Swift Parrot & Regent Honeyeater

SWIFT PARROT & REGENT HONEYEATER 2019 Survey Summary and General Update

Dean Ingwersen, Mick Roderick, Chris Timewell & Emily Mowat

From the BirdLife Australia Woodland Birds team

For more than 20 years, volunteer birdwatchers have participated in biannual targeted surveys for the critically endangered Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) and Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phygria) across their mainland range. This is one of the largest continual bird survey programs in Australia, with the majority of the contributions made by you – the citizen scientists, the keen birdwatchers, and our heroes! These surveys continue to increase our understanding of these two species and significantly influence the direction of management and conservation efforts. For the Regent Honeyeater in particular, every sighting is the trigger for immediate action by ecologists from BirdLife Australia, Australian National University (ANU), state government departments and others. With the move into the new year – and a new decade – it is timely to reflect on the past 12 months for these two special species. As seems to be the consistent annual theme, there were a few highs and all-too-many lows in 2019, as well as some unusual and unexpected events! We trust that you’ll find this summary of the 2019 sightings and other activities for Swift Parrots (mainland only) and Regent Honeyeaters to be of interest. A huge thank you again to all of our volunteers and regional coordinators for your hard work and dedication for both survey periods. We cannot stress strongly enough how much these efforts are valued, and how worthwhile they are. We also appreciated receiving sightings of both species made outside of the official survey periods, which contributed to the annual sightings databases (including records noted within Photo by Liam Murphy Birdata and eBird lists). With your help again in 2020, we will search for Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters across their potential mainland distribution. If you would like to participate in the 2020 targeted biannual surveys, see the details at the end of this report or contact us at [email protected]. Also note that from 2020 onwards, we’ll commence the transition to a revised methodology for these surveys. This will involve collection of more scientifically-robust data, allowing us to more confidently address conservation questions and challenges. This revised approach overlaps with the existing method, and is still very much reliant upon participation and contributions by our wonderful volunteers at two key times of the year. Some regions will trial this new survey method in 2020, with the full roll-out expected in 2021. The revised survey approach is described later in this document. Cheers and thanks again, from Dean, Mick, Chris and Emily

Swift Parrot Results - 2019

Overall results for mainland Australia

Throughout the whole of 2019, there were 301 discrete1 sightings of Swift Parrots documented on mainland Australia. A summary of these is provided in Table 1. This is slightly lower than the 319 discrete sightings documented in 2018, but this measurement is not considered to be an accurate indicator of population health.

Table 1. Number of Swift Parrot sightings in 2019

Number of "discrete sightings" Timing of sightings in 2019 Sub-total VIC NSW ACT QLD Before the May survey period 56 31 6 0 93 May survey period (11 to 26 May 2019) 31 11 2 0 44 Between May and August survey periods 40 34 0 1 75 August survey period (27 July to 11 Aug) 23 10 0 0 33 After the August survey period 22 28 6 0 56 Sub-total 172 114 14 1 301

The map on the following page displays all discrete Swift Parrot sightings from 2019. Of particular note are the three main clusters of 2019 Swift Parrot sightings — around central western Victoria; the greater Melbourne area including the western side of Port Phillip Bay; and greater Sydney. The first Swift Parrots seen on the mainland in 2019 were on the 3rd February of a single bird seen in Sunbury, to the north of metropolitan Melbourne. The second sighting was 6 weeks later of a single bird heard at Moruya Heads in southern NSW on 22nd March. Mainland Swift Parrots sightings were regularly reported thereafter. The largest group for 2019 was an estimated 200 Swift Parrots at Mount Annan Botanic Gardens (in south-west Sydney) in late June. As described in more detail below, this was also the most stable location for the year, where Swift Parrots were documented continuously for a period of 5-6 months2. Sightings of Swift Parrot from across its mainland range were documented regularly through until mid-late October. There were scattered sightings through November – mostly in southern Victoria – with the final birds detected on the mainland on 26th November.

1 A ‘discrete sighting’ is defined as a flock of one or more birds seen at a particular location for a defined period of time. It can sometimes be impossible to determine whether two nearby sightings of a similar-sized flock represent the same birds seen in different areas, or whether they are different flocks. Similarly, when a similar- sized flock is seen at the same location twice, but separated by a period of weeks or months – it is also usually impossible to determine whether these represent the same or different flocks. The best judgement of BirdLife Australia staff is used in these situations to determine whether these are documented as a single discrete sighting, or as two or more separate discrete sightings. As such, the figure of ‘301’ discrete sightings is a best estimate based on professional judgement. 2 As an aside, we compiled 112 separately documented records for the Swift Parrot at Mount Annan Botanic Gardens in 2019 from ~40 different observers.

