Bat Roost Survey

Haughton Solar Ecology Commercial-in-Confidence Pacific Hydro Australia Developments Pty Ltd 31-May-2017 Doc No. 60535495

Bat Roost Survey

Haughton Solar Ecology

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Bat Roost Survey Haughton Solar Ecology

Client: Pacific Hydro Australia Developments Pty Ltd

ABN: 20 093 846 925

Prepared by

AECOM Australia Pty Ltd 21 Stokes Street, PO Box 5423, Townsville QLD 4810, Australia T +61 7 4729 5500 F +61 7 4729 5599 www.aecom.com ABN 20 093 846 925

31-May-2017

Job No.: 60535495

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Quality Information

Document Bat Roost Survey

Ref 60535495

Date 31-May-2017

Prepared by Kristina Ihme

Reviewed by Rouven Lau

Revision History

Authorised Rev Revision Date Details Name/Position Signature

0 13-Apr-2017 Draft Issue Kristina Ihme Project Manager A 31-May-2017 Final Issue Kristina Ihme Project Manager

Table of Contents Executive Summary i 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Scope 1 1.3 Species and Habitat Information 3 1.4 Recovery Actions 4 2.0 Methods 5 2.1 Previous Assessments 5 2.2 Field Survey 5 2.2.1 Survey Approach 5 2.2.2 Song Meters 5 2.2.3 Roost Survey 12 2.2.4 Limitations 12 3.0 Results 13 3.1 Song Meter 13 3.2 Roost Survey 13 4.0 Discussion 14 5.0 Bibliography 15 Appendix A Call Analysis A Appendix B Results Suitability B

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Executive Summary Pacific Hydro Australia Developments Pty Ltd (Pacific Hydro) engaged AECOM Australia Pty Ltd (AECOM) to undertake an ecological assessment at a Project Site located approximately 60km south of Townsville close to the Haughton River. The Project Site is divided into two lots on private land- Lot 4 GS602 and 30 SP100843 making up an area of approximately 3200 ha (1600 ha each). Pacific Hydro is proposing to develop a solar farm, with the provision for battery storage. The Project Area was investigated and a Project Development Area was later defined to be located within the southern section of the Project Area. The Project Development Area is characterised by the absence of remnant vegetation. Previous investigations established the potential presence of the Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat, listed as “vulnerable” under the EPBC Act 1999, to occur within the Project Site. A roost survey as well as song meter recordings were undertaken in those areas in accordance with survey guidelines for threatened bats. The Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat was recorded across six different sites, within remnant areas of vegetation. Remnant vegetation has been classified into varying degrees of roost suitability with the majority of remnant vegetation being classified as moderately to highly suitable roost areas for the Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat. No impact on roost trees or foraging areas (e.g. above canopy and riparian zones) is being proposed and potential impact on Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat habitat is unlikely given the fact that no remnant vegetation is proposed to be cleared within the Project Development Area.

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background Pacific Hydro Australia Developments Pty Ltd (Pacific Hydro) engaged AECOM Australia Pty Ltd (AECOM) to undertake an ecological assessment at a Project Site located approximately 60km south of Townsville close to the Haughton River. The Project Site is divided into two lots on private land- Lot 4 GS602 and 30 SP100843 making up an area of 3200 ha (1600 ha each) (Figure 1). Pacific Hydro is proposing to develop a solar farm, with the provision for battery storage, within the Project Development Area (refer to (AECOM, 2017) ). Based on the findings of the initial Ecological Assessment (AECOM, 2017), the footprint for the solar farm was refined to be the Project Development Area, which is a site only half the size of the previously investigated Project Site. The Project Development Area is characterised by being non remnant. The only remnant vegetation present is located outside the Project Development Area, within the wider Project Site (Figure 1.

1.2 Scope Previous ecological assessments established that the Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus), possibly occurs within the Project Site (AECOM, 2017). The aim of the current study was to confirm if the targeted species, Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat, occurs in the Project Site as well as undertaking a roost tree survey. The project location can be viewed in (AECOM, 2017).

