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MalleefowlRe- introduction

NATURE F ATION SA INC

Malleefowl Re- introductionEyre Peninsula

2000 2005

Report compiled by N. Cotsell© Department for Environment and Heritage 2001

Cover photos:Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata (N. Cotsell)

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Reportes 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On the 23 January 2001, National Parks and Wildlife officers and communitymembers collected 29 eggs from three malleefowl mounds near the township of Lockon Eyre Peninsula. This small milestone represented the first stage of a five yearprogram to re- introduce malleefowl back to suitable mallee areas on the Peninsulawhere landholders and local community are sympathetic to their plight. Currently,there are five healthy birds ranging in age from six to nine months being raised in anaviary at Wangary. Ark on Eyre, a marketing and promotional banner for biodiversityconservation initiatives on Eyre Peninsula has galvanised local community supportby promoting and resourcing the re- introduction program and encouraging theformation of a network of volunteers and other people interested in Malleefowlconservation. Furthermore, a better understanding of the plight of malleefowl hasbeen raised through a malleefowl website, regular newsletters, newspaper articles,radio interviews and a documentary to follow the progress of chicks from eggcollection to eventual re- introduction. Many local businesses have contributedmaterials for the construction of the aviary and food for the growing birds. Schoolchildren have been raising mealworms and participating in other projects to betterunderstand and appreciate the importance of habitat and predator control in helpingwild populations survive. With historical and ongoing predator control workundertaken in Lincoln National Park the first batch of malleefowl will be re- introducedin the near future marking a return of the birds after an absence of 30 years. In 2002,additional eggs will be collected and incubated with the help of volunteers withexpectations of higher success rates as experience gained from the first year ofincubation and malleefowl husbandry techniques are fine tunned. A second aviary tohouse additional chicks is currently being considered to bolster the number of chicksthat can be re- introduced. This will give the program flexibility to separate ageclasses following the staggered hatching of chicks. Some of these birds willeventually be made available for heritage agreement landholders through the MalleeBiodiversity accelerating program as communities' work toward habitat protectionand predator control. Malleefowl will be employed as a 'flagship' species for thisprogram to promote biodiversity and conservation programs across the region.

Eyre Peninsula Ma lleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Ark on Eyre would like to thank the following people, organisations and businessesfor their ongoing assistance and support for this project:

Tom Bott (Bird husbandary and aviary construction)Tony Figl (Incubation)

Friends of Southern Eyre ParksSouthern Eyre Birds

Port Lincoln Aboriginal Community Council (Documentary)Rob Wheeler (NSW NPWS)

Wayne Fowler (Aviary Construction)Warramboo CWA

Lincoln Gardens Primary SchoolLock residents

Lincoln Veterinary ClinicPort Lincoln Bird Club

DEH (Port Lincoln, Venus Bay & Adelaide)Bushcare

Dubbo Zoo (Technical advice)ABC Radio (Promotion)

Adelaide Zoo (Post mortem)

SponsorsNature Foundation SA Inc. (Finance)

Lincoln Rural Supplies (Aviary)Leader Distributors (Stubby holders & foam)

Merv Clayton (Ant Control)Cummins Mill (Feed)

Lock school (Accommodation)Arthur Gibbs (Mealworms)

Larry Bebbington (Water trough)

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 4

INTRODUCTION

Aims and objectives1. To provide an update on the

progress of the malleefowl re-introduction program on EyrePeninsula; and

2. To meet reporting requirements forthe Department for Environmentand Heritage Wildlife EthicsApproval (Ref: 15/2000) andNature Foundation SA Inc.

BackgroundMuch of the former habitat ofmalleefowl on Eyre Peninsula hasbeen cleared, although the specieshas persisted in isolated patchesparticularly in the central and northernregions of the peninsula. A malleefowlsurvey questionnaire on EyrePeninsula (Greencorps & NPWSA1998) reinforced the importance of thenorthern Eyre district as an importantstronghold for the peninsula'smalleefowl population. The malleefowlre- introduction program commencedon 23 January 2001 with the collectionof 29 eggs from 3 mounds locatednorth of the township of Lock, seeFigure 1. This is the first year of a fiveyear program to introduce malleefowlback to areas where they havesubsequently become extinct as aresult of habitat destruction andpredation by cats and foxes.Identifying suitable areas for re-introduction will be done strategicallyand developed in association with theMallee Biodiversity AcceleratingProject. Preference will be given tolandholders with large blocks of malleewhere an ongoing and committedpredator control program is in place,however, in the first two seasonsLincoln National Park and Venus Baywill be targeted for the first release ofbirds. The establishment of selfsustaining breeding populations willmeasure the success of the programalthough such a result may not beobtained for 3 -5 years following re-introduction.

