FLORA AND FAUNA ASSESSMENT BIRD, BAT AND WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE TARGETED SURVEYS

Transcription

1 MOORABOOL WIND PROJECT FLORA AND FAUNA ASSESSMENT BIRD, BAT AND WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE TARGETED SURVEYS WestWind Energy Pty Ltd 605 Nicholson Street, North Carlton P O Box 592, North Carlton, Vic Ph. (03) Fax. (03) September 2009 Report No (3.5)

2 CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION SOURCES OF INFORMATION Existing information Flora Ecological Vegetation Classes Fauna Field methodology Flora species Identifying and assessing native vegetation Fauna Limitations of field assessment SITE DESCRIPTION FLORA OF THE STUDY AREA Flora species Ecological Vegetation Classes Scattered trees Degraded treeless vegetation Conservation significance according to the Framework FAUNA OF THE STUDY AREA Habitat assessment Fauna species Birds Mammals Reptiles Amphibians Other fauna Fauna conservation significance BIRD UTILISATION SURVEY Methods Fixed-point bird count method Locations of survey points Incidental observations Limitations Page i

3 7.3. Results of the bird utilisation survey Representativeness of the survey Bird Observations BAT SURVEY Introduction Methods WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE SURVEY Wedge-tailed Eagle Biology Field methodology Results Existing information Results of the Survey Comparison with previous work Discussion POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED WIND FARM ON BIRDS AND BATS Mortality caused by wind turbines Indirect Habitat Disturbance Direct Habitat Disturbance Mortality caused by wind mast guys and powerlines Conclusions IMPACTS AND REGULATORY IMPLICATIONS Planning Controls Native Vegetation Management Framework How the Framework operates Offset targets for removal from habitat zones Offset targets for removal of scattered trees Application of the Framework to project design Wind Farm design response EPBC Act FFG Act EE Act DSE threatened species advisory lists Page ii

4 11.7. Moorabool Shire Roadside Vegetation Plan CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Mitigation Recommendations REFERENCES TABLES Table 1: FFG Act and EPBC Act listed flora species and likelihood of occurrence Table 2: Threatened fauna identified as occurring or potentially occurring in the study area Table 3: Times of day when points* were counted during each survey day Table 4: Summary of numbers of individual birds and their height distribution seen on impact survey points at the Moorabool Wind Project site. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m) Table 5: Summary of numbers of individual birds and their height distribution seen on Reference survey points at the Moorabool Wind Project site. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m) Table 6: The number of birds counted at each of the survey points at Moorabool Wind Project. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m) Table 7: Species flying at rotor swept area height during bird utilisation surveys at the Moorabool Wind Project Table 8: The number of raptors counted at each of the survey points at Moorabool Wind Project. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m) Table 9: A comparison of activity levels of bat species recorded on Moorabool Wind Project site Table 10: Wedge-tailed Eagle records from the AVW search region surrounding the proposed Moorabool Wind Project Table 11: Summary of bird mortality estimates for wind farms in Europe and North America (Sources: Erickson et al 2001; Percival 2003; NWCC 2004) Table 12: Studies of the possible disturbance effects of wind farms on birds (after Percival 2003) Table 13: Likely response to applications for removal of intact native vegetation Table 14: Application referral criteria Page iii

5 Table 15: Summary of like-for-like criteria that may relate to the current proposal Table 16: Priorities for retention of sites identified in the study area FIGURES Figure 1 : Native Vegetation Quality Bungeeltap Section Figure 2: Native Vegetation Quality Ballark Section (east) Figure 3: Native Vegetation Quality Ballark Section (west) Figure 4: Rocky outcrop within native grassland habitat in southern section of study area Figure 5: Remnant woodland forest in valley provides connectivity to larger bush blocks Figure 6: The Moorabool River East Branch is likely to support a range of common waterbirds and frogs Figure 7: Map of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site showing the approximate location of bird utilisation survey points and bat recording sites Figure 8: The cumulative number of species of birds recorded during consecutive counts at the impact observation points on the Moorabool Wind Project Figure 9: Wedge-tailed Eagle survey points Figure 10: Position, direction of travel and type of flight of Wedge-tailed Eagles recorded as individual fixed-point and incidental sightings at the Bungeeltap Section of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site during the survey Figure 11: Position, direction of travel and type of flight of Wedge-tailed Eagles recorded as individual fixed-point and incidental sightings at the Ballark Section of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site during the survey Figure 12: Priority Level for Retention Bungeeltap Section Figure 13: Priority Level for Retention Ballark Section (east) Figure 14: Priority Level for Retention Ballark Section (west) APPENDICES Appendix 1: Flora species recorded incidentally in the study area and threatened species (with the potential) to occur in the search region Appendix 2: Vertebrate terrestrial fauna species that occur or are likely to occur in the study area Appendix 3: Fauna conservation significance criteria Page iv

6 Appendix 4: Observations of Wedge-tailed Eagles at proposed Moorabool Wind Project during Wedge-tailed Eagle survey Appendix 5: Observations of Wedge-tailed Eagles at proposed Moorabool Wind Project during Bird Utilisation survey ACRONYMS FIS DSE EVC VVP CVU AVW DBH GPS RSA Flora Information System Department of Sustainability and Environment Ecological Vegetation Class Victorian Volcanic Plain Central Victorian Uplands Atlas of Victorian Wildlife Diametre at Breast Height Global Positioning System Rotor Swept Height Page v

7 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WestWind Energy Pty Ltd engaged Brett Lane and Associates Pty Ltd to undertake a detailed flora and fauna assessment on the site of a proposed new wind farm, to be known as the Moorabool Wind Project, south of Ballan, approximately 67 kilometres west of Melbourne. The site is divided into northern (Bungeeltap Section) and southern (Ballark Section) sections. Specifically, the scope of the investigation comprised: A flora and fauna assessment, including: o Characterising and mapping remnant native vegetation; o Compiling an incidental flora and fauna species list; and o Assessing the likelihood of occurrence of threatened flora and fauna in the area and the potential impacts of the proposed development on these. Targeted species surveys: o A bird utilisation survey to inform a level one risk assessment (sensu AusWEA 2005). o An Anabat ultrasonic bat detector survey o A Wedge-tailed Eagle survey for individuals inhabiting the proposed wind farm site and those within approximately 10 kilometres from the proposed wind farm boundary. Subsequently a study on roaming was undertaken comprising: A five day survey in the proposed wind farm site documenting eagle presence and behaviour; The Identification of high-use areas by Wedge-tailed Eagles in the wind farm site An initial evaluation of the relative density of eagles utilizing the proposed wind farm site through fixed point counts at ten selected points located in the different habitats on the proposed wind farm site; and Mapping of Wedge-tailed Eagle sightings, and observed and possible flight paths. The results of these assessments and targeted surveys are summarised below. Flora and native vegetation Eighteen flora species on the EPBC Act and FFG Act were identified as occurring or potentially occurring within the wind farm boundary due to the habitats present. These were Buloke, Ornate Pink-fingers, Curly Sedge, Australian Anchor Plant, Trailing Hop-bush, Clover Glycine, Basalt Pepper-cress, Velvet Daisy-bush, Spiny Rice-flower, Maroon Leek-orchid, Brittle Greenhood, Scented Bush-pea, Button Wrinklewort, Large-fruit Fireweed, Swamp Fireweed, Swamp Everlasting Winter Sun-orchid and Spiral Sun-orchid. The proposed wind farm layout avoids all areas of native vegetation and hence a targeted survey for the above species is not required. Page 1

8 The FIS indicated a total of 72 rare or threatened plant species listed on the DSE advisory list as occurring in the search region. Confirming their presence was beyond the scope of this study. However, one species listed as rare, Yarra Gum, was recorded in the northern part of the study area. Further surveys to determine the presence of any other DSE listed flora species would be appropriate at a later stage in the planning of the wind farm, if any areas of remnant native vegetation were to be affected by the project. Vegetation on the site belonged to the following EVCs: Escarpment Shrubland (EVC 895); Plains Grassland (EVC 132); Plains Grassy Wetland (EVC 125); Plains Grassy Woodland (EVC 55); Riparian Woodland (EVC 641); Steam bank Shrubland (EVC 851); and Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47). An assessment of vegetation quality in the study area indicated that the site supported hectares of high quality vegetation, 83.5 hectares of medium quality vegetation, 91.5 hectares of low quality vegetation and 85.1 hectares of land under covenant: A total of hectares was un-assessable due to heavy grazing by cattle and sheep. As this grazing will continue in the future, these areas are unlikely to change in condition. Fauna The proposed Moorabool Wind Project site supports the following fauna habitat types: Cleared agricultural land; Planted trees; Rocky outcrops; Remnant woodland; and Aquatic habitat. Most of these habitats are of low to moderate habitat quality. Based on the field assessment and the review of existing information, the study area is known or likely to support 140 fauna species, including 17 mammals species (five introduced), 107 birds species (six introduced), 10 reptile species and seven frog species. In the search region, the AVW and the EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool indicated 32 threatened vertebrate species, including 20 bird species, six mammal species, one reptile species, two frog species and two fish species and one invertebrate species of as occurring or potentially occurring. Suitable habitat exists in the proposed wind farm boundary for 12 of these species. However, none are considered likely to be significantly affected by the proposed wind farm. Page 2

9 Birds The conclusions from bird investigations at the Moorabool Wind Project are presented below. The proposed wind farm site is a largely altered agricultural landscape supporting a low diversity and abundance of common, predominantly opportunistic and adaptable native and introduced bird species. The site supports relative abundances of bird species in line with observations from similar farmland settings elsewhere in southern Australia. The site supports only a few birds of prey or waterbirds, groups considered vulnerable to collision with operating wind turbines. The wind farm site lies within or close to the territory of at least two families of Wedge-tailed Eagles. Activity during the bird utilisation survey was of low frequency (utilisation rate of birds per hectare per hour). Therefore, the risk of a collision by this species is considered to be low. Recommended mitigation measures for the collision risk to the two families of Wedge-tailed Eagle included siting turbines 300 metres away from escarpment edges and implementing management practices to reduce food availability within collision risk areas. Studies of wind farms world-wide indicate that the rate of bird collisions ranges between 0.04 and 4 birds per turbine per year. Similar collision rates have been observed at Australian wind farms. The proposed Moorabool Wind Project is broadly comparable in terms of bird habitat characteristics and setting to other wind farms in southern Australia. This would suggest that the operation of the proposed wind farm would result on a similar rate of mortality of common farmland birds which is not considered to be of regional, national or international importance due to their widespread distribution in south eastern Australia. As habitats within and surrounding the wind farm are similar the level of bird usage and species present are likely to be comparable. Therefore, indirect impacts from the proposed wind farm are likely only to affect common species of farmland birds. No threatened species of birds were observed on or near the proposed wind farm site (see also the fauna assessment in section 5). The use of the proposed wind farm site by migratory species listed on the Commonwealth EPBC Act is likely to be very low and significant impacts on regional populations of these species are not expected to occur. Bats Nine bat species were recorded as being active within the proposed wind farm boundary. Taking into consideration activity was confined to the vegetated areas along Moorabool River and the turbines are sited away from these areas, impacts to bat species are unlikely to be significant. Implications Page 3

10 As per the requirements of the Native Vegetation Management Framework impacts to native vegetation have been avoided or minimised during the design stage of the project. Where impacts to native vegetation are unavoidable, these will be offset. No areas of remnant grassland will be affected by the proposed wind farm layout. Roadside vegetation removal will require a planning permit. Where access tracks to the wind farm cross the public road reserve and protected and threatened flora species listed under the FFG Act are to be removed, a license under this Act would be required from DSE. By avoiding roadside vegetation in siting access to the site this requirement can be avoided. The fauna survey failed to find any rare or threatened species and found that fauna habitat in the proposed footprint was of low quality. The higher quality habitats likely to support rare and threatened fauna species occur in the study area away from the proposed footprint. Provided that access tracks and other wind farm infrastructure are situated to avoid impacts on remnant woodland and aquatic habitats, then significant impacts on local native fauna populations are not expected to occur. Page 4

