Queensland Ornithological Conference:
The State of Australia’s Birds
hosted by
BirdLife Southern Queensland
&
Birds Queensland
This annual conference is a series of talks related to birds and their conservation
University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland
31 May 2014
BSQ and BQ would like to thank the following sponsors for their support.
Supported by the Lord Mayor’s Suburban
Initiative Fund and Toowong Ward
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Saturday, May 31st Program
8:45 – 9:00 Welcome & announcements
9:00 - 9:35 Dr. Richard Fuller, Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland
(Why are migratory shorebirds declining so rapidly and what should we do about it?)
9:35 - 10:00 Dr. Salit Kark, Associate Professor, University of Queensland
(The co-invasion of alien birds)
10:00 – 10:25 Dr. Richard Noske, President Birds Queensland
(What can gum trees tell us about the seasonal abundance of birds in Brisbane’s D’Aguilar
National Park?)
10:25 – 10:55 Catered morning tea
10:55 - 11:20 Dr. Paul Roe, Professor, Queensland University of Technology
(A new tool for birding: using acoustic recording devices to undertake extended monitoring
of terrestrial fauna)
10:45 – 11:10 Dr. Tim Holmes, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland
(Institutional influences on the management of Australia’s threatened birds)
11:10 – 11:35 Dr. Jim Butler & Dr. Ian Muirhead, Moggill Creek Catchment Bird Project
(Comparing the acoustic structure of the songs of the three Brisbane Fairy-wrens: Using song
meters to monitor the state of the birds in the Moggill Creek Catchment)
11:35 - 11:50 Rochelle Steven, PhD Candidate, Griffith University
(Birder awareness of conservation and management of birds: comparing birders from
different regions)
11:50 – 12:05 Ashlee Shipham, PhD Candidate, Griffith University
(Evolutionary relationships among Australian rosellas)
12:05 - 13:00 Catered lunch, & poster viewing
13:00 - 13:15 Hannah Pearson, PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne
(Birds in their little nests agree but do researchers? Disagreement about woodland birds)
13:15 - 13:30 Hernan Morales, PhD Candidate, Monash University
(Genomic adaptation in an endemic widespread Australian passerine)
13:30 - 13:45 Bhagawan R. Dahal, PhD Candidate, University of Queensland
(Bird conservation values of off-reserve forests in lowland Nepal)
13:45 - 14:00 Mark Cottman-Fields, PhD Candidate, Queensland University of Technology
(Virtual Birding: Extending an established environmental pastime into online activities)
14:00 -14:15 Kiran Dhanjal-Adams, PhD Candidate, University of Queensland
(Optimizing disturbance management of migratory shorebirds in Moreton bay, Australia)
14:15 – 14:40 Dr. Greg Clancy, Ecologist, New South Wales
(A banding study of the Eastern Osprey Pandion cristatus in New South Wales)
14:40 - 15:10- Catered afternoon tea & poster session
15:10-15:35 Dr. David M Watson, Associate Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University
(Of mistletoe and mechanisms—experimental insights into determinants of
woodland dynamics)
15:35-16:00 Dr. Megan Barnes, Post Doc, University of Queensland
(Using volunteer collected data to evaluate the impact of protected areas for endemic birds
of the Australian Wet Tropics)
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Saturday, May 31st Program ....................................................................................................................... 3
Keynote Address: Why are migratory shorebirds declining so rapidly and what should we do about it?
R.A. Fuller, R.S. Clemens, K.L. Dhanjal-Adams, T. Iwamura, B.E. Kendall, N.J. Murray, H.P.
Possingham, C.A. Runge, C.E. Studds and H.B. Wilson .............................................................................. 6
The co-invasion of alien birds
S. Kark and M. McKinney .......................................................................................................................... 7
What can gum trees tell us about the seasonal abundance of birds in Brisbane’s national park?
R.A. Noske................................................................................................................................................ 8
A new tool for birding: using acoustic recording devices to undertake extended monitoring of terrestrial
fauna
P. Roe, J. Wimmer, M. Towsey, A. Truskinger, and M. Cottman-Fields .................................................... 9
Institutional influences on the management of Australia’s threatened birds
T.Q. Holmes ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Comparing the acoustic structure of the songs of the three Brisbane Fairy-Wrens: using SongMeters to
monitor the state of the birds in the Moggill Creek Catchment
J. E. Butler and I.F. Muirhead ................................................................................................................. 11
Birder awareness of conservation and management of birds: comparing birders from different regions
R. Steven, J.G. Castley, J. Smart and F.C. Morrison ............................................................................... 12
Evolutionary relationships among Australian rosellas
A.Shipham, D. Schmidt, L. Joseph and J. Hughes .................................................................................. 13
Birds in their little nests agree but do researchers? Disagreement about woodland birds
H. Pearson, G. Garrard, L. Rumpff, C. Hauser and M. McCarthy ............................................................ 14
Genomic adaptation in an endemic widespread Australian passerine
H. Morales, Alexandra Pavlova, Leo Joseph, and Paul Sunnucks .......................................................... 15
Bird conservation values of off-reserve forests in lowland Nepal
B. R. Dahal, Clive A. McAlpine and Martine Maron ................................................................................. 16
Virtual Birding: Extending an established environmental pastime into online activities
M. Cottman-Fields, P. Roe, J. Wimmer and M. Brereton ......................................................................... 17
Optimizing disturbance management of migratory shorebirds in Moreton bay, Australia
K.L. Dhanjal-Adams, K. Mustin, H.P. Possingham and R.A. Fuller .......................................................... 18
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A banding study of the Eastern Osprey Pandion cristatus in New South Wales
G. P. Clancy ............................................................................................................................................ 19
Of mistletoe and mechanisms—experimental insights into determinants of woodland dynamics
D. M. Watson .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Using volunteer collected data to evaluate the impact of protected areas for endemic birds of the Australian
Wet Tropics
M. Barnes ............................................................................................................................................... 21
How should we be managing urban green spaces to maximize bird biodiversity and minimize cost?
