YELLOW THROAT The newsletter of BirdLife Tasmania: a branch of BirdLife Australia Number 106, July 2019
General Meeting Thursday, 11 July, 7.30 p.m.
Please come along to Catherine Young and Geoff Shannon’s presentation on Bird banding in Tasmania. Bird banding is an important research tool for ornithologists, providing unique and valuable data from individual to community level. Geoff and Catherine will provide updates on their recent projects in Tasmania including population monitoring and collaborations with other groups. Having recently returned from the Australasian Ornithological Conference they will also give a synopsis of the meeting, including insights from the banding symposium on the future of banding in Australia. Catherine completed her PhD with the Australian National University in 2017, working in the Kimberley region of WA. Currently she holds a visiting position at the University of Tasmania through which her bird banding project is run. She learnt to band birds with the Australian Bird Study Association in 2007 and is still actively involved with the organisation and their banding projects. Geoff, a member of the BirdLife Tasmania Executive Committee, has been involved in bird- banding organisations and projects for many years, originally in south-west England, then Western Australia and now Tasmania. He also runs bird talks and walks in north-west Tasmania, through U3A. Mike Newman will also briefly present his recent analysis of data on the Pallid Cuckoo.
Meeting venue: Life Sciences Lecture Theatre 1, Life Sciences Building, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay. Access and parking are from College Road or from the parking area outside the University Centre via the pedestrian bridge over Churchill Ave. Everyone is welcome to stay for tea and coffee afterwards.
Pallid Cuckoo (fed by Black-headed Honeyeater). Photo by Alan Fletcher.
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Are our altitudinal migrants stressed? By Mike Newman Winter birding in Tasmania can be lean pickings after our summer breeding species migrate north. However, although species diversity may be lower, numbers may increase in lowland habitats as birds move down from their montane breeding areas. Crescent Honeyeaters and Eastern Spinebills are well known examples moving to coastal heaths and suburban gardens where native plantings have created a supportive niche. But how much do we really know about these movements? In recent discussions friends have suggested that these birds have arrived earlier this year and it is easy to agree. Indeed, this might be an expected consequence of lack of resources in their montane summer habitats following an extended period of hotter, drier summers and birds displaced by wildfires. But are our opinions soundly based or just subjective judgements? In conversations with friends one tends to avoid being the hard-nosed scientist. This may well be a fault because many people may have meticulous diaries documenting this information in their back yards. The question is how to gather and assess it? There is also the question of whether the abnormally dry conditions in eastern Tasmania are affecting the floristic species on which honeyeaters depend in the winter months. A recent comment by Nick Mooney supports this concern. “By the way I was at Low Head last weekend and there were hundreds of eastern spinebills around the boxthorn near the lighthouse. It was the only thing flowering. Quite bizarre.” Another question concerns those species which remain at high altitudes where we seldom venture when conditions are bleak. During the last week of April during a period of extremely inclement weather, which made birding a marginal proposition, Tim Reid and I made independent forays up Mt Wellington to altitudes of 700m and above. We both encountered large flocks of Black-headed Honeyeaters, which were unexpected and contrary to our previous experience of the area while conducting Birdata surveys. Other high-altitude species may be more mobile than is commonly accepted with several records of immature Pink Robins in near-coastal habitat on the South Arm peninsula and Alan Fletcher recording flocks of Olive Whistlers at Pink Robin. Photo by Helen Cunningham. two locations on the peninsula last winter.
Set public scrutiny in concrete By Nick Sawyer, Sophie Underwood, Peter McGlone and Tom Allen First published as a ‘Talking Point’ in The Mercury, June 11, 2019 PREMIER Will Hodgman often says his Government’s call for Expressions of Interest in tourism developments in Tasmania’s parks and reserves provides a rigorous and transparent process for their assessment (e.g., ‘Backing in sustainable nature tourism’ media release, March 19). However, the reality is that rather than using a well-defined, rigorous and transparent process which guarantees public comment and appeal rights, it is taking advantage of an absence of such a process.