METHODOLGY & RESULTS

Egg collectionApproximately 20 people from NPWSAFriends of Parks, bird groups and localfarmers met along Zerk Road wherethree active malleefowl mounds wereknown to exist within a 1 kilometreradius. Local bird enthusiasts hadbeen monitoring each of the moundssince they had become active in thespring. Following a short briefing by MrRob Wheeler (NSW NPWS) andRegional Ecologist Nigel Cotsell, 3teams of 5 -6 people were establishedand designated a malleefowl mound.Each group was supplied with a plastictub containing a foam core with predrilled holes to accommodate theeggs, scales, cotton bags, data sheet,pencils, thermometer, portable radioand shovels. Following extraction fromthe mound each egg was weighed,being careful to maintain the sameorientation and marked with a softpencil before being placed in a holdingtub and kept in the shade.

Figure 2. Holding tubs for malleefowl eggs

The number of eggs collected fromeach mound is as follows:

Mound No. eggs CommentsMound A 11 4 eggs leftMound B 9Mound C 9The orientation of each egg wasmaintained as it was found andweighed using 2kg scales. The weightof each egg is shown in Figure 3.

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 5

Figure 1. January 2001 Malleefowl Mound egg collection sites

Location Map

DEPARTMENT FOR----°^ ..env

and heritage

Map Produced from PAMSProjection: Longitude I Latitude (AGD 84)Date: 2 August, 2001Malleefowl Mound.wor

Figure 3. Collection weights of malleefowleggs from mounds near Lock

250

200

150

100

50

o

Collection weight

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29,

Collection weight

Appendix 1 details the specificdimensions and weights of each eggfollowing extraction from the moundand details the stage of developmentreached.

Each box of eggs were placed into avehicle and driven for 1.5 hours to anincubator 15 kilometres west of PortLincoln . During transportation theinside temperature of each box wasmonitored to maintain an optimaltemperature.

IncubationTony Figl, a local emu farmer offeredthe use of his incubator for themalleefowl re- introduction program.The incubator is custom made andbuilt from a standard chillerincorporating accurate temperatureand humidity sensors. The 29 eggswere removed from the large holdingbins and placed in polystyrene `stubby'holders and tapped over with sturdysticking tape to prevent chicksescaping once they'd hatched. Eachnumbered egg was placed in a'stubby' holder and marked with theletter of the mound it was extractedfrom and the number of the egg. A5mm hole at the base of each 'stubby'holder allowed amniotic fluids to drainpost hatching. Ideally incubationshould be at a temperature between34 ° -35 °C at all times with humidity noless than 85% but preferably 95 %. The

temperatures recorded from the timethe eggs were placed into theincubator to 8 February 2001 areshown in Table 1.

Table 1. Recorded temperatures from23/01/01 to 08/02/01

Temp( °C) DateMin 31.12 23/01/01 Day of

egg collectionMax 35.27 8/02/01 Thursday

fire in LNPAverage 33.27

Note: Humidity levels were not recorded,however, they remained above 90% for most ofthe incubation period.

Once each chick had obtained a dryfluffy head and body, usually about 24hours after hatching, they werereleased from the `stubby' holder andtransferred into a smaller box, whichwas left in the incubator for anadditional 24 hours.

Figure 4. Converted emu egg incubatormanaged by local farmer TonyFigl

AviaryLocal builder Wayne Fowler with theassistance of aviary manager TomBott completed the aviary just daysprior to the first chick emerging fromthe incubator in January 2001.Features of the aviary include its largesize (20m x 20m x 4m) sturdyconstruction, shade cloth covering halfthe roof and all four sides,incorporation of a variety of trees. Theaviary is also built within a predatorproof fence enclosing an area of

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 6

approximately 29 hectares, whichkeeps cats and foxes well away fromthe aviary. Other features include two

Figure 5. Malleefowl aviary built at Wangary

smaller relocatable coupes to hold thechicks for the first 48 hours and alarger (5 x 5 metre) internal sectionedoff area to separate smaller malleefowlfrom more mature birds.

Ant infestationThe first two chicks to be released intothe aviary experienced considerablestress as a result of small black antscovering their body and feathers. Thespecies of ant responsible for theattacks have been collected andforwarded to the SA Museum foridentification. The two chickssubsequently died as a result of theircontact with the ants. Realising theseverity of the problem for futurechicks introduced to the aviary, localpest controller Mervin Clayton suppliedNPWSA with COOPEX insecticidaldusting powder which was spread onant nests and trails within the aviaryduring peak times of ant activity. Thedusting powder was spread using a`puffer', which ejects a fine cloud ofpowder. The chemical ingredients ofthe insprticide are 1% permethrin(25:75) and at least 60 % talc withother ingredients of less than 10 %. Astronger chemical has been usedoutside the aviary to control furtherinfestations.

