DEPT COLLECTION no.2389

1 [ti ; � -b e1gjl,!11 · ,e ·:c�d' 1f'·l�·@"'1/· ,Ci""�rvas··t�r {,,J ii d 11 J ,.J •\,! '.i;J, . ., c. ... r,,;. \1 ti

ill !,! ,,, 11 �1 (;�� ··1 ,• n i" r Fi' !_, �� � e\ ·-- I I � U+t·1·i�? :-, �i.. I in

,.. // �"

/,// ,/ ,,.,.-;, /./ .,..,� //'// "' • ,., w· // / . .nr If!�·· / ' - @ / /"/ �;,/. "" �,.,---� �,c;:,,,..i,;::;/J) ��·�--'.:.A-""'· .��f"; JI',:C;f 'IL /0; 1 k��-r /; ' /'!• •1 /�:-',·:;,;,.. ) .. !' ��T -c�-,,--,="$,�'"'�'· ,,.. ¢',!,>-/ ·�.,. .... �.,,..,-- 1 ,1· i ·"c,\ V1 ' {?" i "�''iit,,S;�!. ;1,r/fl �, l �\ \'\ ' \' \'\, . \\ '\'\\ '\\ \ Report for orld ildlife Fund (Australia)

, . \ii>}.M.�En1: __

\f\. l�i:d \(;, /�'ff/ F). B.BrcJ\A1r�1 Ei R. I. Wi Ison \j,.\ ,i��j \�:\ . 'P \�··.. _ .. 4 /�iY

\ 0 HORLD \\ 1-= CL.

t'J TASMANIA, 0 ~;uRVEY A A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

A feature oft study has been the enormou:J 2.rnount of assistance which L::ts been on all sides and without which, th,,3 achievements made

the two yedl'S of this Sur1 vey would have beHi far less siB;nif.icant,

Our own Service 1 the Tasmanian Nation,::.1 Pa1~Jrn and ;[ildlife Service have assisted, both r.caterially and supportively in many wa.ys. In icular, thanks

go to David R.otrn.se\rell ~ v1ho has becr1 our and Tlicntor throughout the Survey a.nd to other members of the Wildlife Division whose advice was invaluable. Likewise, thank:':> go to officex's of other divisions whose logistic help ensured that fieJ.d wor•k in inho a1°eas went seoothly.

Special hanks go to Peter· Davis, Nc:;.tional Pm:-iks and Wildlife Service , Strahan,. who 1°egularly ferried us back and forth between Strahan and i3irchs Inlet, and to Garry Melville for su.pport in our work in the North-·west summer field work, most of the Tr•ainee Rangers have vary of time on this Sur•vc,y 2nd our grateful thanks go to all of them and to for manipulating their· pr'ogram;nes to ensure

that the OBP vra.s a n 12:cessar~y par1 t of th.eir• tria.iningjt

Cmr:-,1ission are to be thanked for supp::n'ting the Survey with boat involvement 2.nd the Tasmania Fix,e .Author.i loaned Hf RE:.dioc.: for all field wor'l< in ::;'.outhwest

Ta.s1nania

Volunteer a:~sL:;tants during tllc:, summer prcgr'c:,,:irne have been a feat-u.r'e of thi~

·i sorne pay .i11g their ovn:1 a111 fa:t"c:s fri:::r.n Victor·ia to come and join use We would like to mention them ell name but the .list ir: too lo;1g, To them

assi::;tant :·-:_-·,,-_ Menkhorst and Peter and Barbara Willson, all of Me1aleuca, have become our very :friends over two years and have helped us

11',;ith b.oat and in so many othe1' ways. They helped make life pleasant

Cn,ir1:1er1s ar1d leaseholder 1 s of private property have vc.r.."'ykin.·,.1y allo,~red access to their land. Particular thanks go to Graeme Gillon of Van Die;nan Land Co, and Pat of Hunter Island, On King Island, Monika and Bert Quandt and havP been most helpful to the Survey, In Victoria,, support of Fisheries and Wildlife Divis.ion of the Ministry for Conse1°vation is greatly appreciated, Syd Cowling and members of his staff, par,ticularly David Venn, Peter Goldstraw, Charles Nancar•row and Fabian Crowe e'~1sured we ited all required areas with little difficulty.

Special thanks must go to Richard Loyn whose active involvement in the welfare of this species has been a major driving fo:rice in Victoria. He has o,.:--ganised regular surveys and counts during the last 1~ years. We also thank B:cctt Lane, Val Dedrnan and the many other Victorians who have taken morl'.! than a passing interest in the fortunes of tbe OBP,

I, C, I, ( Australia) are to be thanked for their support in the p1~oductfon of an OBP Identification Guide, and to them and the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Ho:cks go thanks for allowing fl'.'ee access to all their land at Point Wilson,

South Austr,alia National Parks and Wildlife Service, through Laurie Delray and Lind:soy Jolly have given the Survey valuablE: support, particularly whilst we ,.,,c,rkcd in South Aust1~a1ia, They fully supported a 2 month survey by Ian May to ·:ork on thr:, ecology and distribution of the OBP in that state in :l.981, Particular t.hcmks go to field staff, Ian May, Pierce Dougherty, Mick Hinscliffe and Darryl

in South has always be,m strong and our thanks Phil Gibbons, Bob Hawkes and the co--ordinator for the west of the State, Leo Joseph and all those others who had helped in the Particular thanks go out to Dulcie Rowley whose comfortable ic support and :Lon in the South ··ea.st C O N T E N T S

No. No~

Introduction Predat and Threats 35 Tasmania 35 of Work 1980/81 2 Migration Route 35 r.ibution and Range 4 Mainland 36 Sununer' 4

9 Population, Status and Surveys 38 Winter :l.4 Management 18 Tasmania Season. l8 S.W. Tasmania 40

Post :19 West Coast Migration Route 41 King Island 20 King Island Victox'ia 21 Ma.inland 42 South .23 Port Phillip Bay !J2 Food Eastern Victoria season 25 Westernport Bay Post·-breeding n 49 General (Victoria) 50 South Australia 50 .A:r1~iv·al 29 General Management 52 Prospecting 30 Captive Breeding 52 Nest timing 30 Future Research 55 Nests 30 56 Ne;st l'Zeferences fl 3J.. Nest Distu:r.bance 32 32

Success 33

':) 3~· adults 34 Departure I N T R O D U C T I O N

1981 on the belJ.. P.a.:i::0 ks and Service of Tasmania for Porld e fund (Australia).

M1ch of the basic of the spec.ies, the on ect of Octol::cr

2.ddi t ior1s have been n1adc:: to o·ur or the ecology a.nd 198 Bl and are included in the

An impox'tant fr2atm:·e has been the ion of the distribution of th1::: iri South Australia where rnany areas used birds population in this State than had

thertc b0rm located have been confix 1med in 1981.

r•ecommendat.ions for management and furthe1~ .invest ions have bE'en rnade r'epor·t and tve look to the states concerned t" J:Yt'oposals will form

Plan will. be p:roduced in '.l ~H32 if funds can be found.

It is consi(:~e:Cf}ti rnost That a Committ,3e oi Management be within the next year with ion from the thrE,<.~ Sta.tes and other inte:cested irill a.nd rna.nagemenc of the OBP. 2. PROGRAMMEor FIELD WORK 81

The report produced OctobEiY' 1980 on the first year of work on this speciE:,s dealt with field work 1.mde:r.1 taken up to and including August, 1980. At this time, the entire populat of OBP 1 s we:l'.'e in coastc:::LL Victor:ta and South

In efforts to locate birds returning to their breeding to Island were undertaken, botl-1 of 3 days duration

oft week and '.3 wert, ma.de to north western Tasmania

(~:rs Beach in the Dorth ..

Breed Season The study areas at Birchs Inlet and Melaleuca (Port rnonitor·ed thE, sunmier' between Octobu:' March although there was no consta.nt pt'esence as in summer j979/80. In c1I1 ion was undertaken into ,,mt new territory with an baseci at '1.r2_o , during Hhich searches were made for summering OBP between Elliott "" 0 71 1 13.nd Towter<2.r Creek 4.3 i/-1 , so-n:-ie.45 k of coast, and up to 5 k inl&nd. A SE'C'('f'(~ nevr ar1 ea v:as visited late with the party based at the Moores Valley coverage :10 k to the north ancl some 20 k to the sou.Th up to 5 k either side of the. tr.a.ck. Visits were al;so made during the summer to other r,.ew areas in the South-west including Louisa Bay and :Buoy C1°eek valley on the Scn.lth Coa.st and Bay, Horseshoe In.Let and the Davey River>, all in the Port

Bathurst Harbour arr::a. Some experimEmtal work 1H:e, under'taken at the Bir.1 chs JnJ.E,t a!'ea with a trial buttongrass bu:r.n and the erection of ar>t n.c::o:t boxes sited in woodland copses, Both these programmes were undertaken prior to the return of OBP s to breeding local:L tie$.

the summer, tr:l.a1r3 wer•e carried out in efforts to a su:naD.Le.. , .. "a OBPsand con]unct h a Hoba,:'t avicul turalist, a rmmber ()f and adult Blue-winged Par·Pots wer'e makred with patagial wing tags.

L11t irn~J this method was abcmdom:d as nnsa.tisfacto:cy a.nd effort,s we:ce

,':3, llS.i:.

Post~-b11 ee·d A pt" ogr:.:1mmc'.j'_~or the of

I s.la.nd vr~ts fox"rnt11a·ted a.nd on Blue-winged Parrots at

Wco.tnorth N .E .. visits to the West Coast of br~tween late :r ~.and Island to monitor the ion. One week was also on Hurrter Island off the North-west

Coa:,,t :Ln effort::, to find mi OBPs ~ 3,

Between 6 June and 13 July the Survey Off worked on the mainland ',iith much as[,ic;-tancE, f1:orn Vic and South Australian Government off ers and interested bird watchers 1 undertaking assessmerrts of all known recently used lc:ications where OBPs have been observed, They also attempted to locate as many overwinter•ing birds as possible.

On the weekend of 18 and 19 July 1981, as the last three years, a co- ed simultaneous 3 state count was organised using volunteers in efforts to and count all OBPs on that weekend. 1..j.•

DISTRIBUTION &, R/1NGE

The Orange Bellied Parrot report of 1980 has shown that the OBP is a summer breeding resident of western Tasmania south of Macquarie Harbour which after breeding moves up the west coast of Tasmania through the islands of the Hunter Group and King Island to the Australian mainland, The birds then disperse along the coasts of Victo:cia and South Australia between the Gippsland Lakes in the east and Coorong in the west. See Fig. 1.

SUMMER: Records now available indicate that the main breeding range of the species is centred around the Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour valleys south to Cox Bight with the most easterly summer sighting at Louisa Bay on the South Coast, North of Port Davey pairs of OBPs are thinly scattered up and along the coast and Piver,s to Elliott Thereafter there are no records of birds between 1979/1981 until the Birchs Inlet area where an appat'ently isolated po1mlation lweeds. To the north of Birchs Inlet, searches have re-­ vealed an absence of OBPs dur'ing summer and it is now considered unlikely that the species breeds north of Macquarie .Harbour.

Some extensions to the breeding range were discovered during the 1980/81 summer when efforts were made to cover those a1:-,eas of the West Coast not searched during the first year of work on the sur,vey.

An expedition in early January into Nye Bay based at the Giblin River- mouth produced daily sightings of birds pairs and singles flying over the forest a.long the :d·ver course or just to the south in scrub and patchy Eucalypt

where,, on one occasion,, a. pair were observed feeding in low vegetation.

To the south of Nye Bay over the next 18 k no parrots were located 1.;_ntil the m,)utb of the Towter'e1'.' River where a single adult male was seen pe1~ching on a dead tea-·tree shrub on the dune top, This is only 5 JdJ.ornetres north of Sandl).l.ow Bay whe:ce birds were obse1~ved in 19 7 9.

North of Nye Bay, a pail~ of OBPs and a single bird were observed ca, 2 k apart on the t;rnmarah Creek both entering and leaving different woodland sections. On the first occasion a flew from a stand of mature Euoalyptus n{ti&'7. woodlan and landed appr'oximately 100 m to the south and after perching n1 regenerat commenced to feed in the nearby heath, The second ing was of a single bird which flew high from the plain to the north-west and dived into the tall E. in the valley bordering the creek. It could not be .locc+t,;;d 1 L ,;as c,onsider,ed that these were two poi.:ential -- g· Of?Af\iCF.-.·. . -t_LLlED· o t s l f~! B u r t o rj

CO;\ ST ,1.\L SOU TH _ E,1'.\ST /\USTf:;:ALil, l I r-J.

