VOL. 14 (8) DECEMBER 1992 305

AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1992, 14, 305-312

Twelve Years of Winter Counts of the Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster

by JONATHAN STARKS1, PETER BROWN2 , RICHARD LOYN3 and PETER MENKHORSP

1Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, 21 Gladstone Street, Moonee Ponds, 3039 2Department of Parks, Wildlife and Heritage, 134 Macquarie Street, Hobart, Tasmania 7000 3Wildlife Branch, Department of Conservation and Environment, P. 0. Box 137, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084

Summary Orange-bellied Parrots Neophema chrysogaster were counted annually in late July from 1979 to 1990 in southern Victoria and south-eastern South . The minimum total winter population averaged 83.9 birds (range 67-126), with no significant change in numbers over the 12 years. The main wintering areas were Point Wilson, Lake Connewarre and Swan in Victoria, and Carpenter Rocks in South Australia. The counts were made possible only by the dedication of teams of volunteers.

Introduction In recent years, the status of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster has been the subject of much attention in Australia. More than 70 years ago, Mathews (1917) was concerned for the plight of the species, but 50 years passed before Jarman (1965) comprehensively summarised its status and established just how rare it was. In 1978, the first positive steps to conserve the species were taken. In that year studies were initiated by ICI (Australia) who had acquired land and proposed to build a petrochemical complex at Point Wilson adjacent to one of the bird's major overwintering locations. Plans for this complex have since been shelved. The results of these studies were published in a series of reports and have been summarised in Loyn et aL (1986). Included in the ICI study was a survey of saltmarsh in Victoria which produced maps of saltmarsh communities (Carr & Kinhill Planners 1979). The ecology of the parrot at Point Wilson was described by Loyn et aL (1986). In 1979, a two-year study of the species was funded by World Wildlife Fund (Australia) - its first project. Reports were published on this work (Brown & Wilson 1980, 1981) and in 1984 a plan to conserve the species was produced (Brown & Wilson 1984). This was the first substantial management plan for an Australian endangered species. The plan continues to be implemented by the three States in which the parrot occurs (Menkhorst et aL 1990). The continued support of the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, the State Governments of South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), the Bird Observers Club of Australia and the International Council for Bird Preservation has been vitaL Research programs and management initiatives are reviewed by the Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team, which meets annually. This paper summarises some of the information obtained, and presents results of counts from 1979 to 1990.

Habits and habitat Orange-bellied Parrots breed in south-west Tasmania along a coastal strip of AUSTRALIAN 306 STARKS, BROWN, LOYN & MENKHORST BIRD WATCHER sedgeland and forest patches between South West Cape and Macquarie Harbour (Brown & Wilson 1980). They arrive at their breeding grounds in October and egg laying begins in mid November. The young fledge in January and February and congregate in flocks on the sedgelands, remaining in the area until mid-late March. Adults depart in late February to early March. The parrots migrate up the west coast of Tasmania, through the western Bass Strait and across to the mainland. The last juveniles do not leave Tasmania until about the third week in April. The majority of parrots probably migrate through King Island. Some birds may remain on King Island until late May. Orange-bellied Parrots are very mobile and capable of flying long distances. Flocks in excess of 70 birds have been recorded occasionally but the birds are often well dispersed as small groups of fewer than 30 birds and usually fewer than 10. Flocks usually remain separate from those of other species, but individuals or small groups will sometimes feed with Blue-winged Parrots Neophema chrysostoma, or occasionally other seed-eating birds such as European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis and House Sparrow Passer domesticus. During winter the birds are usually found within 3 km of the coast but occasionally farther inland in saltmarshes bordering large lakes or on islands in estuaries and drains. In Victoria, the most regular feeding habitat is saltmarsh where the seeds of Beaded Glasswort Sarcocornia quinqueflora, Shrubby Glasswort Sclerostegia arbuscula and several other associated saltmarsh plants are eaten (Loyn et al. 1986). The three main wintering sites in Victoria are Point Wilson, Lake Connewarre and Swan Island. In South Australia, the birds are often found in coastal vegetation where they eat the seeds of Sea Rocket Cakile maritima and Bidgee-widgee Acaena novaezelandiae, but also feed on saltmarshes similar to those in Victoria. Orange-bellied Parrots spend most of the day foraging on the ground or in low shrubs, and they are readily disturbed. They usually take off when the observer is about 20-50 metres away, emitting a very distinctive, harsh buzzing alarm call which is rapidly repeated 10 or more times as they rise. In normal flight the call is a single sharp tzit given every 2 or 3 seconds. The musical tinkling alarm call of the Blue­ winged Parrot is quite different, and the flight call has two or three syllables. Favoured habitats have a number of common features in addition to availability of food plants. They often contain islands or spits with a varied topography which may provide protection from predators. The parrots are often found in luxuriant stands of saltmarsh that remain dry within a flooded area and they avoid feeding in flooded saltmarsh. Fresh water is often available in the form of channels, lake shores or rainwater pools, though the parrots also take dew from vegetation (Loyn et al. 1Q86; Hewish & Starks 1988). Saltmarsh vegetation appears to provide a larger crop of seed when young than old (G. Carr pers. comm.), and the parrots may favour stands that have regenerated recently after disturbance. Excessive disturbance (e.g. overgrazing) can lead to denudation and obvious habitat loss. At Lake Connewarre, the most favoured stands appear to be those that have established recently as the delta islands expand by sedimentation (Hewish & Starks 1988). Counting It is important to know the size of the population and where it occurs. Annual counts of the whole population of Orange-bellied Parrots are the best available measure to record the effectiveness of actions taken to conserve the species. Counts in the breeding season are not practical as the population is widely dispersed and difficult to locate in the rugged terrain. The most reliable method is to conduct simultaneous counts in winter when the birds congregate on beach-fronts and coastal saltmarshes. VOL. 14 (8) DECEMBER 1992 Orange-bellied Parrot Counts 307

