NEWSLETTER OF THE NA TIONAL MALLEEFOWL RE COVERY TEAM AUTUMN 201 4 EDITION FFFIVEIVEIVE NATIONAL MALLEEFOWL RECOVERY TEAM BY SHARON GILLAM, CHAIRPERSON Environment in Canberra. Both of weekend, I was in Peter’s group as he these gentlemen bring a wealth of led us out for refresher training at the knowledge from their respective mounds. I recall that we had a nice backgrounds into the team. Lisa chat out in the scrub – a lovely Farnsworth has resigned from her memory to keep. Peter Stokie and position at the Australian Wildlife Kathryn Schneider have provided a Conservancy’s Mt Gibson Sanctuary, fitting tribute to this quietly spoken, WA, to pursue other options back in yet determined campaigner for the eastern States, and hence has left Malleefowl recovery who will not be the team. Although Lisa was only with forgotten. Our sincere thoughts go to us for a short time, she made a very Patsy, family and friends. important contribution by providing Inside are our regular articles updates on AWC monitoring and including the Mallee Post, more Malleefowl recovery activities; and recovery team profiles, updates from supporting WA volunteers and the Tim, our National Coordinator, plus a monitoring program. We wish Lisa all range of other news – don't forget to the best. Long-serving member Peter check out our new website! - enjoy Ewin also made a quiet exit, taking on the read! Extreme summer temperatures and a planning role with his Department, wildfires in the Mallee country, and is now based in Albury, NSW. IN THIS ISSUE: followed by severe rainfall events, at Many thanks to Peter for his support PAGE 2 Malleefowl Recovery least in SA, have seen the end of and involvement with recovery Coordinator; New Website; another Malleefowl breeding season. activities over the years and firmly Contacts While relatively good rainfall was putting NSW on the Malleefowl map. experienced last winter, it was Peter was also Deputy Chair and PAGE 3 5th National MF Forum; followed by a dry spring in many participated in a number of NSW project areas, apparently leading to several subcommittees. He has kindly offered th PAGE 4 Vale Peter Sandell; abandoned nesting attempts by to remain involved with the 5 Forum Coordinator’s NSW trip Malleefowl. preparations. Best wishes to Peter Read on to find out more about the from the team. PAGE 5 NCMPG & Yongernow, WA fires in SA and Victoria, and how the On a sad note, we say farewell to PAGE 6 SA habitat restoration; breeding season panned out across Peter Sandell, who passed away on SA MDB monitoring the States. Many t hanks to all the keen March 18 after a long battle with volunteers and staff for their efforts melanoma. Peter was a long-time PAGE 7 SA MDB Mallee fires this season in setting up gear, training supporter of Malleefowl conservation, PAGE 8 SE SA monitoring; folks, monitoring sites, uploading and promoting the management of this VMRG monitoring validating data into the national species through his career with Parks PAGE 9 Vic Mallee fires database; and all the other little in- Victoria, on the recovery team and between tasks that go into gathering with the VMRG. Peter diligently PAGE 10 ‘Mallee Post’ historical this valuable information. chaired the recovery team for seven Malleefowl articles To bring you up to date on recovery years before passing the baton to me. PAGE 11 More history; team membership, we welcome two I am thankful for the advice and Interesting mounds new members to the team: John encouragement Peter gave me, as we DeJose, CEO of the MPG in WA, and caught up over a number of enjoyable PAGE 12 Introducing members Gerard Hogan, replacing Andrew lunches in my early months as chair. National Malleefowl Recovery Team Chalklen from the Department of the At the October 2013 VMRG training Milton Lewis WA, Sharon Gillam SA 2222 AROUND THE MOUNDS • AUTUMN 2014 NATIONAL MALLEEFOWL RECOVERY OUR NEW WEBSITE: www.nationalmalleefowl.com.au The National Malleefowl Recovery Team PROGRAM COORDINATOR is excited to announce the birth of our BY TIM BURNARD own website. It’s a great place to read the latest Malleefowl news from across Australia as well as back copies of ‘Around the Mounds’. Many people will also be interested in the ‘Library’ which is gathering a range of papers and documents including many of the important research papers that have been generated over the years. INNES NP MONITORS- You can also access other interesting TIM, PARTNER DONNA websites via the ‘Important Websites’ & MICHAEL GILLAM IN BACKGROUND page. These include some fascinating footage of Malleefowl on sites like the ‘Lachlan CMA YouTube presentation’ and ‘Malleefowl Conservation Farm’. The site is also an ideal place to tell any of your own Malleefowl stories...like the story sent in by Roger Pitman from Badja Station WA detailing the successful hatching