Volume 21 Number 4 ISSN 0816-6463

March 2006 SEGMENTS S G Journal of the Scientific Expedition Group E

REPORT ON MOONABIE 2005 Moonabie Expedition Nov-Dec 2005 cont. Written By: Alun Thomas

Chief Leader Moonabie Expedition th Chairman, SEG The expedition was from Sunday 26 th November to Wednesday 7 December In a similar manner to previous SEG 2005. expeditions the SEG expedition to the western end of Munyaroo Conservation Park The campsite was chosen on one of the was intended to provide a qualitative survey highest hills near the north western corner of of the biodiversity of the park. A previous the park and was based around one expedition to the Eastern end of the park had extremely large mallee tree. The elevation been carried out in 2002 and a report titled gave excellent views to Spencer Gulf in the “Flora and fauna of a dry mallee-western east and to Iron Duke in the west. Camp myall woodland on the east coast of Eyre consisted of a kitchen tent, a science tent Peninsula, South – initial survey“ and a meeting shelter with the expeditioners was prepared by the Scientific Expedition tents among the mallee trees on both sides Group and South Australian Museum (Bailey of the track that passed through the & Turner 2003). It is intended that the report campsite. for the present expedition be presented as a supplement to the earlier report. Personnel on the camp were: Scientific Leaders: While the eastern end of the park is Cath Kemper Mammals predominantly western myall plains behind Graham Carpenter Birds Jan Forrest Insects costal samphire flats the western end is more David Hirst Spiders topographically interesting with several lines Ute Grehn Vegetation of escarpment with mallee and sandhill Adrian Sherriff Reptiles country behind them. Part of the area was SEG Camp Staff: cleared for agriculture early in the twentieth Alun Thomas Camp Leader century and another portion has been subject Trent Porter, John Love, John Morley, to fire in recent years. Bruce Gotch Expeditioners: This varying topography provided a range of Peter Trevaskis, Joanne Storey, Gina Breen, survey sites from sandhills covered with low Fran Callan, Mary Press, Ann-Louise George heath to rocky hillsides and mature mallee Lynn Forrest, Sherrie Gotch, Trevor Jones stands. (Continued page 2)

*****************SEG 2006 Calendar**************** April In this issue April 14-17 Bunker Ranges Survey No. 2 Page April 21-25 GRaSP Autumn Trip 1 Report on Moonabie 2005 April 21-25 Minnawarra Biodiversity Survey 3 Munyaroo Conservation Park June - former land use June 8-12 GRaSP Installation Trip 3 Birds of the western part of Munyaroo July Conservation Park 4 GRaSP 2006 Program Details July 14-18 GRaSP Crossover Trip 5 Short walks in Tasmania November 6 Minnawarra Autumn Survey November 24-18 GRaSP End of Year trip 7 Gluepot Courses for 2006 7 Field Geology Club of SA Info SEGments is the authorised journal of the 7 Kids Corner SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION GROUP INC. 8 SEG Membership Details PO Box 501, Unley SA 5061

1 The expeditioners and camp staff were organised into three teams and each team was responsible for breakfast and dinner each third day. Cooking was assisted by Peter Trevaskis volunteering to do the bulk of the cooking. Perhaps he had an ulterior motive, he wanted to know what he was eating. Part way through the camp our gas stove had some problems and the central burner ceased working. On a trip to Cowell Peter purchased and very generously donated to SEG a new three burner stove. It will be henceforth known as the Trevaskis stove.