An enormous area of potentially suitable habitat is searched annually, from the Gippsland Lakes in eastern Victoria to Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. Annual winter counts and searches have been carried out since 1978. To search all the potential habitat within their winter range on a single weekend, hundreds of kilometres of beaches and many square kilometres of saltmarsh need to be visited. The counts have involved hundreds of dedicated volunteers, without whom satisfactory results could not have been achieved. Intrepid observers have often had to cope with very swampy ground, thick mud and foul weather with no available shelter. The extensive saltmarshes are often fairly devoid of birds, though the list of incidental sightings is impressive, including Lewin's Rail Rallus pectoralis, Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus, and even White Goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae. Grateful thanks are due to all those helpers who persevered. The early counts, co-ordinated by Richard Loyn and Brett Lane (1978-1982), were funded by ICI Australia and the results published in a series of ICI reports (Loyn & Kinhill Planners 1979a,b; Lane et a!. 1980). Since 1983, the counts have been financed by the Wildlife Branch, Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria. Since 1984, the counts have been co-ordinated by the RAOU under contract to the Wildlife Branch. Organisers have been Peter Menkhorst (1983), Tim Reid (1984), Angela Jessop (1985) and Jonathan Starks (1986-present). Reports of the results have been produced (Menkhorst 1984; Jessop & Reid 1986; Starks 1988, 1992). During the first year of surveys in Victoria (1978), searches were made at various times during the winter in (including ), the west side of Bay (Altona to Pt Cook, Pt Wilson, Pt Henry, and the ) and along the coast near Port Fairy. Parts of south-eastern South Australia were visited in September, including Beachport, Robe and parts of the Coorong. King Island was also searched in September. In 1979, further efforts were made to co-ordinate simultaneous counts. A team of observers was organised to search all potentially suitable habitat throughout Victoria, South Australia and parts of Tasmania. Counts were made on 3 June and 12 August and people were also encouraged to search for Orange-bellied Parrots at any time between March and October. By 1980, the third or fourth weekend in July (between 22 and 29 July) had been chosen as the most suitable weekend to conduct simultaneous annual counts as the birds were thought to be less mobile than at other times during the winter. In order to determine if the birds moved between sites, counts were also made in the last week of May and the first week in September from 1983 to 1987. After 1987, these counts were discontinued as birds proved too difficult to locate, particularly in September, and the results did not justify the amount of effort put into the searches. The mid­ winter (July) counts have been continued and it is planned that they will continue while active management of the species is being undertaken. The results of each national count are shown in Table 1. During the co-ordinated count weekends, observers were asked to record details of the area searched, date, time and weather. All Orange-bellied Parrots observed were noted, together with descriptions of the birds seen, their behaviour, age and sex, flock details and movements. A brief habitat description was required along with details of any feeding observations. A record was also kept of all Blue-winged Parrots encountered during the weekend. Apart from the July counts, special surveys have been undertaken in parts of all states at various times during the winter. These surveys were undertaken by Peter Table 1: Minimum numbers of Orange-bellied Parrots recorded during national winter counts from 1979 to 1990. w 0 00 State/location 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Victoria Glenelg River 5 IZl Warrnambool 3 >-3 Breamlea 2 >- ::0 Lake Connewarre 20 5 :;>::: Freshwater Lake 16 .IZl Swan Island 14 11 30 4 35 15 16 24 14 16 27 17 to 2 8 4 ::0 Mud Islands 1 0 ~ Point Wilson 50 50 38 36 64 50 57 23 54 27 42 28 z Altona I 4 l' French Island 0 3 >-< Jack Smith Lake 3 z Other sites 2 R> Vic. Totals 65 82 68 43 100 67 73 71 76 52 80 49 ~ trl z South Australia :;>::: Tolderol 2 3 3 :r: Woods Well 4 0 ::0 Salt Creek 5 IZl Cantara >-l Kingston SE Beach 7 13 5 3 3 Butchers Gap 2 Little Dip 10 Lake Bonney to Whale Rocks 6 3 ;;;>- Carpenter Rocks 7 II 16 10 28 15 tic:: ~!Zl Piccaninnie Ponds 18 ;:p.>-l S.A. Totals 7 7 4 27 22 18 13 18 8 0 18 28 >-3::0n> :r:t:: Overall Totals 72 903 82b 70 122 85 86 79 76 70 108 67 m> ::oz 3Includes one seen on King Island. bincludes four seen on King Island. VOL. 14 (8) DECEMBER 1992 Orange-bellied Parrot Counts 309

