Yellow ThroatThe newsletter of BirdLife Tasmania

a branch of BirdLife AustraliaNumber XX, Month 2016

2017 Annual General MeetingLife Sciences Building, UTas, Thursday, 9 March 2017, 7.30 p.m.Mark Holdsworth, President Friends of Orange-bellied Parrot (Wildcare Inc.), will be the speaker at our Annual General Meeting in March. Mark is the world expert on the Orange-bellied Parrot, Neophema chrysogaster. For most of his 36-year career, Mark has dedicated himself to managing the captive-breeding program at Taroona and undertaking fundamental research on the species’ breeding success and demography in the wild, for which he was award an MSc in 2006 through the University of Tasmania. Mark was one of 32 finalist for the 2014 Australian of the Year; this was in recognition of his lifelong commitment to wildlife management and fostering young people in conservation careers.

Mark’s talk will be ‘The Orange-bellied Parrot — perhaps soon to be extinct in the wild?’ The Orange-bellied Parrot has been the subject of varying degrees of conservation effort for over four decades. Despite this effort and despite securing the species in captivity, the wild population has suffered a dramatic decline in recent times and it seems the OBP is destined to become extinct in the wild very soon. With a total wild population of 15, including just four females, the 2016–17 breeding season is shaping to be a make-or-break year for this species and its infamous history. Mark’s presentation will provide an update of breeding success, examine some of the factors that have influenced the species demise, and discuss innovative techniques and new approaches that may rescue the species at the last moment.

As usual, Mark’s talk will be followed by tea or coffee, biscuits and discussion.Meeting venue: Life Sciences Lecture Theatre 1, Life Sciences Building, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay. Access and parking are from College Road or from the parking area outside the University Centre via the pedestrian bridge over Churchill Avenue.

May general meetingAlison Dugand will be the speaker at the May general meeting, which will be held on Thursday, 11 May 2017, at 7.30 p.m. in the usual lecture theatre at UTas. An abstract of her talk, ‘Harriers in the harvest’, and a short biography follow:

No-one can deny that the world is changing rapidly. We all need to adapt in various ways and many of us find some changes more difficult than others. Native birds and animals are no different — they feel the effects of changes to their environment, and some adapt in unusual or slightly inconvenient ways.

Take the Swamp Harrier, Circus approximans, as an example. This magnificent bird of prey prefers to nest in long reeds alongside water (the pantry essentially). However, because many of these areas have been cleared over the past several decades, some nesting pairs have decided that the next best thing is cropland, including pyrethrum and poppy crops. The problem with this is that harvest time for these crops coincides with the Swamp Harrier’s breeding and hatching times.

While Ali works at Botanical Resources Australia (BRA), during so-called normal hours, she has, in her own time, been involved in a self-funded study of Swamp Harriers.

Ali was inspired more than seven years ago when she met local naturalist Peter Tonelli who has been studying raptors, harriers in particular, for more than 20 years. Peter had planned a program called Harriers in the Harvest and was looking for a student to take it on at the time.

Swamp Harrier chick that was rescued by a harvesting contractor. © A. Dugand

Ali’s research, which is ongoing, looks at the impacts on Swamp Harriers of our technologically advanced farming regimes. Whereas harvesters once used to rumble along quite slowly, they can now move at up to 10 km/hr, which the birds can find disturbing enough to cause them to abandon their nest. In an effort to enhance and

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protect crops, current farming requires the application of numerous sprays over diverse crops during the season, and Ali’s study looks at how the Swamp Harriers cope.

Ali is familiar with farming life and has spent time in harvesters and many different types of farm machines to get a farmer’s perspective as well as the bird’s perspective.

Botanical Resources Australia, which grows vast fields of pyrethrum in NW Tasmania and Victoria, has been a terrific supporter of this project, providing opportunities for Ali to meet landowners and talk to them about cropping regimes and harrier conservation.

Farmers might initially worry that having these birds on their property will cause problems. However, apart from a limited time during nesting when they need a harvester’s width of crop left untouched around their nests, the Swamp Harriers don’t need any special treatment. They are actually beneficial to have around because they eat a number of pests. They are relatively small to medium-sized birds and don’t go near stock or domestic animals, preferring to prey on smaller birds, frogs, reptiles and small mammals up to the size of juvenile rabbits.

Ali Dugand is a Field Agronomist for Botanical Resources Australia. She is involved in this Swamp Harrier study outside of work hours. She has undertaken Post Graduate studies in Ornithology part-time at Charles Sturt University, which complements her role in all aspects of habitat protection for improved biodiversity in the farming landscape. The presentation in May will highlight what the study is about, and how farmers take a proactive role in the care of this valuable and remarkable bird.

To contact Ali, please email: adugand@pyrethrum.com.au or info@harriersintheharvest.com.au

Help for members to start using BIRDATAAndrew Walter

Many of us go birding and often it may be for a couple of hours. While enjoying this activity, we can help our wild birds by incorporating a bird survey into the outing and recording our observations in a standardised and accessible way in Birdata.

BirdLife Australia has a national bird monitoring project (the Australian Bird Atlas) and it has recently upgraded the database, called Birdata, that’s used for this project. It’s very easy to use and to enter your observations, and it can provide information about bird status and distribution for the observer, BirdLife Australia specialists, and anyone else with a Birdata account.

