Birdwatching Around Mackay
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Recommended Band Size List Page 1
Jun 00 Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme - Recommended Band Size List Page 1 Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme Recommended Band Size List - Birds of Australia and its Territories Number 24 - May 2000 This list contains all extant bird species which have been recorded for Australia and its Territories, including Antarctica, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Cocos and Keeling Islands, with their respective RAOU numbers and band sizes as recommended by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme. The list is in two parts: Part 1 is in taxonomic order, based on information in "The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories" (1994) by Leslie Christidis and Walter E. Boles, RAOU Monograph 2, RAOU, Melbourne, for non-passerines; and “The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines” (1999) by R. Schodde and I.J. Mason, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, for passerines. Part 2 is in alphabetic order of common names. The lists include sub-species where these are listed on the Census of Australian Vertebrate Species (CAVS version 8.1, 1994). CHOOSING THE CORRECT BAND Selecting the appropriate band to use combines several factors, including the species to be banded, variability within the species, growth characteristics of the species, and band design. The following list recommends band sizes and metals based on reports from banders, compiled over the life of the ABBBS. For most species, the recommended sizes have been used on substantial numbers of birds. For some species, relatively few individuals have been banded and the size is listed with a question mark. In still other species, too few birds have been banded to justify a size recommendation and none is made. -
The Extent and Severity of the Mackay Highlands 2018 Wildfires and The
THE EXTENT AND SEVERITY OF THE MACKAY HIGHLANDS 2018 WILDFIRES AND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON NATURAL VALUES, PARTICULARLY IN THE MESIC FORESTS OF THE EUNGELLA-CREDITON AREA HINES, H. B.1, BROOK, M.2, WILSON, J.3, McDONALD, W. J. F.4 & HARGREAVES, J.5 During an unprecedented fire season in Queensland in 2018, a complex of fires burnt in the Mackay Highlands region of Queensland. Some of these fires had been burning continuously since August, but an extreme heatwave in November caused the rapid expansion of intense fire, just prior to the wet season breaking. The fires affected 12 areas of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) managed estate, with approximately 71,000 ha or 41% of this estate burnt. In this paper, we document the methods used to map the extent and severity of these fires and consider the potential impacts on natural values, within QPWS managed estate. Extensive areas (57,113 ha) of eucalypt woodlands and forests were burnt. Whilst fire adapted, the extent of fire and the high proportion burnt at very high to extreme severity in these ecosystems are likely to have affected a range of significant species. Of particular concern was the area (11,217 ha) of rainforest and scrub communities burnt, particularly cloud rainforests in the Eungella-Crediton area. These are highly fire-sensitive ecosystems and our observations suggest that, even at very low fire severity, impacts are likely highly significant and long lasting. This event provides an important opportunity to assess in detail the ecological effects of fire to inform conservation management of these fire-sensitive communities. -
Incubator Birds: Biogeographical Origins and Evolution Of
Journal of Biogeography (J. Biogeogr.) (2014) 41, 2045–2056 ORIGINAL Incubator birds: biogeographical origins ARTICLE and evolution of underground nesting in megapodes (Galliformes: Megapodiidae) Rebecca B. Harris1,2*, Sharon M. Birks2 and Adam D. Leache1,2 1Department of Biology, University of ABSTRACT Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA, 2Burke Aim Unique amongst birds, megapodes (family Megapodiidae) have exchanged Museum of Natural History and Culture, the strategy of incubating eggs with the warmth of their bodies for incubation University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA behaviours that rely entirely on environmental heat sources. Typically, mound- builders capture heat released from the decomposition of organic materials, while burrow-nesters lay their eggs in geothermal or solar-heated soils. The evolutionary path towards novel incubation behaviours has led to ecological and physiological adaptations unique to megapodes. Here, we present a species tree for all extant megapodes that settles long-standing debates about mega- pode evolution: namely, their biogeographical origins and ancestral nesting behaviour. Location Australasia. Methods A time-calibrated multilocus species tree for all extant megapodes was constructed using *beast. We estimated and compared divergence dates for megapodes obtained from molecular rates, fossils, and a combination of fossils and rates. Using this tree, Bayesian estimation of ancestral nesting behaviour was conducted in BayesTraits and ancestral ranges were estimated in BioGeoBEARS. Results Recent dispersal has led to the recolonization of mainland Australia and New Guinea by Megapodius. Bayesian estimation of ancestral states indi- cates that mound building is the most probable ancestral nesting behaviour in megapodes (posterior probability = 0.75). Burrow nesting was acquired early in the diversification of the family (at least 14 Ma), followed by a single switch back to mound building. -
