Eerwah Vale wildlife and flora

Thanks to everyone who has been keeping an eye out for the Pararistolochia praevenosa (Richmond Birdwing) vine. I have found what seems like 1000 variations of the vine. It is very difficult to spot so I will give you a brief description of it again. The leaves are alternate which means that there is one going off one side then the next leaf goes off the opposite side a couple of cm further up the stem. The very common weed silkpod vine is almost identical but has the leaves opposite. The other characteristics of the RB Vine are that it has a deeply veined (like quilting) rough textured leaf with smooth edges that can be any length but fairly narrow with a pointed tip with a curly stem attaching it to the vine. The vine itself has corky bark and will generally be found in sheltered riparian areas but has been known to grow in full sun if it has supplementary watering. Please let me know if you suspect you have found it and I will have a look for you (better to be sure than to die wondering).

I was fortunate to attend a workshop hosted by our local Wilvos. Wilvos are a very dedicated group of people who care for our sick and injured wildlife and release them back into the wild when they are rehabilitated. The workshop was about ‘Tracks and Scats’ and was a revealing look at nesting sites, scratches and tracks and what our wildlife eat and how it looks when it comes out. It was a bit like reading a book and with a lot of practise can be a very valuable tool for researching our wildlife.

We have a resident population of possum gliders in the area and they are in decline and certainly worth our efforts to save them. Gliders have a thin membrane of loose furred skin that stretches from wrist to ankle. They spread it out when they jump between trees for a distance of up to 100 m. They are adept climbers with slender, jointed toes and sharp curved claws. Their hind feet have opposable first toes that provide a pincer-like grip. Several species also have a thumb on their front feet that comes in handy for climbing and holding food.

The ability to glide gives possums greater access to scattered and seasonal food sources as well as a means of escaping predators, such as pythons, quolls and cats. Possums rely on plants for food. Some are herbivorous feeding on leaves, flowers, fruit and tree sap. Others supplement their plant diet with insects and some have slender brush tipped tongues to feed on nectar and pollen. Possums are known to disperse pollen and seeds on their fur in exchange for food and nesting material. All family members use their long sharp lower incisors to dig our insects and to slash neat grooves in trunks and branches to release sweet sap