C. Archibald, H.Possingham, K.Mustin .................................................................................................... 22
POSTERS:
Raptors are highly efficient and functionally important scavengers of marine carrion on ocean beaches
M.B. Brown ............................................................................................................................................. 23
Drivers of meso-scale bird species richness: heterogeneity, fire management and competitive species
E. Burgess and M. Maron................................................................................................................... 24
Quantifying Movement Patterns of Australian Birds: Are People Making Birds Less Migratory?
S. Chapman ............................................................................................................................................ 25
Does introduced predator exclusion benefit ground-nesting birds?
V.C. Hutchison, L. Kemp and L.K.-P. Leung ........................................................................................... 26
Remotely sensed evidence of the rapid loss of tidal flats in the Yellow Sea
Murray, Nicholas J. Phinn, Stuart R., Robert S. Clemens, Hugh P. Possingham & Richard A. Fuller ...... 27
Avifauna of the Torres Strait
J. Watson, T. Lavery & G. Hitchcock ...................................................................................................... 28
Shorebird & Habitat Conservation in the Torres Strait
J. Watson & T. Lavery ............................................................................................................................ 29
Distribution of tanagers (Thraupidae, Passeriformes) within an Atlantic Forest fragment, Southern Espirito
Santo, Brazil
W. Moreira-Costa, W. M. Costa, A. A. Amaral ........................................................................................ 30
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Keynote Address
Why are migratory shorebirds declining so rapidly and
what should we do about it?
R.A. Fuller1, R.S. Clemens1, K.L. Dhanjal-Adams1, T. Iwamura2, B.E. Kendall3, N.J. Murray1,
H.P. Possingham1, C.A. Runge1, C.E. Studds1,4 and H.B. Wilson1
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia;
Department of Biology & Department of Environmental Earth System Science Stanford University, CA 94305, USA;
3
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131, USA;
4
Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD 410-4553054, USA.
r.fuller@uq.edu.au
2
Millions of migratory shorebirds from Arctic Russia and Alaska migrate to Australia to avoid the
harsh northern winter. Recent analysis of count data from across Australia has revealed that our
migratory shorebirds are declining with staggering severity and rapidity. Some migratory shorebird
populations in Australia have crashed by up to 80% in 20 years. Intriguingly many of our migratory
shorebird species are declining while resident species are not, suggesting that the causes for
these declines may lie outside the country. Using satellite data we have documented startlingly
rapid loss of intertidal habitats in eastern Asia, a region known to be of critical importance as
stopover habitat for many migratory shorebirds. Two-thirds of the habitat has disappeared in 50
years. Moreover, our modeling work suggests that future habitat loss through sea-level rise could
have profound implications for shorebird populations at a flyway level. We discuss some of the
possible solutions to this difficult conservation problem, focusing specifically on the need for
collaboration throughout the flyway and the possibility of creating or restoring lost habitat.
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The co-invasion of alien birds
S. Kark and M. McKinney
The Biodiversity Research Group, The School of Biological Sciences, ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental
Decisions, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4067 QLD
s.kark@uq.edu.au
Alien species are often studied within a single-species framework, focusing on the species
ecology, distribution and impacts. However, species do not invade a vacuum. The actual
outcomes of a species introduction and its impacts often depend on the alien species’ interactions
with other native and non-native species. In our project, we are developing a spatially explicit
database of invasive bird introductions, distribution and impacts across Australia. Using historical
information, published books, papers, reports and atlas sources, we generated a spatially explicit,
introduction event-based database of introduction records of birds in Australia. This allows us to
examine spatial patterns of success and failure of multiple introductions across Australia and
across groups, studying spatial and temporal trends. We compare results for Australia with an
earlier continental-scale study we led in Europe and the Mediterranean, aiming to disentangling
the relative role of climatic, biotic and socioeconomic factors shaping invasion at a continental
scale. Outcomes can help policy makers to more effectively mitigate biotic invasion threats,
prioritise action and to spatially allocate actions and efforts. As a detailed case study, we are also
examining the importance of species interactions in the establishment of the Indian myna and the
effect of its interactions with other alien and native urban exploiters.
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What can gum trees tell us about the seasonal abundance
of birds in Brisbane’s national park?
R.A. Noske
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld.,
Australia, 4111.
rnoske@tpg.com.au
D’Aguilar National Park (formerly, Brisbane Forest Park) is arguably best known for its subtropical
rainforest, yet this habitat comprises 15-20% of the park’s area, the remainder being largely open
forest dominated by eucalypts, of which 20 species occur. Although the avifauna of the eucalypt
forests is richer than that of subtropical rainforests, it shows greater seasonal fluctuations in
abundance, due to the movements of migratory and regionally mobile species. Many nectarfeeding honeyeaters and lorikeets are at least partly dependent on the flowering of eucalypts, and
several studies have shown that their abundance tracks the local nectar supply.