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1.3 Species and Habitat Information The Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat is listed as “Endangered” under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NC Act) and listed as “Vulnerable” under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat occurs mostly in lowland areas, typically in a range of woodland, forest and open environments (Churchill, Australian Bats Second Edition, 2008). The habitat adjacent to the roost in the Jerona Fauna Sanctuary near Ayr in north Queensland was in Poplar Gum (Eucalyptus platyphylla) woodland, typical of the alluvial plains adjacent to the lower Burdekin and Haughton Rivers, near Townsville (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b). Adjacent to this habitat were woodlands dominated by Morton Bay Ash (Corymbia. tessellaris) and Ghost Gum (C. dallachiana). At Iron Range, Queensland, roosts were located in Darwin Stringybark woodland (E. tetrodonta) with Clarkson's Bloodwood (C. clarksoniana) and Morton Bay Ash subdominant. Adjacent to the roost was a narrow strip of gallery forest along a seasonally dry watercourse and less than one kilometre away were large patches of rainforest associated with the Claudie River floodplain. The specimen from Attack Creek, north of Coen, Queensland was collected in riverine vine forest with adjacent open forest/woodland. In either case it was not known if individuals foraged over some or all of the vegetation communities in the vicinity of the roost (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b)1. The tree on Magnetic Island containing the bat roost was a large (~18 m tall), long-dead (dead for at least 17 years), completely hollow, Morton Bay Ash near Gustav Creek on the foot of the Nelly Bay hills, in Hideaway Estate on Magnetic Island. The bats appeared to only occupy the uppermost four meters of one of the hollow spouts as evidenced by the clean nature of the hollow walls, the lack of spider webs, the apparent staining of the inside of the hollow and the location of three dead bats within the spout on the ground. The hollow in this section was 12- 20 cm internal diameter and the entire spout was 6m long (Reside, A. Vanderduys, E. Fabricius,K. & Evans-Illidge, L., 2015). The Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat has been suggested to forage over habitat edges such as the edge of rainforest and in forest clearings. There is no information available on foraging habitat shifts between the dry and wet seasons. The small number of confirmed roosts located in Australia, have all been in tree hollows (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b). No studies have been conducted on the roosting ecology of this species and all located roosts are from incidental records (often a result of land clearance). In Australia, all confirmed roosting records are from deep tree hollows in the Poplar Gum, Darwin Woollybutt (Eucalyptus miniata), Darwin Stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta) and Morton Bay Ash (Corymbia tessellaris) (Reside, A. Vanderduys, E. Fabricius,K. & Evans-Illidge, L., 2015). Hollows in these tree species have also been used as maternity roosts. Such roosts are susceptible to damage by termites and by fire. Although recorded roosting in caves overseas, a survey of approximately 1,000 coastal caves in the Wet Tropics region of north-eastern Queensland failed to locate this species (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b). There is no information available on the type of breeding system or breeding success in this species. Reproduction in this species is poorly known and based on a small number of roosts incidentally located during tree-felling operations. Females lactate during the tropical wet season and one young is born but the exact periods of mating and parturition are unknown (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b). In Australia breeding records have been obtained mostly from trees that were felled during land- clearing operations. Therefore, the clearing of hollow-bearing trees in suitable habitat (although such habitat currently cannot be characterised due to the lack of systematic surveys for the species) must be considered to be a threatening process to this species (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b). The Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat is insectivorous, although the type of insects taken has not been documented. The species has a fast, direct flight and is likely to forage primarily for aerial insects over the woodland/forest canopy but may fly lower when foraging over open situations. There is no

1 Currently mapped regional ecosystems have been assigned for records with available latitude and longitude positions in Appendix A. Note some older records are based on Australian Geodetic Datum 66, and there may be some resulting inaccuracy in interpreting current RE mapping.

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information on temporal feeding patterns and important foraging habitat for this species (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b).

1.4 Recovery Actions Due to the lack of information on the species there are currently no specific actions being undertaken in north-eastern Queensland or the Northern Territory to abate known or likely threats. However habitat protection is happening indirectly through weed and fire management. Therefore, the species is likely to benefit from habitat protection within current and future reserve systems within these regions and through reductions in broad-scale land clearance activities where extensive stands of hollow-bearing trees are cleared (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b). The following recovery objectives were identified in the National Recovery Plan for the species (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2016b):  develop more effective detection techniques (including obtaining echolocation reference calls) and undertake systematic surveys to enable a more comprehensive assessment of distribution, population size, status and habitat preferences  increase protection of known roosts both on and outside reserved lands  better determine roosting requirements and document foraging requirements of the species, including potential seasonal and distributional differences and the identification of threatening processes  establish monitoring sites to investigate population trends in the species; and  clarify the taxonomic status of the species.

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2.0 Methods

2.1 Previous Assessments Previous assessments confirmed that Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat possibly occurs within the Project Site. Moreover, Regional Ecosystem (RE) surveys confirmed that all areas with remnant RE11.3.35 have the potential to be habitat for the Bare-rumped Sheathtail Bat. Suitable sites with mature hollow trees were identified at several sites within the Project Site (AECOM, 2017).

2.2 Field Survey 2.2.1 Survey Approach Methodology for the survey aimed to incorporate guidelines for threatened bats in Australia, in particular for the Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts , 2010). The guidelines for Bare-rumped Sheathtail bats recommend the survey effort outlined below in assessment areas less than 50 ha. Table 1 for Project assessment areas less than 50 ha. Table 1 Recommended survey effort for Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts , 2010) Survey Technique Total Survey Effort Minimum Number of Nights Mist nets 16 mist-net nights 4 Unattended bat detectors 16 detector nights 4 Tree roost survey/inspection 1–2 hours per survey day Mist nets were not considered appropriate as, at best they could only confirm the presence of the targeted species within the Project Site, which would not aid in the assessment of potential for significant impacts to the targeted bat species. Furthermore, Schulz and Thomson note that Bare- rumped Sheathtail bats have not been trapped in Australia using harp traps, mist nets or trip lines (Schulz, M. & Thomson, B., 2007a). 2.2.2 Song Meters Nine Song Meters were deployed across the Project Site, recording for 12.5 hours per night for a total of six nights (14 February - 20 February 2017). Song Meter locations were chosen based on RE type present. All RE types were located within a certain polygon. One Song Meter was placed within each polygon at a suitable roost tree, across the entire Project Site. Suitable roost trees were classified as:  Any trees with hollows  Any eucalypt with a dbh >20cm  Any other tree species with dbh >30cm  Any dead (stag) with dbh >15cm. Locality of Song Meters can be viewed in Table 2 and Figure 2. Table 2 Placement of Song Meters

