FIELD MONITORING 2010-2011 ANGAS DOWNS INDIGENOUS PROTECTED AREA A report of field monitoring undertaken in 2010-2011 Compiled by Jennifer Smits and George Wilson Australian Wildlife Services 2011 CONTENTS List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 6 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Climate .................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Angas Downs IPA Plan of Management .................................................................................. 8 2. Methods .......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Reptile and small mammal surveys ........................................................................................ 8 2.2 Bird surveys ........................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Aerial survey.......................................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Cybertracker .......................................................................................................................... 13 2.5 Track based monitoring ........................................................................................................ 15 2.6 Photo points .......................................................................................................................... 15 2.7 Landscape function analysis (LFA) ........................................................................................ 18 2.8 Mapping of cultural sites ...................................................................................................... 19 2.9 Mapping of important and rare plants ................................................................................. 19 2.10 Fire risk .................................................................................................................................. 19 3. Results ........................................................................................................................................... 19 3.1 Reptile and small mammal surveys ...................................................................................... 19 3.1.1 Reptiles and amphibians ............................................................................................... 19 3.1.2 Small mammals ............................................................................................................. 23 3.1.2 Large native mammals .................................................................................................. 25 3.1.3 Feral mammals .............................................................................................................. 25 3.2 Bird surveys ........................................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Aerial Survey ......................................................................................................................... 26 3.4 Cybertracker .......................................................................................................................... 31 3.5 Track based monitoring ........................................................................................................ 32 3.6 Photo Points .......................................................................................................................... 32 3.7 Landscape Function Analysis ................................................................................................ 33 3.7.1 Wilbia / Wilpiya ............................................................................................................. 33 3.7.2 Wurldunda .................................................................................................................... 35 3.7.3 Mulga LFA ...................................................................................................................... 37 3.7.4 Calcrete / Calcrete Sand / Gypcrete .............................................................................. 38 3.7.5 Sandy substrates ........................................................................................................... 40 3.7.6 Patch Area index ........................................................................................................... 41 3.8 Mapping of cultural sites ...................................................................................................... 43 3.9 Mapping of important and rare plants ................................................................................. 46 3.10 Fire risk and management .................................................................................................... 48 4. References .................................................................................................................................... 52 Appendix 1 Reptile and small mammal surveys site information ........................................................ 53 Appendix 2 Reptile and mammal survey results .................................................................................. 56 Appendix 3 Angas Downs plant checklist ............................................................................................. 59 Appendix 4 Angas Downs bird survey results and checklist ................................................................. 60 Appendix 5 Track-based monitoring results 2010-11 ........................................................................... 63 Appendix 6 Angas Downs photo point report ...................................................................................... 64 Appendix 7 Map of rare and important plants – scientific names ....................................................... 65 List of Figures Figure 1 Location of Angas Downs IPA .................................................................................................... 7 Figure 2 Bucket trap design – Site Old Road dune .................................................................................. 9 Figure 3 Funnel trap design .................................................................................................................. 10 Figure 4 Paul setting funnel traps October 2010 .................................................................................. 10 Figure 5 Survey Point Locations ............................................................................................................ 11 Figure 6: Strip transect sampling from fixed-wing aircraft ................................................................... 12 Figure 7: Angas Downs Rangers using Cybertracker ............................................................................. 14 Figure 8: TDS Nomad GPS for Cybertracker use on Angas Downs........................................................ 14 Figure 9: Examples of CyberTracker screen shots ................................................................................ 14 Figure 10 Angas Downs Rangers (David Wongway and Paul Pumpjack) establishing photo point pickets. .................................................................................................................................................. 18 Figure 11 White paint to guide photo orientation ............................................................................... 18 Figure 12: Some reptile species identified during 2010-11 surveys (left to right): Nephrurus levis levis, Nuphrurus laevissimus, Egernia inornata, Varanus eremius, Ctenotus calurus, Ramphotyphlops endoterus, Suta punctata, Pygopus nigriceps, Simoselaps bertholdi ................................................... 20 Figure 13 Notaden nichollsi Desert Spadefoot – Juvenile, Yaua Waterhole March 2011 Photo: Smits .............................................................................................................................................................. 22 Figure 14 Neobatrachus centralis Trilling Frog, Yaua Waterhole October 2010 Photo: Kay ................ 22 Figure 15 Limnodynastes ornatus Ornate Burrowing Frog, Yaua Waterhole October 2010 Photo: Kay .............................................................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 16 Kultarr (Antechinomys laniger) (with young) & Spinifex Hopping Mice (Notomys alexis) ... 24 Figure 17 Lesser Hairy Footed Dunnart ( Sminthopsis youngsoni ) & Wongai Ningaui ( Ningaui ridei) .. 24 Figure 18 Echidna tracks ( Tachyglossus aculeatus) December 2010 .................................................... 24 Figure 19 Estimated populations on Angas Downs during 2010 aerial survey ....................................