138 S. V. Briggs and S. A. Thornton: Management of River Red Gums for waterbird nesting Corella 19(4) REFERENCES Lowe, K. W. (1989). Notes on the breeding of the Pacific Heron Ardea pacifirn near Balranald, New South Wales. Beck. L. ( 1991). Lowbidgee management plan stage two: land Corella 13: 88-89. and water management 1991-1996. Department of Water Maher, P. (1988). Historical records on colonial nesting water­ Resources. Leellln. birds in Moira Lake and Gulpa Creek wetland complexes. Briggs. S. V .. Thornton. S. A. and Hodgson, P. F. (1993). Report to New South Wales Department of Water Characteristics of River Red Gums used by nesting water­ Resources, Sydney. birds. A11s1. Birds 27: 12-20. Maher, P. (1990). Bird survey of the Lachlan/ Murrumbidgee Briggs. S. V. Thornton. S. A. and Lawler, W. G. (1994). confluence wetlands. Report to National Parks and Wildlife Management of Red Gum wetlands for waterbirds. Report Service, Sydney. to Natural Resources Management Strategy. National Parks Maher, P. (1993). Breeding success of' ..:olonial waterbirds in and Wildlife Service. Sydney. Moira Lake and Gulpa Creek wetlands. Proc. S. Riverin.a Chesterfield. E. A.. Loyn. R. H. and Macfarlane, M. A. Field Naturalisls Club 1: 47-57. ( 198-+). Flora and fauna of Barmah forest and their manage­ Marchant, S. and Higgins, P. J. (1990). 'Handbook of Austra­ ment. Forest Commission Victoria Research Branch Report lian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Vol. I b. (Oxford No. 2-+0. University Press: Melbourne.) Forestry Commission of New South Wales (1985). Manage­ Magrath, M. J. L. (1992). Waterbird study of the lower ment plan for Murray management area. Forestry Lachlan and Murrumbidgee valley wetlands in 1990/91. Commission of New South Wales. Sydney. Report to New South Wales Department of Water Forestry Commission of New South Wales (1986). Manage­ Resources, Sydney. ment plan for Murrumbidgee management area. Forestry Thornton, S. A. and Briggs, S V. (1994). A survey of hydro­ Commission of New South Wales, Sydney. logical changes to wetlands of the Murrumbidgee River. Kahl. M. P. ( I 988). Breeding displays of Australian spoon­ Wetlands (Aust.) 13: 1-13. bills. Na1. Ceogr. Res. 4: 88-111. Vestjens, W. J. M. (1975). Breeding behaviour of the Darter Leitch. C. (1989). Towards a strategy for managing the flood­ at Lake Cowal, New South Wales. Emu 75: 121-131. ing of Barmah forest. Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands. Benalla. Corella, 1995, 19( 4): 138-146 SURVIVAL OF BROWN AND STRIATED THORNBILLS IN THE BRINDABELLA RANGE, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY S. J. WILSON 56 Harrington Circuit, Kambah, ACT 2902 Received 24 November, 1994 Brown and Striated Thornbills were banded at New Chums Road in the Brindabella Range, Australian Capital Territory from 1961 to 1982. Both species appeared to be sedentary once they established territories although there is some indication that the territories of Striated Thornbills were held by small groups. The mean annual survival rate of adult Brown Thornbills was 59 per cent and Striated Thornbills 68 per cent. The oldest Brown Thornbill recaptured was 13 years and 7 months and the oldest Striated Thornbill was 15 years and 7 months. INTRODUCTION annual survival (Rowley and Russell 1991). How­ Compared with birds of north temperate ever, there are relatively few published data on regions, Australian passerines appear to have survival of Australian birds. very different life histories. The limited data avail­ A banding study of the birds of the Brindabella able to date indicate that Australian passerines pro­ Range, Australian Capital Territory, was conducted duce small clutches (Woinarski 1985) and between April 1961 and 1982, initially to contribute typically have low reproductive success (Robinson to an understanding of movements of passerines 1990). Compensating for this low productivity, (Lamm and Wilson 1966; Horey and Wilson 1971; they appear to be long-lived and exhibit high Tidemann et al. 1988). The work commenced 139 December, 1995 S. J. Wilson: Survival of Thornbills in the Brindabella Range 37 Km -- CANBERRA -- 34 Km 595 m t � I SCALE 0 kilometers KEY - • - • - - - -Roads; �..::::-"--.;;,-- Rivers Creeks; < < < ( ( (< <. ( ( ( Mountains. Netting Stations Period of Use 1 NEW CHUM'S ROAD 1050 m 9. 4.61 - 2. 