WA SA FFG Vic NSW Tas NT Nankeen Kestrel Brown Falcon Australian Hobby Grey Falcon NT RA Listed CR VUL VUL Black Falcon EN Peregrine Falcon RA Hawks and eagles ‐ Osprey Osprey Hawks and eagles – Endemic hawks Red Goshawk female Hawks and eagles – Sparrowhawks/ goshawks Brown Goshawk Photo: Rik Brown Hawks and eagles – Elanus kites Black‐shouldered Kite Letter‐winged Kite ~ 300 g Hover hunters Rodent specialists LWK can be crepuscular Hawks and eagles ‐ eagles Photo: Herald Sun. Hawks and eagles ‐ eagles Large ‐ • Wedge‐tailed Eagle (~ 4 kg) • Little Eagle (< 1 kg) • White‐bellied Sea‐Eagle (< 4 kg) • Gurney’s Eagle Scavengers of carrion, in addition to hunters Fortunately, mostly solitary although some multiple strikes on aircraft Hawks and eagles –large kites Black Kite Whistling Kite Brahminy Kite Frequently scavenge Large at ~ 600 to 800 g BK and WK flock and so high risk to aircraft Photo: Jill Holdsworth Identification Beruldsen, G (1995) Raptor Identification. Privately published by author, Kenmore Hills, Queensland, pp. 18‐19, 26‐27, 36‐37.
    [Show full text]
  • Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks
    Department for Environment and Heritage Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Part of the Far North & Far West Region (Region 13) Historical Research Pty Ltd Adelaide in association with Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd Lyn Leader-Elliott Iris Iwanicki December 2002 Frontispiece Woolshed, Cordillo Downs Station (SHP:009) The Birdsville & Strzelecki Tracks Heritage Survey was financed by the South Australian Government (through the State Heritage Fund) and the Commonwealth of Australia (through the Australian Heritage Commission). It was carried out by heritage consultants Historical Research Pty Ltd, in association with Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd, Lyn Leader-Elliott and Iris Iwanicki between April 2001 and December 2002. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the South Australian Government or the Commonwealth of Australia and they do not accept responsibility for any advice or information in relation to this material. All recommendations are the opinions of the heritage consultants Historical Research Pty Ltd (or their subconsultants) and may not necessarily be acted upon by the State Heritage Authority or the Australian Heritage Commission. Information presented in this document may be copied for non-commercial purposes including for personal or educational uses. Reproduction for purposes other than those given above requires written permission from the South Australian Government or the Commonwealth of Australia. Requests and enquiries should be addressed to either the Manager, Heritage Branch, Department for Environment and Heritage, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide, SA, 5001, or email [email protected], or the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access, GPO Box 1920, Canberra, ACT, 2601, or email [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Discovering Great Sandy Region Chapter 5 Animals of the Dunes the Animals of Fraser Island and Cooloola Are Not Readily Apparent to the Casual Observer
    DGSR Fauna 1 Discovering Great Sandy Region Chapter 5 Animals of the Dunes The animals of Fraser Island and Cooloola are not readily apparent to the casual observer. The most obvious are birds and dingoes. Despite the obscurity of the fauna it presents an impressive range to those with the patience to explore and discover. This is because much of the fauna is lies buried in the sand or hidden by the great bulk of biomass or else it is either well camouflaged, very timid, or very small. However, it is not necessary to see animals in the wild to be attracted by them. Tens of thousands of anglers are used to searching out invisible targets as they seek the pelagic tailor during the winter months, and bream, whiting trevally and flathead at any time of the year. However, there are many other interesting animals in the sea around Fraser Island and Cooloola than those which delight the anglers. These mammals and reptiles are not the targets of anglers but the subject of much interest of those who are seeking to understand the environment and the many niches in and around Fraser Island and Cooloola. Although Fraser Island and Cooloola lack large populations of bigger terrestrial animals, they boast many rare and unusual species. One study in Cooloola alone identified over 300 species of ants, many new to science. In the aquatic environment the acidity of some of the peaty swamps has been so hostile that a specialized group of frogs known as "acid frogs" has evolved to fill this unique niche.
