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WHERE THE REGENTS ROAM V18 NOVEMBER 2009 Welcome to the next edition of Where The Regents Roam, the newsletter for the...

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WHERE THE

REGENTS ROAM V18 NOVEMBER 2009

Welcome to the next edition of Where The Regents Roam, the newsletter for the recovery program off the h R Regent H Honeyeater.

CAPTIVE MANAGEMENT Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run a captive breeding program for an endangered species? If so, read on for a first hand account of the program to breed Regent Honeyeaters at Taronga Zoo from the perspective of Michael Shiels, Supervisor of Taronga’s Bird Unit and member of the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Team: Captive breeding an management of Regent Honeyeaters is one of many steps being implemented by the recovery team to address the declines of this charismatic bird. The objectives of the captive management component are to maintain the captive population of Regent Honeyeaters at a size which will provide adequate stock to: provide insurance against the demise of the wild population; continuously improve captive-breeding and husbandry techniques; and provide adequate stock for trials of release strategies. This is all conducted while maintaining 90% of the wild heterozygosity (genetic diversity) in the captive population.

Birds Australia’s Woodland Bird Conservation project, which administers the Regent Honeyeater recovery program, is funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SPECIES, PLEASE CONTACT: Dean Ingwersen Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator

Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester St Carlton, VIC, 3053 P: 1300 621 056 E: [email protected]

During 1995 a team of community bird groups, observers and Taronga Staff, coordinated by the National Recovery Team Coordinator collaborated to collect wild Regent Honeyeater nestlings and their nests from Chiltern State Park (now Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park) in Victoria. The age at which the nestlings were collected (4-6 days) ensured that the nestlings had a few days of being reared by their parents before being acclimatised to an artificial diet. This strategy was used to minimise the risk associated with collection, and to give the chicks a chance to be exposed to natural gut flora from their parents. The collection of nestlings rather than adults also reduces the effect of removing breeding adults from the population. Following this three first year Regent Honeyeaters were mist-netted in 1996 in the Capertee Valley at dusk as they returned to their roosting site. These birds were introduced to Wombaroo nectar mix the night they were caught, and then transported to Taronga Zoo. After a lengthy quarantine period in noegal cages and holding aviaries the birds were released into the main aviaries. The wild-caught individuals were a bit ‘flighty’ when keepers were first entering aviaries compared to the captive-bred birds, however quickly adjusted well to captivity to judge the boundaries of the aviary extremely well limiting any potential injuries resulting from collisions with the wire mesh. The four off-exhibit aviaries for the Regent Honeyeaters were based on the same type of housing used for the Helmeted Honeyeater at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria. The aviaries have proven to be very suitable. They measure 6m x 4m x 4m and are constructed with 1.6 gauge painted mesh and “Polytuff” corrugated roofing. Removable internal petitions between each ent a Reg e e s aviary at the back allow the facility to be configured from one to four ld If you e wou aviaries. ater w s e y e it ut a Hon w abo o n se k a – ple like to The daily ration for a pair of birds, presented in small stainless steel sible s o p 56 as dishes, is: 621 0 soon 1800 ll a c • 6 gm Insectivore Mix (specially prepared diet made by TCSA keepers). free

This mix consists of Wombaroo Insectivore powder, whole hard-boiled egg, and fly pupae. The ingredients are briefly blended together and water added to give a moist consistency. • 2 small pieces of soft fruit (papaya is the preferred fruit item) • Mealworms fed ad lib. in the afternoon • Water (always provided) • Insects (caught in the moth trap) are provided when available • 70mls Wombaroo Honeyeater and Lorikeet Mix (fed twice daily during summer months)

A bank of Regent Honeyeater breeding aviaries at Taronga Zoo. Photo: Dean Ingwersen