After the first few days which were spent setting up the survey sites and trap lines Adrian and Cath erecting fence for expeditioners could choose with which pitfalls at Site 16. scientific team they wished to spend the day. Photograph supplied by Alun Thomas Over the time of the survey all expeditioners were able to experience fieldwork in each of We also inspected other areas of the park. the sciences. The camp staff provided The previous agricultural use of part of the transport to the various sites with park provided an interesting junkyard of farm considerable distances travelled each day. equipment and relics of human habitation. John Love spent an interesting day recording Early each morning the eight trap lines his findings. having pitfalls, cage traps and Elliot traps were inspected to ensure that any trapped One day we did a bushwalk along one of the animals were not distressed by the heat. escarpments looking for small caves which Again in the afternoon all the pitfalls were might hold sub-fossils and other artefacts. inspected particularly to check for any We located one small cave (300mm wide, reptiles that may have been caught during 600 mm high and 900mm deep) which had the day. small bones, owl casts and an echidna quill. The walk was done in hot conditions 30-35°C During the evenings David Hirst spotlighted and took five and a half hours. for spiders and Jan Forrest used lights to attract insects. Another day we visited a large disused underground tank just outside the southern Ute managed a detailed vegetation survey at boundary of the park. The tank is about 5 m each of the eight trap sites and a large deep and about 7 m across with an adjacent number of specimens were collected. They surge tank and drains leading to it across the chose sites (quadrats) of approx. 40x40m surrounding country. We rescued several adjacent to the trap lines. Species, density lizards which had fallen into the tanks and and age structure of the plant life were listed collected a number of kangaroo skulls from and a major amount of samples for pressing animals that had fallen in through the collected. Quite a number of these plants damaged roof. A full archaeological report on had not been found in the area covered by this site will be given by John Love in the full the previous survey. expedition report.

The trap lines were kept open for four nights We had several very hot days at camp where and then they were dismantled. the temperature got up to 39°C in camp (and 47°C in the kitchen tent). On several of the hot days we went 15 kilometres away to the shore of Spencer Gulf to eat our lunches where the temperature was a much more pleasant 22°C.

Fran Callan sketched camp scenes and personnel and it is hoped that some of her sketches will be published in the report of the expedition. (Continued page 3)

Mitchells Hopping Mouse Photograph supplied by Alun Thomas 2 with establishing their farms without having The expedition as a whole was a great to spend a lot of time and money looking for success but it will be some time before all of water. the scientific reports can be prepared and the report edited. The underground tanks, like the dams mentioned above, were intended to hold Reference surface runoff, which was directed to them Bailey, P. and Turner, K. Flora and fauna of a dry along artificial channels. The tank in question mallee-western myall woodland on the east coast was built in 1898/99, when the land was of , – initial survey. about to be offered for lease to farmers. Scientific Expedition Group and South Australian However, most of the land in and Museum, Adelaide. immediately south of Munyaroo Conservation Park is unsuitable for cultivation or grazing and there seems to have been no great rush to occupy it! The fact that the land was regarded as ‘marginal’ or ‘poor’ is the reason why it has survived comparatively undisturbed and is now a conservation park.

More details of these items of archaeological interest will be given in the full report of the expedition.

A Crested Dragon blissfully resting in Birds of the western part of Munyaroo Ann-Loiuse’s hands after being rescued Conservation Park, 2005 from the underground tank Written by Graham Carpenter Photograph supplied by Alun Thomas Birds of the eastern part of Munyaroo Munyaroo Conservation Park Conservation Park were surveyed by Cox – former land use (2001) and by the joint Scientific Expedition Written by John Love Group and SA Museum survey in Sept-Oct 2002 (Cox & Carpenter in Bailey & Turner It is evident that parts of the Park near the 2003). A total of 124 bird species have been south-western corner were cleared and recorded for the park. cultivated for several years and the mallee stumps removed, leaving open grassy areas. Cox & Carpenter (2003) concluded that a Further north some of the mallee seems to survey of the western part of the park would have been flattened and burnt but the be of great value because, in contrast to the stumps were left in the ground. This area is east, its bird fauna was very poorly known. regenerating well. A large dam, now dry, indicates possible pastoral use. It would be Birds were surveyed at eight sites in the interesting to know when the clearing was western part of Munyaroo Conservation Park done but it might not be possible to find out. from Nov 28 to Dec 2, 2005. Birds were also noted opportunistically both inside the park A strip of flat, open country along the and adjacent parts of Moonabie Station to northern boundary of the Park, with a dam at the north. the foot of the Moonabie Range, was used for grazing, presumably sheep. This area is Sixty-seven species were recorded during fairly degraded but not beyond recovery. the survey. Evidence of breeding was found for nine species, namely Emu, Malleefowl, Beyond the southern boundary of the Park Nankeen Kestrel, Galah, Scarlet-chested but directly related to former land use, is a Parrot, Rainbow Bee-eater, Red Wattlebird, large underground masonry tank with a Striated Pardalote and Black-faced Cuckoo- sheep trough and a bore nearby. This was shrike. one of several hundred small water sources – tanks, dams, bores, wells and harnessed Fifty-nine species were recorded from the natural springs – provided in Eyre Peninsula survey sites. Species recorded at the most and other low-rainfall districts by the sites were Ringneck (7 sites), Conservator of Water, one of the forerunners Emu (evidence, 7), Weebill (7), Inland of the Engineering and Water Supply Thornbill (7), Grey Butcherbird (6), Grey Department. They enabled farmers to get on Shrike-thrush (6), Red Wattlebird (6), Spiny-

