YELLOW THROAT the Newsletter of Birdlife Tasmania: a Branch of Birdlife Australia Number 110, Winter 2020
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YELLOW THROAT The newsletter of BirdLife Tasmania: a branch of BirdLife Australia Number 110, Winter 2020 Welcome to all our new readers (supporters and new Contents members) to the Winter edition of Yellow Throat. Masked Lapwing—Is it breeding earlier this year…..2 Normally we would be letting you know when the Concern for Tasmania’s woodland birds………………...3 next BirdLife Tasmania General Meeting will be held and who will be speaking. Alas, we are still under More of the same—windfarms gaining approval through archaic assessment……………………………………..4 COVID-19 restrictions for now, and are unsure when the next meeting will take place, but it will not be be- Birdata is easy to use and helps our birdlife!...............7 fore September. Beneath the radar…………………………………………………….8 We will continue to provide updates in the e-bulletin What Happens to Out-of-Range Records in on the resumption of meetings, and also, of course, Birdata?.................................................................... .10 outings. At this stage, outings will hopefully resume in Any more oddities?....................................................11 August. In the meantime, enjoy the many interesting Bird - safe architecture…………………………………………. .12 articles we have in this issue of Yellow Throat; we South-east Tasmanian KBA report indicates climate - hope you are making the most of the birds in your related concern for some species………………………… ..14 local area. Birding in backyards initiative………………………………. ..17 In this issue of Yellow Throat, two programs are out- lined that allow the community to participate in bird Is your cat a killer?......................................................18 surveys. General Birdata surveys and Birds in Back- Cat management in Tasmania………………… .19 yards surveys are two different ways that people who Letter from the Raptor Refuge………………………………..20 love birds can record what they see. Just to ensure BirdLife Tasmania news and views there is no confusion – both use BirdLife Australia’s Convenors report……………………………………….. 21 Birdata portal, but are different ways to record data, and have different purposes and uses. Birding Walk—Arboretum…………………………….23 Dawn Chorus………………………………………………..23 General Birdata tracks changes in populations Book review throughout the country. It can alert researchers to Immy’s Endangered King Island Birds……….22 changes in a particular species’ population and the need for conservation measures. Links……………………………………………………………………….23 Birds in Backyards studies birds where people live, giving us a picture of the type of birds that are found in particular areas (see the link to the Ballarat data in Karen’s article). It is a good way for people to start out when they are new to recording bird surveys. So feel free to participate in one or both programs and read about Birdata surveys on pg. 7 and the Birds in Backyards program on pg. 17. If you have any concerns please email the Secretary: [email protected] Eds. 1 Masked Lapwing—Is it breeding earlier this year? BY MIKE NEWMAN Geoff Shannon observed newly-hatched Masked Lapwing chicks in the Forth area on 5th May. As Masked Lap- wing eggs are incubated for about 28 days this means that the clutch was laid early in April. In marked con- trast, during April some adults in south-east Tasmania were still in the process of persuading last year’s brood that it was time to leave their natal territories and join the flocks of non-breeders. Comparing notes with Geoff it appears there is a lag of about two months between breeding in the north and south of the state. While temperature is a possible reason for this difference, perhaps rainfall is equally or more important. Indeed, Geoff has noticed differences in timing between years over the last few breeding seasons, with this year being particularly early following good autumn rains. In the south-east the plovers are currently becoming more territorial and appear to be selecting nest sites, so early breeding may occur here as well. Between 1964 and 1967 an intensive study of the breeding behaviour of Masked Lapwings in south-east Tasmania by David Thomas (Emu 69, 81-102) found that the earliest clutches were laid in late June, but most pairs did not breed until the second half of July. The Masked Lapwing is a fascinating species. It almost invariably lays four eggs. Incubation does not com- mence in earnest until the clutch is nearly complete so that the eggs hatch within one or two days of each oth- er. Its eggs are laid in a scrape on the ground in a haphazard manner. In contrast, the Banded Lapwing is more fastidious and always organises its eggs symmetrically with pointed ends oriented inwards. The adults are calling to their young before the eggs hatch so that they recognise their voice