The Birdata portal is easy to find: go to the BirdLife Australia webpage and at the bottom of the page is ‘Enter BIRDATA here’! You will find a lot of good information about the database, how to enter your observations, and how best to monitor birds (note that, for statistical reasons, the preferred survey method involves surveying a 2 hectare (i.e., 2 ha*) area for a 20-minute period).

So the next step towards using Birdata is to sign in and create and account, which is quite straightforward.

BirdLife Tasmania urges its members when they are birding to contribute to know-ledge of Tasmania’s birds by using Birdata. If you have any queries about Birdata, please contact Andrew Walter at andrewcw49@gmail.com or through the BTas Secretary.

*A hectare is a land area of 10,000 m2; for example, an area 100 m by 100 m. The preferred 2 ha (= 20,000 m2) survey area can be 200 m by 100 m, or 400 m by 50 m, or any other shape that is suitable for the terrain and your activity.

Gannets on The HippolytePaul Brooks

On a pelagic birding trip from Eaglehawk Neck on 20 November 2016, an Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator, was observed by myself and Mark Holdsworth carrying what was believed to be nesting material to The Hippolyte, a rock stack east of Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula. This drew our interest because there are no previous successful breeding records of the species at this site, although it does often host small numbers of roosting birds. On subsequent trips on 30 November and 10 December 2016, and 8 January 2017, no evidence of breeding was noted. However, on a pelagic trip on 18 February 2017 four chicks were observed amongst a group of roosting Australasian Gannets. This constitutes the first confirmed breeding record of this species on The Hippolyte.

The Gannets, with chicks, on The Hippolyte. © P. Brooks

Remember that Yellow Throat needs a new editor!Please think seriously about offering yourself up on the altar of BirdLife Tasmania’s two-monthly newsletter. Continuing publication is really quite important because this is the main way that we can get local news all around the State and to members who have

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limited chances to get out and about. This can be through infirmity, having demanding jobs, age or family responsibilities. Editing Yellow Throat is one of the pleasantest jobs that I’ve had, and I relinquish it with some regret, but something’s got to give around here...

AMSN Conference 2017 (Hobart)The Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network (AMSN) Conference 2017 will be held from 21–24 March 2017 in Hobart, Tasmania.

This AMSN Conference, co-hosted by the CSIRO, Hobart, and the University of Tasmania, School of Land and Food, aims to bring researchers, industry, community and environmental consultants together to discuss the latest science and management for saltmarsh and mangrove ecosystems. The conference organising committee encourages broad participation in supporting greater understanding and better management of saltmarsh and mangrove ecosystems.

For more details and link to online registration, see: http://www.utas.edu.au/land-food/geography-and-spatial-sciences/amsn-conference-2017.

How simple striped sheets could save seabirds

BirdLife InternationalEvery year, 400,000 seabirds worldwide are estimated to meet their end as a result of becoming unintentionally caught in gillnets while diving for food. Gillnets are panels of near-invisible underwater netting used in rivers and oceans by fishermen the world over. They are so called because fish get entangled by their gills as they struggle to escape, trapping them in place. Passive and easy to set up and maintain, they are an incredibly cost-effective way to catch fish.

Read More »

Excursion reportsMaureen Duffy

Oatlands 17 November2016The day began at the Oatlands sewage ponds with a cool breeze blowing. There were several scruffy looking brown ducks on the first pond that we finally identified as juvenile Australian Shelduck. A few Black Swan and Silver Gull were on the second smaller pond, but otherwise little could be seen on this occasion. We spent a little time observing three Eurasian Skylark in the adjacent paddock then moved on to Lake Dulverton.

By now the cool breeze had died down and it was becoming very warm. We spotted a Purple Swamphen’s nest near the dam wall and watched two fluffy black chicks moving around in the reeds. A juvenile Common Blackbird was sitting on the dam wall and a

juvenile Common Starling was at the foot of a Eucalypt being fed by its parents. Meanwhile, a Spotted Pardalote collected food on the lake and flew back to a nest in the bank just below the car park. We could hear the calls of Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos and a small flock flew into a tree in the car park and proceeded to strip it. Moving along the edge of the lake we found a Eurasian Coot’s nest very close to shore with five eggs. Just a few metres away a Pacific Black Duck was sitting on a nest, and then a pair of Black Duck with four very young ducklings in tow swam up and chased it away. Apparently it was a squatter! We drove around to the other end of the lake where we found White-faced Heron feeding on the shore and more skylarks in the nearby paddock.

White-faced Heron feeding. © P. Vertigan

We decided to travel back to Hobart via the country roads to see what else we could find. Just north of Colebrook we sighted a large number of birds along the edge of Wallaby Rivulet, a small stream flowing into Craigbourne Dam. The recent heavy rains had caused some overflow. There were Australian Shelduck, Chestnut Teal, Grey Teal, Australasian Shovelers, Great Cormorant and Little Pied Cormorant. A large flock of white geese that were sitting at the dam’s edge included a solitary Cape Barren Goose.