3 cheeked Honeyeater (6), Yellow-rumped Pardalote (6) and White-fronted Honeyeater Dry conditions also prevailed on the current (6). survey, accounting for the low numbers of migratory species. Similarly the lack of Site MUN015 had the most species (36) and flowering mallees resulted in low numbers of no waterbirds were recorded. honeyeaters and lorikeets.

The total of 67 species is less than previous The current survey has confirmed that surveys, but wetland habitats were not Munyaroo Conservation Park supports a very included on the current survey. diverse bird fauna, including small numbers of most of the rare and threatened species Four species not recorded in 2002 were known to occur in the region. Brown Goshawk, Scarlet-chested Parrot, Variegated Fairy-wren and Striated References Grasswren. Scarlet-chested Parrots are Cox, T. and Carpenter, G. (2003) Birds. IN Bailey, rarely reported in Australia and was at the P. and Turner, K. Flora and fauna of a dry mallee- southern edge of its known distribution. A western myall woodland on the east coast of Eyre pair with one or two juveniles was observed Peninsula, South Australia – initial survey. several times at site MUN015, in mallee at Scientific Expedition Group and South Australian the edge of a Triodia covered rocky hill. Museum, Adelaide. Striated Grasswrens are also rarely reported from Eyre Peninsula, but were predicted for the west of the park by Cox & Carpenter *************************************************** (2003). Several were in mallee over Triodia GRaSP – 2006 Program Details at site MUN010, burnt in 1991. Gammon Ranges Scientific Project Information on field trips to The Northern Records of Variegated Fairy-wrens at sites Flinders during 2006. MUN011 and MUN016 confirm the previous unpublished observations reported by Cox & Bunker Ranges Boundary Fence Survey Carpenter (2003). Its occurrence in the park No:2 th th is interesting because it marks the boundary Easter: Friday 14 April to Monday 17 April of allopatry with the Blue-breasted Fairy- Drive up to the Bunker Ranges and camp at wren M. pulcherrimus. These vicariants the Conservation Park Campsite (basic appear to be separated in the park by facilities available). Saturday and Sunday habitat, although more intensive study is traverse the boundary fence, doing minor required. repairs and photographing/GPS at critical locations. Return home on Monday. Group The Short-tailed Grasswren was not size limited to 2 vehicles. recorded despite a search of Triodia covered Leader: rocky hills both within and immediately north Christine Arnold (w) 8648 5343 (email) [email protected] of the park.

Species that were more common in the ANZAC Weekend - Gammon Ranges western part of the park than the east were Friday 21 to Tuesday25th April Port Lincoln Ringneck, Purple-gaped This trip will be in three parts: Honeyeater and Golden Whistler. This would 1. Raingauge Installation group, leader be due to the greater abundance of tree Chris Wright, will travel up to North hollows (for parrots) and mallee-heath Moolooloo on the Friday and habitats associated with the parallel (hopefully) install the new data dunefields. Surprisingly the Rufous logger, and the new raingauge base, Treecreeper was not recorded on the current check and calibrate the instrument. survey, despite the prevalence of mallee and We will stay at Moolooloo Shearers low woodland habitats with an abundance of quarters (the site of Rabbit-proof tree hollows favoured by this species. fence). On Saturday we will drive to Pfitzners Well, and set it up in the In contrast, species notably less common in same way. Then drive to Arcoona the west were Splendid Fairy-wren (not Creek, staying at the old Base recorded), Red-capped Robin (not recorded), Camp. Sunday we will walk up to the Silvereye and Mistletoebird. This is probably flow gauging station and do a First due to the limited extent of Western Myall Fix, removing old equipment and and False Sandalwood low woodlands in the starting the set-up of the new west of the park. pressure sensors, data loggers and