In order to maintain the characteristic yellow plumage of Regent Honeyeaters in captivity the birds are also fed Necton Gelb. This is a purpose-made colour supplement for birds with yellow plumage – without this captive birds can become noticeably duller and less vibrant than the wild counterparts, and is not uncommon in captivity with small passerines that have red or yellow pigmentation. Over the course of the recovery program a large amount of work has gone into aging and sexing individual birds and we now have a set of characteristics which are useful for assessing the relative age of Regent Honeyeaters: • Wing feathers. The colour of wing coverts in first year birds is brown compared to the black of mature adults, while the primary feathers of the wing are brown with yellowish markings in immatures compared to the black and yellow tones in adults. • Colour of bare eye patch. The bare skin area around the eye in immature birds is grey-blue in colour, which develops into a pale shade of yellow in mature birds. The facial patch also gets larger as birds age. • Wart development. Immature birds have none to minimal number of warts, - the number of warts increases with age. • Gape colour – a yellow gape indicates a young bird. All these characteristics are beneficial in assessing the general age of individuals. Data is currently being collected at Taronga Zoo to determine whether facial and plumage developmental changes can provide a more accurate means to obtain the age of specimens. Regent Honeyeaters are capable of breeding in their first year before a full moult, which occurs around late summer-early autumn. Wild Regent Honeyeater nests are usually located in an upright fork of a tree or branch, or within mistletoe at the extremity of branches. Height of the nests can vary from 2 to 20 m, and it is cupshaped and usually sits tightly within the fork rather than being attached to any part of the limb or branch. To replicate this, large branches with a number of upright forked boughs are placed within the aviaries at the beginning of the breeding season.

Typical location of a Regent Honeyeater nest. Photo: Dean Ingwersen.

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Spider web, dried fine grassy material, paperbark, unprocessed raw cotton, goats hair, Emu feathers and other downy type are provided up to twice daily during the breeding season as nest building material. Although both male and female take part in nest building, it’s the female which appears to choose the nest site and does the majority of the nest construction. In captivity, nest construction can be fairly rapid - one female completed a substantial nest within 20 hours! It is not unusual for several nesting sites to be chosen before a nest is fully completed. A pair can spend a number of days building in one site, then totally dismantle it within 24 hours and choose another site. To locate a nest, a keeper often sits within the aviary and watches the nest construction take place. In our experience, the presence of keeping staff does not appear to disturb the nesting activities of the birds. Nest sites are normally located in the highest places within the limits of the aviary, however one female has nested successfully less than 1m from the ground. Once eggs are laid the incubation period is around 14 days, and begins after the second or third egg is laid. The eggs are incubated solely by the female and is intermittent throughout the day.

Some females have been observed to leave the nest for a few minutes up to six times per hour – during this time the male often inspects the nest. Once hatched it’s about another 14 days before the chicks leave the nest. Both male and female feed the fledglings. If the female re-nests soon after the chicks have left the nest, then the male primarily feeds the young. If the male is injured or unfit, then the female is the primary feeder. Between the first and second week after leaving the nest, the fledglings start feeding independently. Fledglings are still dependent on parental care for three to four weeks after leaving the nest. Immediately after this period, it is wise to remove the fledglings from the adults (especially if the female is re-nesting) since the adult male can become extremely aggressive. In captivity the species readily double clutches - it is not unusual for a female to re-nest and lay whilst the fledglings of the last clutch are still in the same aviary. One female was observed actively nest building only three days after two chicks raised by her had fledged – so much for a bit of time in daycare!! A clutch of three eggs was later found in a well-concealed nest nine days after the fledglings had left the nest.

Hopefully the captive breeding program will see sightings like this, near Bendigo last year, increase in the future. Photo: Chris Tzaros

Since we’ve been managing the species we have discovered a number of notable breeding behaviours: • The male is more vocal than the female (this is generally seen in the wild too). • The female uses a distinctive vocalisation to obtain a feeding response from nestlings. • After chicks have fledged they are still dependent on parental feeding for three to four weeks. During this period, the behaviour of the adults, especially the male, towards the fledglings needs frequent monitoring for aggression. • Adults appear to selectively choose which fledglings to feed – we are not sure what governs this choice. • Soon after the fledglings become independent they need to be removed from the aviary to avoid potential injuries as the result of parental aggression. • Fledglings bred in the current captive environment have shown the same tolerance to captive management practices as the founder adults. It really is an amazing project to be involved with, and Taronga has been at the forefront of managing captive Regent Honeyeaters for the past 14 years. In that time the captive population has grown from over 16 founders over 50 birds dispersed around Australia within 10 Zoos. The oldest remaining founder “K” (collected from Chiltern) is still alive on exhibit at Taronga Zoo. Hopefully we can keep the species persisting in the wild for a long time to come!