Brown, Philip Gibbons, Angela Jessop, Ian May, Tim Reid , Charles Silveira, Jonathan Starks and Roland Wilson. The saltmarsh vegetation maps produced as a result of the ICI surveys have been of great assistance to survey organisers and searchers in identifying saltmarshes and other coastal habitats where Orange-bellied Parrots might be found. Searches were also made of a number of inland saltmarsh areas, especially those in Western Victoria, e.g. Lake Corangamite.

Count results Arrival in south-eastern Australia In most years the first Orange-bellied Parrots recorded on mainland Australia were adults seen during the last week in March. Single birds were recorded at Point Wilson on 23 March 1979 (Lane & Kinhill Planners 1979) and 22 March 1980 (Chandler eta!. 1981). In other years (1983-90), sightings have been reported from French Island as early as 2 March and from Tyabb on 7 April (Starks 1988). This suggests that the first birds to reach the mainland may fly diagonally across Bass Strait from north­ western Tasmania. Most of the early arrivals in Victoria were single birds or very small groups and only from early April onwards were groups of 10 or more recorded (Loyn & Kinhill Planners 1979a, b; Chandler et al. 1981; Starks 1992). The largest groups recorded in April have been found at Lake Connewarre, where 27 birds were recorded on 2 April1989 and 73 birds were recorded on 24 April1988 (Starks 1992). No Orange-bellied Parrots have been recorded west of the Bellarine Peninsula or in South Australia in March. The earliest South Australian records are from the Kingston SE area, with one bird on 4 April 1983 and two birds at Blackford's Drain on 10 April 1988 (P. Brown; Starks 1992). Winter dispersal Despite the extreme mobility of Orange-bellied Parrots, groups of similar size appear to occupy the same locations year after year. There were three sites in south­ eastern Australia where Orange-bellied Parrots occurred regularly: Point Wilson and Swan Island in Victoria and Carpenter Rocks in South Australia. Elsewhere the parrots are recorded less regularly and in lower numbers, e.g. Jack Smith Lake in Victoria and Nora Creina and Butchers Gap in South Australia. Between 67% and 75% of the wintering population occurs in Victoria and between 25% and 33% in South Australia. Most Victorian birds overwinter in the Port Phillip Bay/Bellarine Peninsula area at two or three main sites. In South Australia birds are much more dispersed but are generally recorded in the south-east between Port MacDonnell and the southern half of the Coorong.