4 solar panel. We also hope to rebuild Chris Wright (h) 8278 8818 (w) 8366 2669 (m) the equipment housing in the cave to 0414 789 220 Trent Porter (h) 8278 9078 (email) save it from being damaged by [email protected] rocks. This could take until Monday and after meeting up with the others, November (End of Academic Year) we will drive home on Tuesday. Trip- Gammon Ranges 2. The second group will drive straight 24th to 28th November to Arcoona Creek for the night on This will be a routine SEG trip with Friday, and then start walking up checks on all the Raingauges, and some Arcoona Creek on Saturday, doing photography, Yellow Footed Rock the photography, and logger Wallaby monitoring. Approximately 3 exchange. Stay at Vandenberg camp days bushwalking, with no facilities, carry for 2 nights, back to the vehicles everything. Monday night and home on Tuesday Leader: 3. The third group will be lead by Graham Blair (w) 8463 6979 (email) Christine Arnold and will be a Yellow [email protected] David Kemp (w) 8343 2534 (email) Footed Wallaby Watch, camping at [email protected] Arcoona Creek, and working in the south end of Mainwater Pound *************************************************** during the days. Three days camping Short Walks in TASMANIA at the one location and plenty of day- Written by Alun Thomas walking. Leaders: On a recent holiday with my family in Chris Wright (h) 8278 8818 (w) 8366 2669 (m) Tasmania we obtained a little booklet entitled 0414 789 220 “Tasmania’s Great Short Walks”. This John Love (email) [email protected], booklet has descriptions of 60 day walks in Christine Arnold (w) 8648 5343 (email) [email protected] all parts of Tasmania.

Queen’s Birthday weekend - Gammon In nearly every place we went to, there was Ranges - Gammon Ranges one or more of the walks we could do and Thursday 8th June to Monday 12th June. over two weeks we completed seventeen of This is the Installation Trip for the them. Some were quite short such as the Arcoona Creek gauging station, finishing twenty minute Franklin River walk or as long off the work done during the ANZAC as five or more hours for the Shadow Lake weekend, installing the new equipment, Circuit at Lake St Clair. Other walks had a and tidying up the gauge housing and specific theme such as the Tamar Island solar panels. After that, the group will walk near Launceston which is a boardwalk start on checking radio-path for the new through a wetland for bird viewing. At the loggers so that they can report back the commencement of each walk there is a rainfall each day. Graham Blair will lead notice board describing the walk in more the group. This will be mostly working detail and providing any necessary warnings close to the vehicle, but could involve and information. In all the booklet and walks one or two nights camping further up were organised very well and provided Arcoona Creek opportunities for all grades of walkers.

Leader: Graham Blair (w) 8463 6979 (email) This article describes the Shadow Lake [email protected] Circuit at Lake St Clair which is one of the best walks we have done for some time. July Crossover Trip- Gammon Ranges 14th to 18th July We were fortunate to have a clear and sunny This trip has not yet been detailed, but but mild day. The Shadow Lake Circuit starts will probably involve two groups, starting at the Lake St Clair Visitor Centre and at either side of the ranges, leaving National park office. Park staff recommend vehicles at each end and walking across. the walk is done in a clockwise direction We will be visiting each of the because the return descent is easier on the Pluviometers and the Arcoona Creek knees in that direction. Initially the walk gauging station and may be doing some skirts lake St Clair before heading up through work on them. This will probably require a shady eucalypt forest. A bush fire in 1965 3 or 4 days bushwalking, with no killed many of the forest giants and these facilities, carry everything. stand gaunt against the sky or have fallen to Leaders: provide obstacles around which the path

5 winds. With trunk diameters of up to two metres and lengths of thirty or more metres Although we did the Shadow Lake Circuit and covered with moss and lichens, these walk in summer it would be equally beautiful fallen giants are spectacular. in other seasons.

