PIKES SADDLE VicForests Logging coupe

Transcription

1 PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION REPORT DETECTION OF YELLOW-BELLIED GLIDERS (Petaurus australis) and the presence of Hollow-bearing Trees PIKES SADDLE VicForests Logging coupe Abstract This preliminary investigation report records the presence of significant nocturnal fauna species and/or the presence of Hollow-bearing Trees encountered in a preliminary investigation of threatened species values within and/or adjacent to VicForests scheduled and now active logging coupe This preliminary investigation involved: 1. Nocturnal call-play-back survey for the presence of nocturnal fauna. 2. Incidental observations of hollow bearing trees. 3. Incidental detections of nocturnal fauna. Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis) individuals were recorded from this location during the nocturnal call-play-back survey and via incidental aural encounter and the presence of Hollow-bearing Trees were observed within VicForests scheduled and now active logging coupe incidentally during preliminary site visits. Further details arising from this preliminary investigation are provided below. Status of Site Coupe has been logged in part with logging currently ongoing as at 23/01/2016. Date of Investigation 29/12/2015; 05/01/2016; 14/01/ / Surveyors Andrew Lincoln Owen Hanson Author Andrew Lincoln Fauna and Flora Research Collective Inc. asl80@hotmail.com Date of report 23/01/ Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 1/10

2 Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 2/10

3 Location details Within and nearby to VicForests scheduled logging coupe along Pikes Hill Road (Pikes Saddle) in the Kuark Forest Block of East Gippsland. Figure A. Detail from: "Approved Timber Release Plan Map Change Map; August 2015 (with all approved amendments applied) Orbost (East)", VicForests, 31 August 2014 * Investigation location within blue box Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 3/10

4 Method Used and Results 1 (Summary) (Nocturnal fauna Call-play-back survey and incidental encounters) Equipment Used (All surveys) Hand-held Spotlight Binoculars Digital Camera Global Positioning System (GPS) [Garmin GPSMAP 62s] Hand-held Digital Audio Recorder Compass, pen and paper Method used/results Summary - Nocturnal Fauna Call-play-back Survey [29/12/2015] 1. On the 29 December 2016, at around 12:30am surveyors were present at the following location: (GDA94 UTM) preparing for a nocturnal fauna call-playback survey. 2. During preparations at least 3 Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis) individuals were observed aurally from three separate locations. 3. At 12:33am the nocturnal fauna call-play-back survey was commenced and proceeded as per the table below in Results 1. Table 1. until the conclusion of the survey at approximately 01:13am. 4. The nocturnal fauna call-play-back survey undertaken within this investigation involved repeated broadcast of pre-recorded Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) vocalisations, interspersed with minutes of silence (usually at least 2 minutes) to listen for any aural response and a spotlight search of the broadcast location for fauna species presence. 5. As fauna were observed the time, species, bearing from and an estimate of the distance from observation location were noted. See Results 1. Table 1. Nocturnal Fauna Spotlighting Survey Results Summary; 30/12/2015 below for details of the fauna encountered. 6. The location of the nocturnal fauna call-play-back survey is shown as the northernmost yellow and black pentagon labeled Yellow-bellied Glider detection location in the maps provided below within this report. Results 1. Table 1. Nocturnal Fauna Call-play-back Survey Method Used and Results Summary; 29/12/2015 TIM E 00:33 00:34 00:37 00:37 00:38 00:40 00:43 00:43 00:45 00:50 00:54 00:55 01:00 01:05 01:10 01:13 01:13 Com m on Nam e Specific Nam e Location (GDA94 UTM ) Bearing Distance (est.) START Australian owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatus Southern Boobook Ninox-novaeseelandiae Southern Boobook Ninox-novaeseelandiae Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis Yellow-bellied Glider Petaurus australis END m m m m m Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 4/10

5 Incidental nocturnal fauna observations [14/01/ /01/2016] 7. On the evenings of the 14th, 15th and 16th January 2016, the surveyors were camping adjacent to Pike's Hill Track in the Kuark Forest Block of East Gippsland at the following location: 55H (GDA94 UTM). 8. On each of the evenings listed above numerous Yellow-bellied Glider vocalisations were observed aurally throughout the night leaving the impression that a high density of the species was present inhabiting the forest at least within audible range of the camp location described above. 9. The location of these incidental aural records of the Yellow-bellied Glider are shown as the southernmost yellow and black pentagon labeled Yellow-bellied Glider detection location in the maps provided below within this report. Incidental observation of Hollow-bearing Tree Presence [29/12/2015 and 05/01/2016] 10. On the 29th of December 2015 as part of a separate threatened species investigation, remote survey cameras were placed within the study location towards the southern border of coupe and were retrieved on the 5th January During the set up and retrieval of the remote survey cameras surveyors observed numerous large old hollow-bearing trees believed to be suitable for the habitat requirements of species such as the Yellow-bellied Glider and Masked Owl. 12. These Hollow-bearing Trees were present at least in those areas of VicForests scheduled logging coupe labeled Surveyed Area with Hollow-bearing Tree Presence shown in the maps provided below within this report. Areas of coupe that were either not traversed or not assessed for the presence of Hollow-bearing Trees are shown in the maps below as the Area not surveyed for Hollow-bearing Tree presence. 13. Many of the hollow-bearing trees encountered were photographed and examples of these trees from the southern portions of coupe are shown in Results 2. below. 14. The location of the Hollow-bearing Trees photographed were taking from within the southernmost area labeled Surveyed Area with Hollow-bearing Tree Presence shown in the maps provided below within this report Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 5/10

6 Results 2 Hollow-bearing Tree Photographs; Figures 1(a-d). Figure 1(a). Figure 1(b). Figure 1(c). Figure 1(d) Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 6/10

7 Results 2 Hollow-bearing Tree Photographs; Figures 1(e-h). Figure 1(e). Figure 1(f). Figure 1(g). Figure 1(h) Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 7/10

8 Results 2 Hollow-bearing Tree Photographs; Figures 1(i-l). Figure 1(i). Figure 1(j). Figure 1(k). Figure 1(l) Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 8/10

9 Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 9/10

10 Pikes Saddle - Kuark Yellow-bellied Glider Preliminary Investigation Report_AL_FFRC 10/10