FROM THE COORDINATOR This year has been a whirlwind for the Woodland Bird Conservation project, which now administers the Regent Honeyeater recovery program. Over the course of the year myself and Chris Tzaros (fellow Woodland Bird Conservation Officer and Swift Parrot recovery coordinator) have visited and consulted with a vast network of key stakeholders and volunteers, and we have been inspired by the level of support for the project. I guess it helps to have two of the most charismatic woodland birds to grab people’s attention! As a quick summary the year has seen us travel to the Hunter Valley in NSW three times, the Capertee Valley twice, the Armidale region twice, Sydney, Canberra, Cowra, northern, central, western and eastern Victoria, and the south coast of NSW twice. Chris has also visited Tasmania a number of times for workshops and meetings on forestry prescriptions in relation to Swift Parrots, and I have also been to southern Queensland for the cook’s tour of the northern end of

One of the 35 birds found in the Capertee Valley in August. Photo: Dean Ingwersen

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the Regent range. In the space of just over 6 months we’ve covered pretty much the full range of both species!! Along with the surveys and sightings (details below), we’ve worked extensively to network as widely as possible for the interests of woodland birds. This included a fantastic weekend with the Cowra Woodland Bird survey team (and a meeting with the Lachlan CMA), consultations in northern NSW with land managers, discussions with a wide range of Catchment Management Authorities, meetings with the Central Coast and Hunter Valley birdwatchers clubs, and assisting treeplantings. We have also conducted media in NSW on Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater sightings, and conducted four volunteer training workshops – including one in Merimbula for the Far South Coast Birdwatchers right before half the known Swift Parrot population was found in the area! This year has been an interesting one for the Regent Honeyeater, with the usual sparse records early in the year followed by a real rush from the Capertee and Hunter Valley’s mid year, and a sprinkling of scattered records since.

The male Regent Honeyeater seen in the Capertee Valley in August which had been banded in Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP three years earlier. Photo: Dean Ingwersen.

A single bird was seen in the Capertee Valley in mid-April, followed by sightings along Crown Station Road during May and June (the maximum count recorded at one time here was 12). These birds were all feeding in flowering White Box and calling quite well at times. Vicki Powys, our expert call analyst, managed to get some great recordings of these birds and turned up a bird giving Armidale region calls – very interesting. During mid-June birds also turned up in Castlereagh NR for the first time in quite a few years, this time taking advantage of the flowering Mugga Ironbark. A maximum of 14 birds were seen here by a number of birders and photographers, with a single bird still present in mid-July. However, the star region for Regent Honeyeaters early in the year was undoubtedly the Hunter Valley. In late May the first birds were found by Mick Roderick and crew in the Pelton region of Werakata NP, and over several weeks the numbers of birds present climbed steadily to a peak of nearly 40 birds! They were foraging actively on Spotted Gum blossom, and engaging in a large amount of calling and chasing. But perhaps most excitingly was that a banded bird was seen in June. Unfortunately the bird in question has managed to lose one of the bands it was originally fitted with, so we can only narrow it down to one of five individuals – four of which were banded in the Capertee Valley, and one in the Bundarra region. But we know based on this that the birds is at least nine years old, and has travelled over 130 kilometres from where it was banded! Since then the numbers of birds at this site has steadily dwindled, with the birds switching in early July to flowering Stringybarks. The greatest concentration of birds later in the year was in the Kitchener area, with up to 20 birds present, but recent surveys have failed to locate any more birds in the region. We are still searching for them, largely through the great assistance of the Dept of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

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There have also been a number of reports of single birds and small groups from several towns in north-east Victoria, but unfortunately dedicated surveys in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP during the May surveys failed to locate any of our captive-release birds from last year. In late June a single bird was found in Anstead NR near Brisbane by Rod Gardner. One bird was also recorded (heard calling by experienced observers) in Bendigo in mid July. A survey by Chris and I in August following a tree planting in the Capertee Valley located 31 birds across 12 sites, including 2 active nests. Unfortunately both of these nest failed, most likely due to predation. But perhaps the best sighting from this region was of a banded bird – the first bird seen on the surveys was a male Regent Honeyeater which had been banded in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP in Victoria back in August 2006. This was the first recorded movement from Victoria into NSW, and the third longest movement ever recorded for the species. Only a month later we struck gold again, when a banded bird was seen near Rushworth State Forest in central Victoria. It too had been banded