Adela!dt

V!C TORIA

Island

BASS STFU\iT

Wrntrr 6.

it was made to tbe east of PayDe Bay, however,, the following yea:c this was achieved with a 2 day sTay based at Fitzroy Point. tween 0830 ac1d 1000 on 22 December, single birds were seen three times to and from a patch on the shores of Payne Bay between Fitzroy Point and Heather No nest was loc2rted but almost cer·tainly a pair wer~,

tbe:r•t.-: ..

si of were made in othe:0 a1°eas of Port Davey, Bathur:3t

to i'k":!w Harbour and Cox Bight during the 1980/8'.L surnr;12.r > reini:or·c~ of this area as a cent1,,e fer Oi3Ps., Of o.f a s

sou:th ..~\·JesT. a.ncl la.r:.ded out of v5.f2W in sonH~ tEt11 t:rees on a.n in the It :id.:,red thdt there would be a nest her·e. ( 197 ) observed birds in the Old Rive:c in the late 1960 1 s but other earches of this ar~a to find any,

Further extensions of the known summer :range were made in ·the far south·- w,c::st finding pairs of birds at Noyhener Bay, and Windowp,Tne, Bay on the West C\)2,st between Hilliard Head and the South-west Cape.

It is that two pairs bred in the fo:r.·ests of Black Cliff Hills near

Creek, As many as :1.0 were seen her·e d1-n"ir1g the summer but these included non-breeding birds.

Further t~ast ~ in Louisa P.lain, a single bird wa.s flushed on 3 occasions on 18 Decen1ber, It ul flew to a forest patch at the rno1.1th of Louisa

Creek. This is at th,:: most easterly record of OBPs during the br 1 eeding

A feature of this as opposed to the more catholic Blue-winged Parr•ot is its fo:r the pro,d.mity of la1°ge expanses of water'~ be coasts, inland harbours or· drowned valleys. Dtn'ing the breeding season Parrot more than 6 k from any water expanse ( fi..g 2). , winter bir·ds appear to be even more wedded to the-:,; pro xi.mi ty

The p:reference fol' co,1st<1l J.s a most impor·tant feature of the eco..log.:/ of this It was first x·efor:ced to by Binsby ( 1947) who stated that .it was seldom encountered more tban 30 mi1es from the coast, Others ( Fo1:seshaw, And;11°son etc.) have, refe:cred to this preference for coastal hoi-.Jever, this is the f:l.r·:c:;t effort at analysis of this preference. ( d)".) \ Fig 2. 7.

LOCATION }10' S .. REMAFU

Birchs Inlet 5 Pail..,s l.j. nests :found in 1979/80 f, 1980/ 81 Ummarah 2 Pairs 2 probable pairs seen 1980/8:l Bay ReguL3.rly seen Jan. :1.9B1, possibly 2 pa.irs Towterer 1 Pair Bird flew towards forest patch Sandblow Bay 1 1 pair seEm Nov, 1979 Bond Bay l Single bird calls only Payne Bay 1 Pair Bi:cd seen regularly entering and leaving forest patch, Hammond Point 3 Birds Beginning of Feb, 1980 none were seen on other visits. Joe Page Bay 1 B 1 heard calling; no other information North Inlet 1 Birds seen flying to forest on two occasions.

Old River :t Pair breeding in river timber Bathurst Creek 1 Bird 1 bird scc"'n on ground feeding Bay :l Pair 1 pair- seen courtship feeding 18 Dec. 1979 Noyhener Bay 1 Pair seen on 2 occasions 1981

Faults Bay Pair seen together late Feb. :1.980 Windowpane Bery 1 Pair seen on 2 occasions Summer 1981

Horseshoe Inlet :3 Pair's E; sir,gles regular flights. Age and behaviour of birds C1ay·tons l Pair SinglE1 bird seen flying fr·orn for,est Mines t Birds seen :regularly het;e during summer :J.980/81.

New Ha:cbour 2 Pai1'.'S Birds seen at forest and feeding o in different a.1'\eas. Mela.leuca 5 Pair~s 2 known nesn.; & other•s probab.le in -· Cox B 3 C:reek Binls seen ber·e:, throughout summer

Louisa 1. .from plain to .fo1"est pa"tch

BIRDS 198 8:L Birchs Inlet 9

Buoy Crrc:ek 8 L 1-lar:niCJari

Buoy Cree~

C ,_0

en MIGRATION

Many ings 1981 of Orange-bellied Parrots outside their known breeding range in Tasmania and winter range in Victoria and South Australia have confirmed doubt that most of the population move northwards up the West Coast afl:er' breeding, through the islands of the Hunter group and King Island and onto the mainland,

From observations during the breeding season, it appears probable that adults are the first to leave the breeding localities. The earliest departures are failed breeders, followed by non-breeders, breeders and finally juveniles. A Vet':l small number of adults are found in the South West of Tasmania just priol' to the departure of the juveniles of that year. In 1981 during a visit to Melaleuca between 15 and 22 February, very few adults were located whilst up to 13 juveniles were regularly seen feeding in and around the garden of Dennis King. The last bird seen at Melaleuca was on 19 March.

Regular sightings we:r>e made up the West Coast north of Strahan in March and April and it is now clear tha.t there is no urgency for birds to reach wintering locations on the mainland. An expedition based on the West coast to the south of Ternma during March and April, located OBPs on 5 occasions between

8 March and 11+ April. On each sighting only 1 or 2 birds was involved.

Migration sightings during 1981 included birds at Trial Harbour, Greenes Beach and Temma on the West Coast.

The only island of the Hunter' gr0oup visited during migration in 1981 was Hunter Island itself where a visit of 4 days duration was made between 30 March and 3 April. This visit resulted in 5 separate sightings of OBPs and confirms the use of this island as birds pass to the mainland. Four of these sightings J.nvo. l v1ng. 1 - 3 .bir-ds coast midway up the island with open dun:}s behind the coast and in the fifth sighting, 2 juveniles were flushed from a t1°ack thrcugh scrublaxid which had been burned 1 year ago. With these records in j_ 981 from Hunter Island and in J.. 980 from Robbins and Walkers Island, it is quite probable that all th(::se islands are used regularly by small g1°oups of bh•ds enroute to King Island and the mainland autumn. We have no information as to whether tbese islands are used by birds re·turning to Tasmania.

On King Island, the first bird recorded at the Sea Elephant saltmarsh 1tras on :LO March, a single bird, with rio mo1~e disco·\lered on a 3 day visit; so this was probably the first arrival. Thereafter OBPs were observed both here and at

, Lake Flannigan n.,INl@rly during Apri1, May and June 1 however; the largest count 10. at one time here was of 28 birds on 16 April, some 40 fewer than the count of ca. 70 on April. last year. Subsequent counts on the main.land have indicated no appreciable reduction ·in numbers of overwintering birds and it .is probable that the 1°educed number using Sea Elephant meant that many birds by­ passed the Island in 1981, or a more prolonged movement occurred. A small number remained on the island until late August.

Figure 4 lists all sightings of migrating OBPs during 1980 and 1981. The migration period extended over many months.

Figure 5 maps these sightings and shows that proximity to the coast is the common denominator, with the exception of a single bird seen at the Denison River on 28 February.

Ic is difficult to find an explanation for this bird, it was flying south ov

Tl~ only other uncharacteristic sighting of 1981 was that of a pair o:f OB?s on Courts Island off the southernmost t of Bruny Island in S.E. Tasmania on 16 March. These birds were flushed fr•orn low vegetation in the midst of a Short-tailed Shearwater• rookery and b(c:;aded west towards Southport Lagoon on the rnciinland across the D;I:ntrecasteau:{ Channel. Courts Island is only_ 12 k from Actaeon Island. where Gould found the birds to be so common in 1838. The fact that two birds were seen .indicates that they were probably a pair and may have been moving up the East Coast, Until rncn·e sightings of Orange-bellied Par•rots ape made in the east this must be classed as an unusual record.

: Observations of birds returning to Tasmania in sprJ_ng remain elusive as in the Three reports from Victoria and one from King Island ar0 e all that were found in 1980. No retux 1ning birds were located on the mainland of Tasmania in spite of field trips and extensive searches in North-western Tasmania.

On 27 4 birds were seen flying due south out to sea at Point Lonsdale to the south of Queenscliff and may have b(:"en birds sta.1°ting migration.

Between the years of 1978 and 1980, a resident of the area has each October observed up tG 8 OBPs in open pa.stu:r.e near the coast at Flinders .in area up to three weeks before depar•ting, 11.

It is most prnbable that these are birds which are moving from Po1"t Phillip Bay on their return migration to Tasmania.

Likewise the sighting of a pair of birds on the very south eastern headland of Cape Woolamai in September 1980 resting on ground vegetation amongst the Short-tailed Shearwater colony, was almost certainly that of birds moving southwa1°ds tm,a:r.cls Tasmania.

On 10, 11 and 12 October, a group of Orange-bellied Par'I'ots were observed on the souther 1 nmost tip of Stokes Point, King Island, where they were perching on the shingle bank and feeding amongst the grasses (P. Youd, Pers. Comm). The bil...,dsr•ernained in the same area over the 3 days he worked in this locality. Fig 4. 11.. 1980 1981 Date No. Location Date No. Location "----·--- ..---··---- 28 February 1 Denison R. Lake Gordon 8 - 9 March 2 Sandy Cape

'~f;i t~ 12 March 3-5 St1°ahan 12 March 1 King Island it. l.tj\ 14 Ma:r1ch 7 Henty River 14 & 15 t! 1 Temma 16 March 2 Courts Is, SaE, Tas.

21+ !i 3 Trial Harbour-Granville Harbour

1 25 !I 1 a;e;~rie~!-p:f::''sart~:37' :6i~1i '.' '.! .,,., ... ,, 27 If 3 Greenes Pt. 9an?YCape ; ·1 - • ' , . . - ~ 27 !I tG King Is.land ; . ··- .. '·; 1f 1 Hunter Island , : : ·. ! :')1 11 3 Hunter Island ,, 2 April J.. Hoolnorth 2 Ap:dl 2 Hunter Island

r;. ,:. April 1 Montagu FI n 70 King Island 8 April 20 King Island

ti :1.5 2 !(ipg Jsland (Lavinia Pt,) • • ,·, I ' 1.5 l! 1 Montagu ,. :·:-· 1.6 II 1-4 Walker Island ,i 28 King Island 18 n 2 King rs. (Bunga:ree Lagoon) . II 1 ;·,' ) 23 2 !(ing Island

".l 1 May V Robbins Is. 13 May 2 King Is. (L.Flannigan) :. .;, ) 13 May 16 King Is, 19 May 18-21 King Island 2 June 9 King; Island

,July l+ King Islanq 26 July 1 King Island ",, Aug. 4 King Island ' ..w 20 Aug, + King Island

r R!COFWS ;) MIGRA.Tlt~G ORANGE·-· BELLIED r~,\F'.ROTS 1980 S. 1981

Ii/JI 08P locations

r=~Breed 1nq range ______.. :J.l.J.,

WINTER

It .is now known that the :range of the Orange-bellied Par•rot covers 1500 k of coastline in Victoria and South Austr 1alia. During the last 1+ years,; the most easterly record is fl"Om Lake Jack Sm.i.-th in Gippsland and the westernmost sighting is from Salt Creek on the Coorong. There is a possible but as yet unconfirmed sighting f:rom Lake Alexandrina at the Murray Mouth, South Australia, in l98L

Throughout this range, ar,eas of importance to OBPs are in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria where the sites a:r,e at Point Wilson and Swan Bay S1,ra.n Island) and Southeast South Australia.

Victo~.~·-.:..i

East of Melbourne the only location known to be regularly used by OBPs is Frer,.ch :Psland where up to Li have annually been recorded in recent years, Four birds seen between May and at Lake ~rack Smith in 1980 have not been found there in 1981, howeve1', not considered particularly significant for it would be expected that birds at the periphe:r•y of the range would. be more mobile than others, Other recent sightings from Westernport Bay include Cape Woolamai and Flinders Head in September and Oc·tober. The Cape Woolamai birds were on the very tip of the headland and were most certainly migr•ating birds ii It also pr•obable that the Flinders Head birds wer·e also preparing to leave for Tasmania as birds have been observed in the same localities (pasture) each year from 1979 1980, but only in October.

At other times during recent winters, small numbers of OBPs have been located at Powlett River; Reef Island and Bunyip River all in Westernport.

The only record of an OBP east of Westernport apart from Lake Jack Smith is that of a bird on Sunday Island in Cor•ner Inlet on 2 April, 1977,

Port Bay regularly bolds half 1 or more than half, of the total known OBI' pop,2-lation between and October'" They have regularly been ob- served in small numbers at Altona, Point Cook, Werribee River, Little River to Point Wilson and Lavert:on beyond.

The Spit at Wilson is the focaJ. point :for OBPs where they utilise a variety of habitctts within 7 km as described elsewhere in this report. It is quite probable that OBPs recorded at px,eviously mentioned localities near Point Wilson are all part of this group. 15. The other large group of up to 30 birds is at Swan Island and we know that in 1980 there was some interchange between here and Freshwater Lake nearby. These bir,ds are also knoi-m to use the sal tmarshes of Swan Bay, Some 5 k out into the bay"'off Swan Island li;::s Mud Island which is used by small numbers tDf OBPs throughout ,;the winter. The importance of this Island·to OBPs has diminished considerably sincE;; the 1960's when up to 100 were recorded there. During the last 3 years~ the most recorded at one time is thr'ee birds. 2 was the maximum in 1981.

South of Freshwater Lake:, 2 birds were seen on 7 September flying out to sea at Point Lonsdale (probably migrating) and small numbers of birds were seen in 1979 and 1980 in the sa1tmarsh,3s behind the sand dunes near Breamlea, but never more than 2 birds.

