Significant Breeding Event of Regent Honeyeaters Anthochaera Phrygia Near Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, During Spring 2007

Australian Field Ornithology 2014, 31, 113–121 Significant breeding event of Regent Honeyeaters Anthochaera phrygia near Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, during spring 2007 Michael Roderick1, David J. Geering2 and Dean A. Ingwersen1* 1BirdLife Australia, Suite 2–05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia 2New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, P.O. Box 2111, Dubbo NSW 2830, Australia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Summary. During the spring–summer of 2007–2008, a breeding event of Regent Honeyeaters Anthochaera phrygia took place in bushland south of Kurri Kurri, in the dry open Spotted Gum–Ironbark forests of the Lower Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Breeding spanned at least 4 months, and likely involved multiple clutches raised by several pairs. This event is considered to be highly significant in light of the continued decline of this critically endangered species, and the Lower Hunter Valley needs to be recognised as one of the most important regions for the species. Introduction The Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia is an endangered species that occurs in open forests and woodlands from south-eastern Queensland to central Victoria (Franklin et al. 1989), although records near the limits of its range have been scarce in recent decades and New South Wales (NSW) now forms the stronghold for the species (Ingwersen et al. in prep). It is listed as Critically Endangered within NSW, Endangered at a national level, and was upgraded from Endangered to Critically Endangered in the Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 (Garnett et al. 2011). The total population of Regent Honeyeaters is probably fewer than 1000 birds (see Garnett et al. 2011). A review of recent data suggests that it may be significantly lower than this, possibly as low as 350–400 individuals (Debus 2008; Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team unpublished data). Regent Honeyeaters are known to breed as single pairs and in loose colonies. Breeding colonies have mostly been found at a few key sites, notably the Capertee Valley and the Bundarra–Barraba region (Geering & French 1998; Oliver et al. 1998). Regent Honeyeaters occur regularly within the Hunter Valley (e.g. Franklin et al. 1989; Stuart 1994–2013; Roderick & Ingwersen 2012), and in the early 1900s were in thousands at some locations (White 1909). As a result, the area has been recognised as an important supplementary or subsidiary foraging area for Regent Honeyeaters that regularly utilise the Capertee Valley (Geering & Mason 2009; Ingwersen et al. in prep). The species also occurs in areas proximate to the Hunter Valley, particularly around Lake Macquarie and the NSW Central Coast, most often in association with the flowering of Swamp Mahogany Eucalyptus robusta trees (Stuart 1994–2013; Roderick et al. 2013). 114 Australian Field Ornithology M. Roderick et al. The Hunter Valley is a broad valley that supports a range of habitats that are preferred by Regent Honeyeaters. In the Upper Hunter Valley, these include vegetation communities containing White Box Eucalyptus albens, Yellow Box E. melliodora and Mugga Ironbark E. sideroxylon. These habitats facilitate movement from the core breeding area (Capertee Valley) to important winter nectar sources in coastal and sub-coastal areas. In the Lower Hunter Valley (parts of the valley coastward of about Jerrys Plains), Regent Honeyeaters predominantly occur in dry open forests in association with the seasonal blossoming of winter- flowering eucalypts and, in particular, Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata. Regent Honeyeaters appear to be present in the Lower Hunter and nearby coastal areas in greatest numbers in autumn and winter (generally May to August), which is directly correlated with the predominant flowering period of eucalypts, such as Spotted Gum and Swamp Mahogany (Roderick & Ingwersen 2012; Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team unpublished data). However, some birds may persist in the area beyond this period if spring-flowering eucalypts such as Broad-leaved Ironbark E. fibrosa,Brown Stringybark E. capitellata, an undescribed stringybark E. sp. aff. agglomerata, Grey Gum E. punctata, Forest Red Gum E. tereticornis or mistletoes (in particular Long-flowered Mistletoe Dendrophthoe vitellina) are in blossom. It is when this occurs that Regent Honeyeaters may breed in the Lower Hunter Valley. Here we describe a Regent Honeyeater breeding event in 2007–2008 that was the most significant recorded in the Lower Hunter Valley, and coincided with few records (of only nine individuals) and no breeding in the Capertee Valley over the same period (Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team unpublished data). Since 2000, Honeyeaters have been recorded nesting on only three additional occasions in the Lower Hunter Valley at a private property near Quorrobolong—two nests