Eastern Australia: October-November 2016
Tropical Birding Trip Report Eastern Australia: October-November 2016 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour EASTERN AUSTRALIA: From Top to Bottom 23rd October – 11th November 2016 The bird of the trip, the very impressive POWERFUL OWL Tour Leader: Laurie Ross All photos in this report were taken by Laurie Ross/Tropical Birding. 1 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report Eastern Australia: October-November 2016 INTRODUCTION The Eastern Australia Set Departure Tour introduces a huge amount of new birds and families to the majority of the group. We started the tour in Cairns in Far North Queensland, where we found ourselves surrounded by multiple habitats from the tidal mudflats of the Cairns Esplanade, the Great Barrier Reef and its sandy cays, lush lowland and highland rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands, and we even made it to the edge of the Outback near Mount Carbine; the next leg of the tour took us south to Southeast Queensland where we spent time in temperate rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests within Lamington National Park. The third, and my favorite leg, of the tour took us down to New South Wales, where we birded a huge variety of new habitats from coastal heathland to rocky shorelines and temperate rainforests in Royal National Park, to the mallee and brigalow of Inland New South Wales. The fourth and final leg of the tour saw us on the beautiful island state of Tasmania, where we found all 13 “Tassie” endemics. We had a huge list of highlights, from finding a roosting Lesser Sooty Owl in Malanda; to finding two roosting Powerful Owls near Brisbane; to having an Albert’s Lyrebird walk out in front of us at O Reilly’s; to seeing the rare and endangered Regent Honeyeaters in the Capertee Valley, and finding the endangered Swift Parrot on Bruny Island, in Tasmania. -
Meet the Megapodes – Ground-Dwelling Birds That Start Life Beneath the Sand
The Melanesian megapode has a naked face, often with red or pink coloration. It uses hot volcanic sand to incubate its eggs – an ancient behaviour now found in only a handful of bird species. THE LAVA BIRDS Meet the megapodes – ground-dwelling birds that start life beneath the sand. By Mark Cocker Photos David Tipling 32 BBC Wildlife June 2019 June 2019 MEGAPODES Clockwise from left: Megapodes excavate their nest chambers; these 550g birds can dig to impressive depths; there can sometimes be a bit of a skirmish among the birds, as they look for suitable digging spots; volcanically heated sand results in communal nest grounds; Savo Island. he sound of our boat’s New Guinea, as far as southern Australia, to a beach bordering the forest, where the engine drowned out the vast then way out into the central Pacific through megapodes lay. The locals make these sand- silence of the South Pacific the array of islands known as Melanesia. fields even more attractive for the birds by night. It was 4am and pitch Savo is among that complex of archipelagos clearing fallen debris, while a thatched fence black – the only thing I and it is no coincidence that this spot, like around the perimeter excludes predators, could see distinctly was the much of the zone in which megapodes occur, such as pigs, dogs and monitor lizards. whiteness of the breakers experiences some of the highest levels of Even as we took our seats behind the ‘blind’ Tcrashing and spreading onto the shore. seismic activity known on Earth. we could hear the megapodes in the trees We were on the Solomon Islands, at a Savo is a live volcano and the megapodes overhead, where they produced a loud, place called Savo, to see a bird that lays have probably exploited the island’s high-pitched chorus of ‘yee-yeeow’ notes. -
Palau Bird Survey Report 2020
Abundance of Birds in Palau based on Surveys in 2005 Final Report, November 2020 Eric A. VanderWerf1 and Erika Dittmar1 1 Pacific Rim Conservation, 3038 Oahu Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 Prepared for the Belau National Museum, Box 666, Koror Palau 96940 Endemic birds of Palau, from top left: White-breasted Woodswallow, Palau Fantail, Palau Fruit- dove, Rusty-capped Kingfisher. Photos by Eric VanderWerf. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 5 METHODS ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Description of Study Area and Transect Locations ............................................................ 6 Data Collection ................................................................................................................... 7 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 7 Limitations of the Survey.................................................................................................... 9 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... -