11 2. INTRODUCTION WestWind Energy Pty Ltd engaged Brett Lane and Associates Pty Ltd to undertake a detailed flora and fauna assessment on the site of a proposed new wind farm, to be known as the Moorabool Wind Project, south of Ballan, approximately 67 kilometres west of Melbourne. Specifically, the scope of the investigation comprised: A flora and fauna assessment, including: o Characterising and mapping remnant native vegetation; o Compiling incidental flora and fauna species lists; and o Assessing the likelihood of occurrence of threatened flora and fauna in the area and the potential impacts of the proposed development on these. Targeted species surveys: o A bird utilisation survey to inform a level one risk assessment (sensu AusWEA 2005). o An Anabat ultrasonic bat detector survey o A Wedge-tailed Eagle survey for individuals inhabiting the proposed wind farm site and those within approximately 10 kilometres from the proposed wind farm boundary. Subsequently a study on roaming was undertaken comprising: A five day survey in the proposed wind farm site documenting eagle presence and behaviour; The Identification of high-use areas by Wedge-tailed Eagles in the wind farm site An initial evaluation of the relative density of eagles utilizing the proposed wind farm site through fixed point counts at ten selected points located in the different habitats on the proposed wind farm site; and Mapping of Wedge-tailed Eagle sightings, and observed and possible flight paths. This report documents the results of these assessments and targeted surveys, and it is divided into following sections. Section 3 describes the sources of information, including the methods used for the field survey. Section 4 provides an overview of the characteristics of the study area. Section 5 presents the results of the flora and native vegetation investigation of the study area. Section 6 gives the results of the fauna assessment of the proposed wind farm site. Section 7 provides information on the bird usage of the site. Section 8 presents the results of the bat study of the site. Page 5

12 Section 9 provides the methods and results of an investigation of the wedgetailed Eagle on the site. Section 10 assesses the impacts of the proposed wind farm on birds and bats. Section 11 discusses the implications of the findings under relevant Commonwealth, State and local legislation and policies. This investigation was undertaken by a team from Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd, comprising Amanda Dodd (Botanist), Teisha Sloane (Zoologist), Khalid Al- Dabbagh (Ornithologist), Justin Sullivan (Botanist), Francisco D Elia (GIS Analysis) and Brett Lane (Principal Consultant). Page 6

13 3. SOURCES OF INFORMATION This section identifies the sources of information and methodology used for this assessment. Only terrestrial vascular plants were considered Existing information Existing information on flora used for this investigation is described below. Note that there are two study areas for this site: the Northern site (Bungeeltap Section), north of Egerton-Bungeeltap Road and west of Ballan-Meredith Road and the Southern site (Ballark Section), south of Egerton-Bungeeltap Road and west of Geelong-Ballan Road. Existing information has been obtained from a wider area, termed the search region, with a radius of 20 kilometres from the approximate centre point of the study area (north zone coordinates: latitude S and longitude E, south zone coordinates: latitude S and longitude E) Flora Flora records from the Viridans Flora Information System (FIS), a database administered by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) were obtained. This database search listed all plant species, including rare and threatened plants found in the search region. The likelihood of suitable habitat in the study area for nationally threatened flora species was ascertained through a search of the online Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Protected Matters Search Tool (DEWHA 2008) using the same search region. Plant taxonomy used throughout this report follows the FIS standards Ecological Vegetation Classes Pre-1750 (pre-european settlement) vegetation mapping was reviewed to determine the type of native vegetation likely to occur in the study area. Information on Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC) was obtained from published EVC benchmarks. These sources included: Relevant EVC benchmarks for the Victorian Volcanic Plains (VVP) and Central Victorian Uplands (CVU) bioregions 1 (DSE 2008a); and Biodiversity Interactive Maps (DSE 2008b) Fauna A list of the fauna species recorded in the search region was obtained from the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife (AVW), a database administered by the DSE. Fauna taxonomy used throughout this report follows the AVW nomenclature, and Christidis and Boles (2008) where appropriate. 1 A bioregion is defined as a geographic region that captures the patterns of ecological characteristics in the landscape, providing a natural framework for recognising and responding to biodiversity values. In general bioregions reflect underlying environmental features of the landscape (DNRE 1997). Page 7

14 The presence or likelihood of occurrence in the study area of nationally threatened fauna species was obtained through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act Protected Matters Search Tool (DEWHA 2008) Field methodology The initial flora assessment was conducted in mid-december 2008 and the fauna assessment in mid-march An additional flora assessment was conducted in late August 2009 for two additional properties at the Northern Site. During the field assessments, the study area was briefly surveyed by vehicle to determine the presence, absence and/or general quality of vegetation, threatened fauna and flora habitat. Areas requiring closer inspection were then surveyed on foot to confirm their condition and extent. Mapping was undertaken through a combination of initial aerial photograph interpretation and vehicle overview inspection, followed by detailed groundtruthing. Sites in the study area found to support native vegetation (as defined in Section 3.2.2) and/or habitat for rare or threatened flora and/or fauna were recorded and mapped Flora species Incidental records of flora species were made based on intuitive sampling methods. Sites supporting potential habitat for rare or threatened flora species were noted Identifying and assessing native vegetation For mapping purposes, the accepted definitions of native vegetation in Victoria were used. Native vegetation in Victoria has been defined by the DSE as belonging to three categories: Remnant patch; Scattered trees; and Degraded treeless vegetation. These categories are described in detail below, together with the method DSE prescribes for their assessment. Remnant Patch Remnant patches of native vegetation comprise indigenous plant species considered part of a clearly definable EVC. Such vegetation includes remnant vegetation with the following attributes: Proportion of indigenous understorey species greater than 25% of the total understorey cover (excluding bare ground); and/or Indigenous canopy trees with at least 20% projected foliage canopy cover (DSE 2007a). Areas supporting remnant patch vegetation were further classified according to the quality categories described below. Page 8

15 High quality remnant patch the vegetation is representative of pre-european condition having either escaped disturbance or largely recovered from historical disturbance events. Depending on vegetation type, but as a general guide, the following attributes are typical of high quality patches: Overstorey intact - senescent, mature, juvenile and regenerating canopy species present; Middle and understorey layers intact and species present are indicative of EVC description; Ground flora layers intact and indicative of EVC description; Presence of introduced species is minimal or negligible; and Fallen wood and other habitat components present. Medium quality remnant patch the vegetation exhibits signs of disturbance or decline associated with past or current land use or the use of surrounding land. Depending on vegetation type, but as a general guide, the following attributes are typical: Canopy largely intact with some signs of decline - senescent and mature trees present with some juvenile and regenerating canopy species; Middle and understorey layers largely intact however some decline in structural diversity and distribution present, most species indicative of EVC description are present; Ground flora layers reduced in extent and diversity with only some species indicative of EVC description remaining. Decline resultant of a combination of physical, mechanical or competitive removal associated with grazing, development or weed invasion; Presence of introduced species is obvious and potential for further invasion is moderate to high; and Fallen wood and other habitat components present but in decline. Low quality remnant patch the vegetation is in a state of decline with a disruption of basic ecological processes obvious and the potential for recovery lowered significantly. Depending on vegetation type, but as a general guide, the following attributes are typical: Canopy highly fragmented or in serious decline - senescent and mature trees present with few or no regenerating canopy species; Middle and understorey layers absent or surviving in isolated patches, most species indicative of EVC description are absent; Ground flora layers absent or replaced with introduced species, some isolated patches present. Few species indicative of EVC description remaining. Decline resultant from total physical, mechanical or competitive removal or alteration associated with grazing, development or weed invasion; Presence of introduced species is extensive and potential for further invasion is very high; and Fallen wood and other habitat components largely absent or unlikely to be of value given decline in other ecological attributes. Page 9

16 Scattered trees Scattered trees comprise indigenous trees with projected foliage canopy cover less than 20% and total cover of indigenous species in the shrub and ground layer (excluding bare ground) of less than 25% (DSE 2007a). The size class of scattered trees is usually determined by comparing their diameter at breast height (DBH) to the benchmark large tree DBH for the EVC to which they once belonged. During the current investigation, individual scattered trees were not assessed due to time constraints. The proponent has advised that the proposal will not involve the removal of any individual scattered trees. However, if any are to be removed, they would need to be assessed for their DBH and an offset found for them (see Section ). Degraded treeless vegetation Degraded treeless vegetation comprises all other native vegetation (DSE 2007a). This category includes the following: Treeless vegetation with less than 25% total cover of indigenous species (excluding bare ground); or Treeless vegetation that has greater than 25% total cover of indigenous species (excluding bare ground) but is dominated by a small number of opportunistic native species which were unlikely to have been dominant prior to a disturbance event (e.g. cropping) Fauna The techniques used to detect fauna species inhabiting the study area included: Incidental searches for mammal scats, tracks and signs (e.g. diggings, signs of feeding and nests/burrows); Turning over logs and other ground debris for reptiles, frogs and mammals; Incidental bird observations; and General searches for reptiles and frogs; including listening to frog calls in seasonally wet areas. Fauna habitat types were characterised in the study area and described in Section 6.1. The quality of fauna habitat was assessed based on the criteria detailed below. High: Fauna habitat components are usually all present (i.e. vegetation intact) and habitat linkages to other remnant ecosystems in the landscape are intact. Moderate: Some fauna habitat components are often missing (i.e. old-growth trees, fallen timber, leaf litter, surface rocks), although linkages with other remnant habitats in the landscape are usually intact. Low: Many fauna habitat elements in low quality remnants have been lost (e.g. old-growth trees, fallen timber) and tree canopies are often highly fragmented. Remnants may be severely weed-invaded and possess few native structural and floristic components. Habitat linkages with other remnant ecosystems in the landscape have usually been removed by extensive past clearing. Page 10

17 3.3. Limitations of field assessment Flora field surveys usually fail to record all species present for various reasons, including the seasonal absence of some species and short survey duration. Rare or cryptic species are often missed in short surveys. The aim of the current assessment was not to document the status and distribution of threatened plants. This task would be more efficiently undertaken once a close-to-final wind farm layout was available, and if the layout was likely to affect identified habitat. The field assessments were carried out in late spring early summer and in late winter, when some annual and early spring-emergent plant species may have been undetectable or in the senescent stage of their life cycle and lacking essential identification characteristics. Much of the site was under heavy grazing by cattle and sheep and therefore assessing grassland vegetation quality was made difficult. It was possible that some native grassland vegetation may have been missed due to this heavy grazing. Areas where it was not possible to ascertain the quality of vegetation due to the presence of heavy grazing have been designated and mapped as not assessable potential native vegetation. Some of the roadside vegetation was slashed to a height of five centimetres during the study so it was hard to ascertain the quality of the roadside vegetation adjacent to much of the Ballark Section. The timing of the flora survey and condition of vegetation was otherwise considered suitable to ascertain the extent and general quality of native vegetation and potential habitat for rare or threatened flora species. As a basis for designing a wind farm layout that takes account of the avoid and minimise principles of the applicable native vegetation retention planning provisions, this investigation is satisfactory. The fauna assessment was undertaken in March during mild and overcast conditions. Diurnal conditions were suitable for detecting most fauna likely to occur in the study area. Wherever appropriate, a precautionary approach has been adopted in the discussion of implications. That is, where insufficient evidence is available on the likelihood of occurrence of a species, it is assumed that it could be in an area of habitat, if suitable, and the implications under legislation and policy are considered accordingly. Page 11