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The key decision in the approval or refusal of a development proposal in a national park or reserve (about 50 per cent of the state) is compliance with the relevant legally binding management plan where there is one, or consistency with the legislation if there is not. This is the decision that most needs to be rigorously documented and available for public scrutiny. This task falls to the Parks and Wildlife Service’s Reserve Activity Assessment, so it is essential this process is robust and transparent. The Reserve Activity Assessment, however, is only defined in an internal Parks and Wildlife Service policy document, not in legislation, so it cannot be legally challenged or appealed – there is no requirement that a Reserve Activity Assessment be made public, let alone that it be made subject to public scrutiny (Parks and Wildlife regularly undertakes Reserve Activity Assessments without public involvement), and it has no clearly defined relationship to any planning legislation despite its crucial role in informing federal and local government decisions. This means the public have no guaranteed right of say over development of public land – which is undemocratic. This situation must be addressed before the Tasmanian (Statewide) Planning Scheme takes effect. This will make things even worse because it effectively removes the only legislated protection the public has over development on reserved land by removing councils from key decision about impacts on reserve values. In the case of the Lake Malbena proposal, the key issue is impact on wilderness values. If there had been no role for council, the only public comment on wilderness concerns would have been through the Federal Government’s separate assessment – there would have been very limited opportunity for council to refuse the development and no opportunity to raise wilderness impacts in an appeal. Legally binding clarification of a process for assessing proposed developments on public reserved land is particularly important when the Government’s policy of unlocking our national parks actively encourages such development. Legislation is needed to guarantee an open and transparent process with meaningful public scrutiny and appeal rights, and to define the relationship with other legislation (nobody gains from duplication of process). This is not a big ask. Development on reserved public land needs to be assessed with at least as much rigour as development on private land – not less! An integrated process already exists for assessing works on heritage places, where the Tasmanian Heritage Council has a legally defined role in the planning permit assessment process and the decision is reviewable by the Resource Management and Planning Appeals Tribunal, ensuring independent scrutiny and oversight in the existing planning permit appeals process. The proposal for a wilderness lodge at Lake Malbena in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area originated as an Expressions of Interest proposal. On February 26, the Central Highlands Council met to make its decision on the development application. A common theme of comments by councillors was inadequacy of the Reserve Activity Assessment (which had not been subject to separate public comment) and the failure of process – the state and federal governments had shirked their responsibilities – a small rural council should never have been required to make key decisions about impacts on World Heritage values. Tasmania’s planning legislation dates from the early 1990s. Both major political parties then agreed that national parks were out-of-bounds for commercial development so the original omission of a rigorous process for assessment for developments is understandable. The State Government’s call for Expressions of Interest has taken advantage of this legislative void. There are thought to be about 40 Expressions of Interest proposals under consideration. Proposals are progressed to the stage of determining lease and licence conditions by an unaccountable panel of senior public servants, before the Parks and Wildlife Service is required to go through the motions of conducting a Reserve Activity Assessment which may never be made public. Depending on the detail of the proposal, further local and/or federal government assessment may be required, but these processes do not necessarily guarantee the key concerns of impacts on reserve values will be addressed. Only if the proposal requires a change to a management plan is there a legal requirement for public consultation by Parks and Wildlife. Even this may be lost in the future under the
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Government’s apparent agenda of sidelining legally enforceable management plans in favour of the non-legally binding tourism “master plans”. The Parks and Wildlife Service started a review of the Reserve Activity Assessment early last year but it has stalled for more than 12 months. The review will be of very limited value if it is confined to refining the internal Parks and Wildlife process. The Reserve Activity Assessment’s greatest deficiencies can only be addressed by legislation which guarantees an open and transparent process, with opportunity for meaningful public scrutiny, appeal rights, and clear relationship with other relevant legislation. We call on the State Government to commit to a timeframe for a consultative review of all aspects of the assessment of development proposals in national parks and reserves, and release key outcomes of the Reserve Activity Assessment review to date.
Nick Sawyer is president of the Tasmanian National Parks Association, Sophie Underwood is co- ordinator of Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania, Peter McGlone is director of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and Tom Allen is acting campaign manager of The Wilderness Society (Tasmania). This article first appeared as a ‘Talking Point’ in the Mercury, June 11, 2019.
Letter from the Raptor Refuge
Raptor refuge had a thrilling time in May 2019. I was fortunate enough to have a DOUBLE eagle release, a Wedge-tailed Eagle and a White- bellied Sea-eagle, which was extra-special because I got to share it with my son. Doing a combo release together, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my opinion, was a spectacular moment for me and my teenage son. He has grown up at the Raptor Refuge and learnt everything "raptor" over his 16 years! They say timing is everything, and our new partnership with Abercrombie & Kent that allows their global travellers to visit RR was the perfect opportunity. We basically launched two magnificent birds back to where they belong while also launching our new partnership. The Raptor refuge is growing and progressing very nicely and we are treating more birds as our 1800RAPTOR hotline gets more widely known. The hotline is for reporting *injured and dead raptors* statewide. Put it in your phones! 1800727867. Our awesome 2020 Calendar will be out soon, so look out for it locally or order online. It is going to be a Raptorial masterpiece!