This was a great day out.Bird List — Sewage Ponds: Common Starling, Welcome Swallow, Forest Raven, Black Swan, Silver Gull, Australian Shelduck, Masked Lapwing, Eurasian Skylark, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo.Lake Dulverton: Black Swan, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, Swamp Harrier, Spotted Pardalote, Eurasian Coot, House Sparrow, Purple Swamphen, Pacific Black Duck, Great Cormorant, Superb Fairy-wren, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Grey

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Butcherbird, Great Crested Grebe, Hoary-headed Grebe, feral geese, Masked Lapwing, Little Pied Cormorant, European Goldfinch, Silver Gull, Welcome Swallow, White-faced Heron, Eurasian Skylark, Forest Raven.On the road: Laughing Kookaburra, Tasmanian Native-hen, Striated Pardalote.Craigbourne Dam: Australian Shelduck, Chestnut Teal, Australasian Shoveler, Grey Teal, feral geese, Cape Barren Goose, Great Cormorant, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Masked Lapwing, Black Swan, Little Pied Cormorant, Welcome Swallow.

Goulds Lagoon 21 January 2017

Great Cormorant drying in the sun. © Joanna Postlethwaite

It was a cool and overcast morning when we arrived at the lagoon. Twenty or more Australian Wood Duck were foraging beside the road along with several Tasmanian Native-hen. As we entered the car park we saw a female Pacific Black Duck with seven ducklings accompanied by a white goose. We saw more Wood Duck as well as Chestnut Teal, Northern Mallard, Australasian Shoveler and a pair of Hardhead. The water level was very high, covering all the usual mudflats, so there was no possibility of crakes being present. A number of Great Cormorant and Little Black Cormorant sunned themselves in a Eucalypt by the water’s edge and a small flock of Musk Lorikeet (usually resident at the lagoon) were making a racked in another Eucalypt covered in red blossom. We walked clockwise around the lagoon and sighted a single Little Grassbird. This was only the second time I’ve seen one here. We then crossed the road onto the railway tracks(no longer any trains here!) where we flushed a second Little Grassbird from the bushes. A lone Pacific Gull was seen on the river; they are only occasionally spotted here. At the end of our circuit we had seen 37 species, an excellent morning.

Bird List: Tasmanian Native-hen, Australian Wood Duck, Chestnut Teal, Pacific Black Duck, feral goose, Mallard hybrids, Great Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Masked Lapwing, Eastern Rosella, Australian Magpie, Galah, Silver Gull, Australasian Shoveler, Swamp Harrier, Eurasian Coot, Musk Lorikeet, White-faced Heron, Noisy Miner, Grey Butcherbird, European Goldfinch, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Spotted Turtledove, Dusky Moorhen, European Goldfinch, Superb Fairy-wren, Little Wattlebird, Common Green-finch, Welcome Swallow, Kelp Gull, Black Swan, Australian Pelican, Hardhead, Little Grassbird, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, Forest Raven, Pacific Gull.

King Island Brown ThornbillMargaret Bennett

Attached is a sighting I made yesterday of a King Island Brown Thornbill in the Pegarah Forest. There were several in the group, which was on the west side of the plantation next to the paddocks. The photos are a bit small and we all know how quick these little birds are. I have done nothing to the photo except crop it. This sighting alone made it a successful outing.

© M. Bennett

Dr Eric Woehler added this note: ‘The King Island Brown Thornbill is listed as 4

‘Endangered’ under TSP and EPBC Acts. See: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/conservation/threatened-species/lists-of-threatened-species/threatened-species-vertebrates.

‘The King Island Biodiversity Management Plan is current, while King Island NRM have adopted/endorsed the document and the Federal government has signed off on it, and so, unless/until any changes are incorporated (e.g. to reflect the current conservation status of the King Island Brown Thornbill), the document as adopted remains in force.

TasNetworks is calling you...During the recent Raptor Rehabilitation program launch at Bonorong, TasNetworks provided this message:Here is the link to the online reporting form for wildlife interactions with our network. If you and those in your groups can please encourage observers to use this form to report interactions with our network, it will really help improve our data collection: www.tasnetworks.com.au/reportwildlife.

Australian Hobby, Falco longipennis. © Charlie Price

Links (older ones)These are some links that missed the last newsletter.Firstly, an article that appeared in The Bushlander:https://thebushlander.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/interview-with-damien-cook-part-1/.

This is part 1 of an interview with Damien Cook, who has been working in bushland restoration for 30 years and is a keen naturalist. About 8 years ago Damien gave the author and others a tour of Waterways, which is a 40 ha urban wetland that he helped design and revegetate. Waterways is spectacular — chock-full of uncommon and threatened indigenous species. Damien has extensive knowledge and experience in terrestrial and wetland restoration and management.

From the ABC science network:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-30/what-wild-animals-get-up-to-when-we're-not-looking/7968350. This covers questions such as: What does a penguin get up to out at sea? How high can a condor fly? The Jekyll and Hyde nature and hidden talents of wild animals are revealed when we track their every move.

And, from ABC rural: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-23/tasmanian-gorse-to-power-chinese-barbecues/8049580.

ABC, 28 November 2016: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-24/first-fledgling-night-parrot-spotted-by-researchers-since-2013/8051808?WT.tsrc=Facebook_Organic. Researchers record the first fledgling Night Parrot seen since the elusive bird was rediscovered in south-west Queensland in 2013.

Nesting hollows carved into trees to help save the critically endangered swift parrot are proving amazingly popular with the birds ABC, 23 October 2016):http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-21/swift-parrots-nest-in-new-trees/7954880.

Australia’s largest bird of prey, the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle, is 11 deaths closer to extinction, with TasNetworks confirming the birds were electrocuted flying into power lines (ABC, 29 October 2016):http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-29/tasmanian-wedge-tailed-eagles-electrocution-powerlines/7977360.