Song Meter Placement ID SM1HS SM2HS SM3HS SM4HS FL1HS FL2HS FL3HS FL4SH FL5HS Date 14-20 14-20 14-20 14-20 14-20 14-20 14-20 14-20 14-20 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Feb17 Location 11.3.7 / 11.3.10 / 11.3.10 / 11.3.7 / 11.3.35 / 11.3.7 / 11.3.35 11.3.7 / 11.3.7 / (RE) 11.3.12 11.3.35 11.3.12 / 11.3.10 / 11.3.12 11.3.35 11.3.10 / 11.3.35 11.3.35 11.3.35

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At each location, Song Meter devices were mounted as high as practicable to reduce interference from surrounding vegetation. The microphone was placed in a vertical position and the device drilled into a tree, to prevent loss of equipment. The recorders were programmed to start recording just before dusk and stopped after dawn, so that the entire night of bat activity would be recorded. The location of each deployment was recorded using a hand held GPS in GDA94 (MGA55) and a brief description of the vegetation and habitat was recorded. Downloaded data was send to Greg Ford a bat echolocation specialist for analysis. The analysis of the results can be viewed in Appendix A. The description of each of the Song Meter Sites is as follows in Table 3. Table 3 Description of Song Meter Sites Site Coordinates Site Description Photo Number SM1HS -19.72618, Site consisted of a few 147.03702 mature trees, predominantly Corymbia spp., some with visible hollows and vegetation connectivity.

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Site Coordinates Site Description Photo Number SM2HS -19.73642, Site consisted of 147.00716 Eucalyptus platyphylla woodland, with connectivity to the riparian zone. Hollows were present.

SM3HS -19.74541, Site consisted of a few 147.01842 mature trees, predominantly Corymbia spp., some with visible hollows. No connectivity to other patches of remnant vegetation.

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Site Coordinates Site Description Photo Number SM4HS -19.76941, Site consists of mature 147.03185 Eucalyptus spp. and Corymbia spp., a number with visible hollows and vegetation connectivity.

FL1HS -19.73407, Site consists of mature 147.03966 Eucalyptus spp. and Corymbia spp., a number with visible hollows and vegetation connectivity.

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Site Coordinates Site Description Photo Number FL2HS -19.76275, Site consisted of 147.01255 E.platyphylla woodland with a number of Corymbia spp. present. Vegetation connectivity and hollows were present.

FL3HS -19.76618, Site consisted of 147.01699 E.platyphylla woodland with vegetation connectivity and hollows were present.

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Site Coordinates Site Description Photo Number FL4HS -19.76862, Site consists of mature 147.04017 Eucalyptus spp. and Corymbia spp., a number with visible hollows and vegetation connectivity.

FL5HS -19.74939, Site consisted of 147.05783 E.platyphylla woodland, a few visible hollows. No vegetation connectivity.

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These sequence files were subsequently filtered and identified by comparison with a reference call database, with a range of multivariate statistical analysis used to statistically compare call parameters with similar species. A full description of echolocation call analysis can be found in Appendix A. 2.2.3 Roost Survey The minimum survey effort suggests 16 hours of mist net nights, 16 nights of bat detectors and 1-2 hours of tree roost survey inspection. The guidelines also suggest the use of small video cameras to investigate hollows for roosting bats. Current survey effort deviated from the guidelines due to the following reasons:  Bare-rumped Sheathtail bat has not been successfully trapped as they are a high flying species. Churchill notes (Churchill, Australian Bats Second Edition, 2008) “The species performs fast and highly manoeuvrable flight above the canopy resulting in being extremely difficult to capture and there are currently no recognised methods to conduct targeted surveys”.  The current survey aim was to assess a broader survey area and to address the likelihood of roosting trees present in that area.  The use of a burrow scope (camera) has been undertaken on a previous AECOM project (AECOM, 2012), which proved costly and timely without returning any additional information / results. Such a costly exercise was not justifiable for the current survey. To assess such a large Project Site 3200ha, with 373ha of remnant vegetation present, a total of 10 hours of roost survey was undertaken, applying the following methodology:  The Project Site was divided into RE types, and polygons. Each polygon was assessed and given suitability rating for potential roost habitat based on the following criteria: - Consisting of suitable mature tree species (e.g. Woodland species such as Poplar Gum (E. platyphylla)) - Tree hollows present - Habitat connectivity.  Based on the above criteria, each grid was assigned a suitability rating of: - Not Suitable (does not meet any of the above criteria) - Low Suitability (meets one of the three criteria) - Medium Suitability (meets two of the three criteria) - High Suitability (meets all criteria). The approach used was chosen because following guidelines strictly, was deemed to have not provided a quantification of potential impacts. 2.2.4 Limitations The survey used limited but non-invasive techniques and did not incorporate invasive techniques such as mist-netting and harp trapping due to the high flying habit of Bare-rumped Sheathtail bats. This survey aimed to identify potential roost trees within the proposed the survey area. No tree hollow survey (counting and mapping every hollow) was undertaken due to the large size of the Project Site. As such, statements regarding the likely presence and distribution of potential roosting trees are intended as a guide only for assessing the relative potential for impact to the Bare- rumped Sheathtail bat within the Project Site.

