Cradle to Coastlines - November 2019

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cradle to coastlines

Senecio elegans , a pretty weed of the region's coastlines.

cradle to coastlines November 2019

in this issue Page 3 Little Penguins on the coast Page 4 Dung beetles introduced across southern Australia

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Page 6 Don Reserve BioBlitz Page 7 MORE Citizen Science!

Page 8 Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference and Landcare Awards Page 9 Shorebird Monitoring Project wraps up after 10 years Page 10 Harriers in the harvest

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Page 12 Fiona Marshall and her alpacas Page 14 Ali Dugand is back!

Page 15 Welcome Margot Page 16 What's On

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cradle coast nrm 1-3 Spring Street BURNIE TAS 7320 03 6433 8400

www.cradlecoast.com/nrm www.facebook.com/CradleCoastNRM/

Little Penguins on the coast

In August this year, 42 Little Penguins were killed by dogs at Wynyard. Ten orphaned chicks were rescued and cared for by volunteers at Burnie’s Penguin Rehab and Release. After seven weeks of dedicated feeding, cleaning, caring and fundraising, in the early hours of the 23rd of October, seven of the orphaned chicks were returned to Doctors Rocks and released into the chilly Bass Straight waters.

Penguin Rehab and Release is a licensed facility in Burnie which provides specialised care for injured or sick penguins and seabirds.

Little Penguins are the smallest species of penguin in the world. Little Penguins live on the land and in the sea. They fish out at sea during the day and return to their nests on shore at dusk.

There are many Little Penguin colonies located along the coasts of Tasmania and its islands.

There are designated penguin viewing areas at Burnie, Lillico Beach, Stanley, Strahan and Grassy on King Island within the Cradle Coast region. For more information about Little Penguins and how you can safely view them with minimum interference see the Little Penguin Online Learning Package on the Cradle Coast Authority website: www.cradlecoast.com/online-learningpackages.

Photo credit: ABC Northern Tasmania Facebook.

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We are lucky to have Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) living along our north-west coastlines but ever-increasing coastal development does see them under severe pressure from humans and our dogs and cats.

The introduction of exotic dung beetles is currently being trialled to benefit grazing systems across Southern Australia, including a trial site in the Cradle Coast region.

The tunnels themselves improve soil structure by reducing density and providing avenues for water to enter the soil profile when it rains, thereby reducing surface runoff.

Dung beetles, as the name suggests, are species of insects which feed on animal manure. Exotic dung beetles were initially mass-released in Australia in 1967 in an effort to reduce the population of the Australian Bush Fly, a source of irritation to rural and urban residents alike.

The burial of nutrient-rich dung gives rise to increased soil fertility and can reduce the need to apply fertiliser. Dung burial also reduces the need to harrow pasture during times of the year when beetles are active, saving valuable time and money. Animal health issues can also be reduced through dung burial, potentially reducing the frequency of using chemicals such as drenches.

Following the initial success of this program, other species of dung beetles began to be introduced to livestock-producing regions of Australia. Of the 13 species of dung beetle released in Tasmania, 7 have become established. The largest of these introduced species, the winter-active Blue Dung Beetle or “Blue Bomber” (Geotrupes spiniger), is often seen in large numbers at dusk from late summer onwards and sometimes observed impaled on barbed wire fencing in rural districts.

Dung beetle species which bury dung in tunnels perform numerous valuable services for livestock producers.

The Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers (DBEE) project builds on the previous work of exotic dung beetle introductions, by focusing on five beetle species which are active during times of the year where little dung burial presently occurs. To this end, a spring active species of dung beetle, Onthophagus vacca (a.k.a “eater of cow dung”!), is being trialled in 20 sites across southern Australia. Tasmania is host to two of these sites which were established in early spring, one in the south of the state and one in the Cradle Coast region.

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Dung beetles introduced across southern Australia

The beetle colonies are being monitored closely as they develop, and should they be successful in proliferating in our temperate climate they can be introduced to livestock production districts in the future. The Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA)with support for the north-west site provided by the Cradle Coast Authority NRM team.

For more information, contact Tom O'Malley on tomalley@cradlecoast.com

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Onthophagus vacca, eater of cow dung!

Photo credit: Tom O'Malley.

