WINTER Vol: 3/2021 Threatened Wildlife Photographic Competition Nowa Nowa grevillea (Grevillea celata). Image: Stanislaw Wawrzyczek - 2019 entrant. Hairy correa (Correa aemula). Image: John Muchan - 2020 entrant. Long-flowered nancy (Wurmbea Tubulosa). Image: Jennifer Smith - 2018 entrant. Australian Wildlife Society Threatened Wildlife Photographic Competition Conserving Australia’s Wildlife Conserving Australia’s Wildlife since 1909 since 1909 $1,000 - Annual Judge’s Prize $500 - Annual People’s Choice Prize Online Voting: July 1 to July 30 VOTE NOW! bit.ly/AWSVote 2 Australian Wildlife Vol 3 - Winter 2021 Contents Features Regulars Australian Wildlife Week: From the President’s Desk 6 Connecting with Nature - Megan Fabian 5 #SnipRingsforWildlife Receives Australian Wildlife Society a Leg Up - Megan Fabian 30 National Colouring-in 7 Competition Banksias: Bushfire Survivors - 10 19 2021 University Research Doctor Kevin Mills 10 34 Grant Winners Changes to River Flows Are Having a ‘Damming’ Impact on 13 Book Reviews Platypuses - Doctor Tahneal Hawke, Doctor Gilad Bino, and 36 Professor Richard Kingsford Membership Form Connectivity of Common 38 16 Dolphins Across the Australasian Metapopulation - Andrea Barceló, Luciano Beheregaray, and Luciana Möller 13 21 Tackling Australian 19 Wildlife Entanglement - Leonard Fitzpatrick Kangaroo Numbers May be 21 Jeopardising Conservation Efforts -Charlotte Mills and Professor Mike Letnic A New Way to Follow how 23 Australia’s Threatened Species are Faring - 14 26 Doctor Ayesha Tulloch, and Doctor Micha Jackson Ground Parrots: The Society’s 27 Wildlife of the Year - Doctor Julie Old Prehistoric Insects - 31 Doctor Eliza Middleton 2020 Australian Wildlife 35 Society University of Western Sydney Wildlife Ecology 16 27 Megan Fabian Research Scholarship Editor, Australian Wildlife ON THE COVER: Above Right: Caley’s grevillea (Grevillea caleyi) is a shrub and September. The coloured spider-orchid is listed as endemic to Australia and grows only in the northern suburbs Endangered and is under threat from various grazing Front Cover: of Sydney. Caley’s grevillea is critically endangered and under animals, invasive weeds, and illegal collection of plants. Silver princess (Eucalyptus caesia) is endemic to the south- threat from habitat loss, invasion of weeds, and rubbish Image: Noushka Reiter. west of Western Australia. Eucalyptus caesia subspecies dumping. Image: Dr Tony Auld. magna grows to a height of fifteen metres with silvery drooping branches and larger blue-grey/mid-green leaves, Bottom Left: Pink pokers (Grevillea petrophiloides) is a buds, and fruit. Its large stunning flowers appear in autumn tall, erect shrub native to Western Australia that produces WINTER Vol: 3/2021 and winter and vary from pink to red, although white- bright pink flowers that grow eight centimetres long flowered plants have been reported. These flowers attract during winter and spring. The shrub attracts insects and nectar-feeding birds, making them an excellent choice for nectar-eating birds such as hummingbirds. Image: Megan your garden. Image: Megan Fabian. Fabian. Back Cover: Bottom Right: The coloured spider-orchid (Caladenia Above Left: Grevillea loopy lou (Grevillea hybrid) is a small, colorata), endemic to South Australia and Victoria, is fast-growing shrub with large flowers that change from a ground orchid with a single hairy leaf and creamy- yellow, pink, and red. Like most grevilleas, loopy lou is a green flower with blood-red or purple-brown markings. bird attracting species and ideal for screening and hedging. Commonly found growing in sand or sandy soils, the Image: Megan Fabian. flowering period of the orchid extends through August Australian Wildlife Vol 3 - Winter 2021 3 Australian Wildlife is the official journal of the Australian Wildlife Society (Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia Limited). Founded in 1909, the Society is dedicated to the conservation of our unique Australian wildlife in all its forms. Print Post Approval No: PP 100024559 Conserving Australia’s Wildlife ISSN 0155-266X since 1909 Price $10 (for non-members) Membership Contact Directors Student Members: $0 (Conditions apply) National Office President Australian Wildlife Society Doctor Julie Old Individual Members: $55 (Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia Limited) Family Members: $70 Vice Presidents (Husband, wife, and children jointly) 29B/17 Macmahon Street HURSTVILLE NSW 2220 Stephen Grabowski and Brian Scarsbrick AM Concession Members: $50 (Pensioner, student, child) Tel: 0424 287 297 Hon Secretary/Chief Executive Officer E-mag Members: $30 Email: [email protected] Patrick Medway AM (Australian Wildlife magazine will be distributed Accounts: [email protected] via email as a PDF document - no hard copy