While conducting counts of birds at 20 sites in the park, ranging in altitude from 70 to 620 m asl, I
opportunistically recorded foraging behaviour of selected bird species, and noted flowering plants.
Sadly there have been few studies of eucalypt phenology in SE Queensland. According to popular
literature, 75% of the 20 eucalypt species in D’Aguilar NP flower for only 2-4 months, while one
species (Narrow-leaved ironbark) may flower over nine months.
The number of eucalypt species flowering varies dramatically over the year, being highest in
spring (11 species), and lowest in autumn (3). Contrary to expectation, however, the numbers of
nectar-feeding honeyeaters and lorikeets during the autumn-early winter period is high, assisted
by the blossoms of the patchily-distributed Gum-topped Box. Spotted Gums and Pink Bloodwood
provide important sources of nectar in winter and summer, respectively. Surprisingly the blossoms
of the ubiquitous Tallow-wood are unattractive to nectarivorous birds.
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A new tool for birding: using acoustic recording devices to
undertake extended monitoring of terrestrial fauna
P. Roe, J. Wimmer, M. Towsey, A. Truskinger, and M. Cottman-Fields
Queensland University of Technology
p.roe@qut.edu.au
Acoustic sensing, by placing microphones in key areas of habitat, has tremendous potential to
record the soundscape of faunal species (birds, frogs, insects etc.) for analysis and comparison
over time. Sound recorders are now capable of recording environmental sounds continuously for
months at a time yielding a permanent, direct and objective environmental record comprising
terabytes of sound data: big data. This can enable the environment to be cost effectively
monitored: to detect presence or absence of key species and even for monitoring human
disturbance. For the past five years QUT’s acoustic monitoring group has been researching how
sound can be used to scale terrestrial faunal monitoring. In this talk we will present the challenges
and opportunities afforded by acoustic monitoring. We will present and demonstrate our current
hardware and software solutions to these challenges and discuss a number of monitoring projects
we have undertaken around Australia. We will also discuss how the decreasing cost of recording
technology will present interesting new ways for people to undertake and extend their birding and
the benefits which arise from this new technology.
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Institutional influences on the management of Australia’s
threatened birds
T.Q. Holmes
University of Queensland
timqholmes@gmail.com
Despite substantial amounts expended and the efforts of numerous players, the rate of biodiversity
loss is not slowing and Australia’s threatened birds are declining faster than global rates with 17%
of Australia’s bird species requiring conservation action. Conservation interventions are the result
of human decision-making processes and require changes in human behaviour, both individual
and collective, to succeed. Institutional analysis disentangles all these elements to facilitate an
improved understanding of these influences. The institutional arrangements for threatened birds
include the birds and other biophysical components, the participants influencing the threatened
birds and their management, legislation, policies, non-governmental programmes and social
elements. Through an established framework I identified and explored the institutional components
involved in the management of threatened birds to better understand their effectiveness. Overall
the institutional arrangements have evolved to be multifaceted involving complex ecology and
threatening processes, multiple scales and many participants with a diversity of perspectives.
They have expanded their capacity for monitoring, research and implementation of actions, and
involved an increasing number of participants. However, the conservation losses far outweigh the
gains and the negative outcomes occur, in part, as a consequence of weaknesses in the
institutional framework. These weaknesses occur at all scales and include: the slow pace at which
institutions evolve or are established; poor or poorly implemented legislation and policies; the
disjunction of planning processes for the management of threatened species; the issue of fit
between institutions; and inadequacies of institutions responding to large scale problems,
economic influences and different cultural values.
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Comparing the acoustic structure of the songs of the three
Brisbane Fairy-Wrens: using SongMeters to monitor the
state of the birds in the Moggill Creek Catchment.
J. E. Butler and I.F. Muirhead
Moggill Creek Catchment Group: MCC Bird Project 2012 – 2017
butlerje@optusnet.com.au
Three of the nine members of the genus Malurus are found in Brisbane: Superb Fairy-wren (M. c.
cyaneus); Variegated Fairy-wren (M. l. lamberti) and Red-backed Fairy-wren (M. m.
melanocephalus). The detailed acoustic structure of the songs of these fairy-wrens has not been
closely studied. This deficiency has been a problem when tagging the fairy-wrens on the
sonograms derived from the recordings made by SongMeters placed for ten days at a time, four
times a year, on private properties in the Moggill Creek Catchment. At the present time, the
tagging is done manually by trained taggers listening to the songs while viewing the sonograms
presented on the screen. Separating the songs of the three fairy-wrens is a problem. This paper
presents the first detailed analysis of the sonograms of the three fairy-wrens. These results will be
vital for the present project, but will be more significant when the sonograms of the recordings are
able to be automatically tagged by computer algorithms. The songs are composed of two parts: 1.
Introduction: a small number of slow-paced frequency-modulated notes; 2. Reel: a long sequence
of short fast-paced frequency-modulated notes. Fifty-five songs of eleven fairy wrens representing
the three species, recorded at Samford, were analysed using Luscinia software. Using the song as
the unit of analysis we performed a discriminant function analysis (Tanagra 1.4.50) on seventeen
acoustic variables. The best cluster selection was three clusters corresponding exactly to the three
species. The significant discriminating acoustic variables will be discussed and illustrated.