Both the 2019 map and the equivalent map from 2018 have been provided in Appendix A for comparison. There are some differences, and some similarities. However, this long-term monitoring program has taught us that Swift Parrot distribution and movement patterns on the mainland inevitably vary from year-to-year. There are some semi-regular patterns, but no two years have been the same. Patterns of occurrence are very difficult to accurately predict based upon our current knowledge, and the effects of climate change appear to be exacerbating these annual changes. A growing appreciation of this uncertainty is one of the triggers for the revisions to the survey method to be implemented in the coming years (see page 15 for a detailed explanation of the new methodology). A full description of the methodology used for our biannual surveys and the data management process is provided in Appendix B.

Swift Parrots in NSW, the ACT and Queensland

In NSW and the ACT, birds arrived during late April on the NSW South Coast and in suburban Canberra. The NSW South Coast hosted the first large flock of the season, at Fairhaven (Wallaga Lake) where 50 birds were found on 21st April, peaking at 71 birds on 24th April. It wasn’t long, however, before birds gravitated to two main sites where 100+ Swift Parrots then established for quite some time. These were the Mount Annan Botanic Gardens in south-west Sydney, and at Chain Valley Bay on the southern shores of Lake Macquarie. In the meantime, an unusually western report came of two birds using trees in a park in Griffith NSW in mid-April.

During the May survey period in NSW, the vast majority of birds reported were still at the Mount Annan Botanic Gardens or Chain Valley Bay sites, with smaller flocks reported from Sydney’s northern beaches, Canberra and Port Macquarie. Reports in the ACT dried up almost completely post-May, with just singles or pairs reported sporadically until early spring. Further north a couple more sightings were made around Port Macquarie, whilst the one and only Queensland observation for the year came from Springfield Lakes whilst people were looking for the pair of Regent Honeyeaters found there (see below). Scattered reports of small numbers on Swift Parrots came from other parts of NSW but the most notable report was of a flock of around 30 birds found in Sydney’s northern beaches region. Indeed, one of the most interesting aspects of NSW sightings in 2019 was the number and breadth of Swift Parrots reported in the Greater Sydney Region. Up to 30 birds were reported from places such as Wilton, Cobbity, Scheyville NP, Kurrajong Hills, McGraths Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant, Muogamarra Nature Reserve and several other parts of Greater Sydney (including Mt Annan, discussed in more detail below).

Swift Parrots in flight at Chain Valley Bay NSW. Photo by Rebecca Citroni.

In traditional ‘hotspots’ it was a fairly quiet year. On the South West Slopes only small numbers were reported from south-east of Cowra mid-July, Umbango in early August and Mates Gully (Tarcutta) in late August. It is very likely that the dry conditions inland would have pushed birds coastward, contributing to the lack of flocks on the western slopes in 2019. In the Lower Hunter it was also a fairly quiet season, apart from one cohort of birds in the Millfield/Pelton area in August to early September. Fourteen birds were present in Werakata State

Conservation Area (Pelton) in mid-August, coinciding with 25 birds on the Austar coal mine site and 60 birds into early September about 10km west along Hayes Road, Millfield. Late season records came from Merimbula and Narooma on the NSW south coast in late September, along with a remarkable record of two birds feeding on prolific Forest Red Gum blossom in the Widden Valley (Upper Hunter Valley) in early November. Regent Honeyeaters were present in the area at the same time.

Juvenile Swift Parrot at Chain Valley Bay NSW. Photo by Steve Merrett.

Overall, the 2019 NSW season was really a “tale of two sites” with about 350 birds accounted for between Chain Valley Bay and Mount Annan Botanic Gardens. These two sites between them contained ~17.5% of the entire Swift Parrot population (and concurrent reports demonstrate they were distinct flocks). At Chain Valley Bay counts of up to 150 Swift Parrots were made, with birds being reported there until mid-June. Here birds were feeding on a combination of flowering (planted) Sydney Blue Gum and Swamp Mahogany, as well as lerp. The Mount Annan flock was even more fascinating not only because of the number of birds, but because the site was occupied from at least 23rd April until 8th October; essentially the entire mainland season at this one site. Two hundred birds were recorded by experienced observers on 26th June, representing ~10% of the entire Swift Parrot population. Most large counts came from birds flying around or resting in dead trees near the Banksia Garden in the early morning or late afternoon. The large flocks were described as splitting into smaller groups and flying off to feed on lerps or blossom in flowering Coastal Grey Box, returning to a well-visited dead tree near the Banksia Garden every afternoon.