18 4. SITE DESCRIPTION The study area for this investigation is approximately 5570 hectares of private land, involving 16 different owners, located along the Ballan-Meredith Road, in Ballan, Victoria. The site is split into two parts: the northern site (Bungeeltap Section) and the southern site (Ballark Section). The Bungeeltap Section is bordered by Ballan-Egerton Road to the north, Ballan- Meredith Road to the east, Manleys Road to the west, and a rural property to the south. The Ballark Section is bordered by Egerton-Bungeeltap Road to the north, Geelong- Ballan Road to the east, and rural properties to the west and south. Surrounding land on both sites supports predominantly agricultural land uses, such as grazing and cropping, with some surrounding remnant native vegetation. A branch of the Moorabool River runs through the Bungeeltap Section. The study area comprises basalt soils on an undulating landscape cut through by steep escarpments associated with the Moorabool River east branch. The site supports small creek lines and artificial dams running though some of the properties, most of which supporting no significant vegetation. Historically, swampy land through the Ballark Section has been cleared and drained, with one exception. Most of the site has been heavily altered from its natural state with the majority under cropping or subject to heavy grazing by cattle and sheep. The presence of large rock piles indicate much of the site has been cleared of surface rocks. The main areas of native vegetation were found along the banks and escarpments of the Moorabool River east branch and along the road reserves adjacent to the site. There was some revegetation of trees and shrubs within a number of the properties. Species used were a combination of indigenous and non-indigenous native plants. The locations of these were not mapped as they are of limited conservation significance. The escarpment vegetation was highly degraded in most areas with just the canopy remaining due to heavy grazing by stock. The canopy primarily comprised Manna Gum, River Red Gum and Blackwood with a mosaic understory of Tussock Grass (Poa sp.), Kangaroo and Wallaby Grasses, and Bracken. At the top of the escarpments some low quality grassy vegetation was found, supporting Spear Grass and Wallaby Grasses with very little native shrub or tree canopy. The roadside vegetation was of high quality and consisted of a Kangaroo Grass and Wallaby grass dominated ground cover, with herbs such as Chocolate Lilies and Scaly Buttons apparent. Most of the study area lacked significant weed invasion due to grazing and control by landowners. On the escarpments however, weeds such as Serrated Tussock, Patterson s Curse, and Rye Grass were more evident. Observed vegetation consisted of Riparian Woodland (EVC 64), Creekline Herb Rich Woodland (EVC 164), Plains Grassland (EVC 132), Plains Grassy Wetland (EVC 125), Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47) and Plains Grassy Woodland (EVC 55). Native vegetation in the study area is well connected within the riparian and escarpment zones of the Moorabool River East Branch. The grassland Page 12

19 communities are connected via linear road reserves. The smaller patches of native vegetation away from the escarpments and roadsides are fragmented and separated by large areas of crop land. The majority of the study area lies within the Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP) bioregion. A small area in the northern part of the Bungeeltap Section adjacent to Moorabool River lies within the Central Victorian Uplands bioregion. The entire study area falls within the Corangamite catchment. It is currently zoned Farming and is subjected to the following overlays in the Moorabool Shire Planning Scheme: Design and Development Overlay Schedule 1; Environmental Significance Overlay Schedule 1; Wildfire Management Overlay; and Heritage Overlay. Page 13

20 5. FLORA OF THE STUDY AREA This section describes the flora of the study area based on the review of existing information and the field investigations Flora species FIS records and the EPBC Protected Matters Search Tool (DEWHA 2008) indicate that within the search region 76 rare or threatened flora species, listed on the FFG Act and/or EPBC Act, occur or potentially occur due to the presence of suitable habitat. The likelihood of occurrence within the proposed wind farm boundary is assessed and presented in Table 1. A total of 18 threatened flora species were found to potentially occur within the proposed wind farm boundary. These were Buloke, Ornate Pink-fingers, Curly Sedge, Australian Anchor Plant, Trailing Hop-bush, Clover Glycine, Basalt Pepper-cress, Velvet Daisy-bush, Spiny Rice-flower, Maroon Leek-orchid, Brittle Greenhood, Scented Bush-pea, Button Wrinklewort, Large-fruit Fireweed, Swamp Fireweed, Swamp Everlasting Winter Sun-orchid and Spiral Sun-orchid. Confirming the presence or absence of such species was beyond the scope of this study. However, at a later stage in wind farm planning, such a survey would be appropriate of any areas of remnant native vegetation should they be affected by the project. One rare flora species, Yarra Gum, was recorded within one of the northern properties in the Bungeeltap Section. No rare or threatened flora species listed under the FFG or EPBC Act were found during this study. However the presence of these species was not a target of this survey. Page 14

21 Table 1: FFG Act and EPBC Act listed flora species and likelihood of occurrence Scientific Name Common Name Conservation status EPBC FFG Habitat Potential to occur in study area Discaria pubescens Australian Anchor Plant f Lepidium hyssopifolium Basalt Pepper-cress E f Pterostylis truncata Brittle Greenhood f Usually associated with basaltic substrate streams in cool elevated areas (Walsh 1999). Basalt Plains. Rarely recorded from western Vic and only known from two populations N and NE of Melbourne (Entwisle 1996). Predominantly east of Wilsons Promontory, but also known from the Portland region. Grows in openforest, usually near-coastal (Entwisle 1994). Habitat present Potential to occur Habitat present Potential to occur No habitat present - unlikely to occur Allocasuarina luehmannii Buloke f Woodlands on non-calcareous soils. Commonly grows with Grey Box (Entwisle 1996). No habitat present - unlikely to occur Rutidosis leptorhynchoides Button Wrinklewort E f Basaltic grasslands (Jeanes 1999). Habitat present Potential to occur Glycine latrobeana Clover Glycine V f Grasslands and grassy woodlands (Jeanes 1996). Habitat present Potential to occur Carex tasmanica Curly Sedge V f Seasonally wet heavy clayey soils (Wilson 1994). Habitat present Potential to occur Senecio macrocarpus Large-fruit Fireweed V f Themeda grasslands on basalt (Walsh 1999). Habitat present Potential to occur Prasophyllum frenchii Maroon Leek-orchid E f Favouring heathland and Grassland on black clays (Bates 1994). Habitat present - Potential to occur Page 15

22 Scientific Name Common Name Conservation status EPBC FFG Habitat Potential to occur in study area Caladenia ornata Ornate Pink-fingers V Heathy forest and among shrubs on seasonally moist sandy loams (Jones 2006). No habitat present - unlikely to occur Pultenaea graveolens Scented Bush-pea f Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens Spiny Rice-flower C f Thelymitra mattewsii Spiral Sun-orchid V f Xerochrysum palustre Swamp Everlasting V f Occurs in shrub understorey of dry Stringybark or Ironbark forest (Corrick 1996) Grasslands or open shrublands on basalt derived soils (Entwisle 1996). Prefers shallow depressions and drainage lines with moderate soil moisture (D. Coppolino pers. obs.). Slightly elevated sites to 300m in well-drained soils (sandy loams to gravelly limestone soils) in light to dense forest; sometimes in coastal sandy flats (Weber & Entwisle 1994). Lowland swamps, usually on cracking clays (Flann 1999). Habitat present- Potential to occur Habitat present Potential to occur No habitat present - unlikely to occur Habitat present Potential to occur Senecio psilocarpus Swamp Fireweed V Dodonaea procumbens Trailing Hop-bush V Olearia pannosa subsp. cardiophylla Velvet Daisy-bush f Herb-rich winter-wet swamps on volcanic clays or peaty soils (Walsh 1999). Grows in low lying often winter wet areas in woodland, low open-forest and grasslands on sands and clays. Largely confined to SW of Victoria (Duretto 1999). Dry open forest on shallow rocky soils. Records in coastal woodland near Anglesea (Walsh and Lander, 1999). Habitat present Potential to occur Habitat present Potential to occur No habitat present - unlikely to occur Page 16

23 Scientific Name Common Name Conservation status EPBC FFG Habitat Thelymitra hiemalis Winter Sun-orchid f Swamps and heaths on sandy soils near coast to low woodlands on skeletal soils inland, mostly in moist and poorly drained areas (Weber & Entwisle 1994). EPBC Status under EPBC Act; C Critically Endangered; E Endangered; V Vulnerable; FFG (f) Listed as threatened under FFG Act. Potential to occur in study area Habitat present Limited Potential to occur Page 17

24 5.2. Ecological Vegetation Classes Pre European settlement EVC mapping (DSE 2008a) indicates that the study area and surrounds would have supported the following EVCs based on modelling of factors including rainfall, aspect, soils and remaining vegetation: Escarpment Shrubland (EVC 895) Plains Grassland (EVC 132) Plains Grassy Wetland (EVC 125) Plains Grassy Woodland (EVC 55) Riparian Woodland (EVC 641) Steam bank Shrubland (EVC 851) Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47) Evidence on site, including floristic composition and soil characteristics, suggested all the above EVCs were present. However, most existed in a degraded and reduced form. Vegetation quality of EVCs was assessed using the methodology provided by DSE (Figure 1 to 3). The study site therefore supported: hectares of high quality vegetation; hectares of medium quality vegetation; hectares of low quality vegetation; and hectares of land under covenant. A total of hectares was un-assessable due to heavy grazing by cattle and sheep. As this grazing will continue in the future, these areas are unlikely to change in condition. A description of the EVCs present and their distribution in the study area is given below. Escarpment Shrubland (EVC 895) has an endangered conservation status in the VVP bioregion. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as Occur[ing] on rocky escarpments in steep valleys or gorges, associated with limestone or basalt. Sites have moderate to high fertility, are well-drained but subject to regular summer drought due to shallow soils. Eucalypt woodland to 15 metres tall or non-eucalypt shrubland to 8 metres tall, with occasional eucalypts; lichen-covered rock outcrops are common. This vegetation type was confined to small patches within the main gully in the Bungeeltap Section and a small area on the south-western side of the Ballark Section. Plains Grassland (EVC 132) has an endangered conservation status in the VVP bioregion. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as Treeless vegetation mostly less than 1 metre tall dominated by largely graminoid and herb life forms. Occupies fertile cracking basalt soils prone to seasonal water-logging in areas receiving at least 500 mm annual rainfall. This vegetation type was mainly confined to the roadsides, with small degraded patches occurring on some Page 18

25 properties. Some of the areas defined as un-assessable potential native vegetation may belong to this EVC but this could only be determined after removal of grazing animals for several months during the growing season. Plains Grassy Wetland (EVC 125) has an endangered conservation status in the VVP bioregion. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as usually treeless, but in some instances can include sparse River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis or Swamp Gum Eucalyptus ovata. A sparse shrub component may also be present. The characteristic ground cover is dominated by grasses and small sedges and herbs. The vegetation is typically species-rich on the outer verges but is usually species-poor in the wetter central areas. This vegetation type was predominantly confined to the areas currently under covenant. Other areas which may historically have supported this vegetation have been filled and cropped. Plains Grassy Woodland (EVC 55) has an endangered conservation status in the VVP bioregion. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as open, eucalypt woodland to 15 metres tall. Occupies poorly drained, fertile soils on flat or gently undulating plains at low elevations. The understorey consists of a few sparse shrubs over a species-rich grassy and herbaceous ground layer. This variant occupies areas receiving approximately mm annual rainfall. This vegetation type was mainly confined to the roadsides, with small, degraded patches occurring on some properties. Some of the areas defined as unassessable potential native vegetation may belong to this EVC this but this could only be determined after removal of grazing animals for several months during the growing season. Riparian Woodland (EVC 641) has an endangered conservation status in the VVP bioregion. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as occur[ing] beside permanent streams, typically on narrow alluvial deposits. Woodland to 15 metres tall generally dominated by Eucalyptus camaldulensis over a tussock grassdominated understorey. Tall shrubs may be present and amphibious herbs may occur in occasional ponds and beside creeks. While flooding may be common, sites are rarely inundated for lengthy periods. This vegetation type was confined to patches within the main gully on the northern site and in the south-western part of the southern site. This EVC occurred as a mosaic with Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47) through these areas. Steam bank Shrubland (EVC 851) has an endangered conservation status in the VVP bioregion. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as tall shrubland to 8 metres tall above a ground layer of sedges and herbs. A sparse eucalypt overstorey to 15 metres tall may sometimes be present. Occurs along rivers and major streams where the watercourse consists of either rocky banks, a flat rocky stream bed or broad gravel banks which are often dry but are also regularly flooded by fast flowing waters. This vegetation type was confined to small patches within the main gully on the northern site and to patches in the southwestern part of the southern site. Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47) has a vulnerable conservation status in both the VVP and CVU bioregions. The benchmark for this EVC describes it as Valley Grassy Forest occurs under moderate rainfall regimes of mm per annum on fertile well-drained colluvial or alluvial soils on gently undulating lower slopes Page 19