Don Reserve BioBlitz

How many species would you be able to find in the Don Reserve at Devonport? Over 30 busy hours in early November, scientists, naturalists and citizen scientists got together for the Extinction Matters BioBlitz, and recorded 255 species!

Have a look at the Project on iNaturalist to browse the species and learn more about the birds, bats, bees, blossoms and berries of the Cradle Coast! www.inaturalist.org/projects/don-reserveextinction-matters-bioblitz

From the smallest of spiders to the tallest of trees, every living thing in the Don Reserve was photographed (or its call recorded), and catalogued on the iNaturalist app. Once a species has been observed and uploaded to iNaturalist, other scientists from around the world can help to verify its identification.

Organised by the Bookend Trust and Devonport City Council, the event attracted more than 250 participants, with even more people engaged in species ID online.

Photo credit: Extinction Matters BioBlitz Facebook.

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School students from Our Lady of Lourdes and Andrews Creek Primary School, who took part on the Friday morning, were particularly enthusiastic: “Children loved it - opened up their eyes to the environment that they often take for granted. They loved the challenge of trying to locate new species and were blown away by the knowledge the scientists had. Gave a greater appreciation to the natural wonders of our world� said one teacher.

MORE Citizen Science!

If recording species on iNaturalist has become an addiction for you (as it may have for some of the CCNRM team!), there are more exciting opportunities to get involved in useful citizen science.

Do you have a property with Burrowing Crayfish chimneys? Check out the new Nature Trackers project, Claws on the Line. www.naturetrackers.com.au Fill out this questionnaire to be part of the project if you’re interested.

Researchers from the Australian Platypus Conservancy recently came to Tasmania to encourage citizen scientists to participate in the Australian Platypus Monitoring Network (APMN) www.platypusnetwork.org.au. If you regularly walk near platypus habitat, why not become an APMN volunteer?

More information on the website or by contacting Iona at Cradle Coast NRM on iflett@cradlecoast.com

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Images from www.naturetrackers.com.au

MyDungBeetle Reporter lets you quickly and easily report your observations to Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers project experts across Australia. Anyone can help map dung beetle distributions by using their phone to make reports with up to four photos from their camera or gallery, and GPS location of the sighting. Experts will attempt to identify your beetles and reply back to your device!

Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference and Landcare Awards

Attendees were treated to more than 40 presentations covering a myriad of topics, demonstrating and celebrating all aspects of community Landcare across Tasmania.

The inaugural Tasmanian Premier’s Landcare Award was presented at a reception held at Government House to mark the start of the conference, with the award won by the Cradle Coast’s own Living Legend of Landcare, Dr Graeme Stevenson. Congratulations Graeme!

On the Saturday evening, the state Landcare awards dinner was held, with nine awards presented to Landcarers who are now finalists in the 2020 National Landcare Awards. The Cradle Coast region was particularly well represented, taking out five of the nine awards on offer!

A huge congratulations goes out to Soil First Tasmania (Australian Government Landcare Farming Award), Friends of Fernglade Reserve (Austcover Young Landcare Leadership Award), Redbank Farm (Australian Government Innovation in Agriculture Land Management Award), Circular Head Landcare (Virgin Coastcare Award) and King Island Natural Resource Management Group (Australian Community Media Landcare Community Award).

Well done everyone!

A huge “thank you” should also be extended to the Burnie, Central Coast, Circular Head, Devonport and Waratah-Wynyard councils, who supported community volunteer Landcarers from the Cradle Coast region to attend this conference.

Plenary session at the Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference, Blundstone Arena.

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Landcare Tasmania recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, holding the Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference in Hobart over the last weekend in October.

After 10 years, the Cradle Coast Resident Shorebird Survey Project is to conclude at the completion of the spring survey this year. The project was developed by Hazel Britton and Cradle Coast NRM in 2010 and has been monitoring 45 sites from Stanley to Narawntapu National Park. More than 100 dedicated volunteers have monitored each site twice yearly, recording resident shorebirds and providing data to Birdlife Australia, Birdlife Tasmania and the Natural Values Atlas.

Without Hazel Britton this ambitious project would never have been the success it has been, providing valuable scientific data and community awareness-raising. Hazel has volunteered her time and generously shared her skills with everyone and to have the stamina and carry this immense project through for 10 years is an astonishing effort. This data has been and will be hugely valuable for ongoing shorebird knowledge and conservation efforts in our region and beyond.