Goura Victoria: COLUMBIDAE) in the RAINFORESTS of NORTHERN PAPUA, INDONESIA
THE IMPACT OF HUNTING ON VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEON (Goura victoria: COLUMBIDAE) IN THE RAINFORESTS OF NORTHERN PAPUA, INDONESIA Dissertation for the award of degree of “Doctor rerum naturalium” (Dr.rer.nat) within the doctoral program biology of the Georg-August University School of Science (GAUSS) Submitted by Henderina Josefina Keiluhu Born in Sumbawa Besar-West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia Göttingen, 2013 Thesis Committee Prof. Dr. M. Mühlenberg Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Prof. Dr. R. Willmann Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Members of the Examination Board Reviewer: Prof. Dr. M. Mühlenberg Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Second Reviewer: Prof. Dr. R. Willmann Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Further members of the Examination Board Prof. Dr. C. Leuschner Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences Prof. Dr. E. Bergmeier Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences Prof. Dr. H. Behling Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences PD. Dr. T. Hörnschemeyer Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology Place and date of the oral examination: Computer Room, Department of Conservation Biology, Center for Nature Conservation, Bürgerstrasse 50, 37073 Goettingen; October 30th, 2013 at 11.15 pm ii Acknowledgements I am very grateful to my supervisor Prof. Dr. M. Mühlenberg, Department of Conservation Biology, Georg-August University of Goettingen for enhancement my concepts about nature conservation. I also thank Prof. Dr. R. Willmann for being my second supervisor, and to Dr. Richard Noske for the valuable tutorial during proposal writing. The Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) contributed generous financial support for my study. -
OF the TOWNSVILLE REGION LAKE ROSS the Beautiful Lake Ross Stores Over 200,000 Megalitres of Water and Supplies up to 80% of Townsville’S Drinking Water
BIRDS OF THE TOWNSVILLE REGION LAKE ROSS The beautiful Lake Ross stores over 200,000 megalitres of water and supplies up to 80% of Townsville’s drinking water. The Ross River Dam wall stretches 8.3km across the Ross River floodplain, providing additional flood mitigation benefit to downstream communities. The Dam’s extensive shallow margins and fringing woodlands provide habitat for over 200 species of birds. At times, the number of Australian Pelicans, Black Swans, Eurasian Coots and Hardhead ducks can run into the thousands – a magic sight to behold. The Dam is also the breeding area for the White-bellied Sea-Eagle and the Osprey. The park around the Dam and the base of the spillway are ideal habitat for bush birds. The borrow pits across the road from the dam also support a wide variety of water birds for some months after each wet season. Lake Ross and the borrow pits are located at the end of Riverway Drive, about 14km past Thuringowa Central. Birds likely to be seen include: Australasian Darter, Little Pied Cormorant, Australian Pelican, White-faced Heron, Little Egret, Eastern Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Australian White Ibis, Royal Spoonbill, Black Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Australian Bustard, Rainbow Lorikeet, Pale-headed Rosella, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Rainbow Bee-eater, Helmeted Friarbird, Yellow Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, Spangled Drongo, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Pied Butcherbird, Great Bowerbird, Nutmeg Mannikin, Olive-backed Sunbird. White-faced Heron ROSS RIVER The Ross River winds its way through Townsville from Ross Dam to the mouth of the river near the Townsville Port. -
Brynn Mathews 7 September 2018 Committee Secretary Senate
Brynn Mathews 7 September 2018 Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 [email protected] Re: Australia’s faunal extinction crisis – Senate Inquiry I appreciate the extension of the submission date for this inquiry, which has allowed me to make this submission. I have many years of experience of working with the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) as an employee of the Qld Department of Environment and, since retirement, as an environmental activist concerned for the protection and survival of many of the unique flora and fauna of far north Queensland. I have also served for many years on the management committee of the Environmental Defenders Office of Northern Queensland, which has given me an insight into the legal structure of the EPBC Act and how it fails to protect rare flora and fauna species. In particular I have serious concerns about: 1. the inadequacy of the listing process to protect newly discovered species that are endemic to only small areas; and 2. the weakness of the controlled action listing process due to the “significance” assessment process and the ability of people to carry out self assessments and decide that an activity is not notifiable as a controlled action. 3. the lack of implementation, or any obligation on the different levels of government to do so, for Species Recovery Plans. I will address my concerns with several case studies. 1. The Listing Process: Case Study 1: Haines Orange Mangrove (Bruguiera hainesii) In April 2016 local explorer, Hidetoshi Kudo made the remarkable discovery of Haines Orange Mangrove (Bruguiera hainesii) in mangroves adjacent to Trinity Inlet, Cairns. -