26 and valley floors. The tall, open overstorey to 25 metres tall may carry a variety of eucalypts, usually species which prefer more moist or more fertile conditions over a sparse shrub cover. In season, a rich array of herbs, lilies, grasses and sedges dominate the ground layer but at the drier end of the spectrum the ground layer may be sparse and slightly less diverse, but with the moisture-loving species still remaining. This vegetation type was the main intact EVC present within the study area, occurring in the gully on the northern site and across the western side of the Ballark Section. Page 20

27 Kilometers Legend Native vegetation quality High Unassessable potential native vegetation Medium Site Boundary Low Figure 1 : Native vegetation quality - Bungeeltap Section Project Title: Moorabool Wind Farm Client: West Wind Pty Ltd Project No.: 8147 Date: 31/08/2009 Created by: J. Sullivan / F. D'Elia Experience 605 Nicholson Street Knowledge PO Box 592, Carlton North Solutions VIC 3054 Australia ph (03) fax (03) blane@ecologicalresearch.com.au

28 Kilometers Legend Native vegetation quality High Unassessable potential native vegetation Medium Native vegetation under covenant Low Site Boundary Figure 2 : Native vegetation quality - Ballark Section (east) Project Title: Moorabool Wind Farm Client: West Wind Pty Ltd Project No.: 8147 Date: 31/08/2009 Created by: J. Sullivan / F. D'Elia Experience 605 Nicholson Street Knowledge PO Box 592, Carlton North Solutions VIC 3054 Australia ph (03) fax (03) blane@ecologicalresearch.com.au

29 Kilometers Legend Native vegetation quality High Unassessable potential native vegetation Medium Site Boundary Low Figure 3 : Native vegetation quality - Ballark Section (west) Project Title: Moorabool Wind Farm Client: West Wind Pty Ltd Project No.: 8147 Date: 31/08/2009 Created by: J. Sullivan / F. D'Elia Experience 605 Nicholson Street Knowledge PO Box 592, Carlton North Solutions VIC 3054 Australia ph (03) fax (03) blane@ecologicalresearch.com.au

30 5.3. Scattered trees Scattered trees recorded in the study area would once have comprised the canopy component of Plains Grassy Woodland (EVC 55) or Valley Grassy Forest (EVC 47). Mapping of scattered trees was not within the scope of this study however it is noted that they are spread throughout most of the cropped and grazed paddocks in the study area. Based on the current survey, size classes of these trees were considered to range from mostly large to very large compared with the benchmark large tree DBH for the relevant EVCs Degraded treeless vegetation It is possible that the areas classified as un-assessable potential native vegetation in Figures 1 to 3 may support degraded treeless vegetation. However, due to current heavy grazing this could not be confirmed. Sites not indicated on Figures 1 to 3 as native vegetation or potential native vegetation are unlikely to constitute this vegetation type due to recent cropping activity Conservation significance according to the Framework The conservation significance of remnant patch vegetation is determined based on a combination of the bioregional conservation status of the EVC, quality (i.e. habitat score) of the vegetation, the presence of rare or threatened species and any significant site attributes. Very large, large and medium scattered trees in the study area are assigned a conservation significance based on the bioregional conservation status of the EVC to which they once belonged (i.e. the lowest conservation significance for the relevant EVC). Small scattered trees are defined as having low conservation significance according to the Framework. Page 24

31 6. FAUNA OF THE STUDY AREA This section describes the fauna habitat features of the site and the fauna recorded or likely to occur Habitat assessment The land under investigation supports the fauna habitat types described below. Cleared agricultural land; Planted trees; Rocky outcrops; Remnant woodland; and Aquatic habitat. Cleared Agricultural land is the dominant habitat in the study area and comprises large areas of managed cropping land and grazed pasture with scattered trees, exotic grasses and weeds. For this reason, structural diversity is generally poor thereby providing few opportunities for fauna other than common agricultural bird (native and exotic), mammal and reptile species. Cleared agricultural land has lost many fauna habitat components and the ground layer is highly modified from the original intact vegetation. There are some areas of surface and embedded rock which may provide shelter for ground-dwelling fauna. Scattered mature eucalypts, potentially used by mobile hollow-dependent fauna such as birds and bats, occur throughout this habitat. Based on this assessment cleared agricultural land is of low quality for fauna. Planted trees are numerous throughout the study area along fence lines and act as windbreaks. Species are dominated by pines or eucalypts and are generally less than 5 metres tall. These trees have the potential to provide roosting, nesting and perching habitat for common farmland birds. Additional habitat is found in the Bungeeltap Section where there are fenced revegetated patches. Large areas of pine plantations lacking understorey area also found in the study area. Taking into consideration planted tree habitats are dominated by exotic species and only support common farmland species, this habitat is considered to be of low quality for fauna. Rocky Outcrop was found within numerous areas throughout both sections of the wind farm. Rocky outcrops occur along the escarpment edge in the Bungeeltap Section with some significant rocky outcrops in some areas of the southern section (Figure 4). Indigenous grass species, including wallaby grasses and Kangaroo Grass, have a moderate to high cover within these (Figure 4). Native grassland vegetation also occurs along Bungeeltap Road and is dominated by Kangaroo Grass. Rocky outcrops may provide habitat for reptile species and were considered to be moderate quality habitat for native fauna. Page 25

32 Figure 4: Rocky outcrop within native grassland habitat in southern section of study area Remnant woodland occurs within the valley associated with the Moorabool River in the Bungeeltap Section, and Little Forest adjoins the western border of the Ballark Section of the proposed wind farm site (Figure 5). The canopy predominantly comprised Manna Gum, River Red Gum and Blackwood with a mosaic understory of Tussock Grass (Poa sp.). Several areas of the woodland habitat in the study area have been disturbed as a result of stock grazing, which has reduced the diversity of ground layer flora. Woodland remnants retain fallen branches and logs, an important habitat component for ground fauna. A number of mature, hollow-bearing trees provide nesting sites, roosting sites and shelter from predators for birds, bats and tree-dwelling mammals. In or near woodland remnants, bush birds and hollow-dependent birds were observed. Page 26

33 Figure 5: Remnant woodland forest in valley provides connectivity to larger bush blocks The woodland occurs mostly below the ridges provides connectivity between remnant woodland north of the study area, forming habitat links of wider regional value (Figure 5). The remnant woodland habitat in the study area, although not extensive, is comparatively intact and has many key fauna habitat components. Remnant Woodland is therefore considered to be moderate to high quality fauna habitat likely to support a variety of fauna species that would not otherwise be present in the study area. Aquatic Habitat comprises a variety of wetlands, including, the Moorabool River, tributary creeks, open water impoundments and a number of small constructed farm dams. The majority farm dams support banks lacking fringing vegetation, with two supporting some Common Reed. Floodplains in the Ballark Section are of low quality and are currently grazed by stock. When inundated, the dams and floodplains could provide roosting and feeding habitat for a variety of common ducks, coots and moorhens, lapwings, herons and ibises, as well as a variety of common frog species. Due to the scattered nature of the dams, their small size and general lack of vegetation, this habitat is considered to be low quality fauna habitat. The Moorabool River runs through the Bungeeltap Section and along the western border of the Ballark Section of the proposed wind farm. The river supports significant fringing, floating and submerged vegetation and lies within the valley surrounded by remnant woodland (Figure 6). Several sections of the river are dry, less vegetated with some disturbance. This habitat constitutes a flyway and habitat link and is likely to provide habitat for a variety of aquatic fauna. Page 27

34 The aquatic habitat for fauna is likely to range from moderate to high quality on the river, to low quality in the various farm dams. Figure 6: The Moorabool River East Branch is likely to support a range of common waterbirds and frogs 6.2. Fauna species AVW records and the EPBC Protected Matters Search Tool (DEWHA 2008) indicate that within the search region 32 (20 bird, six mammal, one reptile, two frog, one invertebrate and two fish species) rare or threatened fauna species, listed on the FFG Act and / or EPBC Act, occur or potentially occur due to the presence of suitable habitat (Table 2). Species for which suitable habitat occurs in the study area are discussed in more detail in the following sections, whilst other species are not discussed further. Based on the field assessment and the review of existing information, the study area is known or likely to support 140 fauna species, including 17 mammals (five introduced), 108 bird (six introduced), 10 reptile and seven frog species (Appendix 2, including fauna recorded during the field surveys). Page 28

35 Table 2: Threatened fauna identified as occurring or potentially occurring in the study area Common Name Scientific Name Birds Conservation Status EPBC FFG DSE Suitable habitat Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis VU L CR No Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea NT Yes Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis L EN Yes Brolga Grus rubicunda L VU No Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus victoriae NT No Cattle Egret Ardea ibis M Yes Chestnut-rumped Heathwren Calamanthus pyrrhopygius L VU No Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata L VU No Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta M L VU Yes Hardhead Aythya australis VU Yes Latham's Snipe Gallinago hardwickii M NT Yes Little Egret Egretta garzetta L EN Yes Musk Duck Biziura lobata VU Yes Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius NT No Powerful Owl Ninox strenua L VU Yes Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia EN L CR No Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia VU No Speckled Warbler Pyrrholaemus sagittatus L VU No Spotted Quail-thrush Cinclosoma punctatum NT No Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor EN L EN No Mammals Brush-tailed Phascogale Phascogale tapoatafa L VU No Common Dunnart Sminthopsis murina VU No Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus VU L VU No Konoom, Smoky Mouse Pseudomys fumeus EN L CR No Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus EN NT No Spot-tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus maculatus EN L EN No Reptiles Striped Legless Lizard Delma impar VU L EN No Amphibians Brown Toadlet Pseudophryne bibronii L EN No Growling Grass Frog Litoria raniformis VU L EN Yes Invertebrate Golden Sun Moth Synemon plana CR L CR No Fish Australian Grayling Prototroctes maraena VU L VU Yes Dwarf Galaxias Galaxiella pusilla VU L VU Yes Page 29