The rocky cliffs and shores of the Otway peninsula appear unsuitable to OBPs and it is no suprise that they have not been recorded between Breamlea and Port Campbell, a line of almost continuous cliffs. The most suitable coastal saltmarsh in western Victoria occur's around the shores o.f Belfast Lough near Por>t Fairy, OBPs were r·eported from Curdies Inlet) Peterborough between January and ,hme in '.L979 amongst Blue·-winged Parrots, The Survey Team found many Blue­ winged Par1°ots there in 1981. The habitat potential was good to average for B.lue-winged Parrots but considered only suitable for OBPs at the western end. However, OBPs were not .found there in 1980 or 1981. The only other potentially

0 suitable saltmarsh in Victoria at Nelson where q. birds we1:i, , seen in ·winter 1979.

Suitability of habitat is the controlling factor, for most otl:Jer coastal wetlands a:ce freshwater and hence unsuitable for OBPs. Beach frontage habitat in the region is of poorer quality than further west in Sou-th Australia and although some sizeable C'ak·ile m;tJ''i'.tima beds occur at the mouth of the Surrey and. F.itzrciy Ri vex·s, no OBPs have been recorded at either of these sites.

Lack of t'E,cent sightings leads us to conclude that western Victoria is r.,ostly overflowr1 by OBPs moving through to S ,E, South Australia, however, observer· cover•age here is less comp.lete. than elsewhere in Victoria

South Australia __...... -·--·--·-- It has been establ.Ished in 1981 that Soutrreast South Australia holds up to a third of the total OBP population during winter,. 16, BiX'ds were .lqcated at Ca1"pentin's Rocks in June, July and August with a maximum of 16 bir•ds, OBPs have now been recorded using this location during each of the last 3 years. This unlikely stl"ip of beachfront some 3 k in l'3llgthi also supports large· numbers bf Bhie-~-ringed Parrots and Goldfinches throuf!;hciut winter~ mostly att:mcted by C'akile mar·itima growing on the beach front. A little fu:r·ther north in Canunda National Park, OBPS have been r•egularly located during winter at a series of freshwater soaks near· Whale Rocks amongst the dunes. Cakile martimo; grows extensively in the dunes surrounding these soaks which also provide fx,esh d:r·inking water', Blue--winged Parrots abound here

1 also during winter •

Another' significant find in 1.981 was a small island in the northern end

.c: O .l Lake Borlney used by 1 or 2 OBPs in June, July and August for both roosting and foedihg,Pierce Dougl1er.t;y i the .resident ranger at Canunda who first located these birds, commented that the bi.r1ds were particularly loathe to leav<"! the island even though it was only 0.5 ha in total area.

Between Southend and Beachport lies the great sweep of Rivoli Bay,part of the almost continuous high dune system which runs between C,v·ur-:1,. and Robe and with occasional br,eaks continues tln"ough the Coorong to the Mur:ray Mouth,, Eight to t:en OBPs w,2:re flushed from the beach front towar·ds the south end of Rivoli Bay in early June. Birds wer•e found in the same locality in JuJ.y and August and like several. other groups in South--east South Australia, are comparatively static during the middle of winter.,

At Nora C:r·eina. in exactly the same place where 13 ad.ult OBPs we1'e located

1 on 25 June 1980, t. birds were found on 5 July and approximately 200 m further' south~ 2 more birds were located, Both groups flew d.hectly inland after being flushed from the beach front, At Long Gully, Robe, on '.l.. 9 July a pair of OJ3Ps was flushed from near· the shore 2,nd further north on 6 July some 5 k north of Kingston where 2 OBPs wer'B found last year, at least 7 birds were found in the dune swales f:JOme 50-

During this winter, extensive searches by up to 16 people thr,oughout the Coor·ong failed to locate any OBPs at all. Coverage was excellent using vehicle, trail bike and on fo

There has been one r·ecord of 2 OBPs by a reliable observer at Langeris Cr'eek in the Murray Mouth. This has not b<~en checked at present and the record must remain on the speculative list, 18. HABITAT

Se-.a.sor1: Although Par·rot s were again fo, __md in coastal plains near forest in 1980/81, several new breeding habitat types were used the birds. One nesc at ~t. Fulton near Melaleuca, was located 100 m into an expanse of more than SOG ha of myr,tle/ celery-top - dominated rain forest.

The nest was in the broken C'.i'.'OWD of an erne1,gent Euealyptus nitida, Such trees occur: 1n strips on narrow running down the slopes, Single birds were seen entering similar forest in mid--December at both Black Cliff Hills, Cox Bight and near• New Harbou:c Range, At Black Cliff Hi11s, the forest where tbe OBPs alighted was some 500 m from any buttongrass, and almost devoid. of emergent eucalyph-;, Clear,ly OBPs will r1est in r.;uitable Eucalypt holes ln any age or size of forest patch.

Both new fl(-:sts fo1,.11:1dat Birchs Inlet i·n N

Feeding and early-season roost areas used by <)BPs closely followed the found the 1979/80 season. A small number of birds had returned to Birchs Inlet October 6. These birds were already roosting a.nc"~ in the same areas u::;ed h~, Hovernber 1979: -- rmburrn ;=or 8 years" 1.. 5 - 2 m tall heathland dominated t:enax and One pair v,d:. renovating 1,r,?st J in for,~st J km to the west, at time. An escaped control burn at Me.ta1euca in Autumn 1980 burnt about 1000 ha of plains fr·orn 1 krn south of MelaL::uc.:" to Cox D as well as Half Woody Hill and some foothLUs of the Battmrst The souchern l'ic..lf of the communal roost used l~O\/enibc::r· 1979 was bu:rnt and :n() OBPs used this area in 1980, although up to 2 roosted or fed in the northern, unburnt area in the first week of November. Once again, preferred feeding habita-t of ODPs 2.t thi2 tiT:ie had been unbunrt for more than 6 years and was dominated by button- gt·ass ~- I?estio L ana paperbarks. However, 2 single birds we1°e using sedge1and burnt as recently as 2 years ago.

in 11:.1.d--late November· at Bi.rc:hs Tn1et, al though a large number of OBPs were still using the communal roost at Birchs River, several nesting pairs had abandoned this for a different habitat. Ths male from nest 7 and pair from nest 4 both fed witliin 500 m of their respective nest-holes in sparse, low, 4 year old sedgeland dominated l?eD Sprenge l ia inecff'nata 3 1 ~l.

OBPs fed exclusively in 3-5 year vegetation in the Bathux·st Harbour to Seu.th Coa:::t area in the first 3 weeks of December. Birds were flushed from this habitat at: Louisa Ba_y, Buoy Creek Vi:3.lley, New Harbour, south Moth Creek, ,;elaleuca airstrip, Passage Creek, Woureddy Creek and Horseshoe Inlet. Al though the s listed above were dominants, the abundance of seeding food plants parv{flo:N1~ B. pilosa & HeU,c71:f'yswn purrdZwn was the vital feature of

T1-s•o records from different habitat came in early J nua:cy. A Llale was d5 sturbed from scrub at the top o.f a dune at tbe mouth of Towterer Creek, on the coast west of Bond Hay, on January 8. Three days later, at nedr Stephens Bay, an OBP 11was observed for some time in a small clrnnp of coastal tussocks and buzzy on the seaward side of a sand dune". (C. Wbite pers.

ccrnm ·~) ..

By early February at Melaleuca, adult birds were found foraging in very young ( 2 year) vegetation. When juveniles fledged in mid-February, a var,iety oi habitats we Ne used, eenter>.ing around Denny King 1 s p:ar,den on the banks of

;lvth Creek. A large portion of their time was spent sheltePing in E' .. nit-tda trees or tall dense scrub along Moth Creek in 11creches 11 of up to 10 birds. Adults acted independently of the inexperienced young, but both frequently

1 foraged in open areas bun1t between 1- months and 3 years previously, whether for

,, gritting, clrinkin 6 or bathing, Adults departed no1"th befo:ce young birds, which had all left by March 18, together witb at least two juvenile Blue-winged

Areas which have failed t;:i produce records d 02spi te considerable searching are north L:iuisa Plains, south-west of Melaleuca Creek, Moulters , Muleahy t,:c Wreck • and Moores Valley to Lewis River. Except for some 5 ha south of the Conder River none of these plains have been JJu1:nt :for 15 ·- 30 years. Note that OBPs have been recorded again from Buoy Creek and south Louisa

Plains this sum1r1e1°, 1,,;here a ,3evere fire buPnt large areas just 3 ye.::ars previously. The area south-west of Mela1euca Creek features old swa1:1py areas of dense, low Md.aleu.ca squamea, pr>event.in,; the CDPs from g:r.ouncl feecling. i\)ct·-"r>e,:,,d.1'ng· ,:'_~_, _. -~---~_ .. __ 2, .. Th," only inland OBP n:ccord since the start of this survey came from near th(1 Truchan as Huon Pine Rese1°ve, Denison Ri ve1° on February 28. The bird was flying south over dense forest and scrub on a ridge of the Hamilton Range,, with buttongrass plains l km t;0 both east and west. 20.

Another unusual recor'd came from Courts Island,, just off the south-west tip of Bruny Island, in far South-east Tasmania on 16 ~Jarch. A pair was flushed 40 m above sea level on tbe 25 ba sand-topped island, fr·om vegetation less than :1 m higb, predominantly Tetragonia implexl,coma., Pelargon{wn austl~aze & Malva sp.

A total of 8 records of 1 - 3 bir'ds came from the West Coast between March 8 and April 14. five of these came from just north of Sandy Cape, between Ordnance Point and Greene I s cr,eek, wher'e OBPs fed with Blue-winged Parrots., The OBPs used shingle banks and patches of Chenopodium glaucum & Apium proetratv.m :just above high tide mark on the beach behind a rocky foreshore.

One OBP was found 20 min from the waterline amongst Cakile maritima, 1 km noFth of Temma on 11+/15 March. Other vegetation was mainly marram grass, Ammoplzila arcucn"ia at the dune base. Three OBPs were located feeding on a bare track 3 km north of Trial Harbour on March 24·. This si·te, surrounded by 50 cm tall heathland, was 3 km inland between two creeks.

Between 31 March and April 2, groups of 1 - 3 OBPs were recorded_ from

1~ sites on northe1"n Hunter Island, Three of these were from a 3 km st1~etch of coast around Wallaby Point on the west coast, predominantly rocky with cobbled and occasionally sandy beaches. Inland was either pasture or coastal heath or scrub. One male was feeding in a ~'iO m strip of low, sparse veget:ation including Pe

2,f:.Z:ariciia.e,, Pornc.rder-·r1 is apetaZ.ct & /3onchus sp"' A boulder ridge v.fas on the seav,ar•d side, while dense, 2--3 m scrub formed the eastern border.

Two juveniles were flushed fr·om the main nortll track 2 krn inland from the east coast. The vegetation here was 1 m tall heathland, with one area burnt w~thin the last year. At least 12 species commonly recorded from buttongrass ains of South--west Tasmania were present, including Epac:1~is spp~ Bauera r•,ibioides~ Boronia piZosa., Restio comp7..anatus" Leptosper·mum scopar'ium, Melaleuca ,;qu.ar:rosa, Spr•enge7..?:a inca1~na-t.a and buttongrass.

Island: The only return m:Igration OBP 1°ecord for Tasmania in spring 1980

;:,,_;_.;from Stoh~'° Point~ tlw extreme s~,1,xthern tip of King Island. 12 birds wl:,Y1e located there in coastal scrub and grassy tracks fr•om 1.0 - 12 October.

In Autumn, the first OBP was recorded from the Sea Elephant saltmar•sh on March 10. A maximum of only 28 was recorded by the survey on April 16, while

1-1 were still in late July/ August. Al thour;h areas at the:: northern

southern ends r:,J: 3 km s2J tmarsh we.re har•d1y· usc::;cl bv OBPs in 1 lJ." this . _, - ...." , the ,,·,.,__-l,·;l' d ·1,,f:~ i,:~CC.t J.on 'Vias ·r-_11_:,.;c-_.,_v_-_~·· ·01 - -~,' ,....;., A. --L · ·- w ~~.,. n new saltmarsh area on the west bank 21'.

of the river was utilised in May, while birds repeatedly flew inland to extensive areas of heath. In August, several birds were using swampy areas

w:~th seeding Rest:io tetraphyUu.s ,~ Lepyrod-ia tasmanica ( t.he first food plant i:aken in South---west Tasmania in spring).