Happy raptoring, Craig Webb Photos courtesy of Craig Webb.
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Why are Tasmanian Native-hen numbers decreasing? By Mike Newman When Jenny Smith questioned earlier this year why Tasmanian Native-hens had disappeared from her property at Crabtree, close to the boundary with Wellington Park, we found that her experience was not unique, with numbers apparently dropping off at a number of regularly monitored locations in south-east Tasmania. This raised questions as to how widespread the decreases were and what was causing them. Examination of Birdata 500m surveys for the last five years suggests that the problem may be relatively widespread in south-east Tasmania, as shown in the following chart. However, there doesn’t seem to be problem in the north and north-west of the state.
60.0
50.0 49.3 50.0 45.3 39.2 39.0 40.0 35.4 29.9 29.8 30.0 20.0
20.0 15.4 ReportingRate (%)
10.0
0.0 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
South-east North/North-west
Comparison of variations in Reporting Rates of Tasmanian Native-hens in the south-east and northern areas of Tasmania (500m Birdata surveys).
A decrease of almost 50% in the presence of Native-hens in two years is potentially serious because it implies a much greater decrease in the number of Native-hens in south-east Tasmania. Even in those places where we still see them regularly, they may be in much smaller numbers than previously. Tasmanian Native-hens were the feature of the recent presentation by Dr. Anne Golidzen at the General Meeting in May. Anne stressed the importance of water and pasture to Tasmanian Native-hens, which suggests that current low rainfall conditions provide an explanation of the current decrease. However, conditions on Jenny Smith’s property continue to appear suitable for Native-hens, suggesting that other factors may be involved. For instance, Anne Goldizen indicates that there have been historical decreases which may be related to some form of unconfirmed epidemic. Hopefully, the current decreases are a transient situation and Tasmanian Native-hen numbers will bounce back rapidly. Birdata gives us an opportunity to monitor the situation and we strongly encourage those already committed to keep continue their work and others to join forces with our efforts. Repeat surveys at regularly monitored sites are particularly important to understanding what is happening. If you are not already doing so, please record the number of Native-hens seen so we can track changes in both Reporting Rates and the number of birds seen in the coming months. It is also important to record breeding presence and the number of young because not only are Reporting Rates lower in south-east Tasmania, but the percentage of records involving breeding over the last three years has been lower in the south-east (6.5%) than in the north of the state (9.8%).
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A short note on Birdata The situation with Tasmanian Native-hen numbers, as detailed in Mike’s article, shows how important it is for BirdLife Tasmania members to be involved in tracking the numbers and breeding status of our birds. The new year in Birdata has just commenced, so it is an ideal time to start doing surveys. If you are not already involved, please consider becoming a Birdata contributor. It is easy to use, fun (and I’m not a nerd at all!), helps improve your identification skills and gives you a sense of doing something valuable for our birds. If you need some help with getting started, please contact the Secretary, Andrew Walter (contact details on the back page). Congratulations to those already involved. Last year in excess of 3,500 surveys were submitted to Birdata, surpassing our expectations. Our members submit 20% more surveys than in 1999/2000, at the peak of the New Atlas of Australian Birds, when 2925 surveys were submitted. ― Ed. Birdlife Tasmania news and views Since May, BirdLife Tasmania has issued media releases on penguins killed by dogs, the early breeding of penguins and the threat to endangered species posed by the massive expansion of wind farms proposed for Tasmania. These media releases are reproduced here, and the ‘Links’ section includes media on these issues.
Penguins and dogs
MEDIA RELEASE 17 May 2019 Penguin killings ‘beggar belief’ BirdLife Tasmania today expressed shock at the news of yet another mass killing of Little Penguins on the Northwest coast of Tasmania. PWS and media reports suggest some 18 penguins have been found killed at West Ulverstone. ‘This most recent killing of 18 penguins beggars belief’ Dr Eric Woehler, Convenor of BirdLife Tasmania said today following discussions with PWS staff. Of concern is that there may be more penguins found, as PWS Rangers continue their search in the area. ‘How many more dog attacks are we going to read about, before dog owners take responsibilities for their pets?’ Dr Woehler asked.
Little Penguin, Bicheno. Photo by Michelle Turner.