From time to time the track drops into moist The “Tasmania’s Great Short Walks” booklet gullies with mossy banks and babbling was a boon to our travel around Tasmania. brooks flowing around rocks to provide cool It would be wonderful if a similar booklet resting places. We took advantage of them. could be prepared for South Australia and the notice boards placed out at the beginning After about two hours walking we reached an of each walk giving the necessary open rocky plateau which gave good views information. Surely there enough great walks of Mount Rufus, Mount Hugel and Little to justify it and it would encourage tourists to Hugel. Here the path divides with one path stop and see the beautiful parts of our State. heading up in a circuit up to Mount Rufus and then down to Shadow Lake and the There are too many photos of this walk to include in this other across the plateau to Shadow Lake. article. A selection can be viewed on the SEG website www.communitywebs.org/scientificexpeditiongroup via We took the latter. the link on the publications page.

The path across the plateau crosses several *************************************************** rock ridges which appear to be glacial Minnawarra Biodiversity Autumn Survey moraines interspersed with button grass swamps. Boardwalks are provided across 14-17 April - Site preparation and trap the swamps. maintenance. This is over Easter, so any help would be much appreciated, with good We reached Shadow Lake in about another camping available. half and hour and by then we were warm 21st April - Trap opening- 184 traps have to enough for a dip but the icy water and a chill be opened and baited with peanut paste and wind off Mount Hugel behind it deterred us. rolled oats. Shadow Lake Circuit is a mountain tarn about half a kilometre in diameter, beautifully Plans are well advanced for the next clear but tinted by button grass to a weak tea Minnawarra survey. It will be conducted at colour. Several cleared areas and sandy Minnawarra, near Myponga, over the Anzac beaches to the lake would provide excellent long weekend. Traps will be opened on camping areas. We had lunch on the banks Friday 21st April 2005, and closed again on of Shadow Lake. Tuesday 25th (Anzac Day).

After lunch we took a short detour along the The usual survey will take place, with path that goes up to Little Hugel to Forgotten mammal and reptile trapping, marking and Lake about two kilometres away. The path recording, bird surveys and, hopefully, a between the lakes is mainly a boardwalk vegetation survey. In addition, the SA over button grass swamps with a profusion of Museum has an invertebrate trapping flowering plants including fascinating program operating. In addition to the SAM flowering mosses. The walk between the team Loraine Jansen and Christina Pahl will lakes took about 20 minutes and was worth be involved. Claire Gifford and Frances every minute of it. Taylor will be conducting the bird surveys.

Forgotten Lake is a similar size to Shadow Work has already started on preparation of Lake and just as pretty with rocky Mount the eight sites, some of which have become Hugel as a backdrop. overgrown because of the wet spring. Help is required, therefore, to help prepare sites, Back to Shadow Lake and then we set off on trap maintenance and trap opening prior to the downward track back to the Visitor the start of the survey. Any assistance over Centre. The Shadow Lake walk is a circuit so the Easter break would be welcome, as we passed different scenery on our way would help to set the Elliott traps on Friday across the high plateau and then down 21st April. beside Hugel River back to Lake St Clair. The return path took about one and a half There is plenty to do, and many hands make hours. The total distance including the detour light work. If you are available to help out to Forgotten Lake was about 16 kilometres please contact: Richard on (08) 8558 6381 or and with stops we took about 6 hours to 0408 807 517; or [email protected] complete it.

6 Information of potential interest to SEG June 8 Dr Andrew Baker, Clearing Landmines in members: Magnetic Soils *************************************************** July 13 Prof. Ian Plimer, Geology of the Bible Gluepot Environmental Education Centre and Bible Lands Courses for 2006 Aug. 10 Prof. Robert Hill, Past Climates and the Evolution of Australian Plants The following 10 courses are planned for Gluepot Sep. 14 Dr Allan Collins, From Rodinia to during 2006. They are all of two days duration Gondwanna (Saturday and Sunday), and where possible attendees should try to arrive at the Reserve on Oct. 12 Dr BobGunthorpe, Tsumeb – more than the Friday afternoon. Courses will finish at about 200 mineral species in one mine 4.30pm on the Sunday.