A hard-won agreement to establish the first large-scale marine park south of Australia is described as a turning point for conservation, however an expiry date of 35 years concerns the World Wildlife Fund (ABC, 30 October 2016):http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-28/ross-sea-marine-park-announced/7974324.

A sanctuary near Adelaide that annually attracts thousands of migratory birds from the northern hemisphere is proclaimed Australia’s newest national park (ABC, 30 October 2016):http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-28/international-bird-sanctuary-national-park-adelaide/7976122.

From PLOS ONE comes ‘Communally nesting migratory birds create ecological hot-spots in tropical Australia’: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162651.Following is a series of articles pertaining to the death of seabirds in a New Zealand fishery (5 October 2016):A commercial fisherman charged with killing 39 albatrosses has pleaded guilty in the Greymouth District Court this morning.Thanks to Sandy Bartle for keeping the Pacific Seabird Group list service up to date. Media coverage follows:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11722328

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Seafood NZ (the industry) is reported as ‘supporting’ the prosecution.https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/fisherman-pleads-guilty-killing-39-albatrossesPaul Sagar points out that 24 of the bird’s caught were Southern Buller’s Albatrosses and as it is the guard stage for young chicks at present all of these will also die as the remaining adults cannot supply them with enough food.http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/west-coast-fisherman-admits-causing-deaths-of-38-albatross-2016100412Note that mandatory use of weighted lines for pelagic longliners is being considered.

Also from New Zealand comes a story about a ‘penguin underpass’:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=11749805.

This blog by Ian Fraser concentrates on the Great Sandy Desert, describing birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates that he encountered: http://ianfrasertalkingnaturally.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/the-great-sandy-desert-2-some-animals.html?utm_content=buffere39aa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

On 19 November, the Guardian published an update on Macquarie Island since the eradication of pest species:https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/19/threatened-seabirds-begin-to-recover-on-macquarie-island-after-pests-eliminated?CMP=share_btn_link.

On 15 December 2016, the Guardian printed an article about Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, and the world’s oldest known breeding seabird:https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/10/worlds-oldest-known-seabird-lays-an-egg-at-age-of-66?CMP=share_btn_link.

The mystery along Mystery Creek trackStephen Walsh

Is there a bird in Tasmania that uses a rock anvil to smash native snails open for food? There could be a number of people who have seen a ring of broken snail shells around a prominent rock and wondered or even know what does it.

On the mainland, Noisy Pitta, Pitta versicolor, are known to do this. Earthworms form the most important part of the diet of pittas, followed by snails. Earthworms may, however, become seasonally unavailable in dry conditions when the worms move deeper into the soil (Erritzoe 2003).

There is little documentation of any bird or creature that does this in Tasmania. In 2003 I saw a rock anvil surrounded by broken land snail shells on South Bruny Island up in the high forest and, over the years, I have not been able to find out what does this. I think it’s done by a bird; someone may be able to confirm or dismiss this. Recently at Lune River, walking at night in tall, dense rainforest along the old Mystery Creek railway track, I was looking out for native snails. Normally they are active at night from one end of the track to the other, but on this occasion I could find none until I came

across a ring of broken shells around a white rock ‘anvil’, and another a bit further on. On returning in daylight I found 16 anvils along 1.5 km of the track.

An ‘anvil’ surrounded by snail shells. © Stephen Walsh

All anvils surrounded with broken snail shells occur up on the raised bank, at the top of a slope, and mostly on the northern side of the track. With a couple of exceptions they are single angular rocks, 16–19 cm in length with an edge pointing up. The rocks are railway ballast: angular, white, weathered limestone. No naturally exposed rocks are present in the areas above and below the track, possibly owing to the intense lyrebird activity. All anvils are clear of moss (possibly cleared by the animal or accidentally by lyrebirds), with no sticks and vegetation nearby and no surrounding debris above ground level. The slightest raised twig or blady grass leaf appears to disqualify otherwise suitable rocks.

There are suitable rocks on and beside the entire track but active anvils were not observed anywhere on the 3 m wide track, where the terrain is flat either side of the track, where blady grass is a dominant understorey beside the track, or at the western end of the track, even though many snails have been observed there at night.

The creature may be finding snails (a) when the snails emerge from cover very late or early in the day, suggesting that the creature is active at these times and can locate snails

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in very low light conditions, (b) by excavating and foraging under wood, leaf litter, etc., or (c) spotting snails that are exposed by lyrebird activity or which lack leaf-litter cover as a result of lyrebird activity. In addition, snail shells are formed mainly of calcium carbonate and should fluoresce in ultraviolet light, perhaps making them visible on the forest floor in the late evenings.

Suspect birds — based on size, on whether they are capable of carrying and smashing open a snail, on whether they could swallow a large whole snail, and if they would spend time on the ground in dense, damp forest in low light conditions — include Bassian Thrush and Black Currawong, or perhaps Grey Shrike-thrush. Bassian Thrush and Black Currawong are not noted for eating snails; however, the currawongs’ wide-ranging diet and adaptability may place them at the top of any list. It should be noted that there are many lyrebirds out there, but they do everything with their feet, and there are no blackbirds out there. The use of an anvil, the clustering of broken shells and lack of chew marks on the shells makes it unlikely to be a species of rat or other mammal.