36 DSE Status from DSE Advisory List; EPBC Status under EPBC Act; FFG Status under FFG Act; CR Critically endangered; EN Endangered; VU Vulnerable; NT Lower risk near threatened; M Migratory; DD = data deficient; L Listed on FFG Act Birds VFD records, the EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool, habitat availability and records during the field assessment have indicated that 107 birds species (six introduced) occur or potentially occur within the study area. The 56 species were recorded during the field assessment are provided in Appendix 2. The information obtained indicated that seven threatened bird species are likely to be present within the study area. These are discussed in more detail below. The EPBC Act Protective Matters Search Tool indicated the presence of suitable habitat for the nationally endangered Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater and Australian Painted Snipe within the study area, though the AVW did not hold records of these species. No suitable habitat was present within the proposed wind farm boundary for the Australian Painted Snipe which prefers vegetated shallow freshwater wetlands. Similarly, no suitable habitat is present for the Regent Honeyeater, a species preferring flowering eucalypts and mistletoe. Additionally, Regent Honeyeater is all but extinct in Victoria (Olsen et al. 2005) and is now mainly found in north-east Victoria and in New South Wales (Higgins et al. 2001; Tzaros 2005). Taking this information into consideration, it is unlikely for these species to be present within the proposed wind farm boundary. It is likely that the Swift Parrot occasionally visits the large tracts of remnant woodland in the wider region, such as the Brisbane Ranges National Park, during migration in autumn and winter. The lack of nearby regional records however indicate that visitation by this species to the wind farm site itself is likely to be irregular. The remaining birds listed in Table 2 for which habitat exists in the study area were state threatened species. These are considered below. There were four records of Powerful Owl from the AVW search region between 1999 and 2001, three of which were located within the Brisbane Ranges National Park and the fourth near Ballark. No records were situated within the proposed wind farm site. The Powerful Owl prefers open and tall wet sclerophyll forests with sheltered gullies and old growth forest with dense understorey (Higgins 1999). It is also found in dry forests with box and ironbark eucalypts and River Red Gum. Large old trees with hollows are required by this species for nesting. Powerful Owls select home ranges based on large trees and hollows rather than the forest and can range up to 9 kilometres (Soderquist and Gibbons 2007). The proposed study area contains some suitable habitat for Powerful Owls within the forested areas, but overall the site is not considered likely to regularly support the species. It is possible that individuals may use the valleys in and near the study area during dispersal from and between more extensive habitats nearby (e.g. Little Forest to the west, and forest to the north near Mount Edgerton) but this is likely to be irregular and involve a very small number of birds infrequently. Page 30

37 Waterbirds The AVW list a number of threatened waterbird species from the search regions. The status of these birds in relation to the proposed wind farm site is summarised below. The AVW contained eight records of the Blue-billed Duck ( ), 15 records of the Musk Duck ( ), and 11 records of the Hardhead ( ); almost all of these records were from Durdidwarrah dam (about five kilometres south of wind farm site) and Mt Wallace (about five kilometres east of wind farm site). The three duck species may occur occasionally in small numbers along the Moorabool River within the study area but significant numbers are highly unlikely to occur in the area. The Little Egret and Eastern Great Egret have been recorded once (2000) and on three occasions ( ) respectively, in the AVW search region. These species are listed migratory species under the EPBC Act. Records are from the same wetlands as those listed above for the ducks. The listing of the egrets in Victoria refers to the small size of the breeding population and the small number of sites where they breed. Outside the breeding season, the Eastern Great Egret occurs in most of Victoria s wetlands, including farm dams (Emison et al. 1987). It is possible that the Eastern Great Egret may occasionally occur in the study area, particularly along the banks of Moorabool River and on larger farm dams. The Little Egret is more restricted in habitat choice and is less likely to occur in the study area. The study area is not considered to provide core habitat for these species. Therefore, it is considered that these species would not suffer any adverse effects from the current proposal. The Lathams Snipe was recorded once in 1990 from the search region from an unspecified locality. This species is a listed migratory species under the EPBC Act. The snipe is a migratory shorebird spending the summer months in south-eastern Australia. It is possible this species may occasionally occur in vegetated habitats along the Moorabool River, but numbers are unlikely to be significant due to the lack of extensive wetland habitats capable of supporting significant numbers. Another species which inhabits shallow freshwater wetlands is the Brolga, listed as vulnerable in Victoria (DSE 2007b) and listed under the FFG Act. There is one non-breeding AVW record from 2005 within the south eastern section of the study area. The Brolga was recorded along a shallow depression within high quality native grassland (see figure 2). Notwithstanding this, it was considered that habitat suitable to support the Brolga regularly is not present in the study area. For this reason, the site and the surrounding region does not support a significant population or regular breeding sites for this species. This is corroborated by the lack of AVW records of the species within the search region. Finally, the AVW contained two records of the Azure Kingfisher from the search region. The records were not recent (1997) and were from the Brisbane Ranges National Park, well outside the proposed wind farm site. The kingfisher inhabits vegetation at the edges of waterways and wetlands, mostly well vegetated freshwater or tidal rivers and creeks, especially with still or slowly flowing waters Page 31

38 (Higgins 1999). The species may occur within the study area along the vegetated parts of the Moorabool River. In addition to the above birds, the EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool predicted the passage of eight migratory species over the wind farm site, these include: White-bellied Sea Eagle; White-throated Needletail; Rainbow Bee-eater; Satin Flycatcher; Rufous Fantail; Australian Painted Snipe; Cattle Egret; and Eastern Great Egret. The White-bellied Sea Eagle is unlikely to visit the study area due to lack of major wetlands. White-throated Needletail, Rainbow Bee-eater, Satin Flycatcher and Rufous Fantail are migrants to south-eastern Australia, mainly during the summer months. Their presence in any area depends on the availability of suitable eucalypt forests or ferny gullies. Small numbers of these species may pass through the area on migration. The White-throated Needletail would use any habitat across the study area, while the Satin Flycatcher and Rufous Fantail may occur in the forested habitats among the waterways. There have been no records of any of these species in the AVW from the search region except for Satin Flycatcher and Eastern Great Egret. The Australian Painted Snipe and Eastern Great Egret are already discussed in the paragraphs above. The Cattle Egret is found in grasslands, woodlands and wetlands, and is not common in arid areas. It also uses pasture and cropland and associates with grazing animals, in particular cattle (Marchant and Higgins 1990). This species may occur irregularly in small numbers within lush pasture habitat and amongst cattle. In addition to the foregoing threatened species, another species of concern, the Wedge-tailed Eagle, although not a threatened species, is prone to collision with operating wind turbines and may be affected by the proposed wind farm. The Wedge-tailed Eagle is further discussed in Section Mammals A total of 17 mammal species occur or is likely to occur within the study area based on AVW records from the search region and the current site assessment. This total includes five introduced species and a number of bats. Two native species, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Black Wallaby, were ecorded during the field assessment along with three introduced species, Red Fox, European Hare and European Rabbit (Appendix 2). Page 32

39 The current assessment found that no species of threatened mammals listed at either state or commonwealth level, would be expected to occur regularly in the study area, due to a lack of suitable habitat and a lack of regional records. The EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool indicated that four species of nationally threatened terrestrial mammals could potentially occur in the region (Table 2). No recent AVW records from the search region exist for the Grey-headed Flying Fox. This species is more common in sub-tropical and tropical regions and until recently was known from two large roosts in Victoria, one in the state s far east at Mallacoota and the other from the Melbourne Botanic Gardens (Menkhorst 1995). The study area is not considered to comprise core habitat or provide a significant source of food (fruit and nectar-bearing trees) for this species. It is highly unlikely it would occur regularly or in significant numbers due to the lack of AVW records and suitable habitat. It is very unlikely that sufficient contiguous intact habitat remains for the Spottailed Quoll, since this species is typical of large forest blocks of the Otway Range or eastern Victorian (Menkhorst 1995). The Smoky Mouse occurs in several disjunctive forested or heathy habitats in Victoria, the closest of which is the Grampians (Menkhorst 1995) and so a population of this species is very unlikely to exist in the study area. Similarly the Southern Brown Bandicoot prefers dense understorey vegetation in heathy forest on well drained soils (Menkhorst 1995). Given the degraded quality and limited extent of remnant habitat on site and, in particular, its lack of connectivity with nearby areas of known habitat for the bandicoot, this species is considered unlikely to occur in the study area. Due to the lack of AVW records and suitable habitat, it is considered that these threatened mammal species would not suffer any adverse effects from the current proposal as they are unlikely to occur in the study area. Bats could also be at risk of collision with wind turbines. Six species of bats were recorded in the AVW, but none were threatened. Bats are discussed in detail in Section Reptiles Records from the AVW and the current site assessment indicate that ten reptile species occur or are likely to occur within the study area (Appendix 2). The EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool indicated that one threatened reptile species, Striped Legless Lizard potentially occurred within the study area, though the AVW held no records of these. Some suitable habitat occurs in the south-eastern section of the wind farm. This habitat contains rocky outcrops and native grasses (wallaby grass and Kangaroo Grass). Native grassland vegetation also occurs along Bungeeltap Road in the Bungeeltap Section and is dominated by Kangaroo Grass. Suitable habitat across the wind farm is minimal and occurs mostly along roadsides. Most paddocks in the study area are highly unlikely to sustain a population of the species due to intensive cultivation and grazing. The proposed wind farm layout avoids all areas of native grassland. There is limited connectivity Page 33

40 to suitable habitat in the surrounding area and therefore the Striped Legless Lizard is unlikely to occur on the proposed wind farm site Amphibians VFD records and the current site assessment indicate that seven amphibian species occur or are likely to occur within the study area. No species were directly recorded during the assessment (Appendix 2). The EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool indicated that one species of nationally threatened amphibian, Growling Grass Frog, may occur in the search region. The Growling Grass Frog was recorded once from the AVW search region in 1987 at Sheoaks, more than 10 kilometres to the south of the wind farm site. This species inhabits areas of permanent water and farm dams, especially those with bulrushes and other dense fringing or floating vegetation cover (Organ 2002). The presence of this frog in the region would depend on the presence of suitable, permanent water bodies, such as dams with fringing vegetation or permanent creeks. The dams and wetlands throughout the wind farm site are unsuitable due to lack of permanent water and fringing aquatic vegetation. Although it is unlikely that this frog would be found on the wind farm site due to a lack of past records, it is likely that parts of the Moorabool River would provide habitat for the species to disperse. Potential habitat of dense fringing and floating vegetation occur along parts of the river in conjunction with adjacent surface rock. It is unlikely that the species would occur away from the river however due to a lack of suitable habitat. The proposed turbines are situated on high ground where there are no wetlands or creeks, and therefore a targeted survey for the Growling Grass Frog is not required and the project is not expected to significantly affect this species Other fauna The EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool identified the Golden Sun Moth as occurring or having potential habitat within the search region. The Golden Sun Moth inhabits native tussock grasslands that support wallaby grass Austrodanthonia spp. (O Dwyer and Attiwill 1999). Previous studies indicate that the species requires at least 40% cover of Wallaby Grass for survival (O Dwyer and Attiwill 1999), although recent findings in Victoria suggest that small populations may persist in more disturbed habitats with less wallaby grass cover than what is considered optimal for the species. Although there is one small patch of native grassland in the southern section of the wind farm site, it is avoided in the proposed wind farm layout and hence will not be affected. It is unlikely that the habitat available could support the species due its small size and isolation from areas well to the east known to support the species (outside the search region). The study area was considered not to support any threatened fish species. However, the EPBC Act Protected Matters Search Tool indicated that habitat was present for two fish species of national environmental significance: the Australian Page 34