The lead volunteers and Hazel Britton joined the Cradle Coast NRM committee and staff recently and were acknowledged for their amazing contribution to initiating and then completing this 10 year coordinated study.

Thank you to Hazel and all the volunteers involved in the Resident Shorebird Survey Project over the last 10 years.

Shorebird survey with Hazel Britton, 2016.

Hazel Britton

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Shorebird Monitoring Project wraps up after 10 years

Harriers in the harvest

Fortunately, the farmer whose property the ground-nesting Swamp Harriers have chosen to nest in, knows that a nest might be somewhere in the crop after observing aerial courtship displays during spring. The nest is close to a dam that is a valuable hunting ground with good food supply to feed and raise young.

Even after the crops are harvested safely (leaving the recommended two tractor lengths or five meters of cover around the nest) the fledging checks could be in danger until they leave at around eight weeks old. To help Swamp Harriers, a delay in post-harvest grazing is recommended, or the installation of a temporary electric fence.

After harvest, the chicks and nest site are more exposed to predators, such as feral cats, farm dogs, and Forest Ravens. It’s a tough life for a harrier in the harvest!

The Swamp Harrier is listed as a migratory raptor, crossing Bass Strait in early autumn to over-winter on the mainland, then returning in early spring.

The Australian Bird and Bat Banding Association (ABBBS) band recoveries in Tasmania suggest that Swamp Harriers select a nesting area and return each year.

Their spring arrival coincides with the annual hatching of other farmland ground-nesting birds like the Masked Lapwing, Vanellus miles, Skylarks, Alauda arvensis, and the endemic Tasmanian Native-hen Gallinula mortierii. The remains of these chicks, particularly nativehens, can be found in nest litter along with occasional eel, trout and reptile remains.

Over many years, a study into Swamp Harrier distribution and behaviour has been undertaken by local naturalist and raptor specialist, Pete Tonelli, and Field Ecologist/Agronomist Ali Dugand. Farmers and agricultural contractors who have taken part in the project have improved the odds of survival of the Swamp Harrier in a tough, considerably altered landscape. Overall, the farming community appreciate the presence of Swamp Harriers patrolling the paddocks and dams hunting introduced rodent pests.

More information is available at www.harriersintheharvest.com.au which has been developed to guide the farming community towards practical conservation of a unique farmer’s friend. If you have information or questions you can email info@harriersintheharvest.com.au

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It’s the beginning of summer and a large female Swamp Harrier, Circus approximans, patrols effortlessly along a fence-line. Her concealed nest and three hungry chicks are located on the ground within a standing pasture paddock, which is about to be slashed ahead of preparation for silage.

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Swamp Harrier nest in a pyrethrum crop in Penguin.

Image captured by a remote wildlife camera installed by Ali Dugand.

Fiona Marshall and her alpacas

Fiona has over 30 years’ experience in the NRM field, having worked for agencies involved in soil conservation, land and water resources, river management, catchment management and biosecurity. Fiona is passionate about the natural environment and working with both public and private landholders to improve the management of soil and water resources. She has practical experience in designing and implementing erosion works and has held several senior management roles in NSW catchment management organisations. She has worked with research organisations to collect data on native vegetation coverage along rivers, implement flood mitigation works, develop in stream erosion control works using log structures and implement weed control measures along rivers using drone technology.

Fiona is also a farmer, having relocated from the mainland to the cooler climates and better soils of north-west Tasmania. She brought many of her stud alpacas with her. She and her husband have been breeding alpacas since 2003 (while also running beef cattle) in the Upper Hunter of NSW and now live near Wynyard in Tasmania.

They breed the alpacas for their wool and participate in cooperative wool ventures within Australia that export raw and processed fleece overseas. Fiona and her husband participate in local and national shows and are always working to improve density, length and quality of their wool. They also sell animals as pets, or to new breeders, or in some cases as sheep guards (on the mainland they are used to protect lambs from fox predation).

Alpacas are well-suited to small acreages as their impact on the land is minimal, they have soft pads rather than hard hooves and they have split lips like kangaroos so do not graze as close to the ground as sheep. The husbandry associated with alpacas is quite simple and existing breeders within the industry in Australia are very supportive of new alpaca owners. There is also an emerging market for alpaca meat, which is very high in protein and low in fat. The Australian Alpaca Association is the national peak industry body that lobbies for, undertakes research and supports breeders.

