SURVEY SHEET INSTRUCTIONS
Personal details: Please list name, address and phone number for contact purposes
following survey. This not only helps us follow up interesting sightings but allows us
to provide feedback on the surveys.
Date/Time: Record date and time of sighting, or if searching area for an extended
period (ie. couple of hours), state the time in which you started searching and the time
when you finished.
Location details: Record the general area of your sighting (ie. Mandurang State Forest
near Bendigo) and if possible, the road/track names in the area, or a photocopy or
sketch of a map (possibly from rural fire directories or state or regional road
directories).
Please provide either a Latitude and Longitude or an AMG (Australian Map
Grid), a grid reference obtainable from a topographic map. If you cannot access a
topographic map to record the grid reference of your sighting please provide a
photocopy of other maps or sufficient information to enable us to locate the exact
location.
Site topography: This refers to the nature of the land (ie. close to a creek, in a gully,
on a hill or ridge etc.).
Weather Conditions: It is very important to record the weather conditions at the time
of your sighting.
Swift Parrot/Regent Honeyeater Observations: Please record the number of Swift
Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters sighted, what they were doing (flying through,
perching, feeding or any combination) and, if feeding, what they were feeding on
(lerps, nectar etc.).
Other bird species present: In any assessment of a bird’s ecology, the species it
occurs with are important. If possible, identify the other birds in the area, and give a
1,2 or 3 score to record their numbers. Also record a Y if any aggression with Swift
Parrots or Regent Honeyeaters noted. If both Regent Honeyeaters and Swift Parrots
are present please note which species is involved.
Habitat Description: This section an important section of the record sheet, and is
rather simple to complete.
Firstly, attempt to identify the most common tree species (ie. Red Ironbark,
Mugga Ironbark, White Box) in the immediate vicinity of your sighting. We
appreciate that not everyone will know all, or any, of the trees present.
Record whether flowering is (3) abundant, (2) common, (1) scarce or (0) no
flowering.
Large Trees (>40cm DBH or >60cm DBH) are of interest as we are trying to
determine the importance of large trees (which are often scarce or absent in this forest
type) for Swift Parrots. DBH stands for Diameter at Breast Height, so roughly
estimate the width of some of the big trees around you at breast height and record a 0,
1, 2 or 3 depending on how many trees are over 40 or 60cm DBH.
Lerps (a scale insect found on eucalyptus leaves) leave a white sugary
secretion on the leaves. Have a look for some on the leaves on the ground or on trees
if the branches are close enough to the ground. Lerps are an important food source of
Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters. Record a 0,1,2 or 3 depending on the amount
of lerp.
Foraging: This box simply asks whether Regent Honeyeaters or Swift Parrots
were observed foraging in any of the tree species around you. Record a Y or N for
each tree species present.
Additional comments: Any further comments about habitat, weather or interesting
observations can be made here.
Site Map (if applicable): Should you need to sketch a map of the area where you
sighted (or did not sight) Swift Parrots or Regent Honeyeaters, please do so in the
space provided or attach another sheet. These maps are really handy for following
sightings in future years.
If anything about the survey sheet is unclear contact:
Belinda Cooke (Swift Parrot Project Officer)
P.O. Box 2115, Queanbeyan, NSW, 2620
 (02) 6298 9733 Freecall 1800 66 57 66
E-mail: swiftparrots@yahoo.com.au