Victoria Point Wilson is the only site in Victoria where Orange-bellied Parrots occurred throughout the wintering period. Numbers slowly increased from when the parrots arrived to a maximum in late July to mid August. An average of 46 birds has been counted during the July counts there over the last 12 years, with totals ranging from 27 to 64 (Table 1). Orange-bellied Parrots were also reported on Swan Island each year. Although occasional birds were found there in April, parrots usually arrived in late June and numbers increased to a maximum in August/September. An average of 25 birds has been counted there over the last 12 years, with totals ranging from 11 to 43. In the AUSTRALIAN 310 STARKS, BROWN, LOYN & MENKHORST BIRD WATCHER early 1980s, Orange-bellied Parrots were often found on Sand Island, next to Swan Island. In 1981, a maximum of21 birds was counted on Swan Island and a maximum of 30 on Sand Island. There have been no sightings of Orange-bellied Parrots on Sand Island since 1985. In 1985, a thorough search of Lake Connewarre near Geelong revealed 14 birds in an area which had previously proved difficult to cover (Jessop & Reid 1986). In 1986, 32 birds were recorded there on 22 June and a follow-up visit one week later found 19 birds. Subsequent visits indicated that numbers increased rapidly during April to a peak in May and June, then declined to zero between mid July and mid August (Hewish & Starks 1988). Counts from 1987 to 1990 have shown that Lake Connewarre supported between 50% and 67 % of the total wintering population between April and July. Other areas in Victoria where Orange-bellied Parrots were located at least once are: Jack Smith Lake in Gippsland, a small unnamed island in western Corner Inlet, French Island, Freshwater Lake, Lake Victoria and Mud Islands (Table 1). Only small numbers were observed, although larger flocks have occurred on Mud Islands in previous years (Jarman 1965; Loyn et al. 1980). These locations contain extensive areas of saltmarsh and parrots may occur there more often than our records show.

South Australia Locating Orange-bellied Parrots in South Australia is even more difficult than in Victoria. About 70% of all records are of birds feeding on beach-fronts or dune systems where Cakile maritima grows. The parrots are apparently very mobile as they move along the coast exploiting available food supplies. Most records of birds feeding on saltmarsh come from Blackford's Drain and the Coorong. Flocks of up to 27 birds have been recorded feeding on saltmarsh in the Coorong, mostly from the northern end. Similar numbers were reported from the Coorong in the 1960s and 1970s, especially from the Salt Creek area and even as far north as Port Adelaide. Orange-bellied Parrots were recorded at Carpenter Rocks in most years. They usually arrived in mid July and departed in late August or early September. Up to 28 birds have been found feeding on Cakile at this site, making it the most important site in South Australia. Orange-bellied Parrots were regularly recorded along the beach north of Kingston SE in the early 1980s, but few have been seen there in recent years. They were regularly found in small numbers (up to 8) at Blackford's Drain, feeding on Sarcocomia along· the edge of the drain, and on islands in it. Elsewhere in South Australia, birds have been recorded at Lake Alexandrina, Cantara Homestead, Robe, Canunda National Park, Lake Bonney, Nora Creina, Butchers Gap and Piccaninnie Ponds. Between 1981 and 1985, up to 600 Neophema parrots of four species (Orange-bellied Parrot, Blue-winged Parrot, Rock Parrot N. petrophila, Elegant Parrot N. elegans) fed on the seeds of sunflower crops near Tolderol, Lake Alexandrina. Up to eight Orange-bellied Parrots were seen utilising this substantial food source (Eckert 1990). Tasmania Very few Orange-bellied Parrots remain in Tasmania over the winter. Two birds were observed in Port Davey in June and July 1985 and there was an unconfirmed report of one or two birds near Queenstown in mid-western Tasmania in 1978 (Brown & Wilson 1984). The largest numbers recorded on King Island have always been in April when birds stop to feed on passage. Some remain into May and a few were VOL. 14 (8) DECEMBER 1992 Orange-bellied Parrot Counts 311 recorded in June, July and August in 1981, 1982 and 1983, suggesting that small numbers overwintered there in those years. In 1959, 75 Orange-bellied Parrots were recorded on King Island in winter by M. McGarvie, in a year when the species did not appear at its usual Victorian sites (Loyn & Kinhill Planners 1980).

Mid-winter counts Table 1 shows the minimum numbers of Orange-bellied Parrots counted during the national counts in late July from 1979 to 1990. In some years larger numbers of birds were counted before or after the July counts. Counts were either made simultaneously, or they were from sites far enough apart to be considered discrete populations during that weekend. The average total for July counts from 1979 to 1990 is 83.9 ± 16.5, with totals ranging from 67 to 126. Each year except 1986 and 1990, there were over 35 birds at Point Wilson. The highest count there on a July count weekend was 64 in 1983 (Table 1). Peak numbers at Point Wilson are usually recorded between mid June and late July. Despite the large number of birds at Swan Island during the July count in some years, it is usually not until well into August and even September that numbers peak here, when the seeding of Sclerostegia is most prolific. In 1983, the July count was particularly high for not only did Point Wilson and Swan Island have large numbers of birds but there were also large numbers of birds recorded from four sites in South Australia, giving an unprecedented July count total of 126 birds. Since then the July count totals have been considerably lower, between 67 and 86 birds, except in 1989 when 108 birds were counted. The winter surveys in 1987 and 1988 revealed maximum numbers of Orange-bellied Parrots before the July counts. In 1987, a total of 127 birds was recorded in mid June; in 1988, a total of 111 birds was recorded in late May. The July counts were considerably lower than these maxima, suggesting that some of the birds had dispersed. Orange-bellied Parrots have been recorded at both Point Wilson and Swan Island in every year of the counts, whereas in South Australia at the most frequently used site (Carpenter Rocks) birds were found in only six years. Food availability may be less predictable on the beaches than in saltmarsh, necessitating greater mobility for birds feeding there.