Lake Flannigan, in the north--west of King Island, pr'oduced sightings of 3 birds ( 5) and a pair (May 13). The pair was feeding along the east coast heavily grassed pasture containing plantains and about 50% cover of

(~ ,Juncus Bpp. 2 OBPs were recorded in newly·-bullclozed Melaleuca alongside the Reekara -· Yambacoona straight on the North Road on st 5. Although these birds may have been feeding on gr'asses, they returned to this "hc,rizontal monoculture" of flattened tea-tree after twice }x:i.ng fJ.u'.:;hed by Swamp Har·rie:cs, Cakile in a substantial area at nec1rby Yellow Rock Rivermouth was being con;3urned some 200 Greenfinches and 20 House s in late April, but no Neophemas wer·e present, The s had been removed sto:C'rns by August• a feature in the biology of these dune communities,

Victoria: Rc,cor•ds of OBPs in Victor·ia again invariably came from within 5 krn of the coas c, Port Phillip Bay or vJester'nport, Al though most records originate from saltmarsh areas, several other habitat types are regularly used. The ,::treas in order' of importance, are cha.racteristically Arthrocnemwn & SaZicor'nia quinqueflora feeding habitat for OBPs: - Point Wilson, Swan Island, freshwater l

Pre do mi nan 8al·i.corn-ia saltrn2~rshes used by OBPs are Glenelg River, Pow.Le·t River, Foint Cook and Curdies Inlc-,t, At Glene1g River the saltrnarsh is surrounded thick coastal scrub, while the other three areas are mixed with pastux'B and/or ,Tuncus/Gahnia/Poa thickets. A11 four areas have produced intermittent records over the last d~:cade,

' . ' Freshwater Lake, l\ft11Cn up to 30 OBPs in winter 1980 1 but only sn121ll numbers year, is a small wetland surrounded by pastu1·e, some low

Salicc1 1n·ia., .Poa tussocks and the food attraction, Chenopodium elaucum, The shore of Lake Jack Smith used by OBPs in 1980 is covered mainly in kt1"Lplex

tata & Suaeda austJ:0 al-ts., with some SqJ.{corn{a. Behind this~ the most easterly known winter resort, is a rnixtur<2 of Poa tussock, rabbit infested rank pasture, flat Sal1:corrda and some scrub} while an extensive clune system runs east to the Gippsland Lakes.

In ad.di tion to the SaZicm'nia at Point Cook, coastal heathland, r'ank pasture and beachfront vegetation are a.ll suitable OBP habitat, The only other known areas of beac.hfront/Cakrle marl·t;ima habitat used by OBPs in Victoria are at Yambuk, near Port F'air,y, attracted up to 70 birds in the late 1950 1 s and the

Clenelg Ri vr~1" mout:h l

Three headlands have produced sightings of OBPs returning to Tasmania in Cape \.-ioolamai,. Flinders Head and Point Lonsdale, al.l in tbe Port Phillip Bay/ a.re.a. At Cape ifoolarnai, neither the sparse dune vegetation of the neck nor low th:ick scr--ub of the promontory is very suitable wintering hahitat. However, OBPs have been recorded regtlla1°ly behind coastal

11 scrub at F.l.inders Head, feeding in wbi1e pigface, rushes; "burrs , cliff scrub, f.';1>3.sses ,plantains; strand vegetation and a golf course are all

The wide range of habitat types favoured by OBPs is typif.ie(:\ by a sight of birds in the north--east of French Island. No birds were located in the excellent saltrnarsbes around the coast, but at a dried out fl.at 1 km. in1and ~ with 60% bare , little vegetation taller than 5 cm., only four plant species and an abundance of rabbit droppings.

South Australia: In contr 0ast to Victoria, preferred OBP habitat in South Australia is beachfront ve ion, with no recent records from saltmarshes, ]Jocks of up to 16 bi.rcls ha.ve been recol'.'ded from Caldle 1r;a.1·itlma "standsn at Carpenters Rocks, Rivoli Bay, Nora and Kingston in the last three winters. Two contrasting shore s are shown in 6 while the , fa vourcd area a-t: Nora consists of C. clumps on bare sand dune fronts. seeds

Sedges

SOm 3m 3m

SHJf~' f: CARPENTERS f~CJCK S

12rn Sr:1

F~! LI r3;:1Y. S.;\

ri.i;r.- . L) 24.

At Kingston, OBPs divide their feeding time between Euphorbia pc,:,."'a'lias & C. maritima at the top of a flat beach and well vegetated dune scr,ub, where they also roost. Here, they feed on Acaena anserifoZia~ within a plant

comrnuni ty of some 30 species~ with Acacia sophor0ae., Olearia ax·illaris., Leucopogon

parviflorus., Cm"pobrotus x•ossi-i., Clematis microphy lla (~ Scirpus nodosus, all common. Both Cantara and Magrath Flat regularly produced OBP records 1.0 - 20 years ago, although sporadic sightings come from only Cantara now. Overgrown pc:tsture behind the dune system of the Younghusband Peninsula was the attraction in each instance.

Small flocks have been recorded in the last three winters from freshwater soaks in the dune system near Whale Rocks. Sc{rpus nodosus, C, maritima and rnarram grass sur,round the pools, with nearby Leptosperwrum/MelaZ.euca scrub.

Up to 35 OBPs frequently 11raided 11 Wild Dog Island in the Coorong as late as 15 years ago, where they fed in a flat, sheltered patch of Suaeda a?Asfa 0a'l1-s" Salicornia quinqueflora,, Sonchus sp., grasses and clover. This

I is.land s vegetation has changed d1°amatica.lly since, with the disappear 0 a.nce of Ac:acia sopho:f'ae thickets and introduction of South African box and other exutics. In late winter 1981, a pair of OBPs were found regularly using as small island in Lake Bonney.

Now that a population of some 50 OBPs has been shown to ,,inter in south--east South Australia, the importance of managing the 5 km .. coastal strip between Nelson and the Coorong is only overshadowed by the Corio Bay areas for lhe species' survival in winter. 25.

FOOD

BREEDING SEASON

Just as new information on habitat ernerged from the 1980/81 study, so the Orange-bellied Parrots were found to utilise 5 new food plant species. However, when the first birds arrived in the South-west in the first days of October, they immediately roosted and fed in the a1"eas used the previous season. One new area used by several birds at Birchs River in October was unusually open and low (less than 1+0 cm). with rich seeding Restio compZanatus & Lepyrodia tasrnar-rica. Ground parrots (Pezopo.rous waZUcus) were flushed from this area -· the ratio of OBP to Ground PaFr.ot faeces was 1~oughly l: 6. At least 1 pair of OBPs was already nest-hole renovating in early October the feeding routine consisted of departing the Poost an hour after sunr•ise, presumably after feeding, then (the female) working in the ho.le for 30 - 60 minute periods; inte~spersed with feeding bouts until 10 - 11 a.m. The birds spent long periods enjoying the sunshine.

A feature of spring 1980 at Melaleuca was the OBPs 1 greatly reduced use o~ the gar'den of Denny King, implying an increased abundance of natural food plants. Birds were observed taking R. complanatus and to a lesser extent L.tasmani-aa in the same areas (where unburnt), however some thiekets of these food plants were noticed dying under their, own weight as the stand aged, A new introduced food plant was used, Cent2~0Zep,£B Bp. a low herb found along gravel tr'acks. The first bird was observed, probably gritting, in only 2 year old vegetation on November t+. The next clay; 2 males wer'e watched while d1,,inking for the first time from the grassy VE?.rge of Melaleuca In.let. OBPs drink by holding a beakful and ~ilting the head back.

By mid-November, several nests were already occupied by females, with re;ular feed visits by their mates. Most birds were stiLL using the communal 1~oosts and drinking from Birchs River, up to 5 at a time as the dry spell c'Cintinued. Nesting pairs were a1rt,ady using 1+ - 5 year old vegetation within

500 r,1 of the nest, Abundant seeding Restio monocephalus was present, with some pum,{Zurn in one case. Still no di::cect observation of OBPs use of R. monocephaZ.us seeds has been made. 26. Up to 10 OBPs were feeding in 3 year vegetation at Buoy Ck, Cox Bight on November 21+/25, and al-1 feeding records from the Bathurst Harbour/Cox Bight area in December were from the same habitat. The last reco1°d of an OBP at the roost near Moth Creek was on December 2.

Both surplus first year birds and adu1t males fr,om the nest used these feeding areas, with Fl,. pl))nilurn, Borom:a pa:t>viflora., B. pifo.sa~ grit and fallen seed the order of frequency. Birds now regularly obtained this food from burnt areas near the airstr·ip, where introduced CentroZepiB sp. war:; also taken" Two OBPs fed on intr·oduced Cotoneaste:r fruits from King's in late December.

this survey of an OBP feeding on beachhead vegetation in Sou:th---west Tasmania came from Buoy Creek on December' 17. "Bu.zzies", ,4co:en,:x were eaten" Subsequent records f:com dune:::o came fr·orn Towterer Ck. rr:outh ( cTanuary 8) and Noyhener Beach ( ,January 10), the latte:r: amongst

and rna.rr~arn grass .

Since January 1981 was spent at and Moores Valley, it was not to compare OBP food with the previous season. The only record from this period was of one pair feeding in thick creekside vegetation containing

Bauera r1..ib-io·'Ldes~ Bor1onia <-Yitr·1:odor'a" E'pacris spp. and buttongrass near· the Clblin Ri ve1:,,

Totally new areas were preferTed at Melaleuca in February. In the first week, tr.om 1 - year vegetation or• quartzite gravel, while on February

17, :::;,,,eds of tl 0 i.gg0r plant, StyZ{dium g.r'ami.nifoZium were vigor'ously taken by a male fr'orn th,:: same a:cea" On February Hi, the first fledged young ·were located~ in' tea-tree scrub,. n{ti,dum, Thr•ee days later, the most adventurous of a nev11y-f1edged clutch of three in King's garden, commenced food tast Over the course of an hour, this bird tried Eucalyptus sj chickweed, t , p.1 antain,' wire . mes h , silver paper, red beet, thistle, mint, zucchini and broad bean leaves. By then 1 the adults seen were at nests, with new f1eclgelings or high in flight, The ic~." ;_ adult feeding record wa;:: of 1 bird taking Monotoca scoparia seeds on 19, as were 3 juveniles.

l\ "cr'echeli of up to 11. :juveniles and 1 young B1ue--winged. Par:t'ot fed together in this period, in 3 month and 2 year old vegetation. Birds were observed lng, drinking, bathing and :feeding on seeds or par,ts of E.nit,[das,

ifolium, buttongrass, Sprengelia incar 1nata_, a moss mueZZeri & Restio Of these, the last three 27 ..

During February, frequent inte1~actions occUJ'.'l"'ed between OBPs and Dusky Robins, Yellow-throated and New Holland Honeyeaters. The aggressive honeyeaters regularly harassed feeding juveniles, while the endemic robin gener,ally received open-beak thPeats from OBPs if foraging too close. The main feeding . ]. time of ·day for these young birds was betwc""en 0730 and 0930, accompanied by constant warblings. Only occasional birds would be sighted later in the day, as most were resting in thick vegetation. The last flock recorded was of 3 young OBPs and 2 Blue-winged Par>rots in 2 year vegetation on March 3.

POST-BREEDING

The first feeding records of mig1~ating OBPs came from the coast north of Sandy Cape in eaply Mar,ch, Between Ordnance Point and Greene's Creek, 2 - 3 OBPs were found taking prolifically seeding Chenopodiwn gtaucum:, including some leaf and stem material, on March 8/9 and 27. The birds also fed in a patch of prostratum,, while Blue-winged Par:rots were consuming Caki,l,e ma.ri:tima in the same area. On March 'FI/15, OBPs fed with Blue--winged Parrots on C, mari,tima

ju::;t above <::er'level J. km nor•th of Ternrr,a." Several sightings of OBPs came from along tlk) west co21.st of Hunter Island in late March, with the only indication of food from one male flushed from Acaena novae--zelanrliae behind a cobbled beach. On April 2, 2 juveniles were feeding on a track through heath in the north of Hunter Island; a similar record of 3 birds coming from near Gra.nvi11e Har}xrn.r on Mar.ch 21+.

The Sea Elephant saltmarsh, Island described in the pPevj.ous report was the focal pcbt for r:iigrating OBPs in 1981. Only Salicornia qu1.,nque- flora was taken from the saltrnar•sh, although biJ'.'cls fr·eguently flew inland and fed in heathland areas. In ea.;,:,ly , 2 - 3 birds were using

heath contain seeding ,_, L""nFr.>('u,:i,,:aLt:J··./.V~ ·t.;,.,o,l,,,\.,t-Ql.""".7nn,;,.,a t,.,. J) the favour•ed food rilantI." in breeding_, ar·ea:_:; in 2a:c1y spring. The fir,st bird, a male, was flushed from the sal tmarsh on !121..,ch 10, wlnle one was still present en Augm,t 23. The pattern of use differed from :1980) with an increase from 16, rnostly adults, at the end of

March, to a maximum of only 28 in mid--April 3 of which only half wer•e juveniles.

No more than 2 wer,3 then located until mid--May, when 1 :1 young and 5 adu1ts were , closE:ly -the 10 adul 10 young of May 1381, Numbers then dropped to 9 in early June, 4 in mid-July and 2-3 in early August. In contrast

to 1980, the southe1'n encl of the saltmarsh was mostly igno:ced ~ while the northern extremity was mainly utilised by juvenile flocks, in rnid--ApriJ. and rnid-May. 28.