For more information, contact Fiona Marshall on fmarshall@cradlecoast.com.

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Fiona Marshall has recently joined the Cradle Coast NRM team to work on projects protecting native species on agricultural land.

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Ali Dugand is back!

Ali Dugand has recently re-joined the Cradle Coast NRM team as an Agriculture Project Coordinator. Ali has a rural background and a keen interest in restoring natural values that support the intensive production system. She will be delivering the Protecting our Productive Landscapes program that aims to provide practical support to the cropping and dairy industries to address the risks associated with hillslope erosion by water, and soil acidification.

Ali began her career in agriculture as a roustabout for a shearing team and operated a combine header during a wheat harvest.

Throughout these early years she noted intricacies of the landscape that most people at the time seemed to ignore.

Ali Dugand in a grain crop in Penguin with two harrier chicks.

Photo credit: Pete Tonelli

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This fostered a curiosity and an awareness of ecology, that resulted in a quest for knowledge through ongoing study and full-time work in various areas of agriculture, horticulture and nature conservation. Ali’s long-term aim is to support landholders to steer towards sustainable land use, utilising her knowledge and practical experience. With many adventures along the way, Ali is now settled in the northwest of Tasmania, an ideal location to put these insights to good use.

Welcome Margot Margot Oorebeek joined the CCA in November as the new Regional Cat Management Coordinator.

Originally from The Netherlands, Margot moved to Adelaide 15 years ago to start a PhD in ecology. Her PhD looked at the distribution, ecology and fitness costs of Ixodes hirsti, a species of tick that is commonly found on birds in South Australia. While her enthusiasm for ticks didn’t grow in those three years, her passion for birds did.

Since then, Margot worked as an assistantwarden at the Broome Bird Observatory, a research assistant for the University of Western Australia working on Australian Magpies in Perth and Southern Pied Babblers in the Kalahari, and as a senior zoologist/ornithologist for an ecological consultancy in Perth. In her spare time, Margot developed an interest in migratory shorebirds.

Long term population trends are a vital tool in providing early identification of decline and Margot has previously participated in northwest Australian counts. She says there is nothing quite as spectacular, exciting and daunting as having to count 80,000 birds before the tide comes in or a raptor flies over and disturbs them all!

Tasmania is at the end of the East AsianAustralasian Flyway and many birds don’t come this far south, but the Cradle Coast region still hosts approximately 20,000 shorebirds. The season for counting shorebirds has just started and Margot is looking forward to participating in some of the Shorebird 2020 counts conducted in the region.

These little birds spend their lives in eternal summer. They spend the non-breeding season (September-April) in Australia and breed in the northern hemisphere from northern China to Siberia. For a species like the Bar-tailed Godwit that breeds in Alaska, this means a return journey of 22,000 km every year. These birds can live up to 30 years, which means that they travel 666,000 km over their lifetime! This is the same as flying to the moon and back; a spectacular feat for a bird that weighs just 350g.

Margot Oorebeek with an Asian Dowitcher.

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Unfortunately, in Australia 10 of the 13 most common migrant shorebird species are declining in number.

What's on what

where & who

when

NRM North Hillsope erosion field walk

Archer Street, Deloraine More info: contact NRM North Project Officer, Peter Heading on 0400 737 253 or 6333 7789.

3 December 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Forthside Vegetable Research Facility Open Day

Forthside Vegetable Research Facility, Forthside Rd, Forth.

More info: www.utas.edu.au/tia/events/items/ forthside-vegetable-research-facility-open-day

5 December 9:30am - 3:30pm

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Cultural Awareness Training

Ulverstone Surf Life Saving Club Beach Road, Ulverstone More info: Dewayne Everettsmith on 6234 0700 or dewayne.e@tacinc.com.au.

10 December

Smart Farms Small Grants Round 3

www.communitygrants.gov.au/grants/nationallandcare-program-smart-farms-small-grantsround-3

Apply by 19 December

24 December until 6 January

Cradle Coast Authority office closure

cradle coast nrm 1-3 Spring St Burnie Tasmania 7320

www.cradlecoast.com/nrm www.facebook.com/CradleCoastNRM/