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Student Presentation
Birder awareness of conservation and management of
birds: comparing birders from different regions.
R. Steven, J.G. Castley, J. Smart and F.C. Morrison
Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University.
r.steven@griffith.edu.au
Previous research has provided an in depth examination of the motivational drivers and
characteristic traits among birders. The social science community in particular has highlighted the
diverse and heterogeneous nature of the birding population. Fewer studies have investigated
some of the more practical aspects of birding related to participants’ understanding of the
conservation and management of the birds they watch and their habitats. This study addressed
this gap by assessing conservation knowledge and awareness among a sample of birders from
Australia, the United Kingdom and several other countries. Birders (n=220), from both Northern
and Southern Hemisphere countries, completed a questionnaire asking them about several
aspects related to bird conservation and management, both globally and in Australia. Most birders
feel they should contribute to conservation of the birds they watch (78%), but also that
governments should be the main sources of funding for conservation (67%). Australian birders are
generally unfamiliar with the BirdLife Important Bird Area programme (71% either not familiar or
uncertain), while British and American birders appear somewhat more familiar (37% and 38%
respectively. Furthermore, approximately half of birders are either uncertain or not convinced of
the effectiveness of protected areas in conserving bird species. While birders indicate a genuine
interest in the conservation of birds they watch, there continue to be opportunities to enhance their
knowledge about the more practical aspects of their management. This could improve
conservation outcomes for birds at various scales.
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Student Presentation
Evolutionary relationships among Australian rosellas
A.Shipham1,2, D. Schmidt1, L. Joseph2 and J. Hughes1
1
Griffith University;
CSIRO
ashlee.shipham@griffithuni.edu.au
2
Rosellas (Genus: Platycercus) represent a group of medium-sized parrots native to Australia.
There are currently six recognised species, with most containing multiple subspecies identified
predominantly on geographically structured variation in morphology/plumage, and more recently
genetic data. Certain species have geographical ranges segregated from others, such as the
western & northern rosella. Others have ranges which overlap to some degree; such as the paleheaded and eastern rosellas, which form an assumed hybrid zone in the border region between
Queensland and New South Wales. Here, we use genetic data to expand upon the existing
knowledge base of the phylogeny of rosellas, placing emphasis on clarification of the subgenus
Violania, which has been studied comparatively less than other members of the genus. A multilocus approach has been taken, with several individuals of each recognised species being
sequenced at 10 independent loci (1 mitochondrial, 8 autosomal nuclear and z-linked). We present
the findings of this phylogenetic analysis in the form of haplotype networks, gene trees and
species trees.
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Student Presentation
Birds in their little nests agree but do researchers?
Disagreement about woodland birds
H. Pearson1, G. Garrard2, L. Rumpff1, C. Hauser1 and M. McCarthy1
1
Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, University of Melbourne,
Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, RMIT University
h.pearson@student.unimelb.edu.au
2
There is a widespread belief that habitat loss and fragmentation is contributing to a decline in
woodland birds. As a result, significant effort and resources have been devoted to understanding
and managing woodland birds. Despite this effort, estimates of the rate of woodland bird decline
differ substantially between studies. A closer inspection of these studies reveals that the bird
species included in individual analyses aren’t the same. This partially explains the variance in
estimates of rates of decline and means that the results of the studies aren’t comparable, making it
difficult to justify drawing conclusions from multiple studies.
We investigated consistency in the selection of woodland bird species in Australian ecological
studies and found substantial variation between studies. We asked woodland bird experts to
consider reasons for the inconsistent classification of woodland bird species. Broadly, the factors
considered most likely to cause differences in species selection were regional differences,
linguistic uncertainty around the terms ‘woodland’ and ‘woodland bird’ and changes made to tailor
species lists to particular research questions. In addition, we modelled the influence of inconsistent
classification on estimates of the importance of tree cover for woodland birds. We found that the
estimated effect of tree cover on woodland bird occurrence increased significantly as species
which are less frequently regarded as woodland species were removed from analysis. This
demonstrates that the way researchers and managers define woodland birds can affect the ability
to draw general conclusions about woodland birds, which may lead to confusion about the efficacy
of management.
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Student Presentation
Genomic adaptation in an endemic widespread Australian
passerine
H. Morales1, Alexandra Pavlova1, Leo Joseph2,and Paul Sunnucks1
1
School of Biological Sciences, Clayton Campus, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800,
Australia; *hernan.morales@monash.edu
2
Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences GPO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital
Territory 2601, Australia
hernan.morales@monash.edu
We aim to analyse patterns of neutral and functional genetic variation at different genomic regions
in the endemic widespread Australian bird Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis). This
species is known to have a different genomic structure between mitochondrial, nuclear, and sexlinked genes and seems to be impacted by both neutral and adaptive processes (Pavlova et al.
2013; Evolution).