Five adults regularly used Sa-Ucornia flats on the west bank in mid-May, On May 13, a pair· was flushed from seeding plantains and Poa grasses on the shore of Lake Flannigan. Wintering OBPs in Victoria again concentrated in the saltrnarshes of Point Wilson and the Queenscliff area. First birds were recorded in late March, with a ·maximum of around 70 1°eached in mid-cTuly. This year, however, an increasing number of OBPs fed the saltmarshes {and fairways) of the Swan Island/Sand Island complex. Up to 30, mostly adult, OBPs were using these feeding centres in cTune and ,July, in cont:cast to the high proportion of juveniles in f1ocks at the Austins Road filtration ponds at the same time. At the Point Wilson saltmarsh, mixed groups of adult and juvenile OBPs fed to­ gether on P1~ank.enia pauciflor-a & S. quinqueflo1°a" while nearby flocks of Blue­ Parrots used the same saltmarsh. Mud Island again held no more than the odd pair, despite a large ar,ea of good quality S,,quinqueflora & A. ar>busculwn. No records of CJDPs came from coastal dunes.

The latest information from South Australia suggests that at least 45 OBPs wintered in groups of 5 - 10 from Carpenters Rocks to -che southern end of the Coorong (I. May; pers, comm). The only food plants regularly taken were maI'itfrna & Acaena novae--zeZ.andiae:, from dune country. The large seeds of C. maritima attracted binls to beaches at Carpenters Rocks, Rivoli Bay, Nora Creina, Robe and near Kingston, while windblown seeds were consumed from a soak near \/hale Rocks,Canunda National Park. Like Blue-winged Parrots, OBPs were found to roost behind beaches in dune-scrub, feed on the C, maritima patches in the mor·ning and late afternoon, and rest or feed in the dunes through the middle of the day, e, g. Acaena betwee11 parallel d'ines near Kingston. The small flocks of OBPs were often greatly outnumbered by Blue-wings, Gold­ finches and Greenfinches on beaches. A late r•ecor'd of 5 OBPs ta.king C.maritima

from alongside a L}~/D tr'ack between Lake Bonney and Canunda Beach on September' 1l.J, 1980 indicates that this plant is a vital food source for over 6 months of the year. The fact that abundant C.mm?it-ima exists at the Port Fairy location which OBPs once favoured, suggests that winter,ing birds may still use frontal dunes in Victoria.

J 29. BREEDING

Before 1979/80 summer there were only scr,aps of information available to suggest the Orange-bellied Parrot nested in South-west Tasmania. The study of that summer was highly successful in that nests were found and much of the breeding biology, hitherto completely unknmm, was described. Some additions have been made to our knowledge of the parrots in the breeding season in 1980/81.

ARRIVAL

The first arrivals of 1980 in South-west Tasmania were recorded at Melaleuca on 3 October when 3 birds were observed feeding in the garden of Dennis King. In 1979, the first arrival was two weeks later on 16 October. At Birchs Inlet obser'vation was commenced on 6 October and the following day, the fir·st bird was located. There were at least 6 birds and probably during the next 2 \-leeks up to 8 Pegu.larly using the same early season feeding grounds identified in 1979.

At lea:::,t 50 96 of all sightings in the plains at this time of year from first arrival onwards were of pairs. This confirmed our belief of 1980 that many birds arrive in the breeding localities already paired.

From the very start, birds arriving and departing from the main feeding areas appeared to be coming from and heading towards forested ridges and tree­ lined rivers and creeks. On 11 October, watch was kept on one of the successful nests of 1979/80 and in the early morning, a pair of OBPs flew to the for·est copse. The male perched on a nearby dead stag whilst the female ent-ered the nest hole. She remained in the nest for 15 minutes whilst the male sat nearby and they kept in contact with soft warbling. The female then spent 10 minutes sitting in the nest entrance followed by a further 5 minutes inside the nest befonc both bir-ds flew away from the copse" Approximately 2½ hours later the pair' returned to the nest and the same process was repeated with the female spending !2 an hour in the nest chamber before the pair flew off.

On 14 October a male OBP was seen si~ting in the uppermost branches of arlother nest tree ( ner,t 4) on the Pocacke:r. River. It flew off south after' 10 :nihules but :r.etu:r.ned an hour later and remained in the same position for 20 minutes this time before flying off. No female was seen. When this nest was next visited. one month later on 15 November, it was occupied by a pair of OBPs even though then, was a severe ciisput,~ over ownership with starlings.

On 4- November the first visit was made to the only other successful nest from 1979/80, This was at Melaleuca, The nest Has occupied by a pair of birds

u. :,r<~ visits to the ''""'"t ho.le@ but not remaining 30.

inside. On 7 November the female spent over an hour in the nest chamber, but probably had not laid at that time as she emerged at one stage and perched in the sun preening, most uncharacteristic behaviour, for a female on eggs. Subsequently it was found that this pair did not begin incubation until

DE':cembe:c as the young did not leave the nest until mid-February i

Two other nests, both at Birchs Inlet which failed in 1979/80 and were deserted,were not occupied h1 1980/81, nor did any nesting take place in the forest copses where these nests had failed.

PROSPECTING

On 16 December a very brightly coloured male was perched in the uppermost l:r,a.nches of a Eucalyptus nitida at Melaleuca. The bird was chattering very an irnatedly, 2rt the same time thrusting out the orange feathers of its belly. After 2½ minutes of this it flew up with rapid wing beats to a knot hole on the main trunk, peered in for 20 seconds~ it then flew to another knot and finally a third before returning to the original perch. It continued to warbhJ for a further 2 minutes before flying off.

NEST TIMING

In spite of the apparently early arrival of birds back at the breeding lacali ties it appear•s that the breeding season was similar in timing to that of last year' and in fact one nest at Melaleuca mentioned earlier, ended with the young leaving the nest 13 days later this year than in 1980. In visits to Birchs Inlet from 19-23 ,January well-grown young climbed to the nest entrance to be fed by parents and appeared to be about the same age as young at the same time in 1979/80.

NESTS Th1°ee new nests were found in 1980/8'.l.. Two of these were located in the Birchs In.let area and one at Melaleuca. Three more nests which were successful in 1979/80 were again occupied in 1980/81.land ultimately young flew from two of these. Two other nests which were occupied and deserted in 1979/80 were neither occupied nor visited by OBPs during 1980/81.Reference the .previous.report,

Nests 3 5 4 f.., 5 were reoccupied whilst 1 and 2 were not.

Of the nests found at Birchs Inlet the first was located on 15 November in Ew::a'lyptus nitida:; one of a strip of rnatur•e eucalypts bordering a tributary of the ?ocacker River'. The nes-t hollow was a lar•ge limb some 12 m above ground ievel with the entrance facing west. The trees averaged 25 - 35 m tall and were spread along a 70 m wide strip along the 2 km of the creek. At the nest site some E\ ovata w2:isalso present in the canopy. The understorey was 31. dominated by Pielal-euca squcwrosa & Acacia melanoxylon at 3m and Gahnia to 2m? after February. Incubation was probably underway when the nest was first found as male nest visits followed the normal, well-known routine. The only other visit made to this nest was on 20 cTanuary when 2 well grown young were seen at the nest entrance. This nest was 2 and 3 kilometres from the two nearest nests.

A second new nest was also found at Birchs Inlet some 8 k north of the early season feeding area and 6k from the nearest known nest. The nest, the highest found was 30m up near the top of a 35m E.nitida. The entrance faced south and was in a hole in the main limb created by loss of a dead bough. As with the other nest, the tree was one of many large mature E.nitida along a creek flowing into Birchs Inlet some 300m away. The section of tree whe1~e the nes·t was sited was dead, however, Sm below this, the t1~ee was very much alive, Average height of dominant E'. nitida was 30 - 40m with an under­ st.orey maximum 10m consisting of M. squarrosa., Acacia melanoxylon 8 Galm.ia. Much of the taller understorey consisted of dead stems of M, squcn°rosa. The whole of Bir,chs Inlet was burnt by a wildfire in the new year of 1976 and the fires swept through both of these nesting areas at tha~ time,

At the time of finding of this nest on 16 November,, it was apparent that the female was incubating, There was no other opportunity to visit this nest in January or February and the outcome is not known,

The only other new nest found in 1980/81 was on the lower western-slopes of 1lt. Fulton on the pe:drneter of extensive for,est which shrouds all the hills in this area. The nest was a mature E.nitida on the sides of a valley formed a small tributary of Elbow Creek. The nest was in 1>3.in forest with em,=.rgent Eucalypts, particularly on ridges. The nes·t was approximately 18m up near the broken crown of a 20--1-mtree. It faced west and was angled at 20° from vertical 1.n a l.imb off tbe main trunk.

VISITS BY OTHERORANGE-BELLIED PARROTS

A-c 4 nests during 1980/81 a third bird was recorded visiting occupied nests. Reaction was not consistent by the resident pair. Sometimes the visitor was .ignored and eventually flew offi twice, the intruder was chased off by the male, with the female occasionally joining in. Visits by single birds were recorded also in 1979/80 and ar•e almost certainly a regular feature during summer. They probabJ.y are single males looking around in search of potential rnates. 32. NEST DISTURBANCE

A cause for concern during 1980/81 was conflict over a nest site between a pair of OBPs and a pair of Starlings. This nest, at Birchs Inlet, was one of the successful nests of 1979/80 and was reoccupied by a single OBP in early October, The next visit to this nest was on 15 November at 0823 when a pair of Sta:d.ings appeared to have control of the nest as one bird was seen to fly into the nest hole, Two minutes later a pair of OBPs arrived and were immediately chased off by the Starlings. They kept returning and were constantly pursued by the Starlings, which were quite clearly dominant. The OBPs were extremely nervous when the Starlings were present. By mid-day, however, the- Star•J.ing had lost rnuch of their inte1"est in the nest and the Par>rots were once more in po:c;session of the nes·t with only one mild chase by Starlings between mid-day and 1700 hours, A further visit to this nest was made on 20 November and only one Starling was seen in the forest during a 4 hour watch. On 20 January, the next visit he:re, 2 well-grown young wer·e being fed at the nest-hole by the adults, so ultimately the OBPs won out.

The encroachment of Starlings into OBP habitat and the resultant comoetition for nesting sites is an event requiring close attention. This is an Aus-t;ralia-wide problem with pa·rrots, however, no -evidence of confiict was observed in 1979/80 and one wonders if this may be the start of an exr)a.i,sion of breeding range by Starlings, ...... ,.,.'l"

As Hl :J.979/DO, Green Rose1las were again seen inspecting one of the occc.1pied nests and once Tree Martins entered a nest---hole. On DE:.i.ther occasion

did the female OBP,. which was incubating, leave the nest hole, On 15 November, when it appeared that the pair of Starlings might oust the OBPs from their· nest, the OBPs were seen on the edge of the forest checking other holes, however, tbis may have been reaction from the Starling th:reat as three minutes later• the pair were back at the nest tree.

EGGS No additional data of clutch was gathered in 1980/81, One attempt was made to determine the number of eggs in a nest, however, the female did not leave the nest when the tree was climbed and no attempt was made to move her off the eggs. 1 clutch observed in 1979/80 comprised 6 eggs. J j 33.

DEPARTURE

Nest depar'tm'e by young in 1979/80 was confirmed at 2 nests on 28 cTanuary

and Lf February, and on 28 Febr'ua?:'Y a late nest sti11 contained young, In

1980/81, young from the nest which fledged on q. February the previous year, were last seen in the nest on 17 February. On 19 January two other nests were visited and both were found to have well grown young. Neither of these nests were visited after this date.

SfJCCESS

One nest is confirmed as having fledged young. Two more were probably successful as young were seen at the nest entrance in late development The results of two more nests are not known. Both nests were observed during incubation. No further• visit was made to one and the other was visited on 17 February when there was no activity at the rn~st. At this time, up to 12 juveniles were seen on the wing within 3 k of this nest, so it is probable that the young of this nest had already departed.

The only rerna1ning nest failed. On 19 January when efforts wer'e to be made to film nest activity at this nest at Birchs Inlet, the remains of the female

and those of 14 young were found in the nest. Flesh had long since disappeared from the corpses, and.by the size of the vertebrae of the young it was estimated were 2 weeks old appr,oxima.te.ly when died. No obvious explanation was evident for the of the female and t tests revealed no trace of

Gr.'

Of the 3 l)est,s ·which d, one nest contained 3 young and the

othe1°s at l,::ast 2 each. In '.L97 UO three successful nest produced probably 8 young. This would a total of at least 15 young from 6 nests with 3 failures or an average of L 7 young pe:c nest from q known nests. It is quite possible that this average could be as high as 2 per nest as the individual nest results 21.re only taken as those birds seen together at the nest entrance.

JUVENILES

Congregations of up to 13 juvenile OBPs were regularly seen in and around the: garcicn of Dennis King at Melaleuca during th

J These young bir,ds were seen sampling a variety of potential food plants, They were extremely confidin~ and obviously inexperienced, They were subjected to constant harasswcnL by New Holland l!oneyeaters and Yellow-throated Honey­ eater's. Birds were seen both drinking and bathing in pools along the track near the garden. The birds maintained constant contact by softly warbling. They appeaN,:d much rnore vocal than adults. Birds fed most actively between 0730 and 0930, thereafter activity was markedly r,educed.

liON-BRLEDINC; ADULTS IN TASHANIA

It was confirmed in the 1979/80 study that OBPs ar'e capable of breeding in the year following their birth, Likewise, we know that other than an occasional individual, no birds remain on the mainland during the breeding season. However, from observations during the last two year,s and especially 1980/81, :1t l,o apparent that there are a number of mobile, surplus non- birds which roam thr,ough The br'eeding range. Observations have confirmed as would be expected tlv,t these a:ce mostly males. These surplus bir,ds are found either a.s c,Q"Y,OUDS • in k:n()\-]D areas as foe example Birchs Inlet and Cox B , or as individuals visiting nests occupied by breeding pairs.

