SEQWater Regional Biodiversity Corridors Project
Survey November 2007

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by E. R. Anderson for South East Queensland Bird Alliance

Summary This report outlines the fourteen 80 ha and twenty 2 ha areas surveyed for the first time at Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine Dams by the South East Queensland Bird Alliance in November 2007. Overall 118 bird species were recorded. Most bird species were found in habitats around North Pine Dam and least around Wivenhoe Dam. On average remnant habitats had at least twice as many bird species as severely disturbed habitats.

Introduction The purpose of the SEQWater Regional Biodiversity Corridors Project is to restore vegetated linkages between existing remnant regional ecosystems in the Brisbane Valley riparian corridor and the D’Aguilar Range biosphere and enhance wildlife habitat and populations in the process.

The desired outcomes of this project are:

• Protected and regenerating remnant regional ecosystems.
• Vegetated linkages that facilitate movement of fauna and flora and enhance biodiversity values in the landscape.
• Improved health and productivity of land that has multiple uses, including grazing, native forestry, farm forestry and conservation.

The approach that will be employed to restore these wildlife corridors across the landscape will involve:

• Protecting and enhancing remnant regional ecosystems.
• Retaining and managing regrowth.
• Encouraging natural regeneration.
• Revegetation of large areas.
• Managing bushland with fire, weed and pest animal control.
• Repairing serious erosion sites.
• Maintenance of associated fencing and stock watering infrastructure.
• Monitoring of water quality and biodiversity and monitoring change through photo monitoring.

The project is to be implemented as Stage 1 of a 3-year program, with surveys of Sites 1, 7 and 9 scheduled for year 1, Sites 2, 6 and 11 scheduled for Year 2 and Sites 3, 5 and 10 scheduled for Year 3.

Birds are one of the surrogates with which to measure biodiversity. With this in mind, an avifauna monitoring program is proposed as a part of wider efforts to measure the

ecological health of the Biodiversity Corridors over time. SEQWater has invited three bird groups from South East Queensland to conduct bird surveys that will monitor and reflect the enhancement of the wildlife habitats and corridors.

Bird Groups

The following three bird groups in South East Queensland have combined to form an unincorporated group, The South East Queensland Bird alliance, to conduct the bird surveys -

• Birds Australia Southern Queensland (BASQ)
• Birds Queensland (BQ)
• The Brisbane and Gold Coast Regional Branch of Bird Observation and Conservation Australia (BrisBOCA)

Survey Procedures

Birds Australia Atlas methods were used for recording the birds:

Method A - The 2-ha Search method involves searching a two hectare area for 20 minutes. Bird species x numbers are recorded. Also prior to the first recording when the locations were established (see below) an Atlas Habitat Form was filled in.

Method B - The Area Search method of 500 m around a central point (= 78.6 ha). Only bird species and not numbers are recorded at these sites. Site location is the same as A above. The standard survey procedure adopted will be to search for birds for 1 hour –

• If no new bird species are found in the last 15 minutes then cease searching when the hour is reached.
• If a new bird species is found in the last 15 minutes then continue searching for another 15 minutes from when the new species is found.
• Again if a new species is found continue for another 15 minutes. However the survey time at any site is not to exceed 2 hours

Incidental observations of birds are to be recorded whenever they are seen outside surveying the permanent sites and their “locality” noted.

Some Locations were surveyed by Method A only, and others by Method A and Method B. Ideally 4 experienced recorders participate in surveying at each Location (particularly when using Method B). The minimum surveys suggested per site are two per year – September (spring - a breeding peak) and March (late summer to record the summer migrant species).

Survey Locations Potential bird survey locations were inspected with SEQWater (Daniel Garcia) on 16 and 17 August. A follow up visit was made on 28 and 29 August to locate the survey locations and establish their reference points by GPS in degrees, minutes and seconds (Datum WGS 84). A final inspection was made on 1 September with SEQWater and a few more locations decided on and recorded.

The Locations at each Locality at Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine Dams are given in Appendix 1

On 17 October members from BQ were shown the Locations they had been allocated to survey, while members from BrisBOCA were shown on 29 October the Locations they had been allocated to survey.

Results The bird surveys were done between 1^st and 17^th November 2007 when a total of 118 bird species were recorded. The species recorded at all Locations appear in Appendix 2 (pdf file ).

The dates of surveys, number of Locations surveyed using Methods A and B (A/B) or Method A only (A), and number of bird species found by the Bird Groups is shown in Table 1.

There were 14 of the larger B Locations (= 80 ha) surveyed, each taking between 1 to 2 hours to survey and 20 of the smaller A Locations (= 2 ha), each surveyed in 20 minutes. The distribution of the B and A Locations at each of the Dams is given in Table 2.

Provisionally the Locations have been assigned to one of the following Habitat Types (see Appendix 1) –
I Remnant shrubby woodland/open-forest
II Non remnant (shrubby) woodland
III Open grassy shrubland/woodland
IV Replanted area, grassy with scattered regrowth
V Replant area, cultivated, grassland, newly planted

The distribution of Habitat Types at the survey Locations at each of the three dams is given in Table 3

Overall there was an average of 26 in situ bird species found at the larger B locations and 9 insitu bird species found at the smaller A Locations. In Table 4 it can be seen that most bird species per site (45) were found at North Pine Dam. This assessment excludes birds recorded flying over the Locations.

More in situ birds were found in Habitat Types I and II than in the III, IV and V Habitats (Table 5).

Half of Location 039 at McKey’s Hill was burnt a couple of months before the bird survey was carried out. At the time of survey less than half (9) the birds could be found in the burnt area compared to the unburnt area (20). However the similar adjoining Location 040 was completely burnt without a similar reduction in species recorded (see Appendix 4).

Discussion Of the 118 bird species found 14 of them (Australian Wood Duck, Pacific Black Duck, Little Pied Cormorant, Little Black Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Australian Pelican, White-faced Heron, Little Egret, Glossy Ibis, Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Dusky Moorhen, Caspian Tern) are more associated with the surrounding waters of the dams than the land based habitats. Mostly these birds were recorded flying over the Locations. When calculating the number of birds found at the various Locations and Habitats (Tables 4 and 5) the birds recorded as flying over were omitted.

Information on the number of birds of each species at a site was recorded at the A (2 ha) sites (Appendix 3 pdf file ) but has not been used in this report. For this report only the data relating to the presence of birds has been used.

Considering the size difference, 80 ha versus 2 ha, it is not surprising that there are on average three times as many birds at the B Locations versus the A Locations (Table 4). Similarly it was expected to find fewer bird species the more the habitats had lost their vegetation (Table 5). At this stage there are only low numbers of most habitat types (Table 3). As Stages 2 and 3 of the Biodiversity Corridors Project proceed this shortfall should be rectified.

Some evidence of breeding was noted for the following seven bird species – Whistling Kite, Laughing Kookaburra, Striped Honeyeater, Leaden Flycatcher, Grey Fantail, Grey Butcherbird and Tree Martin.

The next survey is planned for late summer 2008 – probably over the first fortnight in March. By then it is planned to establish at least some of the Locations that were not set up for the current survey with priority given to the Location at Brabazon/IvorStanley Locality in Site 1