The mitochondrial-nuclear discordance observed in E. australis cannot be
explained by vicariance, as it seems that the discordance arose in the face of gene flow, indicating
a possible role of natural selection. We propose that E. australis females (the more mobile sex) is
undergoing a trade-off in which have become more adapted to its local environments but
maladapted to the others. If true, female-limited natural selection would be impeding population
admixture and this may have profound implications to conservation. Here I test the presence of
signatures of positive selection on the 13 mitochondrial-genes that code for the Oxidative
Phosphorylation Pathway (OXPHOS) on 40 complete mitochondrial genomes for E. australis. I
found five SNP’s that may be product of positive selection and that might be impacting protein
functioning (i.e. locally adapted). Candidate regions are limited to genes belonging to the
complexes I and III of the OXPHOS system. This finding supports the notion that natural selection
has targeted specific genomic regions of the E. australis genome. I propose to compare the
patterns of mitochondrial genetic variation with four genetic regions: Z- and W-linked (sex
chromosomes), nuclear-OXPHOS (metabolic genes), and random nuclear loci (putatively neutral).
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Student Presentation
Bird conservation values of off-reserve forests in lowland
Nepal
B. R. Dahal, Clive A. McAlpine and Martine Maron
The University of Queensland, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography, Planning and
Environmental Management, Brisbane, 4067
b.dahal@uq.edu.au
Although protected areas are central to global biodiversity conservation, off-reserve forests are
increasingly recognized as potentially important for the long term conservation of biota, particularly
in less-developed countries where communities rely directly on resources from natural areas. We
assessed the conservation value of differently managed forests for birds in lowland tropical forests
of Nepal. In particular, we explored whether their conservation value was additional or
complementary to those of formal protected areas. Using data collected from 112 sites in
protected areas (n = 31), state managed forests (n = 37) and community managed forests (n =
44), we assessed how bird species richness, abundance, diversity and community composition
varied among tenures. Although sites in protected areas had the greatest species diversity,
community managed forests supported a complementary assemblage. Of 124 species recorded,
only 45% were common to all management tenures. Overall, the distinctiveness and richness of
species in sites in forests outside of protected areas contributed substantially to regional avifaunal
diversity. These results highlight the potentially critical role of appropriately managed community
forests. The maintenance of diverse bird assemblages in forest regions depends on
complementary management of forests both outside and inside the established protected areas.
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Student Presentation
Virtual Birding: Extending an established environmental
pastime into online activities
M. Cottman-Fields1, P. Roe1, J. Wimmer1 and M. Brereton1
1
Queensland University of Technology
m.cottman-fields@student.qut.edu.au
Acoustic sensors can be deployed with low impact on the environment and collect data for longer
periods than traditional survey methods. The acoustic data must be analysed to identify the animal
calls it contains. This can be done by automated methods, however birders possess extensive
experience and knowledge that is difficult to encode. Extending the existing pastime of birding into
online activities that embrace established practices and skills has shown promising results.
Researchers can learn from the approach and passion of birders, while birders can gain access to
acoustic analysis tools and sounds from locations they may not otherwise visit. This presentation
will include examples of some of the audio collected. It will be in the form of an informal
competition involving a skill tester of identification abilities using local Brisbane audio recordings.
17
Student Presentation
Optimizing disturbance management of migratory
shorebirds in Moreton bay, Australia
K.L. Dhanjal-Adams1, K. Mustin1, H.P. Possingham1,2 and R.A. Fuller1
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia; 2Division of Ecology and
Evolution, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Berks, UK
kiran.dhanjaladams@uq.net.au
In Moreton Bay Marine Park, Australia, disturbance is a major threat to declining migratory
shorebirds and impacts individual species differently. On some tidal flats, disturbance from dogs,
people or horses illegally causing feeding or roosting birds to take flight is almost continuous.
Marine Park personnel therefore enforce regulations through patrols, yet have limited resources
with which to carry out enforcement. We therefore determine how Moreton Bay Marine Park
personnel can spatially allocate their patrol effort between sites to identify which combinations
deliver the greatest reduction in disturbance to the largest number of birds for the least cost. We
find that sites with large numbers of birds, but low disturbance rates, offer little management
benefit, as do sites with high disturbance rates but few birds. For migratory species such as
shorebirds, local scale management solutions can therefore play an important role in helping
reverse international scale declines.
18
A banding study of the Eastern Osprey Pandion cristatus in
New South Wales
G. P. Clancy
gclancy@tpg.com.au
The Eastern Osprey Pandion cristatus is a rare bird in New South Wales and is listed as a
'vulnerable' on the Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995). It is generally confined to coastal
areas from the Queensland border to Lake Macquarie but breeds along the larger North Coast
rivers. Non-breeding birds occur further south and in recent years nesting has been attempted on
the Central Coast, at Narrabeen Lake (successfully) and at Ulladulla, on the south coast. Colour
banding has been carried out since 1990 with a total of 122 birds, mostly nestlings, having been
banded. Plastic colour bands were originally used in combination with a numbered stainless steel
band supplied by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme. These were replaced with a
combination of three powder coated colour stainless steel numbered bands and lately with a
powder coated numbered band and two powder coated blank stainless steel coloured bands. The
distinctive colour combinations have allowed individual birds to be identified. A total of fifty-one
individual birds have been recovered away from the nest, thirty-seven birds alive and twenty found
dead, six of which had been earlier recovered alive. Recoveries to the north (Gumdale
Queensland) and to the south (Belmore River, Narrabeen, Oatley, Lake Illawarra and Tabourie
Lake on the South Coast of New South Wales (714 km) have been made. The study has
produced the record for the longest movement for the species and has contributed significantly to
the number of Ospreys banded and recovered in Australia and has shed some light on the post
natal dispersal of juveniles of the species. With some exceptions young females dispersed much
greater distances than young males.