in north-east Victoria, but we’re unsure of when exactly as one of the bands had come off. But this was the first recorded movement within Victoria – until now we had no idea if Regents were arriving in central Victoria from elsewhere. In recent weeks there have also been reports of single birds in gardens in Florey in the ACT, in the Kalaru region of southern NSW, in a garden near Chiltern, and in Mogriguy SF near Dubbo, NSW, and a pair of birds near Eddington in central Victoria. It certainly has been exciting!! Full details of the sightings can be found in the ‘Woodland Wanderers’ section of this newsletter. I would like to take this opportunity to everybody for assisting me during the year, particularly with some key ‘orientations’ in different regions. I would particularly like to thank Alan Morris (central coast, NSW), Mick and Steve Roderick and Lucas Grenadier (Hunter Valley, NSW), Beth Williams (Bundarra-Barraba, NSW), Lorraine Welsh (Karara, Qld) and Tiffany Mason (formerly DECCW Regional Recovery Officer) for taking time to show myself and Chris around to many of the key sites for Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots. Your time and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated.

WHERE ARE OUR RELEASED BIRDS? One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received this year, particularly at talks and seminars, relates to the fate of the birds we released in Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in 2008. At the time of writing I’m a little disappointed to report that we still haven’t had a sighting of one of these birds since late in 2008. With the bushfires in Victoria in early 2009 we have our fingers crossed that the birds were somewhere else but the Beechworth fire complex in particular covered an area of historical sightings of Regent Honeyeaters. I’m preferring the more optimistic thought that at least some of them managed to sniff out the amazing flowering of the Spotted Gums on the south coast of NSW mid year and have caught a bit of sun and surf. The crucial year for our releases will really be 2010 when it is predicted that the Mugga Ironbark will flower well again in the Chiltern area – if some of the released birds don’t turn up then we will be very disappointed. In the meantime we’ve got our ears to the ground and our eyes scouring the landscape. If anyone sees a banded Regent Honeyeater I urge that you contact me on the freecall number (1800 621 056) as soon as possible. Please take note of the bands the bird is wearing on each leg, and be careful to make sure which legs the bands are on (it is quite easy to mix up left and right leg combinations without care!)

This is one of the released birds we haven’t been able to find since late 2008 - have you seen it? Photo: Dean Ingwersen

WOODLAND WANDERERS DATE

LOCATION

NO.

ACTIVITY

OBSERVER

10/12/2008

TSR 8, Capertee Valley NSW

5

Foraging, one juvenile present

N. Kirby

6/01/2009

Adjacent to Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP, Vic

1

Flying

E. Collins

17/01/2009

Adjacent to Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP, Vic

4

Bathing

E. Collins

1/03/2009

Beechworth, Vic

4#

Foraging in fig tree

W. Hemmerling

4/03/2009

Nth of Barraba, NSW

6

Taking grapes in vineyard

Russ Watts

25/03/2009

Dirrawong Reserve, Evans Head, NSW

1#

Flying over with friarbirds

S. McBride

One of the released birds, affectionately known as ‘pink/yellow’ for the colour bands it was fitted with, in Chiltern in 2008. Photo: Dean Ingwersen.

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WOODLAND WANDERERS CONTINUED

The Pelton area was a hotspot of the Regent Honeyeater activity early in 2009. Photo: Dean Ingwersen

DATE

LOCATION

NO.