    [Show full text]
  • Southwest Pacific Islands: Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia Trip Report 11Th to 31St July 2015
    Southwest Pacific Islands: Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia Trip Report 11th to 31st July 2015 Orange Fruit Dove by K. David Bishop Trip Report - RBT Southwest Pacific Islands 2015 2 Tour Leaders: K. David Bishop and David Hoddinott Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: K. David Bishop Tour Summary Rockjumper’s inaugural tour of the islands of the Southwest Pacific kicked off in style with dinner at the Stamford Airport Hotel in Sydney, Australia. The following morning we were soon winging our way north and eastwards to the ancient Gondwanaland of New Caledonia. Upon arrival we then drove south along a road more reminiscent of Europe, passing through lush farmlands seemingly devoid of indigenous birds. Happily this was soon rectified; after settling into our Noumea hotel and a delicious luncheon, we set off to explore a small nature reserve established around an important patch of scrub and mangroves. Here we quickly cottoned on to our first endemic, the rather underwhelming Grey-eared Honeyeater, together with Nankeen Night Herons, a migrant Sacred Kingfisher, White-bellied Woodswallow, Fantailed Gerygone and the resident form of Rufous Whistler. As we were to discover throughout this tour, in areas of less than pristine habitat we encountered several Grey-eared Honeyeater by David Hoddinott introduced species including Common Waxbill. And so began a series of early starts which were to typify this tour, though today everyone was up with added alacrity as we were heading to the globally important Rivierre Bleu Reserve and the haunt of the incomparable Kagu. We drove 1.3 hours to the reserve, passing through a stark landscape before arriving at the appointed time to meet my friend Jean-Marc, the reserve’s ornithologist and senior ranger.
    [Show full text]
  • Cowarie Station Hasn't Seen a Flood Since 2011, and a New Generation
    STATIONS The Oldfields are focused on cleaning up their core herd of Shorthorn/Santa Gertrudis composites. RIDING THE INLAND TIDE Cowarie Station hasn’t seen a flood since 2011, and a new generation is standing by ready to make a splash. STORY GRETEL SNEATH PHOTOS ROBERT LANG STATIONS he chopper cuts through cobalt sky, bringing news like a carrier pigeon. Craig Oldfield leaps from the cockpit onto the sunburnt soil of Cowarie Station with the T message his family has been waiting to hear for seven long years: “The floodwaters are coming!” Higher up the Birdsville Track, the behemoth to see; when that flood’s coming and you know the Clifton Hills Station has been inundated with water potential of it, it just makes you smile.” that began as a record-breaking deluge of rain over Craig’s mother, Sharon Oldfield, flies up in a fixed- Winton in Queensland eight weeks prior. Slowly it’s wing Piper Lance aircraft the following day to see the snaking down the Diamantina River into Goyder spectacle, and shares her eldest son’s joy. She used to Lagoon, the Warburton Creek and, eventually, Lake tell her children that mirages were magic puddles, but Eyre. It’s a sight to behold as it generously spills this is the real deal. The magic lies with nature. “It’s far beyond the channels, across the gibber plains of like veins bringing the country to life,” she says. “In two Sturt Stony Desert and the sandy Simpson Desert, weeks’ time, this will all be green.” sending a saturating lifeline to the long-suffering Seen from 1000 feet above, the headwaters are easy outback landscape.
    [Show full text]
  • 100 the SOUTH-WEST CORNER of QUEENSLAND. (By S
    100 THE SOUTH-WEST CORNER OF QUEENSLAND. (By S. E. PEARSON). (Read at a meeting of the Historical Society of Queensland, August 27, 1937). On a clear day, looking westward across the channels of the Mulligan River from the gravelly tableland behind Annandale Homestead, in south­ western Queensland, one may discern a long low line of drift-top sandhills. Round more than half the skyline the rim of earth may be likened to the ocean. There is no break in any part of the horizon; not a landmark, not a tree. Should anyone chance to stand on those gravelly rises when the sun was peeping above the eastem skyline they would witness a scene that would carry the mind at once to the far-flung horizons of the Sahara. In the sunrise that western region is overhung by rose-tinted haze, and in the valleys lie the purple shadows that are peculiar to the waste places of the earth. Those naked, drift- top sanddunes beyond the Mulligan mark the limit of human occupation. Washed crimson by the rising sun they are set Kke gleaming fangs in the desert's jaws. The Explorers. The first white men to penetrate that line of sand- dunes, in south-western Queensland, were Captain Charles Sturt and his party, in September, 1845. They had crossed the stony country that lies between the Cooper and the Diamantina—afterwards known as Sturt's Stony Desert; and afterwards, by the way, occupied in 1880, as fair cattle-grazing country, by the Broad brothers of Sydney (Andrew and James) under the run name of Goyder's Lagoon—and the ex­ plorers actually crossed the latter watercourse with­ out knowing it to be a river, for in that vicinity Sturt describes it as "a great earthy plain." For forty miles one meets with black, sundried soil and dismal wilted polygonum bushes in a dry season, and forty miles of hock-deep mud, water, and flowering swamp-plants in a wet one.