of chicks from a mound that had just been rebuilt after being mostly washed away in a heavy rain event. If you In the past six months (since the last that the outcomes of their monitoring have any newsy items or papers that you edition of this newsletter) I’ve had the efforts can be seen on the national think should be added to the website great pleasure of meeting many more monitoring database. You can get to please forward them to me at volunteers involved in the important the database via our new website [email protected] task of Malleefowl monitoring. Being www.nationalmalleefowl.com.au If you relatively new to the world of still don’t have a password to the Malleefowl I have taken the database, contact your State opportunity to get involved with Coordinator to get access - Joy monitoring training with the MPG at McGilvray (WA), Sharon Gillam (SA) or Babakin (WA), VMRG at Wyperfeld Peter Stokie (Vic). My favourite section (Vic) and at Innes, Karte and Gum is ‘Sites and Mounds’ which shows the Lagoon sites in SA. It’s been the best monitoring sites across Australia and Malleefowl introduction a National gives fantastic historical information Coordinator could ask for. (including photos) of mound With the breeding (and monitoring) monitoring over the years. There are CONTACT US season winding up and validation of all other sections that detail the data National Malleefowl Recovery Team monitoring nearing completion we will gathered by monitors but I like this one Chairperson soon be able to get a bigger picture of because it gives an excellent overview Sharon Gillam how the season has turned out for of each site and mound. I encourage all [email protected] Malleefowl. On the face of it, it’s not of our volunteers to take a look and 08 8463 6927 great. The Bureau of Meteorology see where all the data goes. reports that 2013 was Australia’s Malleefowl monitoring is probably the Editor warmest year since records began in most important activity we collectively Gil Hopkins 1910. Maps produced by the Bureau undertake each year. Not only does it [email protected] show that temperatures were well let us know how the species is going 03 5383 8207 above average for the entire but it forms the basis of all future Malleefowl range and perhaps more research. The monitoring is all fed into Submissions for Edition Six of importantly, rainfall was below average the database and is quite possibly the Around the Mounds close on for much of the range. The rising best dataset of any bird in Australia. Friday 1919////9999/1/1/1/14444. temperature may not impact Importantly, the data doesn’t just sit For editing, articles are best sent by Malleefowl in more temperate regions there looking good; the Adaptive email as attached documents with but it could be serious for birds that Management Team is using this photos also as attachments. live in the more interior of the range information as the foundation of where temperatures are already high. knowing just what are the critical This Newsletter is available in colour at Along with increased temperatures we threats to our bird. This is thought to www.nationalmalleefowl.com.au can expect an increase in fire activity. be a first in threatened species or from the National database at This season saw significant fires in research in Australia and something all http://database.malleefowlvictoria.or some traditional Malleefowl sites like involved can be proud of....especially g.au/Start.aspx (copy/paste this link), Bronzewing (Vic) and Billiat/Ngarkat our magnificent team of volunteer (SA) that will severely impact on monitors from across Australia. Other important websites for news, Malleefowl. Anyone wanting to contact Tim information and photos include Now that monitoring is done for the Burnard can use email www.malleefowlvictoria.org.au season, I’d like to remind all volunteers [email protected] www.malleefowl.com.au or phone 03 5581 2205 www.malleefowl.net.au 3 AROUND THE MOUNDS • AUTUMN 2014 333 FI FTH NATIONAL MALLEEFOWL FORUM DUBBO, 12 – 15 SEPTEMBER 2014 Organisation of the Fifth National Malleefowl Forum is well underway. The date has been set, the venue booked and a call for abstracts has gone out. Several highly regarded speakers have been secured including our own favourite Malleefowl researcher Joe Benshemesh, Australia Museum ornithologist Walter Boles (author of two fascinating papers that delve into the prehistoric Malleefowl improve management for Malleefowl. day attendance this represents past), and Ian Fraser (author of the Past Forums have been held in excellent value for all participants. recently published book Bird Names Adelaide (1995), Mildura (2004), The Forum will cover subjects which received a 2013 Whitley Award Katanning WA (2007) and Renmark including latest technology, Commendation for Zoological (2011).