MY HEALTHY RIVER FACTSHEET 4 Photo: Matt Turner Water for Native Animals Part 1 Are you lucky enough to live by the River Murray, or perhaps you holiday there? The river provides a wonderful variety of native animal life that all of us can enjoy. Remember exploring the river’s banks and spotting a pink-eared duck gliding across the glassy surface of the water, or hearing the chatter of brightly coloured parrots in the flowering eucalypts above you? Areas of the River Murray have been in a state of decline and we need to work together to restore and protect its health so that we can continue to enjoy its spectacular wildlife. This factsheet forms part of the My Healthy River Toolkit which provides information to interested wetland owners, community people, and organisations about what environmental watering is and how you can help to improve the health of our river. The Toolkit is an initiative of Nature Foundation SA’s Water Photo: Jenni Garden For Nature program. Commonwealth environmental water is recovered by the Australian Government under the Basin Plan. Water For Nature supports community-driven watering projects along the South Australian River Murray at wetland and floodplain sites that are not receiving water from other sources. We are a non-government organisation and have worked with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, the South Australian Government, irrigators, local councils, community groups, and landholders, to deliver 6.22 gigalitres (that’s 6.22 billion litres!) to 80 sites in the SA River Murray valley… but there are many more sites that need water. Photo: Natalie Stalenberg Environmental water refers to “water used to improve the health of our rivers, floodplains and wetlands” Do you know a site that needs a “watering” hand? Water for Nature can help you or your group with environmental watering projects by: • identifying what needs watering and when (including trees, waterbirds, frogs, turtles and fish); • government approvals to deliver environmental water; • accessing an environmental water allocation; • lending you pumps and equipment; and • advice on how to tell if it’s working. Photo: Natalie Stalenberg MY HEALTHY RIVER 1 MY HEALTHY RIVER FACTSHEET 4 Photo: Matt Turner migrations! These movements may be seasonal (e.g. Woodland and Water Birds international migrants visiting every summer) or triggered Healthy river red gum and black box trees on the floodplain, by rain and flood events (e.g. national migrants following as well as other native vegetation, such as old man saltbush floodwaters). and lignum shrublands, are important for our native woodland and water birds. From tree tops, to shrubs and groundcovers, The types of birds occurring in an area can indicate what to exposed muddy shores and underwater, these habitats other plants and animals may be present in the wetland. For provide important nesting sites, food sources, shelter, and example: parrots and honeyeaters feed on flowers; fairy- roosting perches for many different birds, including threatened wrens, cisticolas and finches feed on small insects living on species, such as the regent parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus) and plants; dabbling ducks feed on underwater plants and insects; Australian painted snipe (Rostratula australis). spoonbills sweep shallow waters for aquatic insects and young yabbies; waders forage on exposed mud at the water’s Water birds, in particular, are reliant on suitable wetland edge for small invertebrates; kingfishers, egrets, pelicans and habitats. Some of these birds can move large distances in cormorants dive for fish; and raptors hunt other small birds, search of good habitats, including interstate and international mammals and reptiles. Photo: Jenni Garden Photo: Anne Jensen Photo: Jenni Garden Photo: Jenni Garden Microbats and other land animals Did you know? Healthy floodplain woodlands allow trees to grow to maturity and develop hollows which are important The regent parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus) is a roosting sites for many microbat species. Microbats are nationally threatened species found only in SA, important insect predators and are most impacted by NSW, VIC and WA. It’s listed as vulnerable at a loss of tree hollow roost sites and insect prey. Like the Federal level and also at the State level in woodland and water birds, you can use the presence of South Australia. In SA, they live in river red gum microbats as an indicator that the natural system is doing floodplain, woodland, and mallee habitats of the well in your local patch. Murray Mallee region. Nesting hollows in mature Healthy woodlands and wetlands, particularly thriving lignum river red gums within 120m of water, foraging shrublands, also provide important habitat and food sources areas in mallee woodlands no more than 20km for small mammals and reptiles. A diversity of animals in your from nesting sites, and treed flight corridors patch is a great indication of a healthy and thriving system! connecting their nesting and foraging habitats are critical for the survival of these