19
Of mistletoe and mechanisms—experimental insights into
determinants of woodland dynamics
D. M. Watson
Associate Professor in Ecology, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury NSW 2640
dwatson@csu.edu.au
Mistletoes are one of few groups of native plants to rely on birds for both pollination and seed
dispersal, and their dense clumps also represent popular nesting locations. To estimate the effect
of mistletoe on bird diversity, I conducted a large-scale experiment, comparing bird communities in
woodlands in which all mistletoes were removed with otherwise comparable woodlands. Three
years after mistletoe removal, treatment sites had lost more than a third of their woodland resident
species, but those groups depending on mistletoe for nectar, fruit or nesting sites did not differ
significantly from other groups. Rather, insectivores--specifically ground-foraging insectivores-exhibited the greatest declines, in terms of changes in species richness, reporting rate and
number of woodlands occupied. These rapid, directional responses to mistletoe removal are
consistent with a growing understanding of the role of mistletoes (and parasitic plants generally)
as facilitators, boosting productivity via high quantities of enriched leaf litter. Integrating research
findings on birds and leaf litter, I suggest that changes to the structure and composition of many
habitats has led to fundamental changes in litter-fall, reduced litter-dwelling prey likely underlying
widespread observed declines in ground-foraging insectivores.
20
Using volunteer collected data to evaluate the impact of
protected areas for endemic birds of the Australian Wet
Tropics
M. Barnes
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
m.barnes4@uq.edu.au
Protected areas are the cornerstones of global conservation management, but in many cases it is
unclear whether they are effective in maintaining their biodiversity values. Long term systematic
population monitoring data is exceptionally rare, but critical for determining species and
community level changes in natural values. In Queensland this data exists only for a tiny fraction
of all species. Long-term, increased monitoring is urgently required, but meanwhile, insufficient
data exist with which to make adequate informed decisions. Conversely, species list data is
common, especially for birds. We use Birds Australia atlas data and apply logistic regression
within a Bayesian framework and List Length Analysis to evaluate changes in prevalence for over
100 bird species in the Wet Tropics since 1998 to investigate whether protected areas in the Wet
Tropics region are effective in maintaining their biodiversity values. We also examine the influence
of habitat type and species ecological traits on changes in abundance. The influence of protection
varied among species and correlations with other variables were also idiosyncratic, but for some
species clear trends are evident. Where systematic monitoring data is not available, List Length
Analysis can be a valuable substitute to evaluate biodiversity status, identify monitoring priorities
and inform policy and adaptive management.
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POSTERS:
Student Presentation
How should we be managing urban green spaces to
maximize bird biodiversity and minimize cost?
C. Archibald, H.Possingham, K.Mustin
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
carla.archibald@uqconnect.edu.au
Urban green spaces are important refuges for bird species that cannot adapt to the harsh changes
urbanization causes to the environment. To ensure these green spaces are protected,
conservation and restoration actions must be implemented. Birds are a conspicuous indictor that
can be used to assess the overall biodiversity within an area, and they provide ecosystem services
that can benefit the human community. Observational bird survey data was collected to test the
impact of two commonly applied restoration actions; i) weed control and ii) revegetation, on urban
bird diversity. Revegetation sites showed higher bird species richness, species diversity and a
more even species composition than bare grassland sites. Weed control sites were shown to
have a negative effect on a group of species particularly sensitive to urbanization as sites without
weed control supported higher species richness for urban sensitive species. Revegetation is
associated with a higher initial cost but there are clear diversity outcomes, weed control has lower
initial cost but as there are no clear benefits. It can be argued that the action is inefficient at
achieving the goal of improving bird biodiversity. My results can be used to initiate discussions
between land manager and collaborators about the different ways of using urban restoration to
increase bird diversity. It is important that urban restoration efforts are benefiting bird diversity to
ensure our green spaces will continue to support a sundry of unique bird species.
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Student Presentation
Raptors are highly efficient and functionally important
scavengers of marine carrion on ocean beaches.
M.B. Brown
Honours Student, Faculty of Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia.
mbb004@student.usc.edu.au
Exposed sandy shorelines are the world’s single longest ecological interface region between the
oceans and the land: these boundary ecosystems receive large imports of marine carbon in the
form of stranded plant and animal material, thought to energetically support beach food webs. As
bird habitats, exposed beaches are under-represented in research and monitoring, and the
functional role of birds in beach systems is poorly understood. In my research I ask two questions:
1.) can birds function as efficient consumers of marine carbon stranded on beaches, and 2.) to
which degree is this ‘avian scavenging function’ modified by the presence of mammalian
carnivores, including invasive foxes. Fieldwork is done on islands in Southern Queensland
(Moreton and North Stradbroke) using repeated camera-trapping (baited with fish) of scavengers
at the dune-beach interface. Raptors (White-bellied Sea Eagle, Whistling kite, Brahminy kite)
dominate the guild of avian scavengers, complemented by crows and Silver Gulls. I have also
recorded the vulnerable Beach Stone-curlew at experimentally placed fish carcasses. Birds are
highly efficient consumers of marine carrion, regularly removing all fish carcasses within 12 h of
placement; this remarkable scavenging rate is also consistent between surveys, demonstrating
that birds are the main biological vectors that transfer beach-cast marine carbon from nearshore
oceans to the terrestrial systems. Emerging evidence from my field work also suggests that
raptors may expand their niche, or increase their abundance, in systems where competition with
invasive foxes is removed.