Swift Parrots in Victoria

A Swift Parrot photographed on 3rd February in the expanding township of Sunbury (~30km NNW of central Melbourne) proved to be a false dawn – with the next confirmed sightings in Victoria not occurring until 28th March. However, for the two weeks following this second sighting, there were numerous small flocks (<10 birds) detected in the Melbourne suburbs and immediate surrounds (e.g. Edithvale-Seaford wetland reserve, Jells Park, Huntingdale, Royal Park, Bend of Islands, Bundoora, Shoreham, Eltham), to the west and south-west of Melbourne (e.g. Eynesbury, Serendip Sanctuary, Ocean Grove), in central Victoria (e.g. Kilmore, Heathcote, Maldon) and in the central west of the state (e.g. Havelock, Carapooee). The majority of these were one-off sightings, with return visits by birdwatchers on subsequent days failing to detect the birds again.

The first relatively large and persistent Victorian flock for 2019 was at the Werribee Western Treatment Plant. This iconic birdwatching location, better known for supporting Orange-bellied Parrots and vast numbers of diverse waterbird species, had a single Swift Parrot detected in a patch of planted eucalypts on 30th March. There were no further documented sightings until 14th April, when 15 birds were detected at the same location. Through until early May, large numbers of visiting birdwatchers reported on this flock of up to 40 birds. A good supply of lerps was likely to be main attractant.

Swift Parrot coming in to land, Ararat Hills Regional Park. Photo by Chris Farrell Nature Photography.

Patches of flowering Yellow Gums at Ocean Grove supported groups of up to 35 Swift Parrots, with semi-regular sightings from 6th April to 1st June. Over recent years, the woodlands around the Ocean Grove area have been among the most reliable Victorian locations for detecting Swift Parrots. Close to the southern coastline, it is likely that this area is one of the first stopping points for many of the

birds migrating across from Tasmania, and the one of the final areas before they head back across Bass Strait in Spring and early Summer. We don’t know whether the Swift Parrots being observed here over many days and weeks are mostly the same individuals, or if there is a constant flow of new birds arriving and then departing soon after. Interestingly, one of the regular local birdwatchers reported large numbers of lorikeets feeding and roosting in the same general area and often the same trees – at various times more than 150 Rainbow Lorikeets, up to 10 Purple-crowned Lorikeets and many Musk Lorikeets including one roosting flock of more than 800 individuals. From his many observations, this birdwatcher hypothesizes that although the Swift Parrots had less food available as a result of competition with these other nectar-feeders, this was offset by the reduced attention from aggressive territorial Noisy Miners, who had hundreds of other lorikeets to chase away as well.

Apart from a couple of isolated sightings of small Swift Parrot groups in July, there were no further sightings reported in Ocean Grove for many weeks until a flock of 20 were reported on 11th October, 11 on 17th October, and singles on 21st and 22nd October. These were almost certainly birds on their return migration to Tasmania.

The strong early-season flowering of Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) was appreciated by Swift Parrots across central Victoria in 2019, after a 2018 season of sparse flowering. One Eye State Forest and Spring Plains Nature Conservation Reserve (NCR) near Heathcote were important foraging sites through the second half of April and early May, with multiple flocks of up to 30 birds detected by different observers. By mid-May, sightings through these Heathcote woodlands diminished as the Grey Box flowering waned.

Swift Parrots at the Ararat Hills Regional Park, VIC. Photo by Ian Starling.

Many of these birds may have moved westwards, as the decline around Heathcote coincided with a rush of sightings ranging from Maryborough towards the Grampians (and occasionally beyond). Historically the box-ironbark forests of central west Victoria were of high importance for Swift Parrots, but sightings had dropped away considerably in recent years, and were almost at their lowest point in 2018. However, 2019 was a return to past glories, as this was the main region for Victorian sightings. It is not entirely clear why this occurred, but it is suspected to be related to the combination of (a) a good flowering year for Grey Box, Yellow Box and – to a lesser extent - White Box, (b) considerable lerp availability on a variety of eucalypt species, and (c) the drought conditions in NSW discouraging Swift Parrot migrations further north. The majority of sightings were made by observers participating in the May and August biannual searches.