Treasurer of the magazine will be sent) Editor Australian Wildlife: Patrick Medway AM [email protected] Associate Members: $85 Directors (Schools or incorporated or unincorporated Website: aws.org.au associations with a principal object related to Ken Mason Membership Hotline: conservation, nature study, or education) Trevor Evans Corporate Members: $125 Mob: 0424 287 297 Wayne Greenwood (Incorprated or unincorporated associations Correspondence to: not being associate members) Philip Sansom Hon Secretary: Includes postage within Australia. Australian Wildlife Society Doctor Robin Crisman Add $40 for overseas postage Doctor Hayley Stannard PO Box 42, BRIGHTON LE SANDS NSW 2216 Three Year Email: [email protected] Scientific Advisory Committee Doctor Mike Augee Membership Mammology/Palaeontology Individual Members: $150 Professor Richard Kingsford Environmental Science Family Members: $190 Concession Members: $135 Geoffrey Ross E-mag Members: $81 Wildlife Management Associate Members: $230 Doctor Jennie Gilbert Corporate Members: $340 Marine Conservation Includes postage within Australia. Vanessa Wilson Add $100 for overseas postage Biodiversity and Wildlife Member Notice Our Mission The Australian Wildlife Society (Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia Limited) is The Australian Wildlife Society (Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia Limited) is managed and controlled by an elected board of ten volunteer directors. The Society is a a national not-for-profit wildlife conservation organisation, formed in 1909, and is tax-deductible gift recipient and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit committed to the preservation of Australia’s precious flora and fauna. We act as a Commission. Its public fund is listed on the Register of Environmental Organisations watchdog and provide advice to government agencies and institutions regarding under item 6.1.1 of subsection 30-55(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. environmental and conservation issues concerning all aspects of wildlife preservation. Any member who might like to consider serving as a director of the Society is invited to Our mission is to conserve Australia’s fauna and flora through education and contact the national office for more details. The most important qualification to serving as involvement of the community. We are dedicated to the conservation of our unique a director is ‘a commitment to and love of Australian wildlife’. Australian wildlife in all its forms through national environmental education, advocacy, The Society holds regular monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month in public awareness, community involvement, and hands-on conservation work. Sydney. Our Society has always known that a conservation battle is never really won until The Editor would like to feature a member’s profile in the fortnightly email newsletter the victory is enshrined in legislation. We have always attempted to convince and occasionally in our quarterly magazine. Members are invited to consider politicians of the necessity to include the preservation of Australia’s precious wildlife submitting a short article with a photograph for possible publication. and its vital habitat in all their planning, environmental issues, and discussions. Articles and comments expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editor, Society, or members. Articles contributed from outside sources are included for the reading enjoyment of members and to encourage discussion on different points of view. Articles may be copied or quoted with appropriate attribution. 4 Australian Wildlife Vol 3 - Winter 2021 From the President’s desk Doctor Julie Old - President Well, winter is here already. The leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, and jumpers have been found at the bottom of the draw. It is an ideal time to curl up under a blanket and read the Winter 2021 edition of Australian Wildlife! Our alpine areas are spectacular With construction now underway species of unique crayfish, and several and are indeed winter wonderlands, and expected to be completed by the plant species. Without these refuges, characterised by scattered boulders end of spring, the breeding facility these native plants and animals may and abundant flora. I was lucky at Secret Creek Sanctuary aims to become locally extinct. enough to enjoy some time trekking produce a large, healthy population of in the Snowy Mountains a few years mountain pygmy-possums. Scientists In 2020, the Society supported Reclaim ago. Whilst the higher areas are and conservationists involved in the Kosci and assisted them in taking devoid of trees, including snow gums project plan to release the captive- politicians and media representatives (Eucalyptus pauciflora), there