Much useful information was provided by a ,?,ing1e bird with unusual mar,kings whichenajles easy identification of this indi idual. It was first seen as one of a g:coup of 9 birds, mostly clearly identifiable as ma.le.s which wheeled a.nd di vc::d in c1n extraordinary tight formation over' the mc1in feeding area .at Birchs Inlet on 17 November. One bird, clearly seen, had many bright yellow feathers on botli wLa;,;s, which wer,e particu.lar,ly obvious when it landed. Three s later, this bird was observed visiting a nest c:a. 9 k nor,th of wher'e it was first seen and on D~cember 16th same bird was again seen at Melaleuca some

100 k to the south where, along with other birds, it \,vdS foraging in the plains burned 6 monthc, fore.

DEPARTURE

It I)<-ts apparent from mid-Feb:r>uary onwards that there ,,as a dee.line in the nurni.Jer of adults at fvlelaleuca., the end of that month, whilst up to 13

juvenile were present, 4 adults were seen. There was a r1apid reduction in numbers of :juveniles at the end of February 1 for by 3 Mar•ch only 3 birds remained.

The last d Parrot recorded at Mela.leuca was a single bii 4 d on 35.

PREDATION AND THREATS

No instances of direct predation were witnessed in 1980/81, although in early October 1981 a partially-devoured OBP was found on an island in Lake Bonney, S, A. However, a num.ber of potential th1~eats have been identified and it is important that these be considered here.

Several threats were considered in the 1979/80 report, and only information which updates that report is discussed.

TASMANIA Breeding Range_

Sta:C'J.ings were observed at Both Melaleuca and Birchs Inlet during summer. At one nest at Birchs Inlet attempts were made by a pair of Starlings to oust a pair of OBPs. An incursion into OBP range appears to be continuing by Blue-winged parrots Adult pairs were seen at Birchs Inlet in October and in February and early March, 2 juvenile Blue-winged Parrots associated regularly with juvenile OBPs at Melaleuca. No Blue-winged Parrot nests were located. Occupied nests were again inspected by other bird species. Green Rosel.las were observed at 2 nests in November and December and Tree Martins were seen to briefly enter a nest occupied by a female.

foodplant Availability. Records from recent years have confirmed the im­ portance of coastal western Tasmania north of Macquarie Harbol}r to migratory OBPs. Most records have come from locations north of the Piernan River with 7 separate observations of pairs and singles during Mar'ch and April 1981. During autumn and winter a considerable agistrnent programme takes place with up to 18,000 cattle deployed between the Pieman River and West Point, Marrawah. There was clear evidence in 1981 that succulent foodplants taken OBPs including Salfoox,n'ia quinqueffor'a:- Cakile mar•itfrna:J

Chenopodium gLaucurn (q Apium pr1ostratum, are being heavily grazed by cattle and by ,Ju1y it was difficult to find any suitable mature seeding food plants untouched.

Feral Cats Cats have been seen on two occasions at Sea Elepharrt, King Island. One animal was observed skulking through the Sal-iaoJ'Yi'i'.a most frequent used by OBPs during migration. It is probable that fera1 cats occur at many sites used by OBPs. 36.

Competition. This was discussed in the 1979/80 report. However, it is again listed in view of the concer'n expressed above of depletion of food reserves. Competition for reduced food l'esources with other seedeaters, particularly introduced species will place great pressure on the OBP. All of the other species involved; Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Skylarks and the native Blue-winged Parrot have a widespread and not purely coastal distribution and are therefore more adaptable than the OBP in times of shortage of food. The OBP does not appear capable of moving any distance from the coast, particularly during migration and winter and

is thex 0 cfore likely to suffer most in times of shortage,

MAINLAND

Within the winter range of Victoria and Sou.th Australia, it is considered tllat the OBP faces more pressures in Victoria than it does in South Australia" over recent years appear to confirm that the main wintering locations at·e in two areas, the coastal sal tmarshes and the~ir surrounds of Po:ct Phillip Bay, Victoria and the coastal dune formation of South-east South Australia.

Victoria Increased pressure from human activity and all its ancillaries is of or concern in Port Phillip Bay. This is an ongoing process which will continue to accelerate. At Point Wilson, where up to 74 birds have been recorded in the 2 years, there are at present some management controls exercised by M.M.B.W., I.C.J.. Au~;tralia ancl. the explosives reserve manasernent, However, incr>eased interest in this species is br•ought about by publicity regarding its rarity, and threatened developm,:;nt of habitat has given rise to increased observer distur­ bance by bird watchers.

The high densT of avian predatorc;, in pm:,tic.ular those kncwn to be most likely to take Neophemas is a great concern.. Brown Cosriawks were seen on each visit to the area and Black Falcons ly flew at through the salt- There is little doubt that these predators are encouraged by the large numbers of potential prey species present.

~liJ.son ] At the present time, Lo development has taken place a this important OBP site, however', plans are in hand to build a Petr'ochemica1 Complex here in the near future, This will jeopardise the future of (a) the critical habitat, and (b) the OBP, at Point Wilson, There is no evidence that this highly traditional 37.

bird will move elsewhere. The OBP is capable of exploiting a number of food resources within any particular location and might be referred to as opportunistic. The critical factor appears to be proximity to available specific food resources, Cases other than at Point Wilson which may be cited are Swan Island where the birds forage to Swan Bay, Sand Island and Freshwater La.ke and on the Coorong where the apparently now non-existent group in the Salt Creek area occurred. They were known to feed on Wild Dog and other islands in the nearby Coorong, being found in poor pastm:ie inland from Salt C1°eek and on reclaimed land at Canta1."a Homestead. A feature of pr(~sent development at Point Wilson is that it is all low profile wi-th principally passive management, A petrochemical comp.lex sited here would have an enormous permanent impact at Point Wilson ( see Management). It may be quite significant that findings from this study have shown the presence of more juvenile OBPs at Point Wilson than at any other location yet identified. In fact one of the features of mainland observations is how few juveniles have been located elsewhere in South Australia, If, as we contend) most juveniles remain in Victor,ia at Point Wilson and most females are already paired upon ar:r.ival at the breeding .locations in South -west Tasmania, then it is quite likely that r•<:,,cruitment of young fc~males into the breeding population takes place at Point Wilson,

South Australia

Those sites known to us as used by OBPs appear under no immediate threat of degradation 01' destruction. The birds ar•e only known to use beach frontage and dune c,:ales to the immediate hinter•land in Soutl~ast: South Australia. All ar·eas so far> identified are subject to ve11y little interference by man other tnan some disturbance by 4-wheel drive vehicles and motor cycles.

In the past considerable numbers of OBPs have been trapped for the avicul tm·al trade. There is no evidEmcf, that this pra.ctice continues today} however~ it is the concern of officers of survey and of those of the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Se:rv:Lce that in viei\i' of the past history and of capture of these birds for avicultural purposes, this may again occur.

39.

Clearly a 2 month survey in Victo:riia of the type performed in South Australia this winter, would greatly assist the production of a winter population estimate.

Since the OBP's use of King Island differnd this autumn from 1980, it is more difficult to assess the total number of juveniles produced. in late February at Melaleuca, 13 were flocking together~ compared with 7 the previous year. Maximum number of juveniles recorded at King Island was 16 in early April, while 11 were p:r.E)Sent in mid-May (c.f. 1+1 + and tl in 1980). At Point Wilson, especially Austins Road ponds~ at times a majority of birds present were juveniles~ a total of about 20, similar to the 1980 figures, Evidently very few juveniles use either the Swan Island or South Australian .I areas; although this deserves further research, In summary, there is no evidence that more juveniles wintered on the mainland in :1.981 than 1980.

The OBP population therefor 1e has reached a plateau of between 12G and 180 birds, depending on the time of year. This precarious situation will only be imp:r•oved by continued breeding success and maximum survival of birds in traditional migratory areas and wintering sites. All key areas used by OBPs nrust therefore be managed with this in mind, to prevent the loss of this species. j

J

J J J MANAGEMENT SOUTH-·WEST TASMANIA

Fire The fir•st consideration for OBPs in breeding areas must be in relation to the fire 1°egime South-·we.Bt: Tasmania. As described earlier, OBPs use plains bm'nt 0 -· 15 yea1°s previously for feeding and :roosting, with

~:; - 10 yea.rs the vital age for October to December habitat. In addition, creek­ side and beachfront vegetation is important, while forest with hole·-bearing eucalypts provide nesting habitat, Vegetation on a number of plains in the South West is too old for OBPs, although otherwise highly suitable, However, burning of 1aPge areas, as ha.s occurr-ed recently at Southport Lagoon and north of Cox B , eliminates feeding habitat :for at least 2 years. Likewise, burning of nest .forests when eggs or young are should be avoided.

Recommendation (1.) A fire management plan for the species' breeding range must be developed by National Parks and Wildlife Service in

consultation with the relevant author 1 ities ~nd '."xperts in i:he field of South West ecology, It wou1d be neither practical. nor desirable to manage all available habitat for OBPs, to the exclusion of other species or communities. In addition, to providing areas the safety of breeding forest must be assured in such a plan.

Nest Dist OBP nest sites are also threatened by interfer'ence from es, This is either through direct competition for• nest holes Starl interference at nests containing eggs or young (e.g. Tree Mcirtin, Black Cut':t'auong). The first of these is considered a far greater threat than is posed by native species, with Star,J.ings regularly observed in several areas

Recommendation : ( 2) The situation must be monitored in areas by Parks and Wildlife Ser,vice 19 81, and if they ar,e found to be pre·venting succesr;ful breeding of OBPs, they should be removed by shooting,

( 3) 1

Human Disturbance : At present a.ctivi·ties such as miner.al exploration during the

ser~1son h<:i""l<:::a.n unknown impact on OBPs. 41

Recommendations (I+) Continued liaison betwean Na.tiona.l Parks and Wildlife Service and mining intenssts is necessary to ensure that they a.re 1.n:r:ormed of the critical status of the species, Important ar,eas should be identified, and in some cases, e.g. Birchs Inlet, restrictions placed on cperations to prevent disturbance at actual nest sites,

(5) The lack of control over Birchs Inlet and its landing needs revision, due to the vulnerabili.ty of OBPs there. Under no cir·cumstances should access to this sensitive area be allowed to other than tracked vehicles, At least monthly monitoring through the breeding season should be part of the duties of the National Par·ks and Wildlife Se1°vice Ranger, Strahan, to prevent degradation of the site,

(6) Any extensive buttongrass plains threatened by H.E.C. development schemes must be surveyed for OBPs before such areas are flooded, to prevent further elimination of breeding habitat. This includes the Olga and Hardwood River Valleys.

WEST C0AS'L.fil9J3ATI0NROQJITE Ar•eas used by OBPs, as desc)~ibed earliex' s ar·e mainly beach or dune country (e,g. Ocean Beach, Temma) or heathland (e.g. Cranville Harbour). Here the birds compete with Blue-winged Parrots and introduced seed ·-eaters for food resources such as Cakile maritima & Chenopod·iurr1 glauc:wn,. Also, in areas such as Temma, agisting stock bt'owse such plants. More information is necessa:r,y on the areas used by the birds, both here and in t:he saltmaPshes of the North-West Coast and islands of the Hunt~r Group, Locations where OBPs have been found in the Hunter• Group are secure from all but wildfires and require no active management on present knowledge,

Recommendations; (7) Restriction of stock activity on a trial basis from 1 km of coastline around favoured areas should be encouraged by fencing. Fur•ther investigation by NPWS is required but a:t'eas most frequently used by OBPs are '.i J presently identified between Sandy Cape and Temma. (8) Planting of Cakile mm~-itima in favoured West Coast areas should be initiated by NPWS tut only where stock have been e,tcluded.

--~,.---KING ISLAND ; One of the two most vulnerable sites for wintering OBPs is located here, used for over' months" and holds significant numbers for at least 2 months. Abundant feral cats are known to be a problem, while burning of heathla.nd or destruction of the saltmarsh used by OBPs could severely harm I i-fr,:.: 0p<,:;,;:d.es Gha'hce/3 of survival. An oyster-farming operation has 'l'.'ecently 42. been initiated on the southern and eastern shores of the Sea Elephant River, i.e. areas the OBP does not use. This relatively passive activity should not harm migrating OBPs, provided construction is performed when they are absent. The continued availability of OBP habitat at King Island and Point Wilson is essential to the survival of the species.

Recommendations : ( 9) Na·tional Parks and Wildlife Service sbou1d J-iavc an honorary or' paid representative on King Island,,

( 10) It is essential that OBPs be monitored and while present on King Island.

( 11) A programme of feral cat removal and food source planting at the Sea Elephant Rivermouth should be undertaken.

General Recommendation : Tasmania

(12) At the termination of the present OBP survey, an officer of National Parks and Wildlife Service must be given the responsibility of monitoring the species in Tasmania.

