Terrestrial Fauna Assessment for the Stratford Extension Project Appendix F: Fauna survey report, EcoBiological (2011) F-1 Fauna Survey Report: Stratford Coal Mine, Gloucester, New South Wales. Fauna Survey Report: Stratford Coal Mine, Gloucester, New South Wales. December 2010 Report prepared for Gloucester Coal Limited This report was prepared for the sole use of the proponents, their agents and any regulatory agencies involved in the development application approval process. It should not be otherwise referenced without permission. Prepared by: ecobiological David Paull Senior Ecologist NPWS Scientific Licence S12398 Reviewed by: Kristy Peters Senior Ecologist NPWS Scientific Licence S12398 Executive Summary ecobiological was commissioned by Gloucester Coal Pty Ltd to conduct fauna surveys at Stratford Coal Mine. The study area consists of a current mining operation and surrounding land currently owned and operated by Gloucester Coal Limited off Bucketts Way, Gloucester, NSW. Field surveys of the study area were conducted between April 2007 and March 2010. The key findings are summarised below. A total of 178 fauna species were recorded within the study area (consisting of 13 frog, 13 reptile, 121 bird and 31 mammal species). Two birds (Common Starling and Spotted Dove) and five of the mammals detected were exotic species (Rabbit, Hare, Cat, Fox and House Mouse). Eleven (11) threatened fauna species were recorded during the surveys, the Grey- crowned Babbler, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Varied Sittella, Magpie Goose, Masked Owl, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Squirrel Glider, New Holland Mouse, Little Bentwing-bat, Eastern Bentwing-bat and the Eastern Freetail- bat. Nine listed migratory species (EPBC listed and listed under international conventions) were detected during surveys in the study area; the Cattle Egret, Australian Reed-warbler, Black-faced Monarch, Double-banded Plover, Latham’s Snipe, Fork-tailed Swift, Great Egret, Rainbow Bee-eater and the White-bellied Sea-eagle. F-i Ref: 245-387 Fauna Survey Report: Stratford Coal Mine, Gloucester, NSW. Definitions Abundance – a quantification of the population of the species or community. Arboreal – living in a tree or trees. Aquatic – living in the water. Distribution – the overall area in which a species is known to occur. It is not implied, and is very rarely the case, that a species occurs in all parts of the area defined by its distribution. Diurnal – pertaining to the day. An animal that is active by day is said to be diurnal. Habitat – an area or areas occupied, or periodically or occasionally occupied, by a species, population or ecological community and includes any biotic or abiotic component. The habitat of a species is usually far less in extent than distribution indicated on a map. Home range – the area habitually traversed by an individual animal. It may be exclusive or overlap with the home ranges of other individuals of the same species. Nocturnal – pertaining to the night. An animal that is active by night is said to be nocturnal. Opportunistic – used, in reference to diet, to denote the eating of any of a wide variety of foods, depending upon their availability. In respect of reproduction, it refers to a pattern of breeding that is linked with irregular favourable conditions (particularly unpredictable rainfall in arid areas) rather than to season. Relative Abundance – the number of individuals of each species assessed in relation to the numbers of other within each group of taxa (i.e. plants, frogs, reptiles etc.). Riparian – pertaining to the banks of a river or stream. Sclerophyll – pertaining to plants with tough leaves. Here used mainly to distinguish between two major types of eucalypt forest: dry sclerophyll forest which is open and wet sclerophyll forest which has a closed canopy. The two types intergrade. Subspecies – an interbreeding population within a species, differing measurably from one or more other populations and usually geographically separate from these. Terrestrial – living on the ground. F-ii Ref: 245-387 Fauna Survey Report: Stratford Coal Mine, Gloucester, NSW. Abbreviations CMA Catchment Management Authority DECCW Department of the Environment and Climate Change and Water (now Office of Environment & Heritage) DEWHA Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts DSEWPaC Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 GIS Geographic Information System ha hectares km kilometres LEP Local Environment Plan NPWS National Parks and Wildlife Service ROTAP Rare or Threatened Australian Plants SEPP State Environmental Planning Policy sp Species (singular) spp Species (plural) subsp subspecies TSC Act Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 F-iii Ref: 245-387 Fauna Survey Report: Stratford Coal Mine, Gloucester, NSW. Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................... F-i 1. Introduction ..................................................................................... F-1 1.1. Scope ..................................................................................................... F-1 1.2. Regional and Local Context................................................................... F-1 1.3. Geology, Topography and Soils ............................................................ F-4 1.4. Climate ................................................................................................... F-6 1.5. Land Use................................................................................................ F-6 1.6. Hydrology ............................................................................................... F-6 2. Survey Methods .............................................................................. F-7 2.1. Data Review and Weather ..................................................................... F-7 2.1.1. Review of Databases and Literature ............................................. F-7 2.1.2. Weather Conditions and Survey Activities ..................................... F-7 2.2. Fauna Survey Design ............................................................................ F-9 2.2.1. Stratification of Fauna Survey ........................................................ F-9 2.2.2. Fauna Habitat Assessment .......................................................... F-10 2.2.3. Koala Habitat Assessment ........................................................... F-14 2.2.3.1. SEPP 44 Koala Habitat Protection ................................................................. F-14 2.2.3.2. Spot Assessment Technique (SAT) Assessment ............................................ F-15 2.2.3.3. Recovery Plan for the Koala .......................................................................... F-15 2.2.4. Fauna Survey Methods and Effort ............................................... F-15 2.3. Database and Literature Search .......................................................... F-29 2.3.1. Database Search ......................................................................... F-29 2.3.2. Literature Search ......................................................................... F-35 3. Results .......................................................................................... F-36 3.1. Fauna Habitat Assessment.................................................................. F-36 3.2. Caves ................................................................................................... F-37 3.3. Food Plants in Study Area ................................................................... F-39 3.4. Habitat Tree Hollow Surveys ............................................................... F-40 3.5. Koala Habitat Assessment ................................................................... F-42 3.5.1. SEPP 44 – Koala Habitat ............................................................. F-42 3.5.2. Spot Assessment Technique (SAT) Assessment ........................ F-44 3.5.3. Recovery Plan for the Koala ........................................................ F-44 3.6. Fauna Species Composition ................................................................ F-44 3.6.1. Amphibians .................................................................................. F-44 3.6.2. Reptiles ........................................................................................ F-45 3.6.3. Birds ............................................................................................. F-45 F-iv Ref: 245-387 Fauna Survey Report: Stratford Coal Mine, Gloucester, NSW. 3.6.4. Mammals ..................................................................................... F-45 3.6.5. Exotic fauna ................................................................................. F-45 3.7. Threatened Fauna Species ................................................................. F-46 3.8. Migratory Species ................................................................................ F-52 4. Conclusions .................................................................................. F-53 5. References .................................................................................... F-54 Appendix 1: Fauna survey data Appendix 2: Birds recorded in study area Appendix 3: Non-flying fauna and nocturnal birds recorded within the study area Appendix 4: Bats recorded in study area Appendix 5: Threatened Species Data Appendix 6: An