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‘Last night we saw PWS Rangers on the beach, which happens to be a declared “No dogs allowed” area, and he saw that there were dogs off leash in plain view during his interview.’ ‘Councils need to ensure compliance by dog owners with declared no-dog zones,’ Dr Woehler said. ‘These no-dog areas are there to protect wildlife and other values in our communities,’ he added. ‘Dog owners need to respect the restrictions in place, not flout them with arrogance and disdain, claiming that, “their dog would never hurt anything.” ‘Every dog attack on penguins in Tasmania underlines the lack of respect by some dog owners for the measures put in place to protect our wildlife, including our penguins,’ Dr Woehler added. ‘Clearly, owners of dogs found responsible for killing penguins and other wildlife must be fined significantly, as this is likely to be the only deterrent to future attacks on penguins,’ Dr Woehler concluded.
MEDIA RELEASE 27 June 2019 Keep your dogs under control – our penguins are ashore to breed! Surveys by BirdLife Tasmania and reports from the Tasmanian community have confirmed that Little Penguins are present in their colonies around Tasmania for an early start to the breeding season, BirdLife Tasmania reported today. ‘Recent surveys at Low Head and Bruny Island, and from a number of other colonies in the southeast, and the east and northwest coasts by BirdLife Tasmania over the last week have confirmed earlier reports of Little Penguins ashore in their colonies to breed,’ Dr Eric Woehler, BirdLife Tasmania Convenor said today. ‘This is an unusually early start for the penguins. We have had a few reports of winter breeding in recent years, but this is the earliest I’m aware of in Tasmania in many years,’ Dr Woehler added. ‘Our surveys suggest as many as 10% of burrows in a colony may be presently occupied. Further efforts over the next few months will monitor this early breeding effort.’ ‘At present, we don’t understand what initiates the breeding season for penguins in Tasmania. Clearly food is critical, but currently we don’t know the underlying mechanisms involved.’ ‘Given the recent spate of dog attacks around the state, it is important that dog owners in coastal communities around the state ensure their dogs are unable to roam at night and threaten the penguins ashore,’ Dr Woehler said. ‘The increased presence of Little Penguins ashore over a longer period of the year in Tasmania means these defenceless birds are at greater risk from uncontrolled dogs roaming their colonies at night.’ ‘The Tasmanian Government is presently reviewing the Dog Control Act, and BirdLife Tasmania supports significantly higher financial penalties for dog owners whose pets kill wildlife, especially penguins,’ Dr Woehler concluded.
Wind farms
MEDIA RELEASE 25 June 2019 Death by a thousand blades A boom in the number of wind farms proposed for Tasmania is posing massive risks for already Endangered species of birds, Birdlife Tasmania warned today. ‘With at least 10 new wind farms either proposed or under construction, more than 500 extra turbines could be spinning over the Tasmanian landscape in the next few years,’ Birdlife Tasmania Convenor Dr Eric Woehler said.
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‘Add to all these turbines the associated infrastructure such as transmission lines and towers, and the cumulative web of bird hazards escalates dramatically. Tasmania, like the rest of the world, needs a truly sustainable future if it is to make the most of its economic assets. Wind projects that create death traps for our birds should not be part of that future.’ The wind farms (listed below) would be built on Tasmania’s west coast, across much of the far northwest coast, parts of the Central Plateau, and in the northeast. They add to existing wind farms already recorded as taking a deadly toll, particularly of Wedge-tailed Eagles. ‘BirdLife Tasmania supports renewable energy, which is vital to address the climate emergency,’ Dr Woehler said. ‘But just because a project is offering renewable energy, it should not get a free pass to kill endangered species. ‘There needs to be urgent consideration of the cumulative impacts of so many wind projects on birds in Tasmania,’ Dr Woehler said. ‘What is missing is a holistic strategy for windfarms in Tasmania that includes critical no-go areas,’ he added. ‘The most worrying project is the looming largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere on Robbins Island in the far northwest of Tasmania, which would force radical changes in the surrounding ecosystem. When built, its turbines will threaten migratory Arctic shorebirds, some already listed as Critically Endangered, that make the Robbins Passage-Boullanger Bay wetland complex their southern summer home,’ he said. ‘The island is used by migrating Orange-bellied Parrots. Much of the 9,900ha island will be covered by the wind farm.’ To reach the island for construction, a causeway and bridge system would be built over 1.4 km of free-flowing tidal wetlands. These wetlands are the summer home to more than 10,000 migratory shorebirds. The Robbins Passage-Boullanger Bay wetland complex is the most important site for shorebirds in Tasmania, supporting more shorebirds than the rest of the State combined. It is a critical site in a global flyway that stretches from Australia through eastern Asia to north of the Arctic Circle. ‘It is an amazing spectacle to see flocks of these far-flying birds at home in this still unspoilt sea country,’ Dr Woehler said. ‘The Robbins Passage-Boullanger Bay wetlands complex has been repeatedly assessed as being of global importance,’ he added. ‘It was assessed as clearly holding values that made it eligible to be listed under the international Ramsar Convention to protect wetlands of international significance. But this protection was denied after a campaign by local opponents. ‘Despite this setback, the area has been listed as an Important Bird Area in a worldwide network recognised by BirdLife International and the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), at a time when migratory shorebird populations have begun to crash on the
Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle with wind turbines in distance. ©Eric Woehler.