ACTIVITY

OBSERVER

4/05/2009

Private property, Bright, Vic

1#

Foraging in Banksia

Resident per I. Cheyne

5/05/09-25/09/09

Various locations, Capertee Valley, NSW

35*

Foraging in White Box, nesting

Various

05/05/0925/09/09

Crown Station Rd, Capertee Valley, NSW

12*

Foraging in White Box, hawking insects, breeding

Various

15/05/2009

Private property, Yackandandah, Vic

1

Hopping among native Callistemons

C. Lacey

24/05/0920/07/09

Pelton, Werakata NP, NSW

34*

Foraging in Spotted Gum, Stringybark and Ironbark, hawking insects

Various

30/05/2009

West of Capertee township, NSW

2

Foraging

G. Little

13/06/09-19/07/09

Castlereagh NR, NSW

10*

Foraging in Mugga Ironbark

Various

21/06/2009

Anstead Nature Reserve, Qld

1

Foraging in Spotted Gum

R. Gardner

3/07/09-22/07/09

Kitchener, Werakata NP, NSW

20*

Foraging in Spotted Gum, hawking insects, two juveniles observed

Various

13/07/2009

Bendigo, Vic

1

Calling from flowering Red Ironbark

J. Burtonclay

20/07/0922/07/09

Various sites in Werakata NP and surrounds, NSW

22

Foraging in Spotted Gum and Stringybark, hawking insects

Various

4/08/09-14/08/09

Private property, Mulgoa, NSW

3

Pair nesting

H. Cook

19/08/2009

Richmond Vale region, Hunter Valley, NSW

8

Foraging in Stringybark

Various

29/08/2009

Florey, ACT

1

Foraging in flowering Almond tree

J. Brannan

1/09/2009

RushworthNagambie Rd, nr Rushworth SF

1

Foraging in Yellow Gum

D. Ingwersen & C. Tzaros

9/09/2009

Kalaru, NSW

1

Foraging in planted cultivar Grevilleas and E. cinerea

Various

21/10/2009

Eddington, Vic

2

Calling, interacting with each other. No feeding observed

B. Chapman

26/10/2009

Mogriguy SF, NSW

1

Perched briefly

P. Tremain

2/11/2009

Chiltern South, Vic

1

Foraging in planted ‘Coconut Ice’ Grevillea

P. & J. Gotham

* denotes maximum number of birds recorded at any one time # denotes unconfirmed but probable sightings

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AROUND THE OPS GROUPS Bundarra-Barraba Operations Group: Beth Williams reports:

The Bundarra-Barraba Ops Group have continued strategic monitoring of selected sites in the Bundarra-Barraba-Kingstown project area in 2009, with roughly monthly surveys by various members (including the May and August search days) and extra surveys of additional sites by Stephen Debus. There is no bud development or significant flowering in Mugga Ironbark sites anywhere in the district this spring, as predicted from our assessments in May, and disappointingly no Regents have been found in any of the surveyed sites despite repeated searches. At the Gwydir River site (Torryburn) buds developed in early spring on the River Oak mistletoe, with progressive opening of flowers. This led us to hope for an influx of Regents to start nesting, as four to five pairs did in spring 2008, but at the time of writing we’ve had no luck. Regents appear to have deserted us due to drought-induced lack of flowering resources – perhaps they have all gone to the Hunter Valley, where a banded bird that could be one of ‘ours’ was seen near Cessnock in flowering Spotted Gum. The absence of Regents at the Gwydir River this year is particularly disappointing, since the river is one of the sites to be visited by delegates to the Fifth Australasian Ornithological Conference being held in Armidale from 29 November to 4 December, during a field excursion to view woodland birds and habitats in our area. A nomination for listing Mugga Ironbark in the New England Tablelands and Nandewar Bioregions as an Endangered Ecological Community under the TSC Act is progressing through the stages of consideration by the NSW Scientific Committee, and we hope for a favourable decision soon. Logging of Ironbarks in a former Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR) has been investigated and action has been taken to fine the landholder and contractor for the illegal felling of ironbarks. The permissive occupancy over the Crown land has been cancelled, and there will be further discussion with the Lands Department over future management of the area to conserve habitat for Regent Honeyeaters.

Regent Honeyeater replanting site at the Gwydir River. Photo: Dean Ingwersen

We also continue, with the National Parks Association of NSW, to lobby for retention of TSRs in public ownership, proper recognition of corridor/environmental values (and especially of Regent Honeyeater core habitat in northern NSW) and better management of TSRs in general. Our campaign has delayed implementation by authorities of the recommendation that “TSR land and ongoing management will be ceded back to the NSW Dept of Lands except where new Boards establish with the SBM a clear business case for their retention.” We are working to develop our preferred guidelines for management, to be put to each Livestock Health and Pest Authority as they develop plans to retain and manage their TSRs. Finally, the trees and shrubs planted in Gwydir Park Rd TSR in late 2007 suffered some losses in last summer’s drought. However, thanks to some extra funding from the recovery program replacements were recently recently by the Armidale Tree Group.

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Central Coast Operations Group Alan Morris reports:

Our small group continued to function during 2009 seeking to improve the lot of Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots on the Central Coast. Unfortunately no Regent Honeyeaters visited the flowering Swamp Mahogany groves on the Central Coast during 2009 in spite of prolific flowering, and there were few Swift Parrots in comparison to previous years. However both species were present in the Cessnock/Werakata National Park area of the Hunter Valley and our members were active in monitoring the Regents and checking out other sites to determine just how wide the area of woodland was that the birds were to be found in. During the two coordinated national survey weekends we were able to organise between 30-40 people to survey 62 sites on each occasion.