Status Report on Indonesian Galliformes
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by KUKILA STATUS REPORT ON INDONESIAN GALLIFORMES Compiled by D.A. Holmes Introduction This is a preliminary report on the status of galliformes in Indonesia, which has been prepared with three objectives: to alert conservationists to areas of danger, to demonstrate the paucity of data for most species, and to serve as a basis for updating Information. An IUCN/ICBP Red Data Book 'category is given for each species (endangered, vulnerable, rare, Indeterminate and out of danger), but it cannot be too strongly emphasized that this category, which refers only to Indonesia, is PROVISIONAL; in many cases it 1s little more than a guess. Against each species is also stated whether or not -it is protected under Indonesian law. Direct human Intervention is believed to threaten especially the megapodes, which are heavily exploited for their eggs. Traditionally this has been done on a more or less sustainable basis, but there is accumulating evidence that any sharp increase in rural population, for example on government-sponsored transmigration schemes or spontaneous inflow of farmers from other regions, may quickly result in extermination of populations locally, especially for those megapodes that breed colonially. R. Dekker (pers. comm.) states that any one species may give an impression of being common, but if these are only adult birds, it is possible that the eggs are already being over-harvested and the population is not being replaced. Thus surveys, mapping, monitoring and management of breeding sites of certain species may be an urgent priority. Loss of habitat is the second main threat for all galliformes that are dependent on a forest habitat; this applies especially to the lowland specialists, island endemics, and those intolerant of disturbance through logging. -
Sulawesi & Moluccas Extension: August-September 2015
Tropical Birding Trip Report Sulawesi & Moluccas Extension: August-September 2015 A Tropical Birding set departure tour Sulawesi (Indonesia): & The Moluccas Extension (Halmahera) Birding the Edge of “Wallace’s Line” Minahassa Masked-Owl Tangkoko This tour was incredible for nightbirds; 9 owls, 5 nightjars, and 1 owlet-nightjar all seen. This bird was entirely unexpected; rarely seen at night; we were very fortunate to see in the daytime. Voted as one of the top five birds of the tour. 15th August – 4th September 2015 Tour Leaders: Sam Woods & Theo Henoch “At the same time, the character of its natural history proves it to be a rather ancient land, since it possesses a number of animals peculiar to itself or common to small islands around it, but almost always distinct from those of New Guinea on the east, of Ceram (now Seram) on the south, and of Celebes (now Sulawesi) and the Sula islands on the west.” 1 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-0514 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report Sulawesi & Moluccas Extension: August-September 2015 British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, writing on Golilo (now called Halmahera), in the “Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan, and the Bird of Paradise. A Narrative of Travel, with studies of Man and Nature.” in 1869 Acclaimed British naturalist (and co-conspirator with Charles Darwin on the development of the theory of evolution of species by natural selection), Alfred Russel Wallace spoke of the “peculiar”, and it was indeed the peculiar, or ENDEMIC, which was the undoubted focus of this tour. -
Australian Checklist 2008
AUSTRALIAN CHECKLIST 2008 This Australian Checklist, compiled by Lloyd Nielsen, covers the Australian mainland and Tasmania. It does not cover the Australian political island territories, some of which have little affinity with Australian bird species. It can be copied for personal use only, and should be printed in its entirety. This checklist incorporates the latest taxonomic opinions and developments, using the following references: Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds Les Christidis & Walter E Boles 2008 The Directory of Australian Birds Passerines R Schodde & I J Mason 1999 Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds Volumes 1-7 Handbook of Western Australian Birds Volumes 1& 2 R E Johnstone & G M Storr 1998-2004 Endemics are printed in bold [V] = Vagrant [RV] = Rare visitor [H] = Hybrid [I] = Introduced [Extinct] Order now follows the order of Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds Les Christidis & Walter E Boles 2008, officially adopted by Birds Australia. Some taxons previously regarded as a full species no longer appear on the list e.g. Lesser Sooty Owl is now regarded as a subspecies of Sooty Owl. Gould’s Bronze-Cuckoo is now regarded as a subspecies within the Little Bronze-Cuckoo complex. Cox’s Sandpiper is now known to be a natural hybrid between Pectoral and Curlew Sandpipers.