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East Asian– Australasian Flyway. ‘This makes this Tasmanian refuge even more important as a barometer of how many birds are strong enough to make it to the far southern extent of the flyway.’ Surveys by BirdLife Tasmania have tracked these numbers and their trends for more than 20 years. ‘Our surveys show that the numbers of Eastern Curlew and Curlew Sandpiper in Tasmania have decreased catastrophically over that time. Our data has helped list both of these birds as Critically Endangered in Australia,’ Dr Woehler said. Another three wind farms are planned along the northwest coast at Jim’s Plain, Western Plains at Stanley and Port Latta, as farmers seek further revenue streams. South of these, investigations are underway into wind farms at Hellyer and Guildford – remote from towns – but not from eagles. Another investigation is under way at St Patrick’s Plains on the Central Plateau, close to the Cattle Hill Wind Farm, which is under construction. The combination of turbines with more high-tension transmission lines will pose a massively increased threat to Wedge-tailed Eagles, whose known deaths are growing across the existing network. Just last year, TasNetworks alone reported that 29 Wedge-tailed Eagles were killed on its power lines. ‘Many other eagle deaths and injuries – reported and unreported – have happened at existing wind farms, and on power lines around the state,’ Dr Woehler added. ‘Where is the wind farm strategy for Tasmania? Where are the sensitive and critical no-go areas for windfarms in Tasmania? Unless and until we have a strategy and make every effort to protect our wildlife from wind farms, the constant mortality of eagles and other birds undermines any claims of ‘sustainability’ by the renewable energy sector,’ Dr Woehler concluded. List of wind projects proposed or under construction in Tasmania, as of June 2019: 1. Granville Harbour – under construction, 31 turbines [https://granvilleharbourwindfarm.com.au/] 2. Guildford – up to 80 turbines [https://epuron.com.au/] 3. Hellyer – up to 40 turbines [https://epuron.com.au/] 4. Lake Echo/Cattle Hill – under construction, 48 turbines [https://cattlehillwindfarm.com/] 5. Low Head – approved – 14 turbines [https://www.lowheadwindfarm.com.au/] 6. Port Latta – approved – 14 turbines [http://portlattawindfarm.com.au/] 7. Robbins Island + Jims Plains – c.150 turbines [https://robbinsislandwindfarm.com/] 8. Rushy Lagoon/Waterhouse, under investigation, 50–100 turbines 9. St Patrick's Plains – up to 80 turbines [https://epuron.com.au/] 10. Western Plains (Stanley) – 13 turbines [https://epuron.com.au/wind/stanley-wind-farm/]
2019 Winter Gull Count From report to counters by Eric Woehler The 2019 BirdLife Tasmania Winter Gull Count (WGC) was held on Sunday 9 June. Weather conditions throughout the morning were fine and suitable for undertaking the count. Kelp and Pacific Gulls counts commenced in 1980 by members of BOAT (Bird Observers’ Association of Tasmania, later Birds Tasmania and now BirdLife Tasmania) under the initial coordination of Dr Bill Wakefield. Silver Gulls were added to WGCs in 1983. No WGCs were conducted in 1991–1994 inclusive, and the 2019 WGC was the 36th WGC for south-east Tasmania. It is believed that this is the longest time series for gull populations in Australia. Almost 60 people were involved in the 2019 WGC, counting all three species of gulls from Southport, throughout the d’Entrecasteaux Channel and Bruny Island foreshores, the Derwent Estuary to Hobart, up-river to New Norfolk, eastward to the South Arm Peninsula, Sorell, Marion Bay and the Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas. Staff from Tassal and Huon Aquaculture contributed, with counts of gulls associated with fish farms and other infrastructure at leases. Hobart, Glenorchy and Kingborough Councils permitted counters access to McRobies Gully, Glenorchy and Margate Waste Disposal Sites, respectively.