Members of the Central Coast Ops Group planting the next generation of Regent Honeyeater habitat. Photo: Alan Morris

We have also continued to assist Wyong Council with its tree planting and monitoring program at the eight sites around Tuggerah Lakes they are improving for Regents and Swifties. On Threatened Species Day in September, eight of our members joined Trust Volunteers in continuing to enhance the wildlife corridor on the Poneer Dairy Wetlands Reserve at Tuggerah, and planted 400 trees and shrubs. These four planting sites have now been added to our list of sites monitored during the national surveys. While we have yet to find a Regent Honeyeater in these plantations we have seen interesting birds like Spiny-cheeked, White-plumed, Lewin’s and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters feeding in the flowering saplings of Blue Gums, Forest Red Gums and Swamp Mahoganies.

Capertee Valley Operations Group Iain Paterson reports:

The Capertee Operations group volunteers have been very busy again this year, with two large plantings conducted during the year. The latest of these was held on 15th August when approximately 70 volunteers, along with Woodland Bird Conservation project coordinators Dean Ingwersen and Chris Tzaros, planted 2769 seedlings on two sites near Glen Alice. During this planting 2229 seedlings were planted on a site on “Brookfield”, (owned by Tanya McGrigor) on Upper Nile Road and 540 on “Keera” (owned by Tim & Rene Frew) on Nile Road. A further 300 seedlings were planted on the 19th & 20th September at “Keera” and “Glen Alice” by members of the Capertee Valley Environmental Group.

Tanya McGrigor planting a tree on her property in the Capertee Valley. Photo: Chris Todd

It’s important with many of these sites to do ongoing maintenance work, and to that end a working bee was held on the weekend of the 19th and 20th September to undertake some maintenance and monitoring on some older plantings. The main work undertaken was the removal of old (supposedly biodegradable) plastic tree-guards from a site that was planted in 2000 and the application of fertiliser to a more recent planting site. Our regular spring Regent Honeyeater surveys were also conducted in August, September and October, using the protocol developed by the Recovery Team, and birds were Regents were found during several of these surveys. Looking ahead, the next planting is scheduled for autumn 2010 but on-ground works beyond that will be dependent on obtaining further funding. Thanks to all of the volunteers who assisted with plantings and surveys this year, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.

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Chiltern Operations Group Eileen Collins reports:

Following on from the hectic time during last years release of birds in the region, this year has been much quieter. Neither the Ironbark or Stringybark have flowered this season, and as a result conditions within Chiltern-Mt Pilot NP have not been suitable for Regents. The White Box did flower patchily but again no Regents were interested in it. The lack of Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot sightings have been in spite of the many bird watchers visiting the park, and a dedicated volunteer search weekend in May. Once again the soaking autumn and winter rains did not materialise, though the spring rain was encouraging. We keep our fingers crossed for more. Unfortunately there has been no record of sighting of any of the 2008 released birds and I wonder if they went south to the foothills and were caught in the horrendous fires. We can only hope not. On November 1st a lone Regent Honeyeater turned up in a private garden in Chiltern South. Following some hasty logistics and a few phone calls preparations were made catch and band it, but it failed to appear again. Finally, on a bright note was the sighting and photographing by Dean of at least one, and possibly two, of our banded birds from the Klotz Track banding effort in 2006 (see From The Coordinator for more details).

Lurg Operations Group Ray Thomas reports:

This year has been an amazing one, with the highlights being: • 1080 school students involved over 24 planting days, planting a total of 12,833 seedlings • 410 community volunteers involved in the 4 planting weekends, planting 15,154 seedlings • a grand total of 35,621 seedlings planted this year • 110 hectares of habitat restored on 34 sites • 13.4 kilometres of fencing constructed We also direct-seeded nearly 30 km by machine at seven sites, as well as another two sites by hand. Nearly a bucket full of seed was used so you can imagine how many seedlings will come up over the next few years! The aim is to regenerate understorey in areas of scattered remnant trees where conventional planting is unsuccessful (sometimes the trees simply take up too much water and the seedlings suffer badly). We also direct seeded 2 other sites by hand, using mattocks to scrape a divot and then lightly covering the seeds with soil We decided to trial planting herbaceous species (such as daises and lilies) without tree guards to see if they establish quicker and more successfully in the full sun. This creates a risk of rabbit predation, but the guards have a risk of too much shade, and perhaps even collapsing over small plants before they’re big enough to hold their own. We chose eight sites with better native grass cover to give these delicate plants a better chance, selected bare soil niches between the tussocks to hide the seedlings, and minimised the soil disturbance using Hamilton Planters to avoid attracting rabbits. My recent visit to a site done in July, showed daisies standing tall, flowering well and about to drop seed!