birds in SA. If you would like to learn more about regent parrots and how you can help protect them, check out the National Recovery Plan and the South Australian Regent Parrot Recovery Team website. Photo: Tony Reardon Photo: Anne Jensen MY HEALTHY RIVER 2 MY HEALTHY RIVER FACTSHEET 4 Photo: Matt Turner These watering patterns will also maintain floodplain shrubs When to water which provide cover and food sources, such as old man Healthy floodplain habitats should include healthy food saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) and native tomato sources and micro-habitats, including groundcover plants, (Enchylaena tomentosa), important for our native land animals. shrubs, trees of multiple ages, and a range of creeks, More information about watering for native swamps, hollows and elevated areas. vegetation can be found in the Factsheet #3, Sites require watering or flooding frequently enough to Water for Healthy Trees. sustain soil moisture and vegetation in a healthy condition. The natural sequence of watering for the Lower Murray Valley is to mimic the natural timing of floods in late spring- early summer, which means: • where river red gums grow, watering should occur once every 2-3 years, for at least 4-6 weeks; • at higher levels on the floodplain, near black box or lignum, watering should occur once every 5 years, for at least 8-10 weeks; and • for stressed sites, watering should be repeated for at least 2-3 consecutive years, until the condition of the vegetation improves. Photo: Natalie Stalenberg Photo: Natalie Stalenberg Key signs that the watering is helping to restore Is watering working? land animal populations include: There are some simple ways that you can measure the impact that watering is having on native animals, for example: • improved health of woodland trees, more groundcover, and healthy-looking shrubs; • set up at least two photo-points to record changes at the • more bird species, and an increased number of birds site over time; observed, including threatened species; • monitor the changes in native trees, wildlife and water • microbats recorded or observed; quality; and • signs of breeding, such as kangaroo joeys, emu chicks, • do bird surveys before, during and after you water – this and active nests in trees; and is especially important if a main aim of watering is to boost bird numbers. Local bird experts or groups can help you • goannas sighted. if you haven’t done this before. For more useful links and contacts see Factsheet #3 and Factsheet #6. An increasingly popular approach to monitoring your site is to become a “citizen scientist” – this means that you volunteer to collect scientific data and share that data with government scientists or nature groups. You can share your information via online free apps, websites, or by joining a group. For example: • report bird sightings at the SA Murray-Darling Basin’s monitoring data portal; • identify microbats through the Mega Murray-Darling Microbat Project. Photo: Jenni Garden Photo: Greg Johnston Photo: Matt Turner Photo: Matt Turner Photo: Anne Jensen MY HEALTHY RIVER 3 MY HEALTHY RIVER FACTSHEET 4 Photo: Matt Turner CASE STUDY Clint & Liz Frankel at Yarra Creek PARTNER/S: Clint and Liz Frankel – WATERING DELIVERY: community volunteers acting on a neighbour’s • Watering period: November 2015 – private property. February 2016 WATERING SITE: Yarra Creek lies on the • Total volume delivered = 593 Megalitres (ML); northern bank of Great Yarra Reach, between • Water application via : pumping from the Waikerie and Overland Corner. River into a feeder creek which connects WATERING AIM/S: the River and Yarra Creek wetland site • sustain soil moisture reserves in the Clint & Liz Frankel OUTCOMES: unsaturated zone of the floodplain through Ehanced woodland, shrubland and wetland Photo: Penny Frankel hot dry conditions in summer; and habitats including: • create diverse and healthy temporary • improved condition of some mature black box wetland habitats for native plants and animals. trees, including flowering and seeding; KEY OBJECTIVES: • good rate of survival of black box seedlings; 1. improve condition of stressed mature black box • substantial improvement in health of lignum; and trees; • the appearance of aquatic plants, including 2. sustain black box seedlings germinated in the nardoo. 2010-2012 floods; and 3. improve condition and diversity in temporary lignum wetlands. October 2015 (before first watering) November 2015 (after first watering) Further information Useful links Anyone can help to deliver environmental water and improve nature along the • National Recovery Plan River Murray…every drop counts! Are you concerned about the health of native plants • South Australian Regent Parrot Recovery Team along the River? Or do you want to register your interest in lending a “watering” hand? • SA Murray-Darling Basin’s monitoring data portal CONTACT: Nature Foundation SA on 8340 2880, or email Natalie at • Mega Murray-Darling Microbat Project [email protected] • Basin Plan VISIT: the My Healthy River Toolkit Facebook page for all factsheets and tutorials.