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Summary of results All three species of gulls were recorded in lower numbers than in the 2018 WGC. The Kelp Gull count decreased by 10%, the Pacific Gull count by 40% and the Silver Gull count by 15% relative to their 2018 counts. The regional populations of all three species remain higher than the initial counts in the 1980s. The populations for all three species continue to exhibit significant inter-annual variabilities in their WGC data. Acknowledgements Sincere thanks to all participants for their efforts. Thanks to Tassal and Huon Aquaculture for allowing their staff to participate, and to Hobart, Glenorchy and Kingborough Councils for access to their facilities.
Winter wader count 2019 – SE Tasmania By Sue Drake Photos by Sue Wragge
The weather on the day for the coordinated winter wader count of the Derwent Estuary and Marion Bay was fine and still, ideal weather conditions although the ‘low’ high tide proved to be a problem for some. 800 Pied Oystercatchers were observed!
Left: Sooty Oystercatchers with Bar-tailed Godwits at Five Mile Beach
Other areas were counted on different days, with Shirley Fish at Lake Dulverton recording 209 Masked Lapwings and 64 Black-fronted Dotterels. Perhaps the conditions are pushing them into a few congregations. Many thanks to the 23 adults (plus Archie) who participated in the count. Their generous sharing of energy and knowledge contributes to the impressively long- running data set.
Above: Red-capped plover in flight at Five Mile Beach.
Left: Bar-tailed Godwits at Five Mile Beach
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Meet the committee (part two) Here three more new committee members introduce themselves. Photos courtesy of the subject.
Karen Dick I am an environmental specialist with thirty years’ experience of ecology, environmental assessment and management, research and education around the world. An active birder, I have contributed consistently over twenty years to both scientific and ‘citizen science’ songbird, seabird and shorebird surveys within the UK, and also in offshore waters in Europe. In 2012, I relocated with my family from the UK to Tasmania where I continue my involvement in surveys, engage in regular recreational pelagic trips and enjoy being a member of BirdLife Tasmania. I work as a nature tour guide in Tasmania, sharing my knowledge with guests on trips around the State. I have been involved with committees for bird membership organisations since 1995 and was the Convenor for the Scottish professional organisation of Ecologists and Environmental Managers for three years before moving to Tasmania. I bring to the BirdLife Committee huge enthusiasm for wild places and wildlife and a passion for engagement with people. Karen organises the excursion program — Ed.
Phillipa Reid I am a stay at home mum with a nearly one-year-old son. I previously worked in the financial services industry; however, I returned to university and completed a science degree majoring in geography and environmental management in 2017. I have always had a love and interest in birds so when the position for treasurer with Birdlife Tas become available it looked to be the perfect opportunity to use my financial skills and passion for birds to help make a difference.
Perviz Marker I first started as a member back in the 1980s and at one time was even treasurer! I accompanied the late Bill Wakefield on many gull and water bird excursions and took part in some banding excursions too. This introduced me to quite a few interesting birds including the Forty-spotted Pardalote. After a break, due to work commitments, I became interested in Little Penguins, particularly after the Iron Barron oil spill in 1995. Since then, I have been very one-eyed (some would say obsessed) with Little Penguins and have been very involved with them, particularly on the North West Coast, where I live. I started the Friends of Burnie Penguins back in 2004 and
11 every season since, we have been providing voluntary guided viewing for visitors to the Burnie Penguin Observatory Centre for six months of the year. I completed a PhD on an ecological study of Little Penguins and have worked advising local councils, TasRail and Parks and Wildlife Service about Little Penguin habitat and management as required. I have also been invited to be a member of the Tasmanian Penguin Advisory Group, which will be providing support and advice to community groups and other management agencies. Now that I have more time on my hands, I have been invited to join the BirdLife Tasmania committee as I would like to contribute and be more involved in other species and issues related to birds, their habitat, survival and management, as we are losing too many populations to many impacts. The more data collection and understanding we can develop of the ecosystems, the better our chances are of developing best management practices for birds and their habitats. I look forward to supporting the ongoing work of such a great organisation. Snippets Leucistic magpie
Photo by Paul Fraser Jean Swanwick reports that this leucistic magpie has been often seen in the Lower Barrington area of northern Tasmania for the last couple of years. This magpie is totally accepted as part of a family
12 group of magpies in the local area; it has a mate and could be a female since its mate appears to be a male bird. Anecdotally, a white magpie has been seen in the area over a long period. Leucistic magpies occur from time to time over all of Australia and the WA Museum reported that there is a one in six million chance of this genetic mutation occurring. In one instance, it appeared that the mutation was passed on when a second-generation white magpie was observed.