23
Student Presentation
Drivers of meso-scale bird species richness: heterogeneity,
fire management and competitive species
E. Burgess and M. Maron
The Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management,
University of Queensland.
e.burgess4@uq.edu.au
Landscape heterogeneity is widely assumed to promote biodiversity. However, knowledge on the
drivers of landscape-scale diversity is often lacking. To develop effective management strategies
for bird conservation there is a need to understand how changes in landscape structure and
composition affect bird communities at larger spatial scales.
We assessed a range of landscape-level bird species richness metrics in the sub-tropical
woodlands of central Queensland, Australia. A systematic, nested hierarchical approach to
sampling has been adopted in 28 study landscapes, selected to represent variation in fire history
and habitat diversity.
Preliminary results suggest increasing ecosystem diversity and topographic variability is
associated with landscape-level species richness of birds. The mean abundance across sites
within a landscape of a competitive species, the Noisy miner, had a negative influence on the
richness of small passerines. Species richness at the landscape-level was not significantly
influenced by fire-mediated heterogeneity. Further analysis will allow insight into the relationship
between landscape heterogeneity and bird community composition.
The results indicate that without consideration of confounding factors such as the presence of
competitive species, management strategies focused solely on maintaining habitat heterogeneity
may fail.
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Student Presentation
Quantifying Movement Patterns of Australian Birds: Are
People Making Birds Less Migratory?
S. Chapman
University of Queensland, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management
sarah.chapman1@uqconnect.edu.au
In the last decade changes in the migratory behaviour of birds have been observed and studies in
Europe have found links between urbanization and decreases in migratoriness. Relatively little is
known about the migratory behaviour of birds in Australia and the effect of urbanization on bird
migration in Australia is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if the same
trends of decreased migratoriness in urbanized areas that have been observed in Europe occur in
Australia, in order to add to the current understanding of the migration patterns of birds in
Australia. A secondary objective was to determine if the BirdLife Australia database could be used
in this type of analysis. Occupancy and abundance data from the BirdLife Australia database were
used to analyse migratoriness in 14 bird species. Population was found to be significant and have
a negative relationship with migratoriness in five of the migratory species analysed. This aligns
with trends seen in bird populations in other part of the world, however the coefficients were found
to be weak. Abundance data was also used, but returned no significant results for migratory
species. Issues with finding movement patterns in non-migratory species, and not finding
movement in some migratory species, suggests the BirdLife Australia occupancy data may not be
sensitive enough for this type of analysis, and the BirdLife Australia database could be improved
by encouraging volunteers to collect more abundance data.
25
Student Presentation
Does introduced predator exclusion benefit groundnesting birds?
V.C. Hutchison1, L. Kemp2 and L.K.-P. Leung1
1
School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, 4343, Australia;
Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Scotia Sanctuary, via Wentworth, NSW, 2648, Australia
veronica.hutchison@uqconnect.edu.au
2
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s Scotia Sanctuary has Australia’s largest conservation
fence, within which a total area of 8000 ha is free of feral cats, red foxes and rabbits. This study
aimed to determine the benefits of excluding introduced predators on ground nesting birds.
Artificial nests were used to measure predation of eggs of ground-nesting birds both inside and
outside the conservation fence. Nests were monitored with remote motion-sensor cameras and
sand plots. More eggs survived outside the conservation fence because of higher predation from
bettongs and goannas inside the fence.
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Student Presentation
Remotely sensed evidence of the rapid loss of tidal flats in
the Yellow Sea
Murray, Nicholas J.1,2; Phinn, Stuart R.3, Robert S. Clemens1, Hugh P. Possingham1 &
Richard A. Fuller1
1
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The
University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
2
CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship and CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, Queensland 4102,
Australia.
3
Centre for Spatial Environmental Research, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The
University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
nick.murray@uq.edu.au
In East Asia’s Yellow Sea, intertidal wetlands are the frontline ecosystem protecting a coastal
population of more than 150 million people from storms and sea-level rise. Despite widespread
coastal change and severe modification of the region’s major river systems, the magnitude and
distribution of coastal wetland loss remains unquantified. We developed a novel remote sensing
method to map the extent the region’s principal coastal ecosystem, tidal flats, at two time periods,
the 1980s and late 2000s. We used a regionally validated tide model to identify Landsat images
acquired at high and low tides, allowing the area between the high and low tide waterlines to be
mapped by differencing classified land-water images between the two tidal stages. Results
indicated that of the 545,000 ha present in the 1980s, only 389,000 ha remained three decades
later, equating to a net loss of 28% at a mean rate of 1.2 % yr-1. ). China lost more tidal flat and at
a faster rate (39.8%, 1.8% yr-1) than South Korea (32.2%, 1.6% yr-1), and in North Korea minor
gains of tidal flat were recorded at (8.5%, 0.3 yr-1). For the same mapped area, historical maps
suggest that tidal flats occupied up to 1.14 million ha in the mid-1950s, equating to a potential net
loss of up to 65% over ~50 years. Coastal land reclamation for agriculture, aquaculture and urban
development is a major driver of tidal flat loss, particularly in China and South Korea, although
region-wide declines in sediment replenishment from rivers is also occurring. Conservation efforts
should target protection of tidal flats and encourage collaborative and properly planned
development strategies.