    [Show full text]
  • Rare Books Lib
    RBTH 2239 RARE BOOKS LIB. S The University of Sydney Copyright and use of this thesis This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copynght Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act gran~s the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author's moral rights if you: • fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work • attribute this thesis to another author • subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author's reputation For further information contact the University's Director of Copyright Services Telephone: 02 9351 2991 e-mail: [email protected] Camels, Ships and Trains: Translation Across the 'Indian Archipelago,' 1860- 1930 Samia Khatun A thesis submitted in fuUUment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History, University of Sydney March 2012 I Abstract In this thesis I pose the questions: What if historians of the Australian region began to read materials that are not in English? What places become visible beyond the territorial definitions of British settler colony and 'White Australia'? What past geographies could we reconstruct through historical prose? From the 1860s there emerged a circuit of camels, ships and trains connecting Australian deserts to the Indian Ocean world and British Indian ports.
    [Show full text]
  • Well Maintained Bores Last Longer
    November 2015 Issue 75 ACROSS THE OUTBACK Montecollina Bore Well maintained bores last longer The SAAL NRM Board would like to remind water users in the 01 BOARD NEWS SA Arid Lands region who have a bore under their care and 01 Well maintained bores last longer control to undertake simple, routine maintenance to reduce 02 LEB partnership wins world’s highest river management honour risks to water supplies, prevent costly and inconvenient 04 LAND MANAGEMENT breakdowns, and to meet their legal obligations. 04 Innovative ‘Spatial Hub’ lands in The region’s largest water resource is the The review of 289 artesian bores in the Far South Australia Great Artesian Basin (GAB) which provides North Prescribed Wells Area was undertaken 05 Grader workshops help fight soil a vital supply of groundwater for the to establish a comprehensive picture of the erosion continued operation of our key industries condition of the artesian bores in South 06 Women’s Retreat hailed a success (tourism, pastoral, mining, gas and Australia. petroleum) and to meet the needs of our It highlighted that maintenance needs to 07 THREATENED SPECIES communities and wildlife. improve. 07 Are Ampurtas making a comeback? To safeguard the sustainability of the In recent decades, governments, industry 08 SA ARID LANDS – IT’S YOUR GAB and other groundwater aquifers the and individuals have invested significantly PLACE Far North Prescribed Wells Area Water in bore rehabilitation and installing piped Allocation Plan was adopted in 2009 after a reticulation systems to deliver GAB water 12 VOLUNTEERS planning process led by the Board under the efficiently.
    [Show full text]
  • Tyto Longimembris) in Southern Taiwan
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251774474 Initial Investigation on the Diet of Eastern Grass Owl (Tyto longimembris) in Southern Taiwan ARTICLE in TAIWANIA · JANUARY 2007 CITATIONS READS 2 79 3 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Hui-Yun Tseng 8 PUBLICATIONS 6 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Available from: Hui-Yun Tseng Retrieved on: 14 January 2016 Taiwania, 52(1): 100-105, 2007 Initial Investigation on the Diet of Eastern Grass Owl (Tyto longimembris) in Southern Taiwan Wen-Loung Lin(1), Yin Wang(1) and Hui-Yun Tseng(2,3) (Manuscript received 4 October, 2006; accepted 26 December, 2006) ABSTRACT: This investigation, undertaken in the two regions of Nanshi and Yujing in Tainan County over the period of 2001 to 2003, included three nests belonging to the Eastern Grass Owl (Tyto longimembris). From these, we collected a total of 157 owl pellets. Analysis and examination of the pellets revealed 329 prey items. More in-depth investigation determined that 95.1% of the Eastern Grass Owl pellets collected consisted of mammal remains, while the remaining 4.9% were made up of bird remains. Of the various types of mammals consumed, rats made up the highest proportion, with a total of 285 rats, accounting for 86.6%. This was followed by 27 shrews and moles, accounting for 8.2%. Hares and birds were seldom caught and consumed. The findings suggested that rats are the main food source of the Eastern Grass Owl, with the Spinus Country-rat (Rattus losea) comprising the majority with 136 counted (41.3%), followed by the Formosan Mouse (Mus caroli) with 96 counted (29.2%).