Tawny Frogmouth From Sue Jones: Walking along the Alum Cliffs track near Kingston recently, we came upon a very noisy group of twelve Brown Thornbills, which were joined by a couple of Superb Fairy Wrens, Silvereyes and Black- headed Honeyeaters. The flock was acting as if there was a snake or cat in the vicinity, but we soon discovered that they were actually mobbing a Tawny Frogmouth that was trying very hard to pretend it was part of a tree. In her book on the Tawny Frogmouth, Gisela Kaplan comments (page 55) that they can ‘expect to be mobbed unless they adopt a camouflage position.’ Perhaps this one just picked the wrong tree. Photo by Sue Jones. Where? Where? Wedgie! update By Clare Hawkins Congratulations to all on a fantastic set of Where? Where? Wedgie! surveys this year. Participants booked to survey 152 4 km x 4 km squares across the state – not as many as last year, but we constrained bookings to ‘priority’, regularly spaced-apart squares, and encouraged people to do more than one day of surveys per square. Reports are now in from 119 squares, of which 71 were surveyed for at least 2 days (only 20 priority squares were surveyed for 2+ days last year). This is encouraging stuff. Jo Potts’ power analyses from last year’s data indicate that if we annually survey 100 squares for just one day, we’ll only reliably pick up year-to-year population changes of at least 80%. She found that the most effective way to improve on this is not to increase squares, but to increase the number of surveys per square. Two days' surveys per square will reliably pick up a change of around 40%; and, with three days’ surveys, maybe around 25%. These repeats are needed because eagles are actually really hard to detect, especially when perched. Results indicate that when they’re in the area, we miss them around 90% of the time. We’ll soon be sending out emails asking people to check their data, and reminding those who haven’t sent or uploaded theirs yet. ‘Zero’ records – surveys which recorded none of the target birds – may be boring to collect, but they’re exactly as valuable in monitoring population changes as records with lots of birds – do still send them in! Where? Where? Wedgie’s ‘presence/absence’ data is one of its particular strengths – it’s much easier to interpret than ‘presence only’. We especially congratulate our Zero Heroes! Another update will follow once all the data are in.
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Book review
The Guide to Tasmanian Wildlife by Angus McNab, published by Forty South Publishing 2018. Book review by Mona Loofs-Samorzewski
For many years, anyone wanting to gain an understanding of the wildlife found in Tasmania would either have to collect up a range of separate bird, mammal and reptile Tasmanian field guides or would need to wade through the entire fauna of Australia in one of the many Australian bird or mammal field guides, laboriously picking out the Tasmanian distribution for every species. All that has now changed with this excellent, comprehensive and beautiful book by Angus McNab. McNab’s enthusiasm for and knowledge of wildlife shine through every page of this compact and useful field guide. The guide covers all wildlife found in Tasmania (including Macquarie Island), and the sections are divided naturally into amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Although the usual taxonomic order of species common to animal field guides is followed, there are a few thoughtful deviations, which assist both the general reader and anyone with a specific interest. For example, the mammal and bird sections are further divided into land and marine groups, allowing readers to quickly find the appropriate section for the main habitat they are in – a bonus if you are out at sea and want to figure out which whale or albatross you just saw. Generally, I find line drawings more useful than photographs in a field guide, but the quality and range of photographs in McNab’s book challenge this preference. Each photograph clearly shows the features needed to identify the species, assisted by the ‘identification’ and ‘similar species’ items in the text. Where relevant, different sexes, life stages, plumages and colour morphs are all illustrated, and there are at least two photographs to demonstrate each animal. Coloured lines placed between groups of photos and between the text for each species allow the eye to naturally flow between the two, and avoid the need for disruptive text on the photograph pages. I have only a few minor quibbles, such as Black and Grey Currawongs being on different pages making comparison difficult, but on the whole the photographs and layout are truly excellent. When you consider that the bulk of the photographs were taken by the author, it is rather an impressive achievement. Like many other field guides, McNab’s book includes information on habitat, identification diagrams, a glossary and useful contacts. What makes the book even more helpful and practical are the handy extras, such as a list of all the Tasmanian endemics, a double-page spread of bat call sonograms, illustrations of mammal footprints and enlightening introductions to each section. Whether you are a visitor to our beautiful island or a local, someone just starting to develop an interest in wildlife or a passionate animal lover, this book comes highly recommended for your bookshelf, back-pack or caravan. McNab’s stated hope, that his guide will ‘promote a spark of interest’ in the natural history of Tasmania, is likely to be highly successful.
