Attracting critically endangered Regent Honeyeater to offset land Jessica Blair Environmental Advisor
Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) Adult Juveniles 400 individuals left in the wild Widespread clearing of habitat Only a few key breeding regions remaining Feed mainly on nectar from select eucalypts and mistletoes Breeding occurs from August - January Fledglings are completely independent within two weeks Move around between breeding seasons
Location of Biodiversity Areas for MTW
Goulburn River Biodiversity Area Habitat corridor Durridgere State Conservation Area, Munmurra Nature Reserve and Goulburn River National Park 1066ha 140ha
Description The river flats have been historically cleared for grazing since the 1840 s. Convergence of the Munmurra and Goulburn rivers Sandstone escarpments and slopes with forest and woodland communities of mixed aged trees Ideal habitat for the Regent Honeyeater (Yellow Box Grey Box Red Gum grassy woodland and River Oak riparian woodland )
Regent Honeyeater sighting December 2016 first significant sighting in the Goulburn River area for some years Monitoring by Ross Crates (PhD on Regent Honeyeaters - ANU) reported ten adult and four juvenile
Key threatening processes Overabundance of Noisy Miners restricts habitat and food available for Regent Honeyeater Habitat loss - clearing and fragmentation Habitat degradation - lack of recruitment of key forage species Mistletoe die off Overgrazing Egg and nest predation Low success rate for breeding Disturbance at nesting sites Noisy Miner Birdlife Australia
Feral cattle removal History of cattle grazing Feral cattle throughout Goulburn River National Park and Goulburn River Biodiversity Area Impacting Regent Honeyeater breeding areas Successful musters removed 50 head of feral cattle and over 100 head of trespassing cattle in 2017 little evidence of any cattle remaining
Noisy Miner monitoring Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala) dominate the edge areas of remnant woodlands and impact on the native bird diversity in these areas Section120/121 licence - requirement to demonstrate whether Noisy Miner control enhances regent honeyeaters survivability at this location 170 monitoring sites throughout the control area Monitoring undertaken by Ross Crates (ANU) one week before and after cull then one month, two months and four months Maximum number of Noisy Miners and all other small songbirds encountered Data on % tree and shrub cover and blossom
Noisy Miner control August 2017 program aimed to reduce competition and enhance the breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater (Goulburn River Biodiversity Area & Goulburn River National Park) Five days of targeted ground shoot Calling and lure equipment was utilised to attract target species 350 Noisy Miners controlled (Section 120/121) Overall decrease in population at the control sites (90-95%) A reduced level of activity was noted towards the end of the program. This reduction was confirmed in post control survey. Regent Honeyeaters survivability was enhanced with at least 15 adult and five juvenile Regent Honeyeaters recorded during the breeding season Manorina melanocephala subspecies leachii, Austin's Ferry, Tasmania, Australia JJ Harrison
Mistletoe investigation project Birdlife Australia is undertaking an investigation project to understand what is causing mass die off of needle-leaf mistletoe and what the management options are for reestablishment. The needle-leaf mistletoe grows in River Sheoak which is used for nesting habitat and the mistletoe is used as a key food resource during breeding
Conservation management actions Seven day Noisy Miner ground shoot/ covering a larger area with tags for 475 in August 2018 Pre and post cull monitoring of Noisy Miners/Regent Honeyeaters Implementation of the Management plan Monitoring Weed control Other vertebrate pest control Planting - Active restoration to increase the extent and enhance the habitat providing a food source for the Regent Honeyeater supporting the long term survival of the species Mount Thorley Warkworth has contributed $1 million to the NSW Government s Saving Our Species program to support the captive breeding programme for the Regent Honeyeater.
Acknowledgements ANU - Ross Crates Bird monitoring - Australian National University ethics permit #A2015/28 and New South Wales scientific licence #SL101603 NPWS - Greg Lowe and Lisa Menke Birdlife Australia Mick Roderick