41 Grayling and the Dwarf Galaxias. These species are listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act, are listed under the FFG Act, and are considered to be vulnerable in Victoria (DSE 2007a). No recent AVW records from the search region exist for these species. The closest records of the Australian Grayling are from the Barwon River west of Geelong. The larvae are thought to be swept out to sea and return to freshwater after four to six months (Wager and Jackson 1993). Freshwater habitats include large and small coastal streams and rivers. The species prefer cool, clear waters, with a gravel substrate (Cadwallader and Backhouse 1983). Similarly, the Dwarf Galaxias has not been recorded in the AVW search region. This species is typically found in still or slow-moving waters such as swamps, drains and backwaters of Creeks and streams and amongst aquatic vegetation (Cadwallader and Backhouse 1983). In Victoria, populations are located in the Grampians, and in four major creeks around Melbourne. Although the Moorabool River provides habitat for both species, these are not expected to occur in the study area due to the lack of historical records and connectivity to areas supporting known populations outside the search region. Additionally, the proposed turbine locations are situated on high ground away from rivers and creeks. Therefore, a targeted survey for these fish is not recommended and the proposed wind farm will not have a significant impact on them Fauna conservation significance The remnant woodland and aquatic habitat within the valley and the western border of the Ballark Section retains numerous habitat features, such as hollow trees, native ground cover and logs that are important for native and threatened fauna species. It is considered likely that the Powerful Owl and Azure Kingfisher may occur in this habitat. Using the criteria in Appendix 3, this area is therefore considered to be of potential state conservation significance for fauna. Other aquatic habitats on the wind farm site, including floodplains and farm dams, are modified and highly disturbed and therefore of local conservation significance. They are of local fauna conservation significance only. All other threatened species of fauna have a low or no probability of occurrence. Remaining habitat in the study area consists of modified and highly disturbed areas and is likely to support locally common species and unlikely to support threatened species. Therefore, in accordance with the zoological significance criteria, these areas area considered to be of local conservation significance for fauna. Page 35

42 7. BIRD UTILISATION SURVEY The bird utilisation survey of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site was undertaken over five days between 16 th and 26 th of March, Methods to undertake this survey are consistent with the requirements for a Level One bird risk assessment in accordance with Wind Farms and Birds - Interim Standards for Risk Assessment issued by the Australian Wind Energy Association (AusWEA 2005). This approach has been endorsed in the Association s latest (2007) Best Practice Guidelines. The methods used and the results of the survey are presented in this section of the report Methods Fixed-point bird count method Ten fixed survey points were established in the study area and nearby district; eight points were impact points located within the proposed wind farm boundary, and two were reference points and located outside the wind farm boundary (see Figure 7). For this survey an observer was stationed at a survey point for 15 minutes. During this period, all bird species within 200 metres were recorded. Species, number, distance from the centre point and flight height were documented, with flight height being classified as below, at or above rotor swept area height (RSA height). RSA height lies between 40 and 150 metres above-ground. The surveys were undertaken nine times at each site at different times of the day to allow for time-of-day differences in bird movements and activity. Table 3 below indicates when each point was counted on each survey day. Page 36

43 Table 3: Times of day when points* were counted during each survey day. Day T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12: R1 R R1 R R1 R R1 R T12 T13 T14 T15 T16 T17 T18 T19 T20 T21 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17: R1 R R1 R R1 R R1 R R1 R2 * See Figure 1 for survey point locations Locations of survey points The survey points were spaced as evenly as possible across the wind farm, subject to access, to obtain representative coverage of the study area (Figure 7). Where possible impact points were established on elevated ground, allowing a clear view of surrounding areas, and in areas of proposed sites for the wind turbines. The location of the impact points differed slightly in position in relation to the escarpment. Three of the points (2, 6, and 8) were located directly on the top edge of the Moorabool River escarpment and the remaining points were in open paddocks at varying distances from the escarpment. All points were near windbreaks of either pine or planted native trees. The two reference points were established on similar terrain to that of impact sites and were located on public roads outside the wind farm site (Figure 7) Incidental observations In addition to the observations during formalised, fixed-point counts, incidental observations of waterbirds and raptors were also made while moving about the wind farm site, with particular reference to birds flying at RSA height. Also, incidental observations were recorded for the Wedge-tailed Eagles to supplement records from the formal bird utilisation counts Limitations This bird utilisation survey was undertaken in autumn At this time of year, many birds that normally spend the summer in pairs were in small feeding flocks after the end of the breeding season. Some species, such as, magpies and ravens, had already formed large feeding flocks. Page 37

44 At this time of year, some migratory bird species, including the summer visitors and some passage migrants, were already in the region. However, most of these species were likely to be confined to the woodland or ephemeral wetland habitats and would not move regularly across the balance of the wind farm site where wind turbines are most likely to be sited. For these reasons, the utilisation rates and species abundances recorded during the current survey are considered to be representative of the parts of the site where turbines would be placed and to be a reasonable basis on which to assess the bird risks of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project. The bird species mix and relative species abundances recorded during the current survey is broadly comparable with results from similar surveys elsewhere in southern Victorian agricultural landscapes (Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd, unpublished data). Page 38

45 M1 (! M2 A3 A4 (!! (! ( M4 (! M3 (! R2 (! R1 (! A2 (! M5 (! M6 (! A1 (! M8 (! M7 (! Legend Figure 7: Bird Utilization Survey Points on Moorabool Wind Farm. Study area Project Title: Moorabool Wind Farm. Bird and Bat observation points 0 (! Bat survey points (! Bird utilization survey points 1,750 Client: WestWind Energy Pty Ltd Project No.: ,500 Metres 7,000 Experience Knowledge Solutions Date: 02/ 04 /2009 Created by: K. Al-Dabbagh / F. D'Elia 605 Nicholson Street ph (03) fax (03) PO Box 592, Carlton North blane@ecologicalresearch.com.au VIC 3054 Australia

46 7.3. Results of the bird utilisation survey This section presents the bird utilisation survey results Representativeness of the survey The cumulative number of species observed from the consecutive fixed-point bird counts conducted at the observation points during the survey period has been plotted (see Figure 8). This revealed that the number of new species observed at the points almost levelled off after about 25 counts, after which the occasional new species was found. Over 90% of species were found after less than 50% of the surveys. This suggests that the surveys collectively provided a representative picture of the diversity of bird species flying over the wind farm during the survey period. Species recorded incidental to the fixed point counts either have very low utilisation rates or do not occur regularly on the parts of the wind farm site on which turbines would be placed. Figure 8: The cumulative number of species of birds recorded during consecutive counts at the impact observation points on the Moorabool Wind Project. The adequacy of using 15 minutes as an interval to record the presence of birds during bird utilisation surveys was investigated in an earlier study at another wind farm site (Brett Lane and Associates Pty Ltd, unpublished data). This showed that 82 to 100 percent (average 88 percent) of species actually seen in one hour of surveying were seen in the initial 15 minutes of observation. Based on this result, the period of 15 minutes used in the formal bird utilisation surveys generated representative data on the bird species in the area during the survey. The results presented in Figure 8 also suggest that the 15 minute count interval was adequate. Page 40

47 Bird Observations The Atlas of Victorian Wildlife (AVW) predicted 136 species of birds to occur in a search region of 10 kilometres radius based on the centre of the wind farm site. Based on the current habitats in the study area, 107 bird species are expected to occur there (see Section 6). These comprise mostly bush-birds inhabiting remnant woodlands patches and rarely venturing into the open grazing paddocks that dominate the wind farm site. Of the number expected to use the wind farm study area, 56 species were recorded during field work, including those recorded incidentally while moving between impact points and during the fauna field assessment (see Section 6). Some 39 species of birds were actually recorded from the eight impact points while carrying out the bird utilisation survey (Appendix 2). The species diversity and numbers of birds observed during the survey at the impact points are shown in Table 4. The species observed utilising the observation points, and consequently most of the study area, were common farmland birds. Bird abundance and diversity during the bird utilisation survey were similar to wind farms in other parts of southern Victoria (Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd, unpubl. data). At the impact points, species richness was broadly similar between the eight observations points and the number of species recorded at each point ranged between 8 and 20 species. There was a tendency for species richness to be slightly higher at those observation points which were located in open paddocks and away from the escarpment. Points within open paddocks contained more diverse habitats in the form of planted and scattered native trees nearby compared with the points overlooking the river escarpment. Table 4 presents a list of the species observed during the bird utilisation survey and the numbers in which they were seen in each height zone. The most abundant species at the impact sites were: Australian Magpie; Raven spp., mainly Little Raven; Common Starling; and Yellow-rumped Thornbill These four species, including the introduced species (Common Starling), were the most abundant species and they accounted for almost 50 percent of the individual birds counted. Their numbers varied between 151 and 357 birds per observation point (total bird count from the nine replicates; i.e birds per point) and they were common in all parts of the study area. The first four species were followed by another five species (Red Wattlebirds, Eastern Rosella, Long-billed Corella, Crimson Rosella, and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo) whose abundance was between 72 and 103 birds. All nine species accounted for over 70 percent of all individual birds counted at the impact points during the survey. The abundance of the remaining species ranged between one and 68 birds and their distribution among the observation points was uneven depending on the Page 41

48 presence of a range of habitats in the count area, such as the proximity of trees providing habitat for bush-birds. The abundant species were, predictably, common farmland birds; species that are widely distributed in farmland across south-eastern Australia. However, the abundance of windbreaks in the study area comprising planted pines and planted native eucalypt trees has encouraged birds that are adapted to a combination of large trees for roosting and open grasslands for foraging, such as rosellas, cockatoos and wattlebirds, to utilise the study area. The wattlebirds, a usually common woodland bird, were found to be common in the morning flying in good numbers between lines of trees (windbreaks) across the open paddocks. The ranking of species by abundance was almost the same at the 16 observation points, with the Australian Magpie and Raven spp. being the most common resident farmland bird at most points (see Table 4). The mix of bird species at each point reflected the area of native trees or exotic pines within the counting area. In general there were more trees surrounding the points within the paddocks (mostly windbreaks) compared to those points on the edge of the escarpment. Although native trees were more widespread in the river valley, they were outside the formal counting area (200 metres radius) and very few birds, apart from the Red Wattlebirds, were observed to move outside treed areas in this setting to the edge of the escarpment. On the two reference points, the dominant bird species reflected the habitat on which the points were located. Reference point 1 was close to the Moorabool River and its associated remnant native woodland while reference point 2 was in the middle of paddock, in habitat very similar to the impact points. The dominant birds on reference point 1 were mainly bush-birds (see Table 5) while those on reference point 2 were farmland birds similar to those recorded on the impact points. Table 6 shows the distribution of bird numbers among the survey points. The total number of birds counted at the impact points varied between a minimum total of 110 birds at point 8 to a maximum total of 342 birds at point 4, with an average total of 244 birds per point at the impact points (total of nine counts at each point). The higher number at point 4 was mainly due to the presence of large numbers of starlings, and at point 1 the presence of a good mix of farmland, forest and introduced bird species. Table 7 shows the numbers of individual birds of each species observed flying at RSA height. During the survey period, a total of 106 individual birds of 14 species were observed flying at RSA height at the impact points, or about 8.6 percent of the total number of birds counted. The most abundant species observed flying at RSA height were: Long-billed Corella; Raven spp.; Australian Magpie; and Common Starling. Page 42

49 These four species accounted for over 72 percent of the birds counted at RSA height, with ravens comprising the bulk of these flights (30%). All bird species flying at RSA height were common farmland birds, of which one, the Common Starling, is an introduced species. Long-billed Corella, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Galah usually fly low when flying short distances, but fly high at RSA height when moving between paddocks or when dispersing to their feeding grounds from their roosting sites, particularly early in the morning. Ravens (mainly Little Raven) at this time of year move and forage in varying sized flocks. Similar to the corellas, they usually fly close to the ground when foraging, but at times fly at RSA height when moving long distances between paddocks or to and from their roost sites. Magpies are ground birds. They are not usually found flying at RSA height, except when performing aerial displays: groups of noisy magpies can ascend to heights above 40 metres and perform a territorial defence behaviour, aerial bluff display, or chase intruding raptors, particularly Wedge-tailed Eagles. The remaining birds at RSA height comprised four birds of prey, two waterbirds, and one farmland bird. Birds of prey, groups most likely to be observed regularly flying at RSA height are discussed below in more detail. The remaining birds may occasionally fly at RSA heights although usually prefer flying closer to the ground. The presence of birds at RSA height at the 8 impact points varied between zero at point 1 and 24 at point 4 (i.e birds per count). In common with the total number of birds at the observation points, there were no particular patterns of distribution of birds at RSA height among the impact points. Except for the Wedgetailed Eagles, birds flying at RSA heights were almost equally divided between the observation points (Table 6). Birds of Prey (Raptors) Few birds of prey were observed on the site during the counts. At the impact points, four species were seen flying within the count areas. The number of raptors was low in relation to the total number of birds recorded during the survey. Raptors formed 1.0 percent of all individuals surveyed on the wind farm site and 8.5 percent of birds seen at RSA height (Table 8). The Wedge-tailed Eagle was the most common raptor observed utilizing the wind farm site. Eagles were seen on five occasions during formal counts; sightings were as follows: Two adult soaring at c. 100 metres over point 3 (birds were close to the escarpment). One adult soaring above 120 metres over point 6; One adult soaring above 100 metres over point 8; and Two adult seen on two different occasions; one perched on a tree at point 6 and the other flying low over the same point (eagles seen at points 6 and 8 are probably members of one family). Page 43