ChicksOn the aviary front, there are now 5healthy chicks which are almost fullygrown, adjusting to their newsurroundings and keeper Tom Bott.Some early problems wereexperienced with younger chicks, but itappears that once they get past thefirst few critical days the road tosurvival seems much more assured.These birds are very susceptible tohandling so a decision was made veryearly to minimise disturbance to thebirds. Accordingly, unless there wereobvious signs that an individual was inpoor condition, the birds were notmeasured or weighed.

Figure 6. Three day old chick in aviary

Figure 7. Malleefowl at 4 months

Post mortemEarly post mortem undertaken byDavid Shultz from the Adelaide Zoo of2 -4 day old chicks were inconclusive,

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 7

however, there appeared to be somekidney problems, which could beassociated with stress, dehydration ortoxins. Relief from ants should alsohelp some of the young chicks adjustto the aviary. Attempts to alleviatestress by minimising handling andkeeping conditions clean and hygienicwill be a priority next year. Care will betaken when handling the eggs andhandling minimised to prevent yolk sacinfection.

DISCUSSION

Egg collection in reviewThere has been some problemsassociated with eggs harvested fromthe mound closest to the wheat field(Mound A), see figure 1. There hasbeen only 1 chick establish in theaviary from this mound. There weretwo other hatching events, howeverthese chicks were very lethargic andsubsequently died in the incubator.Additionally, seven eggs from MoundA had no chick formation with yolkonly, see Appendix 1. There areseveral theories regarding the causeincluding everything from inbreeding,immature parent birds to pesticidecontamination. This will need furtherinvestigation before any positiveconclusions can be drawn and willinclude laboratory analysis ofeggshells and some discussions withthe local farmer.

Community supportThe project continues to receiveexcellent community support with grainbeing provided by Cummins Mill andlocal bird buff Arthur Gibbs assistingwith mealworm supply to name just acouple of helpers.

WebsiteFriends of Southern Eyre Parksmember, Graeme Tonkin, has done amagnificent job preparing andmaintaining the community web sitewith lots of informative text andprogressive pictures of the birds whichhave now acquired their adult feathers

and look almost fully grown. There arealso pictures and text relating to theincubator and mounds found in LincolnNational Park after the fire and otheractive mounds on Eyre Peninsula. The

Figure 8. Lock science teacher DavidMurray assisting NPWSA with eggcollection

site has provided an opportunity toreach a larger audience and promotethe project. Ark on Eyre hopes tohouse the site on its own website onceexecutive approval has been granted.The current site is located at:

www.chariot.net.au/-gtonkin/malleefowl

DocumentaryCameraman, Jason Ramp from PortLincoln Aboriginal Community Council(PLACC) has captured footage of themalleefowls progress from eggcollection to mature birds in the aviary.This includes footage from theincubator and aviary and field daysheld with one of the local primaryschools. These stories will be editedtogether to create a short documentaryon the progress of the re- introductionprogram and will be a joint Ark on Eyreand PLACC initiative. Both Tony Figland Tom Bott, who are responsible forthe incubator and aviary respectively,featured prominently. It is hoped torelease some of the footage to localand state television stations in thenear future.

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 8

Figure 9. Jason Ramp from PLACC filminglocal Lock farmer Daryl Dolphinexcavating Mound C.

School participationLincoln South Primary School werefilmed by Port Lincoln AboriginalCommunity Council cameraman JasonRamp on an excursion to LincolnNational Park. They visited some ofthe old malleefowl mounds thatbecame visible as a result of the 2001Lincoln National Park fire. They learntabout the biology and life cycle of themalleefowl and how the bush recoversafter a fire, subjects they had beenlearning about over the last couple ofweeks. The children have also beenbeeding mealworms in the classroomfor the malleefowl chicks. Investigativework by the classroom has alsorevealed some of the local Aboriginalnames for malleefowl, they include;Kalbanya (Panggkala); Kalbin(West Coast); and Koolhing (Wiranga)To reward their contributions to theproject the children visited the aviary inMay.

Figurel0. Children and teachers fromLincoln Gardens Primary Schoolviewing Malleefowl at theWangary aviary

Figure 11. Aviary manager Tom Bottdiscussing malleefowl withLincoln Gardens Primary Schoolchildren

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 9

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

(i) When and where to re-introduce the 5 malleefowl heldat the Wangary aviary?

