The Australian Bird Bander March, 1976

SEABIRDISLANDS No.28

Maatsuyker: Island, Tasmania

Location: 43'40' S., 146' 19' E; in the Maat- suykerGroup of six islandsin the SouthernOcean MAATSI.JYKERISLAND, TASMANIA. ofi south-westernTasmania. 13 km due south of the Tasmanian mainland.

Status:Under the control of the LishthouseSer- vice. AustralianDeparrment of Transport.The MaatsuykerGroup and other ofishore islands in roMirg south-westernTasmania are currently proposed t additionsto the SouthWest National Park admin- aov istered by the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Description: 180 ha; roughly triangular in plan, 2400 m x 1200 m, with The Needlesrocks at the south-westernend and Walker Island ofi the northem tip, it is the secondlargest island in the group. In shapean ofi-centredpyramid with the summit at 278 m, precipitouscliffs encircle the island with few breaks and the shoreline is a % jumbled mass of Pre-Cambrianboulders. Mean - annualrainfall is 1168 mm. o ^ The vegetationis typical of the coastal com- V munities of south-westernTasmania. a'lthoush stunted and in places severelywind-prune-d. Trees, in the form of Eucalyptus simmondsii, are confined to a small area on the summit. Else- where,except on the cliffs, very steepslopes, and at the extreme south-westernend, a tall shrub complexof Leptospermumscoparium, Melaleuca squdrrosq and. Banksia marginata is dominant, forming a dense canopy which reachesabout 6 metres in sheltered situations. Associated with this complex are such woody shrubs as Drinrys lanceolato, A cacia v erticillqta, Exocarpus stictus, wotker lsttrd- D-ctot W tch lstord Pittosporum bicolor. Cenarrhenes nitida, Cya- A , -FLor tm lsto\d thodes iuniperina and Pomaderris apetala. Ground M(lotsuycf lstdE---::r,, \ Rorrd_iop,sono coyer beneath the canopy is sparse, consisting MAATSUYKERGROUP mostly of the Ierns Phymatotles diversilolium and Blechnum proceram. However, along the edges of tracks and in small clearings a dense and chrysumparalium, B Lancfiordia marginata,Stylid- luxuriant low cover of shrubs,herbs, grasses and ium graminilolium, Billadiera longifolia, Gahnia ferns comprisinq Epacris impressa, Sprengelia sp., Dianella sp., Pteridium esculentum and incarnala, Olearia phlogopappa, O. viscosa, Heli- Pteris tremula occurs. On the clifis, ridges and l'he Australian Bird Bander YoL 14, No. I

o Maatsuyker Island lrom the a,ir (looking north-e(\tt). The Needles Rocks are in the loregrountl and De llitt Island is in the backsround at lelt. Photo: J. England