Part of the Lurg landscape being restored by the Regent Honeyeater project. Photo: Dean Ingwersen

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Many sites from previous years also now have daisies, and indeed many other shrubs species, regenerating naturally from seed falling off the original planted seedlings. This is exactly what we’ve been aiming to achieve! It is critical that the understorey can thicken up by itself over time, so the shyer and rarer birds can find the necessary dense shelter. Without this natural seedling germination, the habitat will become just like most of the local bush blocks – all trees and no shrubs. And the understorey species are really the “bread basket” for many wildlife species, providing nectar, seeds, and insect food, as well as safe nesting sites. Finally, the first weekend in October saw an influx of some of the state’s best bird observers to survey over 150 sites throughout the Lurg Hills. In just a day and a half, the team found 128 different species (a record!) including many threatened species such as Grey-crowned Babblers, Swift Parrots, Turquoise Parrots, Painted Button-quail, and Red-capped Robins. There were many significant reports from our planted areas as well; including Button-quails in a site that was just a paddock only 8 years ago!! Initial results suggest there may have been generally fewer birds in total, perhaps due to poor breeding success in the recent run of dry years. However, the species diversity was high, because many migrant species such as White-winged Trillers, Cuckoos, Rufous Songlarks, Little Friarbirds, and Cockatiels have come to find refuge here over the summer. This adds still more significance to the special nature of the Lurg Hills environment. A huge thanks to all of the volunteers and community members who have assisted with the project this year – we couldn’t do it all without you!!

WHAT…YOU THINK I’M A WATTLEBIRD?!

The Red Wattlebird is now considered to be one of the closest ‘relatives’ of the Regent Honeyeater. Photo: Chris Tzaros

There has been a recent taxonomic revision of the Regent Honeyeater (Christidis and Boles 2008), and it is now considered to be closely related to the wattlebirds. As a result of this change the scientific name is now Anthochaera phrygia, not Xanthomyxa phrygia. Based on current evidence the closest relatives are the Yellow Wattlebird of Tasmania and the Red Wattlebird. So when you see the next Red Wattlebird attacking a Regent perhaps you could remind it that they’re basically cousins. Though perhaps that explains the aggression we see!!

RECOVERY PLAN MAKING PROGRESS At the time of writing the draft of the next version of the recovery plan is nearing completion. Following a fairly major overhaul to meet new style preferences, the plan has progressed to almost be ready to head to relevant State authorities for comment and/or approval. We will work to progress this as quickly as possible.

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AND FINALLY, SOME CONGRATULATIONS ARE DUE… It is with great pride that we recognise the efforts of one of ‘our’ own. As many will know the Lurg Regent Honeyeater Recovery Project and Operations Group have been ably since inception by Ray Thomas. Ray has an infectious can-do attitude and has developed a great rapport with local landholders as he has worked to revegetate the broader Lurg Hills landscape. Over that time some 17,000 students and volunteers have helped to replant over 250,000 trees and shrubs, and have been responsible for the revegetation and/or protection of over 1,000 hectares of habitat. This year Ray’s efforts coordinating this momentous task were recognized by The Australian Geographic Society, with Ray named their 2009 Conservationist of the Year. We would like to congratulate Ray, his colleagues and his volunteers on an amazing achievement and look forward to seeing the hills around Lurg become greener and greener with Regent Honeyeater habitat!

CALLS FOR SIGHTINGS TO BE REPORTED Volunteers are reminded that they are able to report sightings to the Recovery Coordinator free of charge thanks to the projects freecall phone number. If anyone finds a Regent Honeyeater please contact me as quickly as possible on 1800 621 056, or via email: d.ingwersen@birdsaustralia. com.au. The more data and sightings we can get into our database the more we can learn about the species, and the better placed we are to lobby on important environmental issues,

Regent Honeyeater feeding on Yellow Gum blossom in central Victoria. Photo: Chris Tzaros

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Where The Regents Roam Woodland Bird Conservation Project Birds Australia Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053 Ph (03) 9347 0757

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