Trends To test whether there has been a trend in the winter population between 1979 and 1990, the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient can be applied. The test showed that there had been no significant trend (r= -0.208, P) 0.05) in the winter count totals. Similarly, there was no significant trend (r= -0.382, P) 0.05) in the population at Point Wilson between 1979 and 1990. However, the counts from Swan Island show that there has been a significant, although slight, increase (r= 0.545, P< 0.05) in the population between 1979 and 1990. The winter surveys suggest that the population has remained stable over the last 12 years. The main aim of the recovery effort is to enable the population to increase to more than 500 wild individuals. Further monitoring is necessary to determine population trends as well as the efficacy of the habitat protection and management which has been undertaken in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria since the early 1980s (Menkhorst et al. 1990). It is only by utilising the enthusiasm and goodwill of large numbers of volunteers that these population counts can be achieved. AUSTRALIAN 312 STARKS, BROWN, LOYN & MENKHORST BIRD WATCHER

References Brown, P.B. & Wilson, R.I. (1980), A Survey of the Orange-bellied Parrot in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, Report for World Wildlife Fund (Australia). Tas. Nat. Parks & Wild!. Service, Oct. 1980. --& -- (1981), A Survey of the Orange-bellied Parrot in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, Report for World Wildlife Fund (Australia), Tas. Nat. Parks & Wild!. Service, Nov. 1981. --& -- (1984) , Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Plan, Tas. Nat. Parks & Wild!. Service Tasmania. Carr, G.W. & Kinhill Planners (1979), Survey of Victorian Coastal Saltmarsh Distribution in relation to the Habitat of the Orange-bellied Parrot, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia) Ltd, Aug. 1979. Chandler, C., Loyn, R.H. & Kinhill Planners (1981), Avifauna Study, ICI Point Wilson Development, Progress Report March-Nov. 1980, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia) Ltd, Oct. 1981. Eckert, J. (1990), 'Orange-bellied Parrots feeding on a cultivated crop', South Australian Ornithologist 31, 16-17. Hewish, M. & Starks, J. (1988), 'Orange-bellied Parrots at Lake Connewarre, Victoria, Geelong Naturalist 24, 100-128. Jarman, H. (1965), 'The Orange-breasted Parrot', Aust. Bird Watcher 2, 155-167. Jessop, A.E. & Reid, T. (1986), Winter Surveys of the Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster in Victoria, 1984 and 1985, RAOU Rep. 19. Lane, B.A. & Kinhill Planners (1979), Avifauna Study, ICI Point Wilson Development, Progress Report March-June 1979, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia), Oct. 1979. --, Loyn, R. & Kinhill Planners (1980), Avifauna Study ICI Point Wilson Development, Progress Report June-November 1979, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia), May 1980. Loyn, R.H. & Kinhill Planners (l979a), Orange-bellied Parrot Count, June 3 1979, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia) Ltd, July l 979. --& Kinhill Planners (1979b), Orange-bellied Parrot Count, August 12 1979, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia) Ltd, Dec. 1979. -- & Kinhill Planners (1980), Historical Records of Orange-bellied Parrots, Kinhill Planners for ICI (Australia) Ltd. --,Lane, B.A. , Chandler, C. & Carr, G.W. (1986), 'Ecology of Orange-bellied Parrots Neophema chrysogaster at their main remnant wintering site', Emu 86, 195-206. Mathews, G.M. (1917), 1he Birds of Australia, vol. 6, Witherby, London. Menkhorst, P. (1984), 'Orange-bellied Parrot census 1983 - summary of results', Bird Observer 628, 41-42. --, Loyn, R.H. & Brown, P.B. (1990), 'Management of the Orange-bellied Parrot', in Clark, T.W. & Seebeck, J.H. (Eds), Management and Conservation of Small Populations, Chicago Zoo!. Soc. Starks, J. (1988), Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster Winter Surveys in South-eastern Australia in 1986 and 1987, RAOU Rep. 36. --(1992), Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster Winter Surveys in South-eastern Australia in 1988 and 1989, RAOU Rep. 87. Received 13 August 1991 •