The Vertebrate Fauna of Northern Yengo National Park Project funded under the Central Branch Parks and Wildlife Division Biodiversity Survey Priorities Program Information and Assessment Section Metropolitan Branch Environmental Protection and Regulation Division Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) June 2005 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project has been undertaken by Helen Hair and Scat Analysis Achurch, Elizabeth Magarey and Daniel Barbara Triggs Connolly from the Metropolitan Branch Information and Assessment, EPRD Bat Call Analysis Section Head, Information and Assessment Narawan Williams Julie Ravallion Special thanks to: Staff of the Hunter Range Area and Central Coordinator, Bioregional Data Group Coast Regional Office for assistance in Daniel Connolly planning and support during the surveys. Private Property owners for allowing us to stay GIS and Database Coordinator on their land and access the park through their Peter Ewin properties. Report Writing and Map Production Daniel Connolly This report should be referenced as follows: Helen Achurch DEC (2005) “The Vertebrate Fauna of Northern Yengo National Park.” Unpublished report Field Surveyors funded by the Central Branch Parks and Narawan Williams Wildlife Division Biodiversity Survey Priorities Martin Schulz Program by NSW Department of Environment Dion Hobcroft and Conservation, Information and Assessment Alex Dudley Section, Metropolitan Branch, Environment Elizabeth Magarey Protection and Regulation Division. Helen Achurch Richard Harris Doug Beckers All photographs are held by DEC. To obtain a Rebecca Allport copy please contact the Bioregional Data Group Coordinator, DEC Hurstville Field Volunteers George Madani Cover Photos Noriyoshi Kawasaki Josh Madden Front cover Greg Little Feature Photo (Helen Achurch) Mormopterus sp. 3 (short penis form) (Narawan Logistics and Survey Planning Williams) Helen Achurch Spotted Gum (Elizabeth Magarey) Nobbi Lashtail (Narawan Williams) Data Entry Grey Gum (Daniel Connolly) Rebecca Allport Squirrel Glider (Narawan Williams) Suzette Rodoreda Helen Achurch Back cover Elizabeth Magarey Red-crowned Toadlet (Dave Hunter) Josh Madden Woodland in Yengo National Park (Narawan Williams) Tawny Frogmouth (Narawan Williams) Escarpment Slopes Woodland in North-east Wollemi National Park (Elizabeth Magarey) ISBN 1 74137 869 9 ii The Vertebrate Fauna of Northern Yengo National Park OVERVIEW Northern Yengo National Park comprises 46 000 hectares of a prominent dissected sandstone plateau on the southern escarpment of the Hunter Valley. It lies at the convergence of a number of environmental and climatic influences from the north, west and east and as a result the reserve supports a highly diverse assemblage of fauna. There are at least 256 native terrestrial vertebrate fauna species known to use the reserve, of which 28 are listed as either vulnerable or endangered on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995). There are ten species of introduced fauna recorded including the Fox and Wild Dog. The faunal diversity is typical of large sandstone reserves in the Sydney Basin, and northern Yengo NP supports the fifth highest number of fauna species in the Central Branch Parks and Wildlife Division. This report compiles and reviews background information on the fauna of northern Yengo NP. This has been supplemented by extensive new data generated by surveys conducted during the spring-summer period in 2004-5, in order to provide a more accurate inventory of fauna across the range of habitats present. A total of 161 systematic sites were established to sample birds, frogs, bats, reptiles and arboreal mammals in the reserve. Terrestrial mammals have been sampled opportunistically, while fish have not been included in this study. These data can be further used for analysing habitat use, faunal assemblages, impact assessments and abundance estimates for species of interest. Our findings confirm that northern Yengo National Park is characterised by the suite of birds, reptiles, frogs and mammals typical of hinterland sandstone environments of the Sydney Basin. A number of species that are endemic to the Sydney sandstone environments are present in the reserve, including the Rockwarbler, Large-eared Pied Bat, Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko and Red-crowned Toadlet. Northern Yengo National Park is surrounded by the open Hunter Valley to the north, the Wollombi Valley to the east and Howes Valley to the west. These areas are fertile, dry rainshadow valleys that prior to clearing supported a complex of grassy woodlands. These woodlands provided habitat for a range of fauna species typical of the central western slopes and plains. Due to extensive clearing over the last 200 years many of these species are now recognised as either endangered or vulnerable under state threatened species legislation. With their preferred habitat much reduced in area, these species are largely restricted to small remnants of dry woodland. This pattern is apparent in northern Yengo National Park with a number of bird species in particular occupying dry grassy woodland remnants and dry ironbark forests on the margins of the reserve, including the Black-chinned Honeyeater, Grey-crowned Babbler, Diamond Firetail, Speckled Warbler, Turquoise Parrot, Brown Treecreeper and Regent Honeyeater. Other species that occupy these habitats include the Squirrel Glider and Barking Owl. Surveys revealed that northern Yengo National Park supports significant populations of several threatened species including the Glossy Black-cockatoo, Large-eared Pied Bat, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Koala, Eastern Cave Bat and Yellow-bellied Glider. In contrast, other threatened species were recorded more sporadically and are likely to have a patchy distribution or be in low numbers, including the Rosenberg’s Goanna, Squirrel Glider, Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl and Greater Broad-nosed Bat. Numbers of the threatened amphibians, the Red-crowned Toadlet and Giant Burrowing Frog, are likely to have been underestimated in the reserve due to the drought of the last few years. The Eastern Pygmy-possum and Spotted-tailed Quoll remain poorly understood in the reserve, as intensive ground mammal surveys have not been implemented. At present the largest threats to species viability within the park are likely to emerge from the impact of fire and from feral predation and competition. Managing impacts of fire on fauna requires an understanding of the distribution and intensity of fires as well as the delineation of significant fauna habitats. Currently, these information layers are not available for the reserve. We recommend that fire intensity mapping be carried out after future fire events. Furthermore, vegetation community mapping currently available for northern Yengo National Park is too coarse to delineate many important habitat features. It is therefore recommended that a detailed vegetation mapping program be implemented for the reserve and adjoining lands so that fire sensitive fauna habitats can be more successfully identified and monitored. Wild Dogs, Foxes and Cats present a significant threat through predation and competition for resources. Initiatives that prevent the expansion of these predators are warranted, together with research into the effects of predator control. Control should be focussed on sites identified as being of high conservation significance. The Threat Abatement Plan for the Fox currently includes Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby sites, to help gain a better understanding of the impact of Fox control. The report concludes that the reservation status of several threatened species could be improved by directly targetting specific habitats for future acqusitions and voluntary conservation agreements. Proposed additions that include confirmed records and habitat for the suite of Declining Woodland Birds, Squirrel Gliders, Masked and Barking Owl and Brush-tail Rock-wallaby should be given high priority. The Vertebrate Fauna of Northern Yengo National Park iii CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................1 1.1 PROJECT AIMS .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 1 1.3 HISTORY OF LAND USE ............................................................................................... 3 1.4 ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................................................... 3 1.4.1 Biogeography ........................................................................................... 3 1.4.2 Geology and geomorphology .................................................................... 3 1.4.3 Elevation .................................................................................................. 5 1.4.4 Climate..................................................................................................... 5 1.5 VEGETATION ............................................................................................................. 5 1.6 FIRE......................................................................................................................... 7 2 METHODS............................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 EXISTING FAUNA DATA...............................................................................................