The main Swifty locations in central west Victoria for 2019 were as follows:

• The little known Byrntirion State Forest, about 10 km south of Rupunyup, has rarely had Swift Parrots reported here previously and was not on our list of priority locations. However, thanks to one of our indefatigable local observers, it was one of best documented and longest occupied Victorian sites in 2019. A flock of 20 was first reported here on 29th April, with regular sightings of 5 to 30 birds continuing through until 19th July.

• Multiple small-to-medium sized Swift Parrot flocks, comprising an estimated 100 birds at its peak, were detected in woodland habitats along the Concongella Creek, which runs through Ararat Hills Regional Park, and also in smaller woodlands scattered to the north near Armstrong. Birds were first detected on 17th May and were seen regularly until 17th July.

Swift Parrot seen chewing on dead section of branch, Deep Lead, 2019. Photo by Garry Cheers.

• The nearby Barrabool Nature Conservation Reserve was another location with few sightings in recent years, yet had semi-regular sightings of up to 30 birds from 23rd May to 24th August.

• West Wail NCR, near Little Desert National Park in the far west of the state, had sightings of up to 25 Swift Parrots over the period of a week in late July and early August.

• The largest Victorian flock for 2019 – 122 birds – was detected at Morrl Morrl NCR on 1st August, after 32 birds had been sighted at the same location on the previous day. Thirty-two birds had also been detected there by the same observer in mid-May. Flocks of up to 17 Swift Parrots were seen at various locations within the nearby Glynwylln Forest in mid-May, and another couple of birds were recorded here in early August.

• Deep Lead NCR, located to the north-east of Stawell, was another very important Swift Parrot location in 2019. It had regular sightings from multiple locations from 5th May through to 1st August. One of the flocks in mid-May was of 52 individuals, and the final sighting was of 72 individuals.

• An experienced searcher saw regular groups of up to 4 Swift Parrots using woodland habitats at various locations around Carapooee (to the south of St Arnaud). There were separate sightings on 15 separate days, with the first birds seen on 31st March and the final ones seen on 19th August.

• There were also multiple other locations in central west Victoria where birds were seen on a small number of occasions from April to September: Dalyenong NCR (up to 4 birds), Kingower (2), Bolangum NCR (18), Muckleford Forest (2), Paradise (2), Big Tottingham NCR (12), Tunstalls NCR (8), Illawarra NCR (6), Kooyoora SP (2), Clydesdale (6), Moliagul (9), Timor (5), Havelock (6), Joel Joel NCR (24), Paddys Ranges Regional Park (12), Stoney Creek NCR (36), Crosbie NCR (3) and west of Natimuk (1).

In north-eastern Victoria, there were a small number of sightings in different parts of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park and surrounds spread over a period of weeks. However, the flocks in Chiltern were only seen in the same location once or for two consecutive days. Unlike 2018, there were few other sites in north-eastern Victoria in 2019 where Swift Parrots were detected. A comparison between Maps 1 and 2 in Appendix A displays some of this change between the years.

Swift Parrot sightings were few and far between in eastern Victoria. A single bird was unexpectedly seen in mid-May perching briefly in tall wet forest at Warburton. A birdwatcher with planted Southern Mahogany in their garden at Raymond Island, near Paynesville on the Gippsland lakes, had a visit from 4 birds early in the season (22nd April) and another two sightings of two birds late in the season (on 15th and 25th October). An ecologist undertaking surveys across far east Gippsland detected two birds feeding in flowering Mugga Ironbark in the Drummer State Forest – but was disappointed and somewhat surprised not to have detected them at a number of other locations that he’d visited with flowering Mugga Ironbark.

A Stratford resident undertaking a BirdLife Australia Backyard Bird Count in mid-May saw and photographed a strange bird in his yard. After sending it to BirdLife East Gippsland for help with identification, they were very pleased to let him know that it was a Swift Parrot.