    [Show full text]
  • The Ecology of Four Owl Species with Particular
    CHAPTER 1: THE ECOLOGY OF FOUR OWL SPECIES WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE GRASS OWL (TYTO CAPENSIS SMITH, 1834) BIOLOGY, HABITAT AND PREY SPECIFICATIONS IN THE EAST RAND HIGHVELD, GAUTENG “Habitats change with time, so that organisms must continually change also in order to adapt” (Maclean, 1990). 1 CHAPTER 1.1: GENERAL BACKGROUND 1.1. GENERAL BACKGROUND A diversity of owls occurs in southern Africa, however this is only 12 of the world’s 135 species. Of these twelve owl species that occur within the sub- continent (Steyn, 1994), four are known to occur in the study area namely the rare African Grass Owl (Tyto capensis), Marsh Owl (Asio capensis), Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and the Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) of which the Grass Owl is listed as vulnerable in the Red Data Book. The Barn and Grass owls belong to a genus known as Tyto, the Cape and Spotted Eagle Owls to Bubo, and the Marsh Owls to Asio, which only has one representative in southern Africa (Steyn, 1992). Owls are nocturnal birds of prey that are taxonomically unrelated to the diurnal raptors despite similarities in their predatory habits and weaponry (Steyn, 1984). Owls are separated into two fairly distinct families. The first family is Tytonidae, with typical representatives being T. alba and T. capensis, representing owls of distinct characteristic traits. The most obvious external differences are the general appearance, such as the heart, rather than round shape of the facial disc; the longer skeletal structure and beak; longer legs; longer, more pointed wings and a forked tail.
    [Show full text]
  • AUSTRALIAN 2 Field Ornithology AUSTRALIAN 2 Olsen, TROST
    AUSTRALIAN 2 OLSEN, TROST & MYERS FIELD ORNITHOLOGY Ninox owls on the island of Sumba, Indonesia: Above — Sumba Boobook near Wanga, Below — Little Sumba Hawk-Owl near Lewa Plate 2 Photos: J. Olsen & S. Trost 3 AUSTRALIAN FIELD ORNITHOLOGY 2009, 26, 2–14 Owls on the Island of Sumba, Indonesia JERRY OLSEN1, SUSAN TROST2 and SUSAN D. MYERS3 1Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601 244 Wybalena Grove, Cook, Australian Capital Territory 2614 317A Park Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122 Summary Four owl species are said occur on the island of Sumba, Indonesia: Eastern Barn Owl Tyto javanica sumbaensis, Eastern Grass Owl T. longimembris, Sumba Boobook Ninox rudolfi, and the recently discovered Little Sumba Hawk-Owl N. sumbaensis. We describe behaviour, including vocalisations, of all except the Eastern Grass Owl, provide measurements of Eastern Barn Owl and Sumba Boobook specimens, including the first published weights, and the first egg measurements for Eastern Barn Owls on Sumba. We discuss the taxonomy of the Eastern Barn Owl and Sumba Boobook, and support a change of common name for Sumba Boobook to Sumba Hawk-Owl. Studies are urgently needed to determine the status and conservation of all four owl species said to occur on Sumba. Introduction The island of Sumba lies at 10°S and 120°E in the Lesser Sunda chain in south- eastern Indonesia (see Olsen & Trost 2007 for a description). Del Hoyo et al. (1999) listed three owls for Sumba. We add the recently discovered Little Sumba Hawk-Owl Ninox sumbaensis (Olsen, Wink et al. 2002) to Table 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Variability and the Lake Eyre Basin, Central Australia
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive) Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 2006 Valuing Water: variability and the Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia Leah M. Gibbs University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers Part of the Life Sciences Commons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Gibbs, Leah M.: Valuing Water: variability and the Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia, Australian Geographer: 37(1) 2006, 73-85. https://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/4233 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Valuing Water: variability and the Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia Abstract 'Environmental values' form an increasingly important component of natural resource management, but use of the term 'value' is dominated by a narrow and limiting utility-based definition. In this paper I consider theories of value and practices of valuing water in the arid and semi-arid Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia. While value is the subject of diverse meanings - both within a range of academic disciplines and as understood by people in specific places - methods of aluingv water in natural resource management are limited by reductionism, anthropocentrism and cultural specificity. This conceptualisation of value does not adequately capture what people in the Lake Eyre Basin value about water. I propose valuing variability as a new framework for valuing water that embraces diversity, change and complexity, and emphasises interconnections between water, humans and the non-human world.
    [Show full text]