5.82 205 2 LEE'S CREEK ROAD 840 m 26. 3.61 - 24. 2.79 106 3 BLUNDlli'S CREEK ROAD 870 m 5.10.63 - 10. 3.76 73 4 BULLS HEAD ROAD 960 m 15. 6.64 - 22. 5.65 6 5 WEST NEW CHUMS ROAD 1025 m 26. 6.65 only 1 6 LOWER LEE'S CREEK ROAD 760 m 20. 9.64 - 20. 6.95 12 7 BUSHRANGERS CREEK ROAD 990 m 4.10.64 - 5. 3.78 85 8 LEE'S SPRINGS 965 m 5.12.65 - 29.12.66 4 Grand Total 582 Figure i. Ponion of 1he Brindabella Range showing the loccaion of 1he banding places. 140 S. J. Wilson: Survival of Thornbills in the Brindabella Range Corella 19 (4) when mist-netting was 111 its infancy in Australia regularly or over such a long period as New Chums Road. In and little was known of the birds in the Brindabella all. 287 banding visits were made to these other places making a total of 582 visits to the Brindahella Range. All places were Range. Few recoveries were made away from the within a few kilometres of each other in a direct line. New Brinuabella Range, and it quickly became evident Chums Road is about 210 m higher than Lees Creek Road that the main value of the study was the collection which was the most frequently visited of the secondary band­ or data regarding the demography of the common ing places and is on the opposite side of the Bulls Head Range, breeding birds (Wilson 1994). This paper an eastern buttress of the main range. examines the survival and longevity of the Brown In October 1963 each site at New Chums Road at which a Thornbill Acanthiza pusil/a and the Striated net was erected was given a numbn and thereafter this Thornbill A. lineata. number was recorded for each bird caught. Fnr a map of the net sites and details of banding effort. see Wilson (1994). All METHODS birds were released at the place of capture. S111dy sires During the 21 years of the study. 295 banding visits were Calculating survival made to New Churns Road (35°2-l'S, l-l8°50'E), which is on the eastern side of the Brindabella Range at an altitude of In calculating the estimates of survival, only those birds apprnximatcly I 050 111 (cJ Lamm and Wilson 1966). retrapped at least once in the banding years (I July to 30 June) following the initial capture were used. The assumption 13anding was also undertaken at seven other places in the is made that losses are due to mortality alone. However, Brindabclla Range (Fig. 1) but none of these were visited as factors such as emigration (especially of juvenile birds), TABLE 1 Calculation of survival rates. Number of Brown Thornbills surviving according to banding year. Number surviving: Y<.:ar Number 13amlcd Banded 62/3 63/4 64/5 65/6 66/7 67/8 68/9 69/0 70/1 71/2 72/3 73/4 74/5 75/6 76/7 77/8 78/9 79/0 80/1 81/2 1961/62 106 30 22 13 8 4 4 3 3 1962/63 6-l II 4 I I I 1%3/64 100 16 6 I I 1 196-\/65 95 11 5 3 I 1965/66 60 7 3 2 2 1966/67 -\7 8 5 3 2 1967/68 82 II 4 2 1968/69 52 7 4 I I 1969/70 125 32 16 10 7 4 2 2 I 1970/71 91 27 16 13 10 6 4 3 3 1971/72 -\9 15 7 7 5 2 2 I 1972/T:, 66 9 7 3 1973/74 62 12 9 5 2 2 2 1974/75 67 12 7 3 1975/76 84 15 8 2 2 I I976/77 94 12 3 2 l 1977178 29 3 I I 1978/79 59 12 4 1979hs0 90 4 3 1980/81 54 9 I98 1/82 56 Total I 532 Total number of birds present: 30 33 33 26 I 8 20 24 22 43 48 45 39 43 39 3 7 Total= 500 Total number of these birds present one year later: 22 17 15 I I I 2 13 15 l I 2I 30 30 31 27 22 20 Total= 297 Annual survival (%): 73 52 45 42 67 65 62 so 49 63 67 79 63 56 54 Av<.:ragc annual survival = 297/500 = 0.594 (59%) December, 1995 S. J. Wilson.· Survival of Thornbills in the Brindabella Range 141 movement of birds through the site. band loss (probably eyes. whereas adults had distinct scalloping and red eyes. minimal in such small species). net shyness. movement of Striated Thornbills were aged by the streaking on the throat territorial boundaries and. with the Striated Thornbill. the and breast, and eye colour. Juveniles had indistinct streaking difficulty of catching this species which mostly forages above and dull brown eyes; whereas adults had distinct streaking the he ight at which mist nets were set. may also be responsible and clear but pale mid-grey to brown eyes (see also Rogers el for the apparent disappearance of some birds. Therefore. the al. 1986). estimates of survival are minimum figures. RESULTS To ensure that all birds were given a good chance of being retrappcd. only data from birds banded up to 1975/76 were Brown Th ornhill used.