A dedicated observer in the north-western fringes of the Sunbury township regularly recorded Swift Parrots in a pocket-sized park and immediate surrounds from 14th June to 30th September, with a maximum of 27 birds on detected on 4th August. Flowering Yellow Gums were the main attractant at this locality, which was situated less than 1km from the aptly named ‘Swift Parrot Close’.

Swift Parrot Close in Sunbury retains a number of very large old Yellow Gums among the urban expansion. Photo by Chris Timewell.

The other major Victorian Swift Parrot site for 2019 was at Truganina Park, near the mouth of Laverton Creek in Altona. Dozens of observers documented a moderate-sized Swift Parrot flock using this area from 23rd June through until 20th August, with a maximum of 54 birds on 21st July. The birds were regularly seen feeding on lerp from planted specimens of the non-local Southern Mahogany (Eucalyptus botryoides).

By the end of October, sightings of Swift Parrots had almost dried up. A small group of birds were seen twice in a Laverton Meadows garden in early November, with another two birds around the same time at the Newport Lakes park. Encouragingly, the last confirmed mainland sighting, on 26th November, was of 12 Swift Parrots on a private property near Bass. The birds were in a forested area that the landholder had been revegetating with native trees and shrubs for many years – and this was the first time that he’d seen them in there.

There isn’t enough room to include every Swift Parrot sighting from Victoria here, but thanks to various observers for letting us know about many other one-off sightings of small groups from throughout the state – particularly in metropolitan Melbourne and to the west and south-west of Melbourne. These have all been documented carefully in our annual sightings database.

Regent Honeyeater Results

2019 was another year of ups and downs for Regent Honeyeaters. It began slowly, with only residual birds from the 2018 breeding event in the Hunter Economic Zone (HEZ) in the Lower Hunter Valley of NSW being seen in late January, followed by a host of lone birds being reported in unusual locations. This included birds found in Picton (NSW), Symonston (ACT), Rushworth (Vic), Richmond (western Sydney) and a well-watched male at Burrewarra Point Reserve, Guerrilla Bay (south coast NSW) who was heard doing almost exclusively Little Wattlebird calls. The most exciting report of Regent Honeyeaters in the lead-up to the May survey period was up to four birds along the Great Northern Rd, Bucketty (in the vicinity of Mogo Campground in Yengo National Park). These birds were mostly feeding in Red Bloodwood blossom. Ex-captive birds were also found in Victoria pre-May, with Blue-White/Orange-Metal (‘BWOM’; 2017 release) seen feeding in a planted tree in Noorinbee in February. Orange-Metal/Blue-Orange (‘OMBO’), also released Chiltern 2017, was found visiting planted Grevilleas in a garden in Springvale South and was seen on and off from late March to mid-April.

Regent Honeyeaters at Blue Haven NSW. Photo by Rebecca Citroni.

During the May survey period there were more coastal Regent Honeyeaters located, with two birds at Morisset (Lake Macquarie NSW) and a single bird at Dunbogan NSW, all feeding in Swamp Mahogany blossom. In the Barraba region of NSW a pair of birds was found feeding on Mugga Ironbark in Coonoor TSR along the Bundarra-Barraba Road. An unusual report came from a bird found in a small clearing inside a large forested area at Drake, west of Casino in northern NSW; an area that has since likely been affected by the devastating bushfires. The only Queensland report

during the May survey period was of a single bird that was seen briefly at Hardings Paddock in Goolman, south of Ipswich. Through winter and into the August survey period more birds were found in Swamp Mahogany- dominated habitats. The most exciting find was a flock of birds found in Myall Lakes National Park (near Bungwahl NSW) comprised of no fewer than 12 individuals. This winter flock provided a rare window of opportunity for Taronga Zoo to supplement the captive population (and boost the genetic stock) and four birds were subsequently taken, with two others (both adult males) released wearing colour bands at the site. Four other Regent Honeyeaters were reported from an artificial wetland complex at Blue Haven, on the NSW Central Coast. This was the first group of Regent Honeyeaters found in Swamp Mahogany habitat on the Central Coast for several years.

Newly banded Regent Honeyeater about to be released, Myall Lakes National Park. Photo by Mick Roderick.

In Victoria, at least two Regent Honeyeaters were reported from Chiltern in early June, with one likely being a wild bird. Finally, in Queensland, two very well-watched birds were found in a park at Springfield Lakes in south-west Brisbane, spending virtually all of July at the site and attracting a lot of birdwatcher and media attention.