For additional information, including a detailed brochure on each course, location map of Gluepot Reminder- SEG Subscriptions are due and Registration and Payment form, the following alternatives are available: Please make payments payable to SEG and post details to the address provided For a ‘hard-copy’ or ‘PDF’ copy of course on the back page along with your brochures, please contact: completed subscription form. By Post: Mr Clive Hope Environmental Education Centre Administrator Birds Australia Gluepot Reserve PO Box 1177 Kids Corner WAKERIE SA 5330 The hidden words are found in the first three By Phone: (08) 8541 2004 articles in this issue of SEGments relating to By Fax: (08) 8364 5527 Munyaroo Conservation Park. The words are By Email: [email protected] hidden in all directions. Can you find them all?

Course brochures are also available in PDF Word List format from the Gluepot Reserve website at: www.riverland.net.au/gluepot from March 2006. Agriculture Iron Duke COURSE SUBJECT DATES Boundary Malleefowl Conservation Munyaroo Introduction to Birds & Birdwatching 15 & 16 April Dragon Myall Introduction to Birds & Birdwatching 7 & 8 Oct. Escarpment Spencer Gulf Expedition Topography Introduction to Nature Photography 25 & 26 March Grasswren Trevaskis Introduction to Nature Photography 16 & 17 Sept. Introduction to Digital Photography 8 & 9 April Introduction to Macro Photography 23 & 24 Sept. F N P T T O P O G R A P H Y R Botanical Illustration 28 & 29 Oct. L H O C O N S E R V A T I O N Painting Nature 9 & 10 Sept. U F F G F D X K K M S Q E D R Discovering the Vegetation & G E E B A N N T L I O J R K N 19 & 20 Aug. Habitat the Mallee Provides R X T S F R L K K K O T U L N The Indigenous & European History 20 & 21 May E P N B C L D S W V R T T W E of Gluepot Reserve C E R V A A A N B G A C L O R ********************************************************* N D W Y R V R O R E Y X U F W Field Geology Club of SA E I M D E W U P K R N L C E S For those interested in the monthly meetings of P T P R L N R U M D U D I E S the Field Geology Club of SA, held every 2 S I T G D T D V M E M R R L A Thursday of the month 7:45pm in the Mawson Lecture Theatre, Dep of Geology, Uni of Adelaide T O L A C N M K B R N M G L R (corner of From Rd and Victoria Drv) below is M N R J O N L W H T H T A A G details of lecture topics. F Y W R X Z Y C R L L A Y M J C P I D T M K T N J X R H M K Dates, Speakers & Topics for 2006 April 13 Mr David Wegmann & Mr Bernard Victory, From Black Hill to the Kokoda Track May 11 Dr AllanPring, Grampians – geology, birds, plants and wine

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SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION GROUP - Membership E The Scientific Expedition Group came into being at a public meeting on 21st August 1984.

Membership is open to any persons, family or organisation interested in the following aims: * The promotion and running of expeditions of a scientific, cultural and adventurous nature. * The furthering of knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the natural environment. * Promotion of the values and philosophy of wilderness. * Enabling people to learn the skills required for planning and running expeditions, and to develop sound field techniques.

Members receive regular information on SEG activities and expeditions

Patron: Her Excellency, the Honourable Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, AC, CVO, MBE, Governor of South Australia

SEG COMMITTEE Office Bearers President Dr Richard Willing Chairman Alun Thomas Vice-Chairman John Hayes Hon. Secretary John Love Hon. Treasurer Graeme Oats

SEGments Editors Linda-Marie & Matthew McDowell Ph. 8278 4795 (after hours) E-mail [email protected] c [email protected]

SEG WEBSITE www.communitywebs.org/scientificexpeditiongroup

SEG EMAIL ADDRESS [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS (Including GST) Working adult member ------$16.50 Pensioner student or unemployed ------$11.00 Family membership ------$22.00 Organisation membership ------$22.00

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

Name......

Address ......

......

Telephone (H) ...... (W) ......

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Details of scientific, cultural, and adventuring or other relevant skill or interests you may be prepared to share with the group: ...... Applications should be addressed to : The Hon. Secretary Scientific Expedition Group Inc. P.O. Box 501 Unley S.A. 5061

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