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3.0 Results

3.1 Song Meter Locality of Song Meter placement can be viewed in Figure 2. Detailed results of the Song Meter recordings can be viewed in Appendix A. Two bats recorders failed to record data, which might be due to environmental conditions such as rain. Nevertheless, recording hours as well as survey measures were consistent with survey guidelines for threatened bats. Song meter results confirmed 20 different species of which 12 were positively identified to species level, including the targeted species Bare-rump Sheathtail bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus) (Appendix A). The Bare-rump Sheathtail bat has been recorded across six sites. Other species recorded were, all of which are listed as least concern under the NC Act and not listed under the EPBC Act:  Eastern Horseshoe Bat, (Rhinolophus megaphyllus)  Gould's Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus gouldii)  Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio)  Hoary Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus nigrogriseus)  Large-footed Myotis (Myotis macropus)  Greater Broad-nosed Bat (Scoteanax rueppellii)  Inland Broad-nosed Bat (Scotorepens balstoni)  Northern Broad-nosed Bat (Scotorepens greyi)  Inland Forest Bat (Vespadelus baverstocki)  Eastern Cave Bat (Vespadelus troughtoni)  Little Bentwing-bat (Miniopterus australis)  Bent-wing Bat (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis)  Greater Northern Freetail-bat (Chaerephon jobensis)  Northern Freetail-bat (Mormopterus lumsdenae)  Ride's Free-tailed Bat (Mormopterus ridei)  Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris)  Troughton's Sheathtail-bat (Taphozous troughtoni).

3.2 Roost Survey The roost survey confirmed most remnant areas to be moderate to highly suitable. No area of remnant vegetation was classified as having low suitability. Areas were characterised by the presence of hollow and mature trees, suitable RE type such as woodland, as well as connectivity to other remnant vegetation areas. All other areas (classified as non-remnant) were classified as unsuitable, since no suitable roost trees were present in Figure 2.

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4.0 Discussion The survey identified a potentially high likelihood of the Bare-rump Sheathtail bat to be present within the Project Site. A roost tree survey resulted in classification of all remnant vegetation within the Project Site to be of medium to high suitability. The Bare-rump Sheathtail bat was positively recorded across six sites within those areas. The areas suitable for roosting are currently not proposed to be cleared. No vegetation clearing of remnant vegetation is being proposed within the Project Development Area. The species might overfly the Project Development Area, but is not expected to use it for foraging or roosting. Through avoiding directly impacting on areas of suitable habitat the Project can minimised its impacts on the Bare-rump Sheathtail bat.

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5.0 Bibliography AECOM. (2012). Townsville Ring Road Section 4- Referal of Proposed Action. Report submitted to DTMR. AECOM. (2012). Townsville Ring Road Stage 4 - Response to Information Request, EPBC Reference 2012/6562. AECOM. AECOM. (2016). Technical Survey Report. AECOM. AECOM. (2017). Technical Report- Ecological Assessment. AECOM Townsville Pty Ltd. Calvert, G. (2016, October 5). Email regarding Riverway Drive and Bare-rumped sheathtail bat mapping. Townsville, Queensland. Churchill, S. (2008). Australian Bats Second Edition. Crows Nest: Allen + Unwin. Churchill, S. (2008). Australian Bats Second Edition. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. Department of the Environment and Energy. (2016a). Species Profile and Threats Database-Bare- rumped sheathtail bat. Retrieved from Department of the Environment and Energy: http://www.environment.gov.au/sprat Department of the Environment and Energy. (2016b). Species Profile and Threats Database-Bare- rumped sheathtail bat. Retrieved from Department of the Environment and Energy: http://www.environment.gov.au/sprat Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts . (2010). Survey Guidelines for Australia’s threatened bats: Guidelines for detecting bats listed as threatened under the EPBC Act,. Reside, A. Vanderduys, E. Fabricius,K. & Evans-Illidge, L. (2015). The unfortunate end of a bare rumped sheathtail bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus subspecies nudicluniatus) roost on Magnetic Island. The Australian Bat Society Newsletter, 19-21. Robson S. (2016). Riverway Drive Bat Roost Survey Report. Unpublished report prepared for AECOM. Robson, S. . (2016b). Personal comment, AECOM project meeting July. Schulz, M. & Thomson, B. (2007). National Recovery Plan for the bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus. Environmental Protection Agency. Schulz, M. & Thomson, B. (2007a). National recovery plan for the bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus nudicluniatus. Environmental Protection Agency Queensland. Taubert, B. (2009). Management Guidelines for Bare-rumped Sheathtail Bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus- photo. Retrieved from http://www.landmanager.org.au/management-guidelines- bare-rumped-sheathtail-bat-saccolaimus-saccolaimus