along the shoreline,many of the previouslylisted jetty. In February 1971 arfi, January 1975 bur- shrubs appear as dwarfs with grassesPoa sp., rows mostly containedtwo well-developedchicks. Stipa sp. and succulents Tetragonia sp. and One burrow in 1975 containeda small downv Mesembryanthemumsp, chick and an adult. Probablybreeds elsewhere on the island.Estimated 30 breedingpairs "landing" in the Landing:The. only landingis at.a small jetty in colony. a relatrvelysheltered cove on the north-eastern side. From here a haulageway leads 137 m up Pachyptila turtur Fairy Prion-Four breeding a steep slope to one end of the island's main colonies exis! as mixed colonies with the Corn-- track,Because of its exposedposition in_ the Dath mon Diving-petrel. These are located at the ol prevailjngwesterly winds. storms and big seas northern end of the island, about the landing may often delay a landing for severaldays. jetty, along the shore west of the lightkeepers' housesand close to the lighthouse (see map). Ornithological History; The only two recorded None of these four colonies is very extensive visits by ornithologistswere from 4-15 February and they consistof groupsof rather widely-spaced 1971 (Milledge)'and from 16-30January 1975 burrows. In all except the "lighthouse" colony, (Brothers)r. Fairy Prion burrows outnumber those of the Diving-petrelin the ratio oI 2 to 7. Only a few prions nest in the "lighthouse" colony. These Breeding Seabirdsand Status coloniesdo not overlap- with Short-tailedShear- water breeding areas, being placed on steeper Eud.yptula minor Little Penguin-A breeding slopes between those areas, The entrancesto colony is locatedamong boulders near the landin! tbe Prion burrows are often concealedbv Poa 33 The Au,strulianBird Bander March, 1976 tussockor pigface (Mesembryanthemum).Nest- Factors Afiecting Status ias chambers are branched with two or three OTHER VERTEBRATES enirancesand extend to a depth of two metres, pretiosa "northern" Ski*s Leiolopisma metallice aad L. although burrows in the colony aver- are common all over the island. There is a large age only about one metre in depth due to the bul aDDarentlvfluctuating Dopulation of Tas- heavy clay subsoil.ln January 1975 all Prion ,lruniai Marsuoial Mice Ahtich'inusminimus and chicks examinedwere wholly in down apart from the TasmanianFur Seal Arctocephaluspusillus a lbw showing wing and tail feathering. Other has a colony of about 900 on The Needles.Smhll small colonies mav exist in more inaccessible unidentified bats have been seen occasionally areasand the speci6sis possiblyincreasing on the about the lighthouse. island. Estimated 600 breedingpairs. The LighthouseService has affordedProtection to the islind's wildlife by conining clear'ing,wood PulJinus tenuiroslns Short-tailed Shearwater- cuttins-and and other disturbingactivities to a mini- Extremely abundantand nestingover most of the mum strongly discoura'gingthe introduction island. The colony is super-saturated,wilh aany of exotic animals. Thus at present there are no surface-nestingpairs in overcrowded situations feral cats, introduced rats, mice or other poten- and areas of shallow soil. In February 1971, tially harmful vertebrates. most eggshad hatched and adults were feedrng young, whereas in January 1975, hatching was just taking place.The thick canopy in most areas Other SeabirdsRecorded -\ doesnot deternesting birds, as the groundcover Pelagodrcma marina /hire-laced Storm-petrel-A few belowis sparseand incomingbirdsaive straight came about the lighthouse in 1975. Possibly it breeds through th-efoliage with wings closed.Estimated on the island and others in the Group. breedingpairs probably exceed500 000. Haematopus luliginosus Sooty Oystercatcher (probablv breeds on the island). Larus pacifrcusPacific Gull (probably breeds around the Pelecqnoides urinatrix Common Diving-petrel- island). As with Fairy Prion for location of breeding the "lighthouse" colonies(see also map). The colony probablv containsmost birds, where burrows ex- Banding iend to bne metrein depth.In January1975 most Nil chicks had lost tleir down and weie obviously more advanced than the Prion chicks. Well- developedchicks were noted in February 1971, Bibliography 'Further although by that time some had probably aheady 1. Brothers, N. (in prep.), Notes on the Birds of Maatsuyker Island, Tasmania'. flown. Estimated400 breedingpairs. 'Tbe 2. Milledse. D. (1972). Birds of Maatsuvker Isfand,-Tasmania',Enlu 72t 167-170. Phalacrocorqx luscescettsBlack-faced Cormorant -Existing breeding colonies are located on the outer two of The Needles rocks (see map). Acknowleilgements Theseare of relativelyrecent origin as they were We thank the Austra.lianDepartment of Trans- present not establishedin 1971, whereasthe one port for providing maps and assistingwith the in 1971 appeareddeserted in 1975. Well-grown field work. chicks were-presentin February 1971. Estimated 200 breedingpairs.

Larus novaehollandiaeSilver Gull-Several small colonies are established,one near the jetty and two along the shore west o[ the lightkeepers' D. Milledge, houses(see map). In Februaryl97l two nests Depal'tment ol Environmental Studies, were found each containingthree eggs,together Australidn Museum,Sydney, N.S.ll. wirh manynon-flying young. However, in January N' Brothers, 1975only fully-fledgedyoung were found at oDe National Parks and llildlife of the westerncolonies. Estimated 100 breeding Date compiled: Service (Tas.), pairs. 1O August 1975 Sand.yBay, Tasmania. 34