27
Avifauna of the Torres Strait
J. Watson1,2 , T. Lavery3 & G. Hitchcock4
1
Gondwana Ecology Group, PO Box 535, Kenmore, QLD 4069;
Institute for Land, Water & Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW 2640,
3
School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343,
4
Arafura Consulting, PO Box 4115, Melbourne University, VIC, 3052
justin@gondwanaecology.com.au
2
The logistical constraints associated with travel to the islands of the Torres Strait have long been a
restraint to ecological research within the region. Draffan et al. (1983) compiled the first
comprehensive list of birds recorded across the Torres Strait region and analysed biogeographical
species distributions, which indicated that the total area of woodland and forest habitat types,
rather than island size, is the greatest determinant of avian species diversity. Thirty years later,
this paper remains the benchmark document for bird records within Torres Strait. Our research
(2007-2009), has reviewed confirmed bird records over the last 26 years on all 17 settled islands,
and has supplemented this data with our own standard surveys, thereby updating the work of
Draffan et al. (1983). We analyse the patterns of species diversity in the Torres Strait with respect
to island biogeography and habitat types, utilizing detailed mapping of the flora and vegetation
communities of each island, completed in collaboration with this work. This has enabled a
thorough re-examination of the vegetation types most important to avian diversity in the Torres
Strait. We also highlight important additional species records for Torres Strait including new island
records and new records of exotic species. The most notable new species records are derived
from the north western group of islands (Boigu, Saibai and Dauan) where a number of New
Guinean species have been confirmed. The Torres Strait has remained relatively free of
introduced birds. However the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), reported as only being present
on two islands in Draffan et al. (1983), is now almost ubiquitous amongst the inhabited islands.
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Shorebird & Habitat Conservation in the Torres Strait
J. Watson1,2 and T. Lavery 3
1Gondwana
Ecology Group, PO Box 535, Kenmore 4069;
for Land, Water & Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW 2640,
3School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343
justin@gondwanaecology.com.au
2Institute
The Torres Strait Islands provide important resources for shore birds that utilise the
marine/foreshore habitat, particularly ‘stopover’ habitat for migratory species and nesting and
foraging resources for resident species. Global concern regarding shorebird population survival
has been raised through research highlighting declining numbers. In Australia, many shorebird
populations have not been properly assessed and few shorebird habitats (particularly migratory
waders) are adequately conserved. The islands and associated sand and mudflats of the Torres
Strait have minimal conservation and protection recognition. The region is not recognised as an
Important Bird Area. In this paper we describe the potential available habitat (and resources); and
provide an annotated list of the species using this environment. The Indigenous Protected Areas
initiative allows for community conservation and management of cultural and environmental values
through funded programs established by the Commonwealth. These programs provide
opportunities for protection and conservation of shorebirds and their habitat. This study provides a
basis for conservation recognition for the Torres Strait and the opportunities for habitat, resource
and species conservation and management.
29
Student Presentation
Distribution of tanagers (Thraupidae, Passeriformes)
within an Atlantic Forest fragment, Southern Espirito
Santo, Brazil
W. Moreira-Costa1, W. M. Costa1,2, A. A. Amaral1
1
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Espírito Santo (Ifes) – Campus de Alegre, ES, Brasil.
Griffith University/ CAPES Foundation.
willianbiologo@hotmail.com
2
The American endemic tanager bird family Thraupidae plays an important role in seed dispersal,
and is recognized as one of the most species rich families in the Atlantic Forest biome. The Ifes Alegre university campus area includes an Atlantic Forest reserve of 0.4 km 2, which features plant
species at different succession stages, including capoeira1 and secondary vegetation. This study
aimed to identify the distribution of tanagers between capoeira and secondary vegetation
environments within this small reserve. Observations were made from May 2013 to April 2014,
totaling 60 hours. Twenty species were identified. The genres that had the highest species
richness were the spectacular tanagers Tangara and Seedeaters Sporophila. Bananaquit, finchlike tanagers Emberizoides, shrike-tanagers Lanio, Sicalis, some finches Sporophila and grassquit
Volatinia seem to be restricted to the capoeira environment. The species Gilt-edged Tanager
Tangara cyanoventris, Green-headed Tanager Tangara seledon, Black-headed Tanager Tangara
cyanoptera and Swallow Tanager Tersina viridis were only found in the secondary forest, while the
species Chestnut-vented Conebill Conirostrum speciosum, Palm Tanager Tangara palmarum and
Sayaca tanager Tangara sayaca were observed in both environments. It was found that Swallow
Tanager and Blue Dacnis Dacnis cayana occurrences are usually associated with each other,
although the latter seems not to be restricted to the secondary forest.
1
Capoeira is a Portuguese word commonly used in Brazil to refer to the vegetation in the early stage of forest
regeneration, which includes grasses and woody weed.
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31
Supported by the Lord Mayor's Suburban
Initiative Fund and Toowong Ward
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