There are several options availableincluding:

Option 1The malleefowl remain in the aviaryuntil October 2002 followed by transferto a proposed second aviary to be builtat Wanilla forest. This will allow thesecond batch of chicks to beintroduced into the Wangary aviarywithout interference from the 2001birds. Release of the 2001 and 2002birds can then occur simultaneouslyinto the Park allowing for a more cost -effective monitoring program. Thedelay will also provide additional timefor the proposed remote satellitetracking system to be established inthe Park in preparation for the releaseof SA mainland tammar wallabies.

Option 2Release directly into the Park inJanuary 2002 following the Acaciaseed drop. This will have theadvantage of freeing up the aviary fornewly introduced chicks and guardagainst the 5 birds imprinting byremaining captive for 2 years. The costeffectiveness of monitoring 5 birds forseveral months will be the biggestdrawback of this option.

(ii) To refine egg collection andhusbandry techniques toincrease the survival rate.

Based on the information compiled inthis report and experience in the field abetter understanding of egg collection,incubation and bird husbandry hasbeen obtained. This information will beincorporated into future on- groundworks and reporting.

(iii) To build a second aviary at theWanilla Aboriginal Reserve.

Negotiations with the Port LincolnAboriginal Community Council areprogressing to have a permanentaviary constructed on their Reserve.This will be an opportunity to get thelocal Aboriginal community involvedwith wildlife management. There isnow a permanent employee located atthe site who can be assisted byvarious members of PLACC. Theaviary may also assist as a 'half -way-house' for young and fledging by EPYellow- tailed Black Cockatoos.

(iv) Through spatial analysisstrategically identify potentialareas for malleefowl re-introduction developed inassociation with the MalleeBiodiversity AcceleratingProject and Venus BayIntegrated Pest ControlProgram.

A strategic landscape approachencompassing greater Eyre Peninsulaneeds to be undertaken to assesspotential sites for malleefowl re-introduction. These results will need tobe considered in the context ofexisting and future predator controlprograms, suitable habitat, andconnectivity with adjoining remnants.The level of community support willalso need to be gauged for successfulre- introduction.

Eyre Peninsula Ma /leefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 10

Appendix 1. Egg collection results and incubator hatching dates

Weight_ HatchingDate

Time Comments Stage Height Width

nd+A.,1 20 -Feb dead 2 89.9 60.0 180.0

2 9 -Mar OK 5 91.5 60.0 180.03 0 87.0 59.0 170.04 0 94.0 59.0 175.0

5 0 91.0 61.0 180.06 0 92.0 59.0 175.07 dead 3 93.0 61.0 195.08 Premat. died 4 87.0 59.0 160.09 0 92.0 60.0 180.010 0 87.0 59.0 160.011 2 92.5 56.5 170.0

4,111

9-Feb 8.00am good 4 89.0 61.0 160.01

2 4 86.0 61.0 170.03 20 -Feb 8.00am 5 91.5 62.0 190.04 13 -Feb 9.10am 4 87.5 61.0 175.05 0 90.0 60.0 172.06 0 90.0 64.0 190.07 4 96.5 62.0 190.08 0 93.5 60.0 185.09 0 94.0 59.0 182.0

1 5 95.0 64.9 210.02 0 95.0 62.0 160.03 5 94.0 62.0 160.04 3 98.0 63.0 175.05 14 -Feb 5.10 5 95.0 63.0 160.06 0 97.0 64.0 175.07 4 96.0 64.0 160.08 4 -Mar weak/needed

help4 97.0 62.5 185.0

9 12 -Feb 12.40 good /fluffy 4 95.0 63.0 180.0

Stage0 no formation only yolk1 some head & eye development, some body shape has formed2 fully formed body but small with either none or some feather evidence app. 30mm3 full size and almost ready to hatch4 had hatched then died5 survived & in aviary

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 11

37.00

36.00

35.00

34.00

d33.00U

N32.00

31.00

30.00

29.00

28.00

Appendix 2. Malleefowl egg incubation temperatures

Incubation Temperatures 200123 January - 14 March

O O O^ O O^ O^ O O` O O^ O^ O O O^ O O O 01 01 01 O O^ O^ O^ O^

ti\ ti\ ti^\ 3^\\o o\o o ^b\o \o ^\o \o o rya\a \o ry\o \ d\o \o \o ^o\o^ o^ o

Date

Eyre Peninsula Malleefowl Re- introduction Program August 2001 Report 12