AAppendix A

Call Analysis

Prepared for (“Client”): AECOM Survey location/project name: Upper Haughton, NE Qld Survey dates: 14-20 February 2017 Client project reference: Haughton Solar Project Job no.: AEC-1703 Report date: 4 April 2017

DISCLAIMER:

© Copyright – Balance! Environmental, ABN 75 795 804 356. This document and its content are copyright and may not be copied, reproduced or distributed (in whole or part) without the prior written permission of Balance! Environmental other than by the Client for the purposes authorised by Balance! Environmental (“Intended Purpose”). To the extent that the Intended Purpose requires the disclosure of this document and/or its content to a third party, the Client must procure such agreements, acknowledgements and undertakings as may be necessary to ensure that the third party does not copy, reproduce, or distribute this document and its content other than for the Intended Purpose. This disclaimer does not limit any rights Balance! Environmental may have under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The Client acknowledges that the Final Report is intended for the sole use of the Client, and only to be used for the Intended Purpose. Any representation or recommendation contained in the Final Report is made only to the Client. Balance! Environmental will not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use and/or reliance on the Final Report by any third party. Methods

Data received

Balance! Environmental received 736 compressed audio files (Wildlife Acoustics WAC format), recorded by nine Song Meter SM2BAT detectors, over six consecutive nights (14th-19th February 2017).

Post-processing

All WAC files were processed with Wildlife Acoustics’ Kaleidoscope (Version 4.0.3) to generate call sequence files in both full spectrum format (WAV files) and zero-crossing analysis format (ZC files). The “Advanced signal processing” feature was disabled for ZC conversion.

Call analysis and identification

Zero-crossing analysis

All ZC sequence files were analysed using AnalookW (Corben 2015). A subset of files representing all call types recorded by each detector was selected for call identification. Species identification was achieved manually by comparing the ZC spectrograms of the selected calls with those of reference calls from northern Queensland and/or with published call descriptions (e.g. Reinhold et al. 2001; Milne 2002; Pennay et al. 2004). Consideration was also given to the probability of species’ occurrence based on published distribution information (e.g. Churchill 2008; van Dyck et al. 2013) and on-line database records (e.g. http://www.ala.org.au).

Full-spectrum analysis

Full-spectrum copies of most call types were also viewed using the Kaleidoscope Viewer to confirm identities assigned to the ZC files. In particular, calls in the 18-28 kHz frequency range were assessed to determine the presence and pattern of harmonics, which can be used to differentiate between Saccolaimus species and other bats using the same frequency range.

The call classification scheme for Saccolaimus spp. devised by Dr K. Armstrong (pers. comm.; see Appendix 1) was used to determine the likelihood of calls belonging to the threatened S. saccolaimus.

Reporting standard

The format and content of this report follows Australasian Bat Society standards for the interpretation and reporting of bat call data (Reardon 2003), available on-line at http://www.ausbats.org.au/.

Species nomenclature follows Reardon et al. (2015).

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 2 of 10 Results & Discussion

Data quality & quantity

The Kaleidoscope conversion process produced more than 18,500 unique call sequence files from seven of the nine detectors. Two detectors – FL2 and FL3 – yielded no bat call data, the conversion process finding all WAC files to contain only non-bat noise (including more than 10,000 noise triggers from FL2 alone).

The number of call sequences detected varied markedly between the seven successful detector units, ranging from just 45 calls on SM2 to 4581 calls on SM1 (see Table 1). Data quality was very good across all detectors, with the majority of sequence files containing one or more clear call sequences with enough definition to enable species identification. A total of 1978 call sequences were identified.

Species recorded

At least 15 and as many as 20 species were recorded during the Upper Haughton survey (Table 1). Twelve call types were positively identified to species level, including Saccolaimus saccolaimus, which is scheduled Vulnerable under the EPBC Act 1999 and Endangered under Queensland’s NCA 1992. Many calls could not be reliably identified due to similarities between the call-characteristics of a number of species that may occur in the project area. These unresolved calls were allocated to species pairs or groups, with all members of the group listed as “possible” (Table 1) unless positively identified from more typical calls. The groups identified in the present data set included:

• Myotis macropus / Nyctophilus spp.

o Steep, almost-linear calls with terminal frequency around 35-45 kHz o Impossible to differentiate between these species in most calls o M. macropus highly likely to be present at sites with standing water bodies, which is the favoured foraging habitat of the species o Up to three Nyctophilus species may occur in the project area – N. bifax, N. geoffroyi and N. gouldi