MAINLAND

Orange-bellied Parrots are present on the mainland :fr,om late March until early November, up to 9 months out of the year. A probable 60 - 70 9& of the total population winters in Port Phillip Bay, between Melbourne and /Queenscliff; one of the most densely populated regions in Australia. Most of the remaining birds move westwards and winter in small groups along the coastal dune systems of South-east South Australia.

This study has established that OBPs throughout their· range art~ faithful to particular sites and will return to these year• after year, This somewhat simplifies the potential for management of what is in other respects a highly rribbile species. The priorities as seen b7 this study are to afford the utmost pf·otec:tion to the key sites by initiating a programme for habitat improvement efofhasising those si.tes which hold the most birds for the longest period of time.

PORT PHILLIP BAY

Point Wilson

Management of OBP habitat a.t Point Wil:~on is at present the concern of the Murtcaim Wildlif't, Area Management Committee ( MWAMC). This committee represents 43.

the interests of Fisheries and Wildlife, (MMBW), LC.I. (Australia) and the

Geelong Regional Commission. The Murtcairn Wildlife Ar0 ea (MWA)(Fig.7,) '.Jas created by mutual agreement with all these parties and is to be applauded as the first real effort at management of Point Wilson in favour of the OBP. Ir is however, the more fundamental issue of the proposed Petrochemical complex earmad

Recommendation : (13) No major development should take place within a radius of 2 kilometres of the key saltrnarshes to the north and south of Point Wilson Road ai:: the enti,.,ance to ICI land.

(Ft) The Murtcaim WiJ.dlife a1°ea should be extended to include all land within this 2 km radius as detailed in Fig. 7 and the comrnitte, of management should include a spokesman for the Cornrnonweal·th Explosives Reserves, the RAOU and the OBP Management Team. (See Rec. 53), All proposed development within the MWAmust be scrutinised by the Management Committee and be subject to the findings of that committee,

The Spit and much of the MWA outsid 1,::. MMBW farm is badly infested 1,1ith s, Some areas adjacent to the saltmarshes have become almost devoid of veg,3tation to the detriment of ground foraging OBPs,

Recomrnendat·------ion : (15) Rabbit control should be undertaken annually or as a-rid aV> necec,sary outside between Decembe.r• . ·- ,'er-"'J.c, •.J.LU '-Y• This should be the responsibilit of Fisheries and Wildlife.

'I':cee._and_ Sh:ru~P~ap.!2!',.g : The plantings which have taken p1,;1ce in the proposed .bu.Ffer zone are viewed with concern. A feature of most sites important to OBPs in both Tasmania and on the mainland is the 11 open 11 nature of their habitat. This may be pa~tly as a safeguard against surDrise predation. ~ These plantations

.. ',.·-.·-·, .. ·· wi11 have a marked efr-ect on th·i-- "'·h o 1 e area as they matu.:re,on Fig, 7 .

. ]

..J POINT WILSON VICTOF~IA LAND 0\4NERSf-llr)

ry--,-:T"-r-:1 ] EXIST MUF!TCAIM W!LDLlf'E AREA (//////1LL.L.~,:.:.....d

POSE.CJ EXT[t~SiGI\IS

B

AV:'\ LC)I\J I\i RFt ELD

CVYI.TH t·x PLO~:.i r~r-:~;[r\vr- a. The hyd1"ology of the salt marsh b. The provision of attractive roosts for competing seedeaters c. A camouflaged springboard for Goshawks and Sparrowhawks.

' ]' In :1980 a Sparr·owhawk was observed making repeated attacks on a group of

' I> ground-feeding Blue-winged Parrots in N.W, Tasmania, The hawk flew from and returned to a nearby copse on each attack,

Recommendation : (16) If no major construction takes place within the pr•oposed extended MWA, it is recommended that the tree and shrub belt be 1'.'emoved,

Weed Control : Orange-bellied Parrots are more frequently seen in 11 poor pastm"el\ than any other type of cultivated land. They have been observed taking the seeds of several weed species including PZantago cor•onopuB., Leontodon Zeysser•i,, avicula.r•e & Arctotheca calendul.a.

Recommendation : ( 17) \t/eed control measures as r'ec01mnended by the MWAMC (March 1981) should not be carried out at the present time as the presence of weeds in pastu:r•e may be beneficial to the OBPs. The use of these areas by birds should be clear~y observed in 1982.

Austins Road The filtration paddocks bordering a large sewage settlement lagoon to the south of Austins Rc)cld have been used extensively by OBPs

dur 1 ing the winter. During June and July in 1981 OBPs fed here for part of the day, dividing feeding activity between the filtration paddocks and the salt,­ marshes to the north of the Point Wilson Road.

Recommendations (:LB) Tests should be made Fisheries and Wildlife for the presence of pesticides and heavy metals in the water' of the lagoon, mud sediment and scil of the filtration paddocks where OBPs are known to feed. Similar tests should be made of a sample of ducks and seedeaters using the area ( Goldfinches and Greenfinches) .

(19) A programme for the impr,ovement of the Austins Road Filtration Paddocks used by OBPs should be drawn up and consideration be given to planting seedplants prefer1°ed by OBPs.

Predator Control : A high incidence of diurnal raptors has been noted on all

visits to Point Wilson. These nurnbers a.1")E~ alrnost certainl~l due to unusually populations of species in the area. Discussions with raptor• speci.alists have indicated that it is quite possible to reduce numbers trapping. 46

~~comm'::ndation : ( 20) Fisheries & Wildlife should investigate po%s-ibility of relocation of Goshawks and other raptors away from the Murtca.im Wildlife Area.

Human Disturbance : , Throughout the last 3 years 5 OBPs have been subjected to intensive study,and concern has been shown that birds may be being subjected \ to excessive disturbance, Added to this is increased public awareness of the inevitable interest in a r'are species. Point Wilson is the only reliable location v;her'e one can be reasonably sure of encountering the species during winter and is within easy 1°each of Melbourne. The Point WiLson road is a private road,but, in reality .few people are deterred by the sign and thePe are no physical barriers between the main Melbourne - Geelong road and Point Wilson

itself. MMBWstaff wor+:ing on the sewage far•m have orders to intercept unauthcn"'ised visitoi:,s. In practice public control at Point Wilson is minimal.

Recommendations (21) The MWAshould have restricted access for tbe general public.

(22) The road from and to Austins Lagoon should be kept locked at all times. ( 23) More effort should be mack to prevent access to areas north and south of the Point Wilson Road at the entrance to ICI land. In the first instance private signs could be erected pointing out the biological sensitivity of the saltmarsh.

Swan Island 1 J The southern end of the Bellavine Peninsula is the location of the only other sizea.ble overwinte1°ing OBP popu1ation in Victoria. At the p1"'esent time it is not known there is any interchange between the group here and those at Point ,Wilson. Up 30 birds have been recorded between June and Septernb,:::r, principally at Swan Island and the adjacent Sarni Island, but also in 1980, at the nearby Freshwater Lake.

On Swan Island itself the OBPs are mostly found on the fairways along the northEH'D perimeter of the golf course and occasionally in the adjacent saltmarsh bir,ds take both grass and Sa'licornia gr'owing in the fairways. The sal tmarsh to the south of the golf course is also regularly used by OBPs, The eastern end of Swan Island is a 11 Prohibited Area 0 and no access has been ga:i.ned beyond the golf course, but the area is surrounded by saltmarsh and is at least safe ] from human distu:rbance. The nearby Sand Island, created artificially from sand 47. dredged out of the channel between Swan Island and Queenscliff has, particularly during 1981 and probably regularly in recent year's provided feed for this whole group. The shores of the island facing Swan Island are well

vegetated with Salic:ornia q1,dnquefZ.ora and the "dune n with Cak1:Z.e maritima., both plants being highly acceptable to OBPs,

_Re.5:9mmenda~~ : ( 24) The careful management of the island by fisheries and Wildlife to increase SaU,cor>rria beds is desired. This could be managed

through :redirection of the flow of dredged sand to create a shelf at vh,-:, tide level.

(25) Fisheries and Wildlife investigate the possibility for the creation of other islands similar to that of Sand Island. ( 26) Trials could be undertaken during summer by either l Fisheries & Wildlife a::r Gee1ong Field Natural3.sts through Fisheries & Wi.ldlife j. to de:termine the ;ziabili ty of trqnsp'!Lanting SaUcor.1nia to increase the beds.

The coastal reserve along sections of Swan Bay has been badly degraded. in :recent years thr'ough neglect of fencing and the consequent intrusion of cattle into the saltmarshes. The reserve is known to be used by OBPs.

Recommendation : (27) That Fisheries and Wildlife investigate these reserves and exclude stock to prevent further degradation.

freshwater Lake : This inland lake is situated approximately 2 km from the coast and 7 ·- 8 k from Swan Island. It is circular in shape with a shoreline of app. 2k. The water level fluctuates considerably and the shores are well vegetated with Saliaor-n.ia quinqueflora. The chL:of attraction to 0Bf>s appears to be Chenopodiwn glauown growing in a slurry settlement pond and nearby cultivated plot to the north-east cor·ner of the lake. The slurry emanates from a pig farm and the hill top oved.ooking the lake. J Recommendation 28 : ( 28) We recommend that Fisheries & Wildlife· moni:ttir this lake and its surrounds- for use by -01:fP-s with monthly visits during l~'.:fa{ from April -­ October inclusive.

No action should be taken at this stage to control the slurry deposits as

this .:Ls the probable cause of Chenopod'iu.m growth in this area but detail should b§ kept of birds using this area.

Mud Islands : The islands lie app. 8 k, east of Queenscliff out in Port Phillip The islands have been an important refuge in the past with up to 100 b.ir,ds using them in the ear,ly :1.9601 s. No more than 7 have been :cc,co:cded in recent yea.rs, Lf8.

There are substantial A_y,th:rocnemuma:rbu.sculwn & Salicornia quinqueflora beds providing adequate food supply for more birds than presently use Mud Islands.

The greatest threat to OBPs on Mud Islands appears to come from the enormous numbe1° of Silver Gulls which roost and breed on the island. During the summer of 1978/79 app. 30 000 pairs were breeding (D.Venn pers.comm.) and on a visit by Survey Officers in June 1981 it appeared that at least that number were present around all parts of the island.

Silver Gulls ar1e most unlikely to directly predate upon OBPs, however, there is evidence that the sheer number of gulls render Mud Islands less attractive to OBPs. A secondary effect of the large colony of gulls is the establishment of a wide 1°ange of introduced plant species which wij.l ultimately severely affect the vegetation. It is understood that Coastal Wattle Aca.:Yi'.a sophorae has completely disappeared from the islands due to rabbit infestation. Fisheries and Wildlife Division have now eradicated the rabbits from the island.

Recommendations: Efforts should be made to ·return Mud Island to a condition where it is attractive to OBPs. (29) It is necessary to reduce the number o:f gulls using

0 t·}.-~e Fr_..1·_.e:.l1e- ..rJ e.0•• <'~ C w1.·1,;i11.~ t- c'n . t . t d ' . ' ,,- "•. - - islands~ . -- - . ~ 0 u, re " ou1' Cl 1.nves · 1.ga e a re uc: t._ion programme. .

A similar ·programme •.has been un.cltc!T1taken on an island population in the United Kingdom. (30) A programme of eradication of introduced plant species should be initiated. Assistance could be sought from field naturalists groups, under the control of Fisheries and Wildlife.

( 31) Following( 30) efforts should be made to return the vegetation of the island to its original state (i.e. introduction of Aoaoia sophorae). (32) A n~nitoring watch should be maintained on OBPs using Mud Island by regular monthly vi.sits between.

Other locations used by OBPs occasionally during winter include Brearnlea sa.ltmarshes, Point Edwards and further west at Point Henry. At Point Edwards there was some evidenu:; of foxes. Otherwise here and at Brearnlea "chere is little habitat alteration or degradation evident which would significantly affect its use OBPs and no action is recommended.

______V_I_C_·1_1_)I_{._l_A:To the east of Westernport, in spite of adequate potentially attractive c:al trnarshes, the paucity of recent rE:cords gives clear' indication that this r·egion is not within the main range of the species. However, the sightings uf ;c;;'" Lake Jack Srt1ii::" ·" 1980 .E1.ndother localities in recent year's show that it is to be expected that OBPs may turn up at any one of the many saltmarsh a.reas between the Gippsland Lakes and Westernport. We consider at present,

that it is unrealistic for any areas to be specifically managed for OBPs witr 1out more evidencE· that the particular site .is used more than occasionally,

The fact that OBPs were seen at Lake Jack Smith over a period of some months in 1980 is sig11ificant but up to September, so fa:r, no OBPs have been recorded there in 1981. It is quite possible that the birds opportunistically used the area in one year only after finding themselves away from their usual winter location.