There appears to be little or no avian research about birds eating snails in Australia, but there are some who study snails and they have noted snails being eaten by birds. In email communication, Dr Kevin Bonham, an expert in Tasmanian terrestrial molluscs, wrote that he has also observed rings of broken snails along Mystery Creek track, and has reports of piles of broken shells around Mt Wellington and Blue Tier. He included an extract from Bonham (1996) as follows: ‘The Bassian thrush Zoothera dauma [sic] has been observed eating Anoglypta (Sean Blake, pers comm.) and is known to form piles of shells of Caryodes dufresnii, a related large snail in various parts of the state (K Bonham, numerous unpublished observations).’

Dr Bonham adds that Bassian Thrush may not be the only snail predator and he would be very interested to hear of any direct evidence of other animals observed catching and eating snails.

So, an interesting problem solved, but more observations and photographs are needed. Have you seen broken terrestrial snail shells around a rock?

More to come.ReferencesBonham, K.J. 1996. ‘Distribution, habitat and conservation status of the Tasmanian endemic land

snail Anoglypta launcestonensis (Reeve, 1853)’. Report to Forestry Tasmania. 38 pp. plus appendices.

Erritzoe, J. 2003. ‘Family Pittidae (Pittas)’. In Josep, del Hoyo, Andrew, Elliott, David, Christie. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 8: Broadbills to Tapaculos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 106–127. ISBN 84-87334-50-4..

Australian Wooden Boat FestivalBirdLife Tasmania shared a stall with Clarence and Sorell Councils for the four-day AWBF. We were sited in the family area as we had an extensive program of kids’ activities in addition to our normal wide selection of handouts to interested members of the public. We sold many books and posters, and received many donations from members of the public. Community interest in our materials was high over the four days

and the event was a success for BirdLife Tasmania. The boat festival continues to grow in size and in the amount of publicity it generates, and so it is an ever more important space for disseminating information about our organisation. BirdLife Tasmania owes its sincere thanks to our many volunteers who were present from 9.00 a.m. to as late as 6.00 p.m. over the four days: Amanda Blakney, Andrew Walter, Bruce Longmore, Don Knowler, Maggie McKerracher, Maureen Duffy, Pamela Hinsby, Robyn Francis, Sue Drake, Zoe Kean.

Maureen Duffy and Sue Drake at the Wooden Boat Festival.

Bruny Island NeckBirdLife Tasmania has undertaken a survey of the Bruny Neck Little Penguin/Short-tailed Shearwater colony for the Department of State Growth in relation to the proposed sealing of the road and the construction of a larger car park. Two options for the car park were examined, and the potential loss of habitat for both species assessed. A report to DSG has been submitted.

BirdLife Tasmania BBQDespite the threat of some light rain and showers, more than 30 members attended the BirdLife Tasmania BBQ at the Waterworks on Sunday, 19 February. The event was enjoyed by all, providing an informal outside venue for meeting others and chatting about our love of birds. Our shelter had an active nest of Welcome Swallows, and our presence did not deter the hard-working parents from feeding their nearly full-grown chicks throughout the event.

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Bird Survey Methods PolicyBirdLife Tasmania has drafted a policy supporting the adoption of BirdLife Australia’s standard bird survey methods (2 ha/20 minute, or 500 m radius). The policy was developed in light of an ever-increasing diversity of bird survey methodologies. Unfortunately the use of these various methodologies prevents meaningful analyses of long-term changes in populations’ and species’ abundances and distributions. By adopting standard survey protocols, other studies can contribute to BirdLife Tasmania’s assessments of species throughout Tasmania. Everyone undertaking birds surveys is encouraged to submit their data through BirdLife Australia’s online data portal Birdata (http://birdata.birdlife.org.au/) to contribute to the collection and analyses of data from 1998 to the present. The policy will shortly be on our web page. Thanks are due to Mike Newman for preparing this very important policy.

Prosser River update

Fairy Tern adult and fledgling at the mouth of the Prosser River. © E.J. Woehler

The Tasmanian Planning Commission has signed off on a Consent Memorandum among Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) and the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council (GSBC) regarding the proposed dredging of the Prosser River mouth. BirdLife Tasmania opposed the alignment of the proposed dredging, arguing that it would destroy critical feeding habitat for Fairy Terns and have an impact on the resident and migratory shorebirds that use the Prosser River estuary. After extensive discussions with the Federal Government and providing them with additional long-term population data for the site, MAST and GSBC agreed to alter the dredging to avoid disturbing the tern and shorebird habitats.

BirdLife Tasmania offers its sincere thanks to Jess Feehely at the EDO for her legal advice during this effort.

Whereveryougo,remember—First,donoharm!AdviceonEthicalBirding:http://birdlife.org.au/documents/POL-Ethical-Birding-Guidelines.pdf

World Wetlands DayBirdLife Tasmania was involved in two southern events that celebrated World Wetlands Day, which falls on 2 February. This is the anniversary date of the signing in 1971 of the Ramsar Convention.

Visitors to the Moulting Lagoon telescope tent.

The first southern event was on 28 January at the Devil’s Corner property on the edge of Moulting Lagoon, a Ramsar wetland just south of Bicheno. We had a table of handouts set up with other stalls from Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, Parks and Wildlife Service and other groups, and we set up our telescopes for people to look at the high numbers of Black Swans, Australian Pelicans and other waterfowl in the lagoon and on nearby Sabinas Island. BirdLife’s thanks go to Devil’s Corner and GSBC for their support, and to Maureen Duffy and Amanda Blakney for their efforts on the day.