• Scoteanax rueppellii / Scotorepens orion

o Curvilinear calls with characteristic frequency (Fc) around 33-36 kHz o Differentiated from Scotorepens balstoni by frequency of the knee (Fk) being >37 kHz and from each other by Fk-Fc being >3kHz o Most values for Fk-Fc were within a 10% error margin, so the calls were considered to potentially belong to either species o Variation in pulse shapes and some Fk-Fc values outside the error margin suggest that both species may be present in the project area

• Scotorepens greyii / S. sanborni and Chalinolobus nigrogriseus

o Steep curvilinear pulses with Fc=37-42 kHz o The two Scotorepens spp. cannot be differentiated from each other, but usually have “hooked” pulse bodies with up-swept tails that distinguish them from the calls of C. nigrogriseus, which have flatter bodies with no tail or down-swept tail. o A number of calls had intermediate or mixed pulse characteristics and could not be reliably attributed to either C. nigrogriseus or Scotorepens spp.

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 3 of 10 • Vespadelus baverstocki / Pipistrellus adamsi

o Steep, narrow (short duration), curvilinear pulses with Fc~43-46 kHz and hooked body with up-swept tail o Complete frequency overlap with Miniopterus orianae oceanensis, which usually has broader (longer duration) pulses with slanted bodies and down-swept or no tail o Neither V. baverstocki or P. adamsi have a known (confirmed by capture) presence in the local region; however, a large number of calls from this survey have features consistent with one or both of these species o It is possible that some of these calls are variants of M. o. oceanensis, but the uniformity of Fc and narrow, hooked body shapes in many calls is highly suggestive of the other two species

• Vespadelus troughtoni / Chalinolobus morio

o Steep, curvilinear pulses with Fc~48-53 kHz, usually distinguished on hooked pulse bodies (V. troughtoni) versus slanted pulse bodies with down-swept tails (C. morio) o A number of calls had pulse shapes more consistent with C. morio, but one call from each of FL4 and SM1 had several hooked pulses and may have been from V. troughtoni

• Taphozous troughtoni / Mormopterus lumsdenae

o Several brief calls from SM1 and SM3 had almost-flat pulses at Fc~25-26 kHz, with relatively short pulse-duration compared with the numerous more typical M. lumsdenae calls recorded by all units o It is probable that these were just variants of M. lumsdenae, but T. troughtoni may be present in the study area and could have been responsible for these few calls.

Sample spectrograms of each recorded call type are shown at Appendix 1; and technical terms used in the above call descriptions are explained in the Glossary.

References

Churchill, S. (2008). Australian Bats. Jacana Books, Allen & Unwin; Sydney. Corben, C. (2015). AnalookW for bat call analysis using ZCA. Version 4.1z, 20 September 2015. Milne, D.J. (2002). Key to the bat calls of the Top End of the Northern Territory. Technical Report No. 71; Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Darwin. Pennay, M., Law, B. and Reinhold, L. (2004). Bat Calls of New South Wales. Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville. Reardon, T. (2003). Standards in bat detector based surveys. Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 20, 41-43. Reardon, T.B., Armstrong, K.N. and Jackson, S.M. (2015). A current taxonomic list of Australian Chiroptera. Australasian Bat Society. Version 2015-05-15. URL: http://ausbats.org.au/taxonomic- list/4589345107 Reinhold, L., Law, B., Ford, G. and Pennay, M. (2001). Key to the bat calls of south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales. Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Brisbane. van Dyck, S., Gynther, I. and Baker, A. (ed.) (2013). Field Companion to the Mammals of Australia. New Holland; Sydney.

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 4 of 10 Table 1 Microbat species recorded during the Upper Haughton survey, 14-19 February 2017.

♦ = ‘definite’ - at least one call was attributed unequivocally to the species □ = ‘possible’ - calls similar to those of the species were recorded, but were not reliably identified

Detector code: FL1 FL2 FL3 FL4 FL5 SM1 SM2 SM3 SM4 Number of WAC files: 96 98 1 135 102 69 102 101 32 Number of unique sequence files: 3454 0 0 3635 3435 4581 45 1535 1970 Number of calls identified: 571 0 0 305 276 431 31 187 177 Rhinolophus megaphyllus ♦ ♦ Chalinolobus gouldii ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Chalinolobus morio ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Chalinolobus nigrogriseus □ ♦ □ ♦ □ □ Myotis macropus / Nyctophilus sp. ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Scoteanax rueppellii / Scotorepens orion □ □ □ □ Scotorepens balstoni ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Scotorepens greyi / S. sanborni ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Vespadelus baverstocki / Pipistrellus adamsi □ □ □ □ □ □ Vespadelus troughtoni □ □ Miniopterus australis ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Miniopterus orianae oceanensis ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Chaerephon jobensis ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Mormopterus lumsdenae ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Mormopterus ridei ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Saccolaimus flaviventris ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Saccolaimus saccolaimus ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Taphozous troughtoni □ □

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 5 of 10 Glossary

Technical terms used in this report are described in the following table.