50 In addition, eagles were also seen on six more occasions outside the formal bird count; these sightings are discussed in Section 9. The number of eagles recorded during formal bird count is 6 birds, all of which were seen in association with the escarpment. The utilisation rate of the wind farm site by eagles based on observing 6 birds during formal count amounts to birds per hectare per hour. The utilisation rate of Wedge-tailed Eagles at Victorian and eastern South Australian wind farm sites studied by Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd (unpubl. data) have varied from to 0.44 birds per hectare per hour. The highest figure was for the Yaloak wind farm site between five and ten kilometres east of the proposed Moorabool site. These findings suggest that eagle use of the Moorabool site is not comparable to that at Yaloak where impacts of a large wind farm development were deemed to be unacceptable. The sighting of eagles in the current bird utilisation survey was from observation points located at the Moorabool River escarpment. The eagles usually prefer such sites as the escarpment creates uplifting air currents which the eagles exploit efficiently to soar over their foraging areas. No eagle was observed flying or soaring over the points located in the open paddocks away from the escarpment. A more detailed account of eagle distribution on the site is given in Section 9. It is likely that eagles sighted during the current bird utilisation survey belonged to two families; the core habitat of the first family (seen at points 6 and 8) is over the Moorabool River escarpment and extends over most of the southern section of the wind farm and the woodland abutting its western border. The core habitat of the second family (seen on point 3) is likely to cover part of the northern section of the wind farm site and the associated river escarpment that runs through it (for more details, see Section 9). Other raptors seen at the RSA height were the Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel and Brown Goshawk. Falcons and kestrels are common farmland birds, mostly found flying at low heights but they can also fly at RSA height, particularly when foraging. The goshawks were seen from point 8 and were flying over the escarpment towards the woodland. The four goshawks seen may belong to a single pair inhabiting the woodland nearby. Waterbirds Waterbirds were scarce at the proposed Moorabool Wind Project. Four common species, Australian Wood Duck, Australian Shelduck, Pacific Black Duck and White-faced Heron, were recorded at observation points during formal counts. The proposed Moorabool Wind Project site contained a number of farm dams; most lacked vegetation and were used for stock watering. The wind farm site lacked naturally occurring water bodies, except for the Moorabool River, and is distant from major lakes or reservoirs that could be a source of waterbirds. The waterbirds recorded as part of the bird utilisation survey are shown in Table 4. Seventy nine individual belonging to four species were recorded (4% of all birds), of which 38 individuals were Australian Wood Duck, 26 were Australian Shelduck, three were White-faced Heron and two were Pacific Black Duck. Larger Page 44

51 flocks of both the wood duck and the Shelduck (c. 50 birds in a flock) were seen foraging in open paddocks around points 1, 2 and 3 and resting on large farm dams in the same area. Ducks usually fly low when moving over fields but can also fly at RSA heights when crossing longer distances between their roosting wetlands and foraging fields. Page 45

52 Table 4: Summary of numbers of individual birds and their height distribution seen on impact survey points at the Moorabool Wind Project site. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m). Species P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 Totals Grand A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Australian Magpie Raven spp Common Starling Yellow-rumped Thornbill Red Wattlebird Eastern Rosella Long-billed Corella Crimson Rosella Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Galah Superb Fairywren House Sparrow European Goldfinch Magpie-lark Australian Shelduck Australian Wood Duck Australasian Pipit Crested Pigeon White-fronted Chat Willie Wagtail Red-rumped Parrot Common Bronzwing Grey Currawong Brown Thornbill Eurasian Skylark Total % Imp. Page 46

53 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 Totals Grand % Species A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Total Imp. Wedge-tailed Eagle Brown Falcon Nankeen Kestrel Brown Goshawk Common Blackbird Flame Robin Yellow-faced Honeyeater Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike Laughing Kookaburra White-faced Heron Pacific Black Duck Welcome Swallow Grey Fantail Grey Shrike-thrush Total No. of species recorded Page 47

54 Table 5: Summary of numbers of individual birds and their height distribution seen on Reference survey points at the Moorabool Wind Project site. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m). Species R1 R2 Totals Grand A B C A B C A B C Total Yellow-rumped Thornbill New Holland Honeyeater Yellow-faced Honeyeater Australian Magpie Crimson Rosella Superb Fairywren Welcome Swallow Silvereye Tree Martin Common Blackbird Eastern Rosella Magpie-lark Crested Pigeon Willie Wagtail Raven spp Red Wattlebird White-browed Scrubwren Red-browed Finch Brown Thornbill European Goldfinch % Imp. Page 48

55 Species R1 R2 Totals Grand A B C A B C A B C Total Common Bronzwing Grey Shrike-thrush Brown Falcon Pacific Black Duck Restless Flycatcher Laughing Kookaburra Total Number of species recorded % Imp. Table 6: The number of birds counted at each of the survey points at Moorabool Wind Project. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m). Number of Birds at % of total % at RSA %RSA birds Observation Points Total A B C birds heights Of total birds P P P P P P P P Total R R Page 49

56 Number of Birds at % of total % at RSA %RSA birds Observation Points Total A B C birds heights Of total birds Total Table 7: Species flying at rotor swept area height during bird utilisation surveys at the Moorabool Wind Project. Birds at RSA heights Total % % birds % RSA Birds at all RSA RSA at RSA Birds of heights Bird species P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 birds birds heights All birds Long-billed Corella Raven spp Australian Magpie Common Starling Red Wattlebird Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Galah Nankeen Kestrel Wedge-tailed Eagle Australian Shelduck Brown Goshawk White-faced Heron Brown Falcon Magpie-lark Total Page 50

57 Table 8: The number of raptors counted at each of the survey points at Moorabool Wind Project. A=below rotor swept area (RSA) height (40 m); B= at RSA height ( m); C= above RSA height (>150 m). Raptor species P3 P5 P6 P8 Totals Grand A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Total Wedge-tailed Eagle Brown Falcon Nankeen Kestrel Brown Goshawk Total Page 51

58 8. BAT SURVEY 8.1. Introduction The bat survey of the site investigated the local bat fauna, and was designed to compile a species inventory for the site, to gain an insight into activity levels and species present at proposed turbine locations and to ascertain if any threatened species were present. This section describes the methods used and presents the results of the bat survey Methods Automated Anabat (Titley Electronics, Ballina, NSW) bat detectors that record the species-specific echolocation calls of free-flying bats were used at four sampling points that were representative of the habitats near wind turbine locations on the proposed wind farm site. The detectors were programmed to commence operation approximately 30 minutes before dusk, and to cease approximately 30 minutes after dawn. The Anabat unit was connected to a Compact Flash Storage ZCAIM unit that recorded each bat echolocation call, along with the time and date of each call, on a compact flash card. Calls from the units were downloaded and sent to Dr Greg Richards (Greg Richards and Associates Pty Ltd, Canberra) for identification. The files from the recording sites were viewed in Anabat software (Chris Corben, USA), which provides a sonogram display of frequency versus time. Call identification was based on a key developed by comparing the characteristics of bat search calls within reference calls from known species recorded across Australia, including comparison with reference calls for Victoria kindly provided by Lindy Lumsden of the Department of Sustainability and Environment. Identification is largely based on changes to frequency patterns over time, especially as the characteristic frequency changes. Only those recordings that contained at least two definite and discrete calls were classified as bat calls. For most species, a call sequence of several seconds in duration is required before identification can be made confidently. The identification of echolocation calls from microbats in south-eastern Australia is facilitated by the fact that many calls are species-specific. However, not all species can be consistently or reliably identified. There is a large overlap in the call characteristics of some species and many calls are attributable only to species complexes and not to single species. A significant limitation in the use of this technique is that it is not possible to census bats accurately. That is, the Anabat unit may record 10 calls of a particular species but it is not known if this represents 10 individuals or one individual flying past 10 times. Therefore, it is not possible to determine utilisation rates as it is for birds. Page 52

59 Timing and location of the survey The bat survey was conducted over seven nights between 12 th and 19 th March 2009 for sites one and two, and over seven nights between 19 th and 26 th March 2009 for sites three and four. Two sampling points were selected to represent habitat where turbines are proposed to be located (see Figure 7). The location and characteristics of the recording sites are described below. Site 1: Over the edge of the escarpment overlooking woodland in the southern section of the wind farm site. The location was on the very edge of the escarpment with little vegetation or large trees on site, with woodland about 500 metres away. Site 2: In middle of a paddock in the north-eastern part of the southern section. The site was among two lines of windbreaks made of pines and native trees. Site 3: Located in a paddock in the northern section of the wind farm about 200 meters from the escarpment. The location was surrounded by large pines and some mature eucalypts. Site 4: Located about 800 meters from escarpment or 600 meters from site 3, overlooking similar paddocks and also surrounded by pine and eucalypt wind breaks Results of the survey During the survey, a total of nine bat species was recorded from the four recording sites. These are listed in Table 9. The species recorded at the wind farm site were widespread, common and secure species and none are threatened or listed under any wildlife conservation legislation, nationally or in Victoria. The record of the Inland Broad-nosed Bat is of interest, as it is an uncommon but widespread species more usually reported from northern and western Victoria (Menkhorst 1995). The diversity of bats was similar at all recording sites, with all nine species recorded at all recording sites. Long-eared bats are difficult to distinguish to species level, and have been grouped under their genus name. The species that are likely to occur at the site are Nyctophilus geoffroyi and N. gouldi. The Southern Freetail Bat is currently under taxonomic revision and a specific name is as yet not available. Bat Activity The number of calls recorded varied significantly between the four recording sites. The total bat calls ranged between 9 and 385 calls and averaged calls per night for all species of bats recorded. A review of the data from the survey sites (Table 9) shows that bat activity was almost of equal among the first six species in the table. The most active species were common farmland bats that roost mainly in tree hollows and under bark of mature eucalypt trees. Little Forest Bat and Gould s Wattle Bat were less active. Page 53

60 The Inland Broad-nosed Bat was the only bat with very low activity in all four sites; this species is an uncommon species in the area. Bat activity also differed in relation to the location of the recording site. Bats were more active in sites located in open paddocks and away from the escarpment. Sites 3, 2 and 4, located within paddocks and at varying distances from the escarpment had much higher activity than site 1, located at the edge of the escarpment. It seems likely that bat activity is more related to the presence of suitable roosting habitats in the form of large trees nearby than to the proximity of the escarpment. This also suggests strongly that routine bat activity in the vegetation along the Moorabool River may be confined to that vegetation and that individuals from this habitat do not regularly forage upslope, away from that vegetation. At the species level (Table 9), the number of bat calls differed significantly between species and within the same species between the four sites. The Southern Freetail Bats was the most common bat species and accounted for approximately 22 percent of all bat calls recorded. The next most common species were the Chocolate Wattle Bat and Southern Forest Bat. These three species accounted for approximately 52 percent of all bat calls recorded. The common bat species recorded at the four sites are known to roost mostly in tree hollows, under bark or in buildings (Menkhorst 1995). Their concentration, particularly at sites 3, 2 and 4 may indicate that the large gum trees on these sites with their hollows provide a roost site for them. Table 9: A comparison of activity levels of bat species recorded on Moorabool Wind Project site. Common name Scientific name Site 1 No. of calls (n= 7 days) Site Site Site Total Average/ night Southern Freetail Bat Mormopterus sp Chocolate Wattle Bat Chalinolobus gouldii Southern Forest Bat Vespadelus regulus White-striped Austronomus Freetail Bat australis Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus sp Large Forest Bat Vespadelus darlingtoni Little Forest Bat Vespadelus vulturnus Gould's Wattle Bat Chalinolobus morio Inland Broad-nosed Bat Scotorepens balstoni Totals Page 54

