INTERIM REPORT A FAUNA SURVEY OF THE PROPOSED MULGA ROCK PROJECT AREA, GREAT VICTORIA DESERT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Prepared for: Energy and Minerals Australia Limited Prepared by: Ninox Wildlife Consulting January 2010 i Mulga Rock Project – Fauna Survey Table of Contents Page 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 2 NOMENCLATURE, TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS ................................... 1 3 STUDY OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................................... 1 3.1 Study Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 2 4 DEFINITION OF TERMS ................................................................................................................ 2 4.1 Protected Species - Australian Government .................................................................................. 2 4.2 Protected Species - Western Australia .......................................................................................... 2 4.3 Priority Species - Western Australia ............................................................................................. 3 4.4 Significant Fauna Habitats ............................................................................................................ 3 5 METHODS .......................................................................................................................................... 3 5.1 Fauna Habitats ............................................................................................................................... 4 5.2 Vertebrate Fauna ......................................................................................................................... 11 5.2.1 General Sampling ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 5.2.2 Mulgara Species (Dasycercus blythi and Dasycercus cristicauda) ---------------------------- 14 5.2.3 Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) --------------------------------------------------- 15 5.2.4 Southern Marsupial Mole (Notoryctes typhlops) ------------------------------------------------ 15 5.2.5 Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei) ----------------------------------------------------------- 16 5.2.6 Woma (Aspidites ramsayi) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 5.2.7 Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 5.2.8 Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus magnirostris) ------------------------------------------------------ 17 5.3 Weather Conditions ..................................................................................................................... 17 6 RESULTS .......................................................................................................................................... 17 6.1 Native Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 17 6.1.1 Comparisons with 1985 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 6.1.2 Mulgara Species (Dasycercus blythi and Dasycercus cristicauda) ---------------------------- 19 6.1.3 Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) --------------------------------------------------- 19 6.1.4 Southern Marsupial Mole (Notoryctes typhlops) ------------------------------------------------ 19 6.2 Amphibians ................................................................................................................................. 20 6.3 Reptiles ........................................................................................................................................ 20 6.3.1 Comparisons with 1985 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 6.3.2 Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei) ----------------------------------------------------------- 23 6.3.3 Woma (Aspidites ramsayi) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 6.4 Birds ............................................................................................................................................ 23 6.4.1 Comparisons with 1985 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24 6.4.2 Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 6.4.3 Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus magnirostris) ------------------------------------------------------ 26 6.4.4 Other Significant Species --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 6.5 Introduced or Feral Species ......................................................................................................... 26 7 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................... 27 7.1 Native Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 27 7.2 Amphibians ................................................................................................................................. 27 7.3 Reptiles ........................................................................................................................................ 27 7.4 Birds ............................................................................................................................................ 27 8 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 28 Ninox Wildlife Consulting – January 2010 ii Mulga Rock Project – Fauna Survey LIST OF TABLES Table 1 List of systematic sampling sites within the Mulga Rock Project Area. The coordinates provided are in GDA94 format. ................................................................................................ 5 Table 2 Summary of trapping effort used in the October 2009 sampling period within the Mulga Rock Project Area. .................................................................................................................. 14 Table 3 Minima, maxima temperatures and rainfall experienced during the fauna survey within the Mulga Rock Project Area in October 2009. Data extracted from the Bureau of Meteorology for Laverton and Kalgoorlie. ............................................................................. 17 Table 4 List of native mammal species recorded during the October 2009 survey of the Mulga Rock Project Area. (RC – recapture; OP – results from opportunistic sampling, including Anabat© results – designated with an X; S – signs such as scats, tracks or diggings etc, counted as one individual.) ..................................................................................................... 17 Table 5 List of native mammal species recorded during June/July 1985 and October 2009. ............. 18 Table 6 List of reptile species recorded during the October 2009 survey of the Mulga Rock Project Area. (OP – results from opportunistic sampling.) .................................................... 20 Table 7 List of reptile species recorded during June/July 1985 and October 2009. ........................... 21 Table 8 List of bird species recorded during the October 2009 survey of the Mulga Rock Project Area. (OP – results from opportunistic sampling.) ................................................................. 23 Table 9 List of bird species recorded during June/July 1985 and October 2009. ............................... 24 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 Results of the search of the DEC’s NatureMap. .................................................................... 30 Appendix 2 Analysis of Anabat© results. .................................................................................................... 32 Appendix 3 EPBC Act Protected Matters Report. ..................................................................................... 37 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Spinifex life stages (from Churchill 2001, sketches by V. Reynolds – extracted from the Sminthopsis psammophila Action Statement [Department for Environment and Heritage 2008]). ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2 Diagrammatic layout of vertebrate fauna trapline used in the survey of the Mulga Rock Project Area during October 2009. ........................................................................................ 12 LIST OF PLATES Plate 1 Fauna sampling site MR01. ...................................................................................................... 6 Plate 2 Fauna sampling site MR02. ...................................................................................................... 7 Plate 3 Fauna sampling site MR03. ...................................................................................................... 7 Plate 4 Fauna sampling site MR04. ...................................................................................................... 8 Plate 5 Fauna sampling site MR05. ...................................................................................................... 8 Plate 6 Fauna sampling site