Exciting news for the captive release program came in the form of two birds found by a lucky observer in their backyard in Oxley Park in the western suburbs of Sydney in early June. Normally that would be exciting enough, but on this occasion it was extra special because one of the birds was a wild/unbanded Regent Honeyeater, while the other one of the captive-bred birds released at Chiltern in 2017. This bird had travelled over 463km from the release site making it the 4th longest recorded movement by a Regent Honeyeater!

The breeding season started out reasonably promising, with a good spread of pairs across the contemporary breeding range of the species as BirdLife Australia and ANU staff swung into action under the National Regent Honeyeater Monitoring Program (NRHMP). This included several pairs found nesting in the Capertee Valley — mostly on private property but also two pairs at Coorongooba Campground in Wollemi NP (both of which unfortunately failed). A nest found in the Wolgan Valley also failed almost as soon as it was discovered. Other pairs were found nesting in the catchment of the Upper Hunter Valley, along the Goulburn River and in the Widden Valley. Two of the Goulburn River pairs were found in a “new” site, but alas both of these pairs failed, as did the other Goulburn River pairs. In Victoria, a pair of captive-released birds paired up and had a well- constructed nest nearly complete, but the female vanished at the time of incubation starting which suggests another frustrating predation event. These failures occurred despite the best efforts of the BirdLife/ANU team to implement nest- protection measures (e.g. tree trunk guards). The ANU team were kept particularly busy with the spread of nests located this season but unfortunately their efforts didn't reap great rewards. Nest cameras were deployed at some sites, with varying degrees of success. One nest did appear to be predated by Brushtail Possums, whilst the fate of other failed nests remains uncertain.

Regent Honeyeater nest with adult, Capertee Valley. Photo by Liam Murphy. It wasn’t all bad news however, with pairs successfully fledging young in the Merriwa River Valley, Capertee Valley, Widden Valley and for the first time in at least a decade, western Sydney (at Mulgoa and South Maroota). The South Maroota pair did exceptionally well, successfully fledging 3 young; a very rare occurrence nowadays. Further, late in the breeding season a lone male was found on the north-eastern outskirts of the greater Melbourne area – the first confirmed sighting of a wild bird this far south in over a decade.

Juvenile Regent Honeyeaters, Capertee Valley. Photo by Liam Murphy.

At the time of writing things have gone substantially quiet on the Regent Honeyeater front, due to it being late in the season (late December) but also because of the impacts of the still-unfolding and disturbing bushfire situation in NSW. A number of areas where Regent Honeyeaters had been nesting this season have been affected by the bushfires, including parts of the Capertee Valley, Widden Valley and Goulburn River. Other areas where Regents have bred in recent years have also been affected, including the Burragorang Valley and elsewhere in the Sydney Basin. Time will tell exactly how bad the impacts of the fires have been, and until we can get on the ground once things are safe we can only speculate on the exact impacts. However, plans are rapidly evolving to do post-fire assessments of affected regions early in the new year.

Other news

• We've uploaded our new “Saving the Regent Honeyeater” booklet, outlining the ecology, decline and recovery actions for the species (click here).

• We’ve also recently developed a new Swift Parrot identification guide, which is available for viewing online (click here) and we’ll be progressively distributing hard-copies through LLSs, CMAs, BirdLife branches and other organisations. The equivalent Regent Honeyeater guide is also available online (click here).

• We would like to introduce Kristy Peters, our new Woodland Birds project officer based in Newcastle NSW. Kristy will be working on Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot projects in NSW.

Biannual Searches for Swift Parrots and other woodland birds - an introduction to the revised survey methods

Before delving into the finer details, there are five points to emphasise upfront:

1. In partnership with the ANU and with the support of the Swift Parrot Recovery Team, the BirdLife Australia Woodland Bird Program team has commenced the development of a revised winter monitoring program.

2. The biannual searches that have been undertaken for the past 20+ years continue to provide invaluable information on both the Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater. The ongoing contributions of volunteer birdwatchers will remain critical to the success of the revised survey approach, which is intended to eventually replace the existing approach.

3. The new approach will have a greater emphasis on the Swift Parrot and its mainland habitats, but it will still incorporate searches for the Regent Honeyeater (as you’d be aware, they have heavily overlapping distributions on the mainland).3

4. The new approach will use fixed search areas that are monitored for a defined time period. During each survey, volunteers will be asked to collect information on flowering patterns and the occurrence of other bird species, as well as the occurrence of Swift Parrots.