Approach phase The part of a bat call emitted as the bat starts to home in on a detected prey item; a transitional series of pulses between the search phase and feeding buzz, that become progressively steeper and shorter in duration. Call Refers to a single bat call, made up of a series of individual sound pulses in one or more phases (search, approach, feeding buzz). CF (=Constant Frequency) A type of pulse in which the dominant component consists of a more- or-less ‘pure tone’ of sound at a Constant Frequency; with shape appearing flat on the sonogram. Often also contains a brief FM component at the beginning and/or end of the CF component (viz. FM- CF-FM). Characteristic frequency (Fc) The frequency of the flattest part of a pulse; usually the lowest frequency reached in the qCF component of a pulse. This is often the primary diagnostic feature for species identification. Duration The time period from the beginning of a pulse to the end of the pulse. Feeding buzz The terminal part of a call, following the approach phase, emitted as the bat catches a prey item; a distinctive, rapid series of very steep, very short-duration pulses. FM (=Frequency Modulated) A type of pulse in which there is substantial change in frequency from beginning to end; shape ranges from almost vertical and linear through varying degrees of curvature. FC range Refers to the range of frequencies occupied by the characteristic frequency section of pulses within a call or set of calls. Frequency sweep or “band-width” The range of frequencies through which a pulse sweeps from beginning to end; Maximum frequency (Fmax) – minimum frequency (Fmin). Knee The transitional part of a pulse between the initial (usually steeper) frequency sweep and the characteristic frequency section (usually flatter); time to knee (Tk) and frequency of knee (Fk) can be diagnostic for some species. Pulse An individual pulse of sound within a bat call; the shape, duration and characteristic frequency of a pulse are the key diagnostic features used to differentiate species. Pulse body The part of the pulse between the knee and tail and containing the characteristic frequency section. Pulse shape The general appearance of a pulse on the sonogram, described using relative terms related to features such as slope and degree of curvature. See also CF, qCF and FM. qCF (=quasi Constant Frequency) A type of pulse in which there is very little change in frequency from beginning to end; shape appears to be almost flat. Some pulses also contain an FM component at the beginning and/or end of the qCF component (viz. FM-qCF). Search phase The part of a bat call generally required for reliable species diagnosis. A consistent series of pulses emitted by a bat that is searching for prey or and/or navigating through its habitat. Search phase pulses generally have longer duration, flatter slope and more consistent shape than approach phase and feeding buzz pulses. Sequence Literally, a sequence of pulses that may be from one or more bats; but generally refers to a call or part (e.g. phase) of a call. Tail The final component of a pulse, following the characteristic frequency section; may consist of a short or long sweep of frequencies either upward or downward from the Fc; or may be absent.

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 6 of 10 Appendix 1 .

Notes on a proposed identification scheme for Saccolaimus spp.

Prepared by Dr Kyle Armstrong

The likelihood of the presence of Saccolaimus saccolaimus based on a particular dataset might be assessed in the context of seven criteria that can be helpful in separating the calls of the three Australian species of Saccolaimus (Table A1). Selected calls could meet several criteria, however only meeting criterion 6 and/or criterion 7 would provide an unambiguous identification of the species.

REFERENCES

Armstrong, K.N., Hoye, G., Broken-Brow, J. and Ford, G. (2014). Overcoming impediments to effective survey of Saccolaimus species on Cape York, Queensland. Oral presentation at the 16th Australasian Bat Society Conference 22–25 April 2014, Townsville, Queensland. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 42: 34–35.

Coles, R., Britton, A., Boonman, A. and Clague, C. (2012). Discovery of a highly unusual alternating call frequency pattern used by the echolocating emballonurid bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus during foraging. Oral presentation at the 15th Australasian Bat Society Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 11–13 April 2012. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 38: 35–36.

Coles, R., Lane D. and Kovachev, I. (2014). Echolocation ecology and distribution of the bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus: the Bornean-Australian connection. Oral presentation at the 16th Australasian Bat Society Conference 22–25 April 2014, Townsville, Queensland. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 42: 33.

Corben C. (2010). Acoustic identification of Saccolaimus. Oral presentation at the 14th Australasian Bat Society conference, Darwin, Northern Territory, 12–14 July 2010. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 35: 26.

Corben C. (2011). Bat calls of Borneo. Available at URL:

http://users.lmi.net/corben/BatsOfBorneo.htm#Bat%20Calls%20of%20Borneo

Meutstege, R., Coles, R. and Spencer, H. (2014). Observations on the foraging and roosting behaviour of the bare-rumped sheathtail bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland, Australia. Oral presentation at the 16th Australasian Bat Society Conference 22–25 April 2014, Townsville, Queensland. The Australasian Bat Society Newsletter 42: 34.

Milne, D.J., Jackling, F.C., Sidhu, M., and Appleton, B.R. (2009). Shedding new light on old species identifications: morphological and genetic evidence suggest a need for conservation status review of the critically endangered bat, Saccolaimus saccolaimus. Wildlife Research 36: 496– 508.

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 7 of 10 Table A1 Criteria used to attribute call types to the bare-rumped sheath-tailed bat Saccolaimus saccolaimus (after K. Armstrong, pers. comm.).