61 9. WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE SURVEY A targeted survey has been undertaken of the Wedge-tailed Eagle inhabiting the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site. The methods and results of this survey are presented in this section of the report. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether the proposed wind farm site was subject to high levels of eagle usage and how eagle usage varies across the site. Such information can inform wind farm layout to reduce collision risk to this species of concern. Further east, this species was a significant issue for the proposed Yaloak Wind Farm and the original project layout was rejected by a Planning Panel on the grounds that the impacts on the Wedge-tailed Eagle may be unacceptable. A preliminary investigation of whether such an issue exists for the proposed Moorabool Wind Project was undertaken in late 2008 to guide its future planning of the project. This more detailed investigation arose from that earlier assessment Wedge-tailed Eagle Biology The Wedge-tailed Eagle is a common and widespread species in Victoria and it occurs in a range of habitat types, including forests, woodlands, timbered farmlands and open country (Marchant and Higgins 1993). The Victorian population of this species is not listed as threatened under Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 or under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act The Tasmanian subspecies (found nowhere else) is listed as endangered. The Wedge-tailed Eagle breeds between April and September, but mainly starts breeding in June. One or two eggs are laid in a large stick nest, in either a living or dead tree. Incubation is around 45 days, and the time from hatching to fledging is between 70 and 95 days (Marchant and Higgins 1993). Breeding territories tend to be discrete and evenly spaced. The size of a territory is largely defined by the placement of nests and the boundaries of these territories tend to remain stable from year to year (Olsen 2005). They are actively defended by the breeding pair which entails patrolling of ridgelines and aggressive aerial displays. The density of nests is the best measure of territory size, and it is one of the most practical means by which the population size can be estimated (Olsen 2005). Active nests can be separated by less than a kilometre to as much as 10km (Olsen 2005). Eagle activity is focused on their territory but they will also range beyond that and into the territories of neighbouring eagles. Females tend to range further than males. Ridges will often delineate territory boundaries, but where escarpments exist, they will often nest on the slope below the escarpment edge and hunt on the flatland above (Olsen 2005). The Wedge-tailed Eagle forms life-long monogamous bonds and a partner is replaced if it dies (Marchant and Higgins 1993, Olsen 1995). Pairs establish large home ranges, consisting of a core area, which is defended from intruders, and a Page 55

62 larger home range outside of the nesting territory over which they may hunt (Sharp et al. 2001). Outside the existing territory, these home ranges may overlap with those of other pairs (Sharp et al. 2001). There is considerable variation in the size of home ranges, distance to nearest other breeding pairs and density of breeding pairs in any given area. Density and abundance of prey as well as the availability of suitable nest sites are likely to affect these factors (Sharp et al. 2001, Marchant and Higgins 1993). Home ranges have been estimated to be km 2 in the Eastern Highlands (south-eastern Australia), km 2 near Armidale (NSW), 53 km 2 in arid NSW, and km 2 in arid WA (Marchant and Higgins 1993). Smaller home ranges of 9-18 km 2 have also been recorded (Marchant and Higgins 1993). In Victoria, where records exist, active nests have been reported between 0.7 km and 4.3 km apart (Marchant and Higgins 1993). Young birds in their first five years (also known as floaters ) tend to group together, especially where there is carrion. Breeders will be recruited from these young, who will rapidly fill vacancies created by the death or eviction of a dominant breeding bird (Olsen 2005, Sharp et al. 2001). Wedge-tailed Eagles feed on a variety of prey items, from mammals and birds to reptiles and carrion (Debus 1998). In the south of the country they prefer rabbits and hares, which make up an important and significant component of their diet (Marchant and Higgins 1993). They forage on the wing, either by low, slow quartering or high soaring, or from a perch (Debus 1998). They may hunt above the tree canopy and over cleared and open land, and are often seen soaring along cliffs and escarpments (Marchant and Higgins 1993) Field methodology The field survey took place over five days from 25 th to 31 st March Mild temperatures and overcast cloud cover were experienced on 25 th and 26 th of March. The other days experienced mostly fine and sunny conditions. Overall weather conditions were suitable for the survey and for the detection of eagles. Furthermore, at the time of year of the survey, juvenile eagles from nearby nesting pairs would have fledged and would be detectable. The survey was based on two exercises, described below. A roaming survey was undertaken that included travelling by car and surveying all sections of the proposed wind farm site. Incidental sightings of Wedgetailed Eagles were recorded on topographic maps and information recorded on behaviour and movements in the region. Fixed point surveys were undertaken that included counting eagles from fixed locations for a period of 20 minutes each. All of the original observation points (Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd 2008) and an additional point (ten in total) were visited four times each during the field period. Points were selected in areas that provided maximum visibility to ridges, escarpments and valleys (see Figure 9). At each observation point, the area was scanned with binoculars to a maximum distance of 500 metres from the observer. The observation points were marked with a Global Positioning System (GPS) and the location of any Page 56

63 Wedge-tailed Eagles sighted in the 20 minute period was recorded on a topographic map. Data that was recorded included: Time and duration of flight Number of flights Number of birds Direction of flight Height above ground Eagle behaviour Page 57

64 .!.! P4.! P5.! P7.!.!.!.! P1 P2 P3 P6 P10 P9.! P8.! Figure 9: Wedge-tailed Eagle Survey Points Legend Project Title: Moorabool Wind Farm. Study area!. 0 Client: WestWind Energy Pty Ltd Project No.: 8147 Date: 23/ 06 /2009 Created by: K. Al-Dabbagh / Syahrudin Observation Points Kilometers Experience Knowledge Solutions 605 Nicholson Street ph (03) fax (03) PO Box 592, Carlton North blane@ecologicalresearch.com.au VIC 3054 Australia

65 9.3. Results Existing information Existing information on Wedge-tailed Eagles in the search region (10 km radius from the proposed wind farm site boundaries) was obtained from the AVW). The AVW contained 21 records from the search region (Table 10). The records were for the period 1978 to Seven records were from the Brisbane Ranges National Park. Remaining records were from areas surrounding the proposed wind farm site. The nearest of these records was more than 5 km from the proposed wind farm site boundary. Observations between 2004 and 2008 at the Yaloak Estate and surrounding gorges and cliffs have revealed the presence of a large population of the Wedge-tailed eagle utilizing that area (Brett Lane & Associates, Unpubl. data). Yaloak Estate is approximately 6 km to the east of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site. Table 10: Wedge-tailed Eagle records from the AVW search region surrounding the proposed Moorabool Wind Project. Written Locality Nearest Place 1st Date Latitude Longitude Borhoney Ghurk, near Elaine Ballark 13-May '24 " '34" Werribee State Park (breeding 37 40'08 28-Oct-86 record) " '49" roughly 2 km s of Glenmore 27-Oct '57 " '16" 1 km SW of Morrisons roughly 2 km sw of 37 47'06 17-May-92 Morrisons " '14" Beremboke Road, Beremboke within 2 km of 37 48'15 1-Jan-95 Reilly creek " '42" Werribee State Park 23-Jul '01 " '53" Brisbane Ranges NP Brisbane Range 6-Apr '16 " '26" Aeroplane Road picnic area, roughly 2 km s of 37 44'44 13-Apr-99 Brisbane Ranges NP Glenmore " '25" Brisbane Ranges NP sheoak hill 5-Sep '32 " '55" Durdiwarrah Dams 8km N of roughly 3 km w of 37 49'17 1-Apr-00 Steiglitz Durdidwarrah " '41" Moorabool River, Morrisons roughly 2 km sw of 37 47'03 21-Apr-00 1km SW of Morrisons Morrisons " '14" Marshalls Road, Brisbane 37 48'37 Durdidwarrah 4-Jul-00 Ranges " '25" Shoot Track, Brisbane Ranges roughly 2 km s of 37 44'29 24-Sep-00 NP 12km SW of Bacchus Marsh Glenmore " '50" Stony Creek Catchment within 2 km of 37 49'32 5-Oct-00 Brisbane Ranges Durdidwarrah " '06" Stony Creek Catchment roughly 2 km w of 37 49'38 5-Oct-00 Brisbane Ranges Durdidwarrah " '50" Eclipse Creek Aston creek 1-Jun '43 " '31" Eclipse Creek Aston creek 1-Jul '43 " '31" Page 59

66 Written Locality Nearest Place 1st Date Latitude Longitude Eclipse Creek Aston creek 1-Aug '43 " '31" Yaloak Estate Yaloak creek 6-Oct '55 " '32" Yaloak Estate Southern 37 44'21 7-Oct-02 Boundary " '54" Mount Wallace Mount Wallace 13-Jun '17 " '43" Results of the Survey Figure 9 shows the location of the ten fixed observation points. Points one to five and seven covered the northern section of the site, and points six and eight to ten covered the southern section of the site. At each point, four replicate counts were made at various times of the day. Of all the counts (40 counts), Wedge-tailed Eagles was seen flying within 500 metres of points four, five, six, seven, eight and nine and outside observation points during the roaming survey (Figures 10 and 11). During the bird utilisation survey, the observation of eagles over areas where turbines are proposed to be located equated to a utilisation rate of birds per hectare per hour, considered comparatively low for sites in rural south eastern Australia (Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd, unpubl. data). Observations were made during the eagle survey at the site. Wedge-tailed Eagles were observed crossing over potential development areas, in particular over escarpments and forest edges. These movements were recorded on a topographic map for the Bungeeltap Section (Figure 10) and Ballark Section (Figure 11). These figures also show eagle flight behaviour during fixed-point and roaming surveys. Flight behaviour observed included soaring, directional flight, directional soaring, circling and diving. Figure 10 illustrates that points 3, 4 and 7 (steeper parts of the northern section and adjacent valley), probably lie within the home range of one pair of eagles, with all records from the same area of forest. It is also possible that this pair might have a nest somewhere within this forest. Page 60

67 Figure 10: Position, direction of travel and type of flight of Wedge-tailed Eagles recorded as individual fixed-point and incidental sightings at the Bungeeltap Section of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site during the survey. Page 61

68 Figure 11: Position, direction of travel and type of flight of Wedge-tailed Eagles recorded as individual fixed-point and incidental sightings at the Ballark Section of the proposed Moorabool Wind Project site during the survey. Figure 11 shows that the Ballark Section of the proposed wind farm site most likely lies within the home range of a resident family of 2 adults and 2 immature eagles, which may also have a nest within the adjacent forest. During each survey at observation point 9, at least three eagles were observed in the same area of forest within the boundary of the proposed wind farm site. Several other pairs of intruders flew into this area and as a result, aggressive territorial displays were observed. High activity of eagle usage was noted around observation point 9, with a maximum of eight eagles seen at one time within the area. Eagle activity at points 8 and 10 was less frequent. The proposed wind farm site was found to support a small population of Wedgetailed Eagles. The number of resident eagles that utilise the wind farm site on a regular basis is six birds, two over the northern section and a family of four over the southern section. Several additional pairs of eagles occasionally pass through Page 62