This is the first of a new series for Yellow Throat. If you would like to submit a review of a book that concerns birds – in any way – please contact me. — Ed.
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Links
Penguin breeding season starts early: https://www.examiner.com.au/story/6246333/little-penguin-breeding-off-to-unusually-early-start/
Wind turbines killing endangered birds: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6240620/wind-turbines-killing-endangered-birds/
Why penguins and dogs don't mix! https://www.abc.net.au/radio/hobart/programs/statewideweekends/saturdays-bird- talkback/11171460
Time-lapse film of a Burrowing Owl nest in Montana (Cornell Ornithology Lab): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQPY_AjrkLo
The odour of kiwi… https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2019/may/11/give-a-kiwi-a-good- sniff-perfumer-recreates-the-odour-of-birds-for-major-exhibition-video
How Britain’s backyard bird feeders are shaping evolution www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/how-britain-s-backyard-bird-feeders-are-shaping-evolution?
Lake Malbena appeal fundraising campaign: https://www.givenow.com.au/lakemalbenaappeal
UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/ http://theconversation.com/we-must-rip-up-our-environmental-laws-to-address-the-extinction- crisis-116746
Orange bellied-parrots caught on camera near Melaleuca in far south-west Tasmania: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-24/less- than-15-orange-bellied-parrots-living-in-the- wild/11224852
Something completely different! http://www.merseysidetoday.co.uk/merseyside- trivia/the-significance-of-the-liver-birds/
Other organisations: Orange-bellied Parrot, Melaleuca. Tasmanian Land Conservancy: Photo by Helen Cunningham. https://tasland.org.au/ Raptor Refuge: http://www.raptorrefuge.com.au/ Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary: https://www.bonorong.com.au/ Tasmanian Field Naturalists: https://www.tasfieldnats.org.au/ Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service: https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/ Orange-bellied Parrot, Melaleuca. Photo by Helen Cunningham.
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Birdlife Tasmania Excursions
As well as the excursions below, Geoff Shannon runs a program of walks and talks in the north- west, through U3A Port Sorrell. BirdLife Tasmania members are most welcome to attend. Please contact Geoff if you would like to be informed of the events program: [email protected] or phone 0408 932 469.
Southern excursions, 2019 All excursions 2 to 3 hours unless stated otherwise. Please contact leader for details. Sun 14th July Fern Glade Track, One of Hobart’s best wet woodland Karen Dick 2019 Mount Wellington tracks, hosting some of Tasmania’s 0427 740 961 8:30am more elusive endemic species [email protected] Sun 18th August Chauncy Vale Visit the reserve near Bagdad, north of Karen Dick 2019 Wildlife Sanctuary Brighton for early migrants 0427 740 961 8:30am [email protected] Sun 22nd Ridgeway One of the current Tasmania Fire Karen Dick September Reservoir Service survey sites, part of the study 0427 740 961 2019 examining differences in utilisation [email protected] 8:30am between original and recently burned sites, using 20 min, 2 ha surveys and the Birdata database Sun 20th Waverley Flora Enjoy a spring trip to the wonderful Karen Dick October 2019 Park Flora Park on the Eastern Shore. 0427 740 961 8:30am [email protected]
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Eastern Spinebill, Scamander. Photo by Michelle Turner.
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BirdLife Tasmania Directory 2019 GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001 www.birdlife.org.au/tasmania
Convenor Dr Eric Woehler
Shorebird Count Coordinators South-east Sue Drake
Database c/- The Secretary, GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001
‘State of Tasmania’s Birds’ report to be compiled annually by committee. Chair Mike Newman.
Editors Sharon Moore (Yellow Throat)
Library and equipment
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Bar-tailed Godwit in last of the afternoon sun at Greenshank Bay (having moved from Five Mile Beach). Photo by Sue Wragge.
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We thank the office of Mr Andrew Wilkie, MHR, for assisting in the production of Yellow Throat 106.
Yellow Throat is produced every alternate month beginning in January. Contributions, including articles, sightings, birdwatching sites, letters and news, are welcome, and will be published subject to space and interest or relevance to BirdLife Tasmania members, at the Editor’s discretion. Views expressed in Yellow Throat are not necessarily those of BirdLife Tasmania, or of the Editor, unless explicitly stated. All maps drawn from the BirdLife Tasmania database remain © BirdLife Tasmania. Please make use of our material, but we ask that you acknowledge BirdLife Tasmania as the source.
BirdLife Tasmania is a regional branch of BirdLife Australia
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