were found in 2000, a single nest was found in 2003, and a third nesting attempt was recorded at this site in 2007. However, it should be noted that no fledged young were observed at the Quorrobolong property. Regent Honeyeaters in the Lower Hunter Valley in 2007 In the Lower Hunter–Lake Macquarie area in 2007, Regent Honeyeaters were initially found in the forests dominated by Swamp Mahogany around Lake Macquarie in late autumn. Six Regent Honeyeaters were first recorded at Morisset Hospital Reserve on 12 May 2007, increasing to approximately 50 birds by 28 May 2007 (the last record at this site for the year: Stuart 2008). Regent Honeyeaters were also recorded at Galgabba Point (south of Swansea) in early May (Stuart 2008) (Figure 1). On 4 August 2007, the first Regent Honeyeaters were recorded in the Lower Hunter Valley woodlands, when three were found at the private property near Quorrobolong referred to previously (~15 km south of the area where the major breeding event described opposite took place). Subsequent counts on that property rose to an estimated 20 Honeyeaters by later that month (Stuart 2008). A pair was observed nesting on 20 August, and by 13 September there were three pairs nesting at the site (A. Morris pers. comm.). Nesting continued through September Regent Honeyeaters breeding in Lower Hunter Valley, NSW 115 Figure 1. Locations of Regent Honeyeater sightings in the Lower Hunter Valley, NSW, May 2007–January 2008. and October, though no fledged young were observed. On 27 August, two Honeyeaters were recorded on a property south of Ellalong, ~5 km west of the Quorrobolong site (Figure 1). At approximately the same time that Regent Honeyeaters were nesting at Quorrobolong, two Honeyeaters were recorded in the bushland within a 870-ha area that has been zoned for industrial subdivision known as the Hunter Economic Zone (HEZ; Figure 2) near Kurri Kurri Hospital on 30 August (Stuart 2008). Two Honeyeaters were also seen ~500 m to the north on 25 October, feeding on the blossom of Long-flowered Mistletoe in Narrow-leaved Apples Angophora bakeri (M. Roderick & S. Roderick pers. obs.). Chronology of the 2007 breeding event Multiple Regent Honeyeaters were first noted by a local birdwatcher (A. Zoneff) on 28 October 2007 within the HEZ, ~1.5 km west of the August and other October observations for the HEZ. Amongst an undetermined number of adults (see front cover), he counted six juvenile birds, readily identifiable by their brown plumage (A. Zoneff pers. comm.). Over the next 2 days, two pairs of Honeyeaters were observed constructing nests in this area, along with an active nest where an adult was sitting on eggs (Figure 3; A. Zoneff pers. comm.). Soon after (in early November), a pair of adults was attending a recently built nest in bushland south 116 Australian Field Ornithology M. Roderick et al. Figure 2. Locations of Regent Honeyeaters and nests in the Hunter Economic Zone (HEZ), August 2007–January 2008. Figure 3. Regent Honeyeater on nest during the 2007–2008 breeding event near Kurri Kurri, NSW. Photo: Andrew Zoneff Regent Honeyeaters breeding in Lower Hunter Valley, NSW 117 of Mulbring Street, Kurri Kurri, ~2.8 km east of this nesting activity; no evidence of eggs or dependent young could be found at this site. On 17 November 2007, a group of Regent Honeyeaters was observed just to the south of a large power easement at the base of Mt Tomalpin (32°50′34″S, 151°26′35″E), ~2 km south of the concentration of nests just described. This flock contained at least seven juveniles, and a nest with an adult sitting on eggs was found. On the same day, an inactive nest was located ~170 m north of the active nest (A. Zoneff pers. comm.). The Regent Honeyeater Recovery Co-ordinator (D. Geering) was advised of these sightings and visited the area with the initial observer to record nesting activity on 28–29 November 2007. Fieldwork during these 2 days was carried out predominantly in an area of high Regent Honeyeater activity, spread across an area of forest near where the original nests had been found in late October (all within 1 km of 32°49′38″S, 151°26′25″E). Five active nests were found, along with dependent fledged young and individual adults. A single active nest was also located to the south of the power easement, where the active nest and inactive nest had been found 12 days earlier. The birds were utilising nectar flows of Broad- leaved Ironbark, a species not previously known to support breeding Regent Honeyeaters (D. Geering pers. obs.). The breeding stage of Regent Honeyeaters associated with the active nests— namely recently fledged young, large nestlings, and adults incubating eggs— indicated that this particular breeding event had been taking place for at least a month before the birds were located during November. The juvenile plumage of the recently fledged birds indicated an approximate age of less than 6 weeks (Geering 2010). These birds may have been the offspring of previous breeding within the HEZ, possibly as early as September, or had moved from a nearby area, such as Quorrobolong.

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