The second event was held at Lauderdale on 4 February in conjunction with Vishnu Prahalad from UTas, with the support of the Clarence and Sorell Councils. Members of the public were given brief introductory talks about the Lauderdale area and its importance to the Pitt Water–Orielton Lagoon Ramsar site. Members of the community

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were shown resident and migratory shorebirds feeding and roosting on the mudflats through our telescopes. Thanks are due to Paul Gray (Sorell) and Phil Watson (Clarence) for their support.

Vishnu Prahalad (UTas) talking about wetlands at Lauderdale.

Ralph Cooper mans the table at the Tamar Wetlands Centre.

In the north, the Launceston event was held at the Tamar Islands Wetlands Centre. Barbara Cooper reports that everybody thought that it was very successful with well over

500 people passing through the gate — 100 or so more than last year. The weather was good — sunny with the usual wind.

There are about 20 volunteers who run the Wetlands Centre and the Ranger, Amba Travica, works very hard there. The Sun Examiner did a comprehensive write-up before the event.

Our wonderful wetlandsA broad coalition of Councils, DPIPWE and PWS, NRM South, UTas and BirdLife Tasmania have created a new statewide campaign and logo to celebrate Tasmania’s remarkable wetlands. The campaign is named ‘Our Wonderful Wetlands’ and the logo is shown below. The logo is available at no cost to other community groups, NRMs, etc., for any events and campaigns to promote conservation of Tasmania’s wetlands statewide. Please contact the Secretary if you wish to use the logo.

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Educational resourcesA new section has been added to the BirdLife Tasmania home page, providing educational resources for teachers, NRMs, government agencies and other community groups. We will continue to add new materials and links to maximise these educational resources on Tasmania’s birds.

‘Once were migrants’This is an article mentioning Flame Robin migration from Tasmania that was written by John Peter, senior writer and editor at BirdLife Australia. The discussion that follows was between Mike Newman of BirdLife Tasmania and John.

Mike NewmanHow strong was the evidence for Flame Robin migration from Tasmania to Victoria? I feel that myths often get created and subsequently perpetuated by copy-cat authors.

I recollect being on Flinders Island in the 1980s at autumn migration time and seeing a lot of Flame Robins in the coastal belt, but these could have just been a local movement to lower ground.

I returned to Tasmania two years ago and have been surprised by the prevalence of Flame Robins in a number of low-altitude coastal survey sites that I monitor on the South Arm Peninsula near Hobart. In winter small flocks of males, including a few immatures, gather in the paddocks. Surprisingly, a number of pairs nest in adjacent areas of dry woodland. In the past week I have seen two instances of immature Flame Robins in territorial dispute with Scarlet Robins. In one instance the Flame Robin merely perched in close proximity to a male Scarlet Robin and repeated this until the Scarlet Robin departed, at which time the Flame Robin resumed advertising its territory. In the second instance an immature male Flame Robin chased a female Scarlet Robin.

Going back a few years there was a lot of conjecture that Flame Robins were threatened by increasing temperatures and might experience a loss in range associated with altitudinal retreat. My limited observations suggest that the opposite may have occurred, and that they have adapted by breeding at lower altitudes and are putting pressure on Scarlet Robins. All very speculative, and they may have always bred widely at low altitude, had anyone been looking carefully.

To my surprise I am finding Satin Flycatchers breeding in the same dry woodland habitats at less than 100 m altitude.

John PeterMany thanks for your interest in my article.

Regarding Flame Robins migrating across Bass Strait, although the vast majority of Tasmanian Robins certainly remain in Tasmania during winter, merely migrating to lower altitudes, I am certain that at least a few make the trip across Bass Strait. Over the years I have come across a number of articles which include first-hand observations of the birds at sea in Bass Strait (from fishermen and the like), and there was also a record of Flame Robins arriving at the cliffs of Cape Liptrap in Victoria; these convince me that there is at least some movement from Tasmania to the mainland. There are, however, no

banding recoveries that support this (at least [none] that I’m aware of).Having said that, the line you are referring to in my article was not actually part of the

original article....I think your observations of Flame Robins and their behaviour with Scarlet Robins at

low altitudes are especially interesting, and I’d certainly encourage you to contribute them to Australian Field Ornithology or the ‘Stray Feathers’ section of Australian Birdlife.

Female Flame Robin, Petroica phoenicea, Bruny Island. © Rod Warnock10

Mike NewmanI intend to put some published statement together on the South Arm robin observations, but I’m not certain where. I am glad to see ‘Stray feathers’ reinstated...

Male Flame Robin. © Rod Warnock

Returning to the Robin behaviour, one is reluctant to draw strong conclusions from a couple of observations. I have been interested in Robin behaviour for several decades, particularly the relationship between their plumage and the strength of their aggression to other species. It is strongest in the Scarlet Robin and this is the only one of the four Tasmanian Robin species in which the female may occasionally join the male in

attacking a species like the Grey Shrike-thrush near nests. Note that this is the only species in which the female has breast colouration. Hence my surprise to see the strange interaction between the immature Flame Robin male and the male Scarlet Robin. Indeed my first reaction was to be embarrassed and think I had misidentified the immature male Flame Robin and I was about to see an early juvenile begging or being fed. This was clearly not the case, but at no stage did the Flame Robin actually chase the Scarlet Robin or make any overtly aggressive action other than getting in the Scarlet Robin’s personal space by perching close. My curiosity might have stopped there had I not about 30 minutes later observed another immature Flame Robin chasing a female Scarlet Robin. As you can see, a lot of speculative hunches are all stacking up (and make a good story).