5. The new survey approach is to be trialled at a sample of locations in 2020, with the full roll- out expected to occur in 2021. During the transition phase in 2020, the biannual searches will continue to use the existing technique at the non-trial locations.

The long-term biannual searches for Swift Parrots have shown us that their mainland distribution — and their movement patterns between areas — varies considerably from year-to-year as well as within years. At any point in time in the winter months, small flocks of Swift Parrots can be using forests and woodlands anywhere from southern Queensland to western Victoria.

However, the full extent, variation and availability of winter habitat for Swift Parrots remains uncertain. The relative influence of the various factors driving their movement patterns is also unclear. As such, identifying priority areas for protection and management at landscape scales is difficult. The data collected using the existing biannual search methodology does not currently allow these uncertainties to be addressed in a scientifically-rigorous manner. Therefore, the design and implementation of a revised winter monitoring strategy that can fill these critical knowledge gaps was identified as a key action in the revised draft national Swift Parrot Recovery Plan.

The following is a quick summary of the new approach, its development and its implementation:

1. Primarily using the data collected from the 20+ years of biannual searches, more than 2000 sites have been identified as potentially suitable to become permanent survey points across the mainland range of the Swift Parrot.

3 Under the National Regent Honeyeater Management Plan (NRHMP) targeted searches are being undertaken during the Regent Honeyeater breeding season (Aug-Dec) by BirdLife Australia and ANU. The NRHMP surveys were commenced in 2015 by ANU researchers and use a survey method almost identical the new approach described here for the Swift Parrot.

2. With assistance from colleagues, Chris Timewell is ground-truthing all of the proposed survey points. For those that are found to contain ‘suitable’ woodland and forest habitat on accessible (mostly public) land, detailed habitat assessments are then undertaken and initial bird searches conducted. This process commenced during spring 2019 and will be finalised during the first half of 2020.

3. Following the assessment and confirmation of the permanent survey points, materials will then be developed to support volunteer birdwatchers to conduct the ongoing biannual surveys at these locations (e.g. maps, identification guides, survey forms, websites, phone apps). Public talks, articles and other actions are also to be undertaken to recruit and support birdwatching volunteers. This is in an early stage of development.

4. Using the support materials and with guidance from the regional coordinators, volunteer birdwatchers will visit a selection of sites. At each site, they will undertake a search of a circular area (50 metre radius) for a period of 5 minutes. If Swift Parrots are found to be present, extra information will be recorded (e.g. numbers, behaviour, feeding). Irrespective of whether Swift Parrots are detected, volunteers will also be encouraged to record any other bird species present (particularly nectar-feeders), as well as the flowering intensity of tree species present.

5. Incidental sightings of Swift Parrots (and Regent Honeyeaters) outside of the permanent survey sites are equally as valuable to document and report to BirdLife Australia. There is also flexibility in the program to establish additional permanent survey sites over time.

6. The data collected from steps 2, 4 and 5 will be collated, and analysed periodically by BirdLife Australia, ANU and other conservation ecologists. This comprehensive information will significantly enhance our understanding of the ecology and conservation needs of Swift Parrots across their wintering range, and empower managers to make the best use of scarce resources for the species.

BirdLife Australia staff are available to provide further information, or make a presentation to your local group, about the revised survey approach.

Seeking your help for the 2020 Biannual Searches

We will be seeking volunteers to help survey Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters across Victoria, ACT, NSW and Queensland. Irrespective of whether you are within an area partaking in the trial of the new method, or whether you’re using the existing approach, the biannual search periods for 2020 remain the same.

• The third weekend in May, and up to one week on either side (9th to 24th May 2020) • The first weekend in August, and up to one week on either side (25th July to 9th August 2020)

If you are interested, please ‘save the dates’ above, and we will be in touch closer to the time.

Alternatively, you can also contact us straightaway so that we can share your contact details with the relevant regional coordinator. For general enquiries contact Dean Ingwersen (Regent Honeyeaters), Mick Roderick and Emily Mowat (Swift Parrots NSW, ACT and Qld) or Chris Timewell (Swift Parrots Vic) at [email protected].