Recommendation ( :~3) Foxes were seen in the actual s:i te where OBPs fed in 1~rno. A programme of trapping for both foxes and cats at L:~.ke Jack Smith should be carried out Fisheri,2s and Wildlife if feasible. WESTERNPORT BAY OBPs have been .located small groups on French Island each year recently and we believe that up to 10 birds may regularly winter on the island, We also believe that there is insufficient evidence available at the present time to indicate that any other .locations in viesternport are used more than occasionally and VJ01.:,.ld not detail any specific m2rnagement recommendaticm for OBPs at any icular site, other' than occasional checks competent bird observers. Saltmm~sh on French :;land :ts widespread on both tLe WE,st and northern shores. The quality of the SaZ is very variable. There is very little opf.m herb- fi_2ld of the used by OBPs at Point Wilson, but sufficient of good quality,, at least as good as that on King Island is available to support more birds than

1.s apparent th0,, present time. The best saltmarshes were those around Tankerton and north to Fairhaven, however, the strip is quite narrow and is backed

thick scrub .. The saltrnarshes along the north coast are rnore extensive but have l:k,en badly de by stock damage. Behind the north coast sc:1ltmarshes are numerous soaks scatter'ed through tbe partly clear•ed scrub, These were dry in .June 1981 and only sparsely vegetated by a variety of weeds. It was in one of these soaks that 4 OBPs were located.

Recommendations: ( 3Lt) Public relations exerc:Lse by Fisheries and WildLi.fe to infcrm owrH=:irs and managers of t11e status of the OBP and its

use o:f French I~;land ~

( 35) Invest possibility of preventing saltmarsh tion of the north coast. 50.

( 3tJ) Assistance 1<,ith property managers in the north­ west with a programme of rabbit eradication.

(37) Regular visits through winter by Fisheriet Bnd Wildlife Rangers to check potential OBP habitat including areas where they have been observed in the past.

General (Victoria)

Fi~..::~d S_tudy During 1981 a South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service empJ.,:iyee was appoi.nted to undertake a 2 month Field Study programme to investigat,? the OBPs in South Australia. Full support and liaison with the OBP survey wo.s maintained throughout and the study proved most successful.

Recommendation: ( 38) That Fisheries and· Wildlife appoint a Service Officer for a minimum of 2 months along the lines of that undertaken by South Austr,alia to rnoni tor OBP numbers, movements and habitat preferences during winter.

Ra0r:er Supervision: The most important sites used by OBPs are invariably -- _,,, -----~----- very sensitive~

Recommendation: (39) That supervision of Point Wilson and Swan Island OBP population be recognised as a r,esponsibility and commitment to be undertaken by Fisheries and Wildlife rangers in whose areas these s1.tes occur.

(40) That Fisheries & Wildlife rangers oversee areas where OBPs have been recorded in the past as detailed in specific area recommendations. (41) That Fisheries & Wildlife review each year OBP r,esearch for that year and refer' management proposals to OBP Management Team.

( 4 2) That a 1 o:r. 2 day course be held in Victoria for Ranger staff on the OBP and its management. This should take place during the summer' of 1981/82 before OBPs return to the mainland from Tasmania. Personnel fr,orn South Australia should also be invited to attend.

..:,_;_·-~-----·SOUTHAUSTRALIA: --· Although habitat used by OBPs in South Australia is less threatened than the favoured Victorian areas, the massive reduction in numbers and range this centu:r.y :r•equires action to r'everse this trend. Problems such as competing specie,,, illegal trapping for avicultur,e, habitat degradation by rabbits or 4WD vehicles and predation by foxes or cats could all jeopardise this already small and fragmented population. 51.

ll OBPs are known to have been trapped from Sou.th Austr,alia on numerous JI occasions in the past, and further losses cannot be affored, Most areas used by OBPs here ar'e already :foreshore reserv<::,s under various authorit.ies, so the protection of birds will depend on the extent of any rnonitor•ing.

The importance of {J.1k-ile mar"itima seed as a winter food .for this and other species has been clearly described. Obviously excessive use of such feeding areas off-road vehicles would conflict wi tli OBPs ther'e, and some

r1estriction may be necessary.

, Dune swales with novae-;-::,elandiae ar'e also impor,tant :feeding areas~ • d the a·cea neex Kingston used by OBPs shows damage stock and rabbits. J Likewise in the Coorong, extensive a:reas have been denuded by grazing rabbits.

1 l Wild Dog Island, a for'mer' feeding area for 30 - L~O OBPs in the 1960 s, has .Jl changed dramatically in vegetation and appear•ance in the last two decades. l Recommendations: ( 1+3) The 2 month survey conducted by South Austr,alian j National Parks and Wildlife'Service officer Ian May should be repeated, at least in 1982. All impo:ctant South Australian locations for OBPs (e.g. Kingston, Robe, Nora, C1°eina, Rivoli Bay, Canunda N. P. , Carpenters Rocks) must be identified, monitored and protected. It .is recommended that National Parks and WiJdlife Service Rangers in whose districts these sites are J.ocated, be allocated sufficient time as part of their duties to monitor and prevent disturbance of, groups of OBPs when they are present in winter'.

( 4L}) The land status of favoured areas must be determined, and if possible, managed in favour of OBPs.

(45) Althot;tgh already widespread along the coastal dune system, propagation of Cal

(1+7) Feral cat, fox and rabbit control programme. should

b~ encouraged or init ,, particula:rly north of Kingston. Dune swales used by OBPs near Kingston are adjacent to areas badly degraded by rabbits, and

would be a good site fol" investigation of habitat l4 egeneration after elimination of rabbits. (Lf8) In addition to elimination of rabbits., the vegetation of Wild Dog Island should be monitoy,ed and ilcac1'.a sopho.rae replanted to resemble its dist-!,d iori .i.n th e ei,lt>lv 1cl60 1 s wh,?.t) OBPs used the island. 52.

.

' I GENERAL RECOMMENDATIOrJS: J Penal.ties: The 1979/80 OBP report recommended that South Australia ar1d Tasmania follow the lead shown by Victoria in raising the penalties to a prohibitive 1evel for the capture and/or possession of OBPs ( and other en,­ dangered species). No action appea:cs to have been taken by these two State Authorities.

Recommendation: ( t~g) That the South Australian and Tasmanian gove:rnments immediately increase penalties for the capture and/or possession of OBPs in line with the initiative taken by Victoria.

3--State Censuses: These surveys have now been undertaken for the past 1+ years. Much valuable in:forrnation has resulted f:r.orn these surveys regarding both populations and winter range.

Recommendation; (50) The surveys should continue as in recent years

with State co-ordinators and over 1all co-ordination from Tasmania. Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service should continue to cover tbe cosTs involved with prirrting, postage etc. Some changes and modifications may be necessary in the light of findings in 1981/82 .

.s:apf:i.ve Breeding_Prograrnme

j-\ elsew;1ere in this repor't, the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Service has built a series of 10 aviaries and is planning to conduct feasibility trials using Rock Parrots and Blue-winged Parrots

Recornmt::ndat:ior1: (51) Involvement with South Australia 2.nd Victoria is

esst::ntial.. £\ full report at the conclu.sion of each year should be forwarded to the relevant authorities of these C~overnment3.

No deciswn to capture or take eggs 01: nestling OBPs should be taken by the Tasmaniar::. Na,tional Parks and WiJ.dlife Service without the full endorsement bf both South Australia and Victoria.

ti.on of OBP Plan; The termination of the OBP survey will mean the end cf tbe firs·t phase of work on this species. To facilitate a continuation of wor'k into management, the futu:ce must be considered, 53.

Recommendations: (52) A long term plan of recovery for the OBP be compiled by the Survey Team at the compJ.etion of their study, The plan must outline work necessary to ensm"e the strategy for the future survival of the species and be flexible enough to allow for regular review and modification.

(53) An OBP Recovery Team of Management should be established prior to the termination cf the present survey. The Team should

consist of representatives of the Tasmanian and South Austl 0 alian National Parks and Wildlife Service~, Victorian Fisheries and Wildlife Authod.ty, AustraJ.ian National Parks and Wildlife Service and RAOU. Secondments may be made as required. The Management Team should meet annually and at other times as necessary when a regular' review should be made of management measur'es and progress of the Recovery Plan.

' 'l l STATE WILDLIFE DEPARTMENTS TO WHICH MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

ARE SPECIFICALLY REFERRED.

Tasmanian National Parks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 and Wildlife Service

Victorian Fisheries & 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Wildlife 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 31.J,' 35 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, ;1, ' '+1, ~}-I 42, 51, 53,

1 South Australian National 4 2 , l+ 3 , 4 +, 4 (=j, Lj, 6 , 4 7 , L/ 8, 4 9 , 51, 5 3 , Farks & Wi1ctlife Service

1 q If this survey is continued into a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18, .l. -· ') third year, it is anticipated that 20, 21+, 25, 26, 29, l;5, the survey officers will action the

foll.owing riecomn1endations .. 55,

FUTURE RESEARCH

In addition to the research recommended in Management Recommendations, the following research should be perfor'med:

Tasmania : (1) Further sear•ches should be undertaken in the breedinf!, season to the New River, the Olga Valley and the West Coast between Low Rocky Point and Cape Sorell to further our knowledge of the distribution of nesting pairs.

( 2) A programme of research into the ecology of nbuttongr·ass plainsn should be undertaken, This should involve research into the flowering and seeding periods of food plants, maturation and succession, carrying capacity and effects of fire.

( 3) Information needs to be obtained on the key plants used by OBPs dur"'!ing January to fol1ow up the work done in Januar_y 1980.

( 1+) Further investigation of marking and tl'acldng techniques should be undertaken, with the aim of locating OBPs from specific areas in Tasmania after migration.

( S) Monitoring of the breeding success of OBPs in breeding areas should continue in 1381/82 to increase knowledge of the average production of young per nest.

Route

en Resear'Cl,1 into the availabili of food sources on the West Co-:ist should be, undertak(~n, in view of the increasing use of these areas for ::;tock agistment programmes.

( 2) More information is 1°equired on the foraging habits and food taken by birds away f:com the Sea Elephant saltmarsh on King Island.

( 1) More re:::;edrch L:; required to ascertain rnE,thods of imp:r:1ovi:ng the saltmarshes and other habitats used by OBPs at Point Wilson. This may necessitate ecological wor~ on the distinv1ishing features of these areas compared with other saltmarshes, e.g. Westernport Bay, Corner Inlet, 56. ··------··----REFERENCES

Brown P.B. G Wilson, R.I. 1980. A Survey of the Orange-b,2llied Parrot in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia

Carr, G, W. & Ki.nhill Planners 1979, ~,urvey of Victorian Coastal. Sa1tmarsh Distribution in Relation to the Orange-bellied Parrot. I.C.I. Australia. Melbour.ne.

Duncan, N, 1978. The Effects of Culling Herring Gulls (Larus ax'gentatus) on recruitment and population dynamics. Journal o:f Applied Ecology (1978) 15, 697 - 713.

Forshaw,. J.M. 1981. Australian Parrots, Melbourne, Lansdowne Press.

Gould, J, 18iJ.8. The Birds of Australia 5. 39.

Harris, M ,P. 1979, The Seabirds o:f the Victorian Islands. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Banchory.

Hester, A.E. A Plastic Wing Tag for Individual Identification of Passerine Birds.

Heyligers,P.C. 1981. The Coorong and beyond, C.S.I.R.O. Division of Land Use. 81/3.

, K.B. 191n. The Orange-bellied Parrot : Emu 47. 67 - 68.

I.C.I. Australia Ltd. 1979 Point Wilson Plan of Development. l.C.I. Australia Melbourne.

Jarman, H. 1965. The Orange-breasted Parrot. Aust. Bird Watcher 2. 155 - 167,

Kirkpatrick J.B. 1977. The Disappearing Heath. Tasmanian Con­ servation Tr'ust.

Kirkpatrick J ,B. 1977. Native Vegetation of the vie st Coast Region of Tasmania. In M.R. Banks and J.B. Kirkpatrick (ed.) Landscape and Man. Royal Society of Tasmania, Hobart.

Lack, D. 1966. Population Studies of Birds, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Lane, B.A. t Kinhill Planners 1980. Avifauna Study I,C.I. Point Wilson Development.

Lane B.A. & Loyn R.H. & Kinhill Planners 1980. Avifauna Study. I.CI. Point Wilson Development. ss Report, June - Nov, 1979.

Lendon,, A.H., 1973. Australian Parrots in Field [; Aviary. Australian Natural Science

R.H. & Chandler C. 1918. Avifauna Study. I.C.I. Point Wilson June Oct, 1978.

J ,J 57.

Loyn, R.H. & KinhiJ.l Planners 1979. Orange-bellied Parrot Count June 3 ,, 19 7 9 .

Loyn, R.H. & Kinhill Planners 1979. Orange-bellied Parrot Count August 12, 1979.

Matthews G.M. 1917. The Birds of Australia 6 439.

Milledge, D. 1972. The Orange-bellied Parrot in Tasmania. South Australian Ornithologist 26 56 - 58.

Tasmanian Bird Report (1970-79) 1 - 9 Journal of the Bird Obser•vers Association of Tasmania.

J Wyndham~ E. 1978. Ecology of the Budgerygah, Melopssitac:us undufotus (Shaw) (Psittaciforrnes : Platycercidae). Ph.D. 1. Thesis, University of New England, Armidale . "· Wyndham, E. 1980. Total Body Lipids of the Budgerigar, I Melopsittacus unduZ.atus (Psittaciformes : Platycercidae) JI In Inland Mid-Eastern Australia, Aust, J. Zool. 1980, 28, 234 -247. -

J ]

·1·,_·i' tf