4 in the first column indicates whether an observation consistent with the relevant criterion was observed in the recordings from the present survey. 7 indicates the criterion was not met in any of the data from this survey. N/A indicates the criterion was not tested

Indicative of a species of Saccolaimus 1. Characteristic frequency of the second (loudest, based on microphone sensitivity) harmonic between c. 20 and 25 kHz (Milne et al. 2009; Armstrong et al. 2014; K.N. Armstrong unpublished data; evident 4 in AnaBat or full spectrum format data). This criterion is indicative of, but not exclusively characteristic of Saccolaimus. 2. In multi-harmonic representations available from full spectrum recordings, the characteristic frequency of the fundamental at around 10–12 kHz, and of the third harmonic around 30–35 kHz 4 (Armstrong et al. 2014; K.N. Armstrong unpublished data; evident sometimes in AnaBat or more usually full spectrum format data; see examples of harmonic fragments in the AnaBat-recorded calls presented by Milne et al. 2009). This criterion is exclusively characteristic of Saccolaimus. 3. A pulse shape that is either curvilinear or serpentine (a typical curvilinear chirp with a terminal droop) (Milne et al. 2009; Armstrong et al. 2014; K.N. Armstrong unpublished data; evident in AnaBat or full 4 spectrum format data). This criterion is indicative of, but not exclusively characteristic of Saccolaimus. 4. Measurements from pulses that fall within the confidence region of S. saccolaimus in an ordination plot constructed from the Discriminant Function Analysis of a range of low frequency emitting bats from northern Australia (Armstrong et al. 2014). This criterion is indicative of, but not exclusively N/A characteristic of Saccolaimus. Note that there is often variation from other low frequency emitting species that can fall close to the cluster centroid of S. saccolaimus, so points falling within the confidence region of this species are not absolutely diagnostic. 5. Feeding buzz shape differing from that of S. flaviventris as described by Corben (2010, 2011), which 4 can be diagnostic in the absence of the Papuan sheath-tailed bat S. mixtus (K.N. Armstrong unpublished data; evident in AnaBat or full spectrum format data). Diagnostic of the species Saccolaimus saccolaimus (given criteria 1–5) in sympatry with S. mixtus. 6. Alternation of high and low characteristic frequency in successive pulses within the band 20–25 kHz 7 (Milne et al. 2009; evident in AnaBat or full spectrum format data). 7. Repeated triplet or doublet pulse sequences as described by Coles et al. (2012, 2014) and 7 Meutstege et al. (2014) (evident in full spectrum format data only).

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 8 of 10 Appendix 2 Representative call sequences from the Upper Haughton survey, February 2017.

Rhinolophus megaphyllus Chalinolobus gouldii Chalinolobus morio

Chalinolobus nigrogriseus Myotis macropus / Nyctophilus sp. C. morio / Vespadelus troughtoni

Scotorepens balstoni S. orion / Scoteanax rueppellii Scotorepens sanborni / S. greyi

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 9 of 10 Miniopterus australis Miniopterus orianae oceanensis Vesp. baverstocki / Pipi. adamsi ?

Chaerephon jobensis Mormopterus lumsdenae Taph. troughtoni / M. lumsdenae

Mormopterus ridei Saccolaimus flaviventris Saccolaimus saccolaimus Note switch to upper harmonic in latter part of sequence

AEC-1703_Haughton Solar_Feb17_batcall analysis.docx 4/04/2017 Page 10 of 10 AECOM Haughton Solar Ecology Bat Roost Survey – Haughton Solar Ecology Commercial-in-Confidence

BAppendix B

Results Suitability

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Appendix B Results Suitability Site Species name Est. DBH Hollow Entrance height Persistent loose Evidence Comments Suitability Criteria tree (cm) present diameter of bark of bats within height (yes/ (cm) hollows (present/absent) (present that (m) no) (m) absent) polygon SM1HS stag 8 32 yes 5-20 4-6 absent no 3 hollows High mature, hollow trees, woodland, suitable RE type, check connectivity FL1HS Corymbia spp. 10 64 yes 15-20 6 absent no 1 hollow High hollow mature trees, suitable RE type, connectivity SM3HS Corymbia spp. 10 60 yes 10-15 4-6 absent no 3 hollows Medium few mature trees, suitable RE type, hollows present no connectivity SM2HS Eucalyptus 7 40 yes 10 5 absent no 2 hollows High mature trees with hollows present, platyphylla suitable RE type, connectivity to riparian zone FL2HS E. platyphylla 10 58 yes 5-20 6 absent no 2 hollows High Hollow mature trees present, (recorder suitable RE type, connectivity attached to small tree facing hollows) FL3HS E. platyphylla 7 45 yes 10 4 absent no 1 hollow High Mature trees with hollows, suitable RE type, connectivity present SM4HS C. tesselaris 8 40 yes 10 6 absent no 1 hollow High Mature trees with hollows, suitable RE type, connectivity present FL4HS stag 10 55 yes 10 6 absent no several High Mature trees with hollows, suitable hollows RE type, connectivity present FL5HS E. platyphylla 7 38 yes 5-15 4 absent no 3 hollows Medium Suitable RE type present, hollows present, not connected