Also check out: http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/woodland-birds-for-biodiversity/latest-news-wl

Appendix A - 2018 and 2019 Swift Parrot Sightings Maps

Map 1 – All documented 2019 Swift Parrot sightings on mainland Australia

Map 2 – All documented 2018 Swift Parrot sightings on mainland Australia

Appendix B – 2019 Survey Methods and Data Management

Survey Methods and Data Management Twice each year, BirdLife Australia encourages and supports volunteer birdwatchers to undertake targeted searches for Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters. The ‘survey weekends’ are always the third weekend in May and the first weekend in August, although in recent years there has been flexibility built into this arrangement, with participants able to undertake their targeted surveys up to one week either side of the preferred weekend. Therefore in 2019 the first survey period was from 11th to 26th May and the second survey period was from the 27th July to 11th August. In conjunction with regional coordinators and other locally-based birdwatching specialists, BirdLife Australia has developed a list of priority locations across the mainland distribution of both species. The intention is that as many of these locations as possible are checked by an experienced birdwatcher during each survey period. The ‘priority locations’ are sites where one or both species have been known to occur regularly and/or in considerable numbers during previous years. Table B1 summarises the number of priority locations within each relevant state and territory. The location of each site can range from a patch of trees in a park or roadside within an urban area, up to the size large national parks, state forests and nature reserves. Accordingly, the effort required for a search of each location varies.

Table B1. Number of priority search locations for Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters State / Territory Approx number of priority search locations ACT 30 NSW 380 Queensland 40 Victoria 200

Overall, the number of participants assisting with the searches of these priority locations is in the hundreds, and the number of hours spent searching annually is in the thousands. (For reasons outlined below, we don’t have accurate figures on the volunteer effort, but we do know that it is enormous).

Via the following approaches, volunteers are encouraged to participate in the searches for these two species:

• Newsletters, mailing-lists, websites and other communications • Through the support of regional coordinators The contribution of the regional coordinators is invaluable to the successful implementation of the targeted survey periods. Although each modifies their approach to suit the local conditions and resources, the general role is to coordinate birdwatchers in their designated region to visit most or all of the priority locations during each survey period. Subsequently, they also ensure that all of the search results from the priority locations in their region – including both successful and unsuccessful efforts to detect the species – are submitted to BirdLife Australia. We cannot thank our regional coordinators enough for their efforts (Table 2).

Table B2. Acknowledgement of regional coordinators for 20194 State / Territory Abbreviated Names (for privacy) ACT Debbie S NSW Debbie S, Ken M, Julie M, Adrian D, Debbie A, Alan M, Steve D, Peter W, Chris S Queensland R. Appleby Victoria Phil R, Beth M, Len A, Jacquie A, Owen L, Garry C, Craig M, Glen J, Liz W, John S, Pat F, Bob S, Ian W, Meryl W, Jack W

A blank datasheet for documenting sightings of Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeaters is distributed to birdwatchers as part of the promotion of the two survey periods. When a positive sighting is made, this datasheet prompts the collection of relevant information (e.g. accurate location and date, contact details of the birdwatcher, habitat description, food availability, behaviour, interactions with other species, etc). Searches of potentially suitable habitat outside of the designated priority locations are also encouraged, although the preference is that all of the priority locations are checked first. Birdwatchers are also encouraged to inform BirdLife Australia staff as soon as possible if a mainland sighting of either species is made outside of the two designated survey periods.

Data Management BirdLife Australia (BA) staff maintain comprehensive databases of sightings and search effort for the Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater each year. These databases cover relevant details of: • All sightings made within the two survey periods • Locations where unsuccessful searches were undertaken within two survey periods • Other sightings made throughout the year outside of the survey periods • Other relevant details (e.g., reports of dead or injured birds)

4 If we have inadvertently left anyone off this list, we truly apologise for this oversight.

The efforts from citizen scientist birdwatchers during these two targeted survey periods contributes the majority of the information to the database. However, other sources of Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater information include:

• Sightings from outside of the survey period submitted by birdwatchers directly to BA staff (e.g. via email or posted datasheet). • BA staff collating sightings of the species from online databases (e.g., Birdata, eBird, Birdline) • BA staff collating sightings of the species from social media sites (e.g., Facebook groups for bird watchers and photographers)

From all information sources, BA staff review the quality, accuracy and completeness of the sightings and associated searches. To maintain the integrity of the database, they seek further information from the relevant birdwatcher to clarify unusual sightings and/or where relevant details are unclear or missing.