and parental commands when they hatch. When the last egg hatches, the adults usually move the chicks some distance from the vicinity of the nest site. However, the family may return later during the six-week period from hatching to fledging. If you are lucky enough to live with breeding lapwings in your garden or nearby it is either a blessing or a curse – depending on whether you are a birder. While known as birds that dive-bomb the unwary to protect their nest or chicks, these birds, like magpies, can develop a mutually respectful relationship with resident birders. Masked Lapwing chick: Photo by Geoff Shannon 2 Concern for Tasmania’s woodland birds BY MIKE NEWMAN AND BARRY BAKER Ongoing evaluation of Tasmania’s Birdata indicates that many of Tasmania’s woodland birds are decreasing. This confirms what many of you suspected and is not surprising in view of the period of persistent low rainfall conditions which presently grip much of the state. However, there is increasing evidence that these decreases are also occurring in the wetter regions of the state, such as the NW coastal region between Penguin and Stanley and are not simply related to rainfall. Particularly hard hit are the Tasmania robins, as shown in the diagram below for north-west Tasmania, where Richard Ashby’s surveys give a perspective spanning two decades. The trends shown in the diagram are statis- tically significant. Equally compelling evidence is provided by data-sets from north-east Tasmania and the South Arm near Hobart, but these data-sets only cover the last ten years. Els and Bill Wakefield, in a study north of Hobart, indicated that numbers remained stable between 2009 and 2014, although whether there has been a decline in this region in the last six years is unknown. These results demonstrate the need for long-term monitoring to understand what is happening to our bird populations. The extent and persistence of these decreases are of extreme concern. We thank the many volunteers who have contributed to the Birdata survey effort. Scarlet robin: Photo by Barry Baker Dusky robin: Photo by Barry Baker 3 More of the same—windfarms gaining approval through archaic assessment BY NICK MOONEY It is disappointing to see that the next of many proposed windfarms, this time a 31-turbine job at Jim’s Plain SSW of Stanley, is another step closer to full approval based on some eagle assess- ments of unknown precision and arbitrary setting of minimum turbine-to-nest distances. Sadly, it appears that yet another chance has been lost to have accurate, modern assessment and monitoring methods applied. It also remains to be seen whether offsets that directly and de- monstrably benefit eagles are applied. Even if there was an epiphany by the regulator (essentially the EPA) and industry, it is actually too late now to apply those modern methods to anything other than seeing what happens at Jim’s Plain after commissioning. Still, as an engi- Source:https://epa.tas.gov.au/ Documents/Appendices%20A 20-20 B.pdf neer recently told me 'there will always be another windfarm'. The key assessments are an eagle nest search of areas within 1km of the site boundaries and an eagle utilisation survey of the site. Key management is having sufficient separation of nests and turbines, minimisation of disturbance to breeding during construction and reducing on-site hazards, including those other than turbines. Key monitoring issues are for mortalities and impacts on populations and then there are the yet-to-be detailed offsets. Eagle Nest Searches I was involved in the helicopter search of the area. Why 1km? It is a line-of site distance the EPA has cut and pasted from the distance I suggested thirty years ago to protect eagle nests from the disturbance of forestry operations. It was nothing to do with protecting them from lethal blades and for that purpose has no data basis. Therefore, it is arbitrary. The 1km distance is even more senseless now that turbines are reaching 250m in height, 50% more than the originals when the 1km distance was first set. Some turbines now loom over nests. We should have been studying the behaviour of eagles around nests and these sites by GPS tracking for years to give precise information on spatial intensity of activity to nominate protective distances. It is what other countries have been doing for quite a while. The nest search was good enough at the time but should be regarded as a temporary result. As with the dynamics introduced by forestry, it is likely nests come and go at a higher rate in these windfarm sites, disrupted as they are. Hence, forestry nest searches have a 2-year life span. Not so windfarms. Their searches years before commissioning are good for the regulator indefinitely. Some windfarm companies (eg Goldwind) at least make an effort to find and monitor nests much further afield, giving them the ability to realistically monitor impacts. Good for them.