Hopefully I may see some more interactions. The problem is, when you are doing large numbers of timed surveys, opportunities for observing bird behaviour become limited.This correspondence came through to me (the editor) in October 2016, but I have not until now had the chance to put it into shape by removing personal communication between the parties. However, I also received the following emails, and so I am adding them to the discussion. If others have observations that may be useful, please consider sending them on to Mike Newman at (omgnewman@bigpond.com), or Denis Abbott at (bdabbott@redrook.com.au).

Felicity Langley, 7 September 2016At 10.00 a.m. today I saw an extraordinary gathering of male Flame Robins on the recreation ground at Taranna Community Centre. There were 18, possibly 20, fully coloured males hopping about feeding or sunbathing. They did not appear to be gathering food to feed young because they remained on the ground. It was sunny, warming up after a cool night, with a light breeze.

No females were observed, but I was using the indifferent binoculars from my car, so could have missed them.

Are the females brooding? Are the boys just hanging out, waiting for parental duties to kick in?

I have always been aware of Flame Robins on the grass there in winter, and usually see two or three on weekly trips for U3A meets, but have never seen so many males together.

Mike NewmanI think this is a very interesting subject.

Actually, there are at least three themes:1. Why do males flock separately from females and, probably, frequent different

habitats? At Arm End there was a non-breeding male with the small male flock this winter. So it is not just colour.

2. Where are the females in winter and do they flock?3. Are they really trans Bass Strait migrants?

Add to this the fact that there was a lot of talk of climate change pushing them increasingly higher to montane islands to breed and this being a potential threatening process for the species. Yet I am finding them breeding side-by-side with Scarlet Robins

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at South Arm, which is near sea level.However, the fact that large flocks like Felicity reported today are now unusual

suggests that Flame Robin numbers may have declined considerably.

Denis AbbottI’m familiar with males congregating in groups in paddocks in autumn. One memorable site was a bright green paddock at the start of the walk to Cape Raoul and Shipstern Bluff at Stormlea, but there were only half a dozen birds, not twenty. Their colour against the green was sparkling.

Bob Green in his The Fauna of Tasmania: Birds says: ‘Pre- and post-migration congregations form near coastal areas and on larger Bass Strait islands and can be a spectacular sight when resting and feeding over grasslands, their red breasts flashing in the sunlight.’ Well, Taranna is a long way from Bass Strait but this may be a similar post-migration congregation, or, more likely, the end of the winter congregation of males, prior to dispersal and mating.

Michael Sharland’s Tasmanian Birds says, ‘There appears to be some degree of segregation of the sexes in winter, for the flocks seen in the fields and along the hedges are composed predominately of males. The females may move together in separate flocks.’

HANZAB (Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds) Volume 6 says: ‘Movements. Tas. Patterns of movements not certain. Part or all of population remains in Tas. and Bass Str. throughout year...’

As with many observations of bird behaviour this is not a conclusive answer for Felicity, but a reasonable explanation.

Geoff ShannonMy interpretation of this is that this is a flock of males returning to the mountains before the females. It is common practice for migrant males to arrive on the breeding site before the females. This is when they start singing and establish territories before the girls arrive, which has been recorded in Victoria as being a 6–9 day difference (HANZAB).

In regards to Mike’s comments about female Flame Robins, the local groups on both sides of Rubicon Estuary are not so heavily male-orientated. May be even brown birds outnumbering others. In a Narawntapu flock of 15 or so birds — about 10 brown (need to check exactly). Flocks seem smaller in the last couple of years, but I would need to check with Hazel Britton about longer counts.

Some years ago Susan Lloyd was collecting robin sightings because of concern regarding numbers.

There is probably scope for a good research project on wintering birds.

All of which helps to highlight just how little we know of our more common species. Indeed, we sometimes know less about them than about rarer and threatened species: the very fact of scarcity makes those species desirable and worthy research candidates. Let us hope that there is time to initiate studies of all our avifauna before more species hit the ‘Threatened’ lists. And discussions such as this illustrate the importance of survey data collected over years.

Links 2ABC news, 21 January 2017: with echoes of the movie Happy Feet, a tiny chinstrap penguin makes an epic 1,500-kilometre journey to remote Macquarie Island, delighting researchers.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-21/chinstrap-penguin-makes-rare-trip-to-macquarie-island/8197346.

Chinstrap Penguin, Pygoscelis antarcticus. © E.J. Woehler

An article on climate change from the Guardian of 24 January:https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/16/climate-change-90-of-rural-australians-say-their-lives-are-already-affected?CMP=share_btn_link.

Resist the call of the cuteFrom BirdLife International: What should you do when you see a baby bird on the ground? It is hard to resist the urge to rescue. Often people intervene when, in fact, most chicks should be left alone. Our ‘Spring Alive’ project is raising awareness of this issue with children and adults throughout Europe, Central Asia and Africa, with this season’s theme of ‘Don’t take chicks with you’. Alone, helpless, small, cold, clumsy and fluffy… We see a flightless chick on the ground in our garden and many of us go weak at the knees. How did it get here? Where are its parents? Is it orphaned? Has it fallen from a nest? Is it injured? It is cheeping; maybe it is calling for help? We are struck by an overpowering urge: I must rescue it… I must do something… But you should not.

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BirdLife Tasmania Directory 2016–17GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001

www.birdlife.org.au/tasmania

Chair Dr Eric Woehler <eric.woehler@gmail.com> 0438 204 565Secretary Sue Drake <secretary.birdlife.tasmania@gmail.com> 6239 1468 and 0402 741 399Treasurer (Acting) Allan Patman <allor04@gmail.com> 6266 3673 and

0448 429 204Excursions M. Duffy 6275 0832 <maurdy@intas.net.au>, J. Holmes,

M. McKerracher; L. Znidersic <lizzie_z@hotmail.com> 0409 123 322Shorebird Count CoordinatorsSouth-east S. Drake <tasmania@birdlife.org.au> 6239 1468 and 0402 741 399

Dr E. Woehler <eric.woehler@gmail.com> 0438 204 565East L. Znidersic <lizzie_z@hotmail.com> 0409 123 322North and NE R. Cooper <rabacooper@bigpond.com> 6330 1255North-west H. Britton <hazpet@bigpond.com> 6425 2785Database c/- The Secretary, GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001

<tasmania@birdlife.org.au>Systematic Report 2014–15 to be compiled by committee chaired by Mike Newman.Editor (Acting) Wynne Webber <wynnew1@bigpond.com> 6267 4963

(Yellow Throat and Tasmanian Bird Report)Library c/- The Secretary, GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001Equipment c/- The Secretary, GPO Box 68, Hobart 7001

Yellow Throat is produced every alternate month beginning in January. Contributions, including articles, sightings, birdwatching sites, letters and news, are welcome, and will be published subject to space and interest or relevance to BirdLife Tasmania members, at the Editor’s discretion. Views expressed in Yellow Throat are not necessarily those of BirdLife Tasmania, or of the Editor, unless explicitly stated.All maps drawn from the BirdLife Tasmania database remain © BirdLife Tasmania.

Please make use of our material, but we ask that you acknowledge BirdLife Tasmania as the source.

We thank the office of Mr Andrew Wilkie, MHR, for assisting in the production of Yellow Throat XX.

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TASMANIA

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Invasive Species Branch Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

NOT WANTED

in Tasmania

Indian mynas are a serious pest in Australia and are considered one of the world's 100 worst invasive species.

Indian myna Acridotheres tristis

Natural range:

Asia Middle East India

Risk to Tasmania:

Extreme

Main impacts: Native wildlife (esp. native birds) Agriculture Spread disease Public nuisance

Status:

Indian mynas are a restricted animal under the Nature Conservation Act 2002.

Importation is prohibited

in Tasmania

History of a pest

Indian mynas Acridotheres tristis are highly invasive birds that can rapidly colonise new areas. First introduced to Melbourne in the 1860s, mynas are now found along the east coast of Australia from Victoria to Queensland.

Indian mynas are highly aggressive and pose a threat to wildlife, particularly birds, by competing for food and nesting resources. They can also damage horticultural and cereal crops, spread weeds and be a public nuisance by nesting in building cavities, causing noise at roosting sites, swooping people and transmitting bird mites.

Indian mynas have been identified as an extreme threat to most Australian states.

Prompt action is vital

Indian mynas are now well established in eastern Australia and continue to spread throughout the country.

Tasmania does not currently have an established population of Indian mynas.

Since 2004, there have been six confirmed incursions of Indian mynas reported in Tasmania. In each case, DPIPWE has responded and successfully removed the birds.

What can we do?

The Invasive Species Branch (ISB) will respond to Indian myna incursions to prevent establishment of this invasive species in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian public

should be on high alert

for this species and

report all sightings.

Early detection to allow rapid response to incursions is vital.

EMERGING INVASIVE SPECIES

Image: Chris Tzaros

Invasive Species Branch Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

NOT WANTED in Tasmania

Although a very attractive looking bird, rainbow lorikeets pose a serious threat to Tasmania’s native biodiversity, environment and agriculture.

Rainbow lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus

Natural range: Indonesia Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands New Caledonia Australia (South Australia to Queensland)

Risk to Tasmania: Extreme

Main impacts: Native wildlife (esp. parrots) Agriculture Spread disease

Status: Rainbow lorikeets are a controlled animal under the Nature Conservation Act 2002

Importation is prohibited in Tasmania

Who’s a pretty pest?

Rainbow lorikeets are an emerging invasive threat to Tasmania. If they were to establish here they would compete for food and resources with native parrots, such as the musk lorikeet, swift parrot and green rosella.

They also pose a potential disease risk as they are carriers of Psittacine beak and feather disease.

Rainbow lorikeets are a serious threat to Tasmania’s agricultural industries. They have the potential to have high impact on cherry, apple, pear, stone fruit and grape crops.

Prompt action is vital

Rainbow lorikeets are very adaptable birds that have the ability to quickly establish in new areas.

Feral rainbow lorikeets are believed to have established in Western Australia from fewer than 10 birds that were either deliberately released or escaped from aviaries in the 1960s.

By 2006, the population was 15 000 – 20 000 birds!

What can we do?

The Invasive Species Branch is currently managing a control program to reduce the numbers of feral rainbow lorikeets in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian public should be on high alert for this species and report all sightings.

Early detection to allow rapid response to incursions is vital.

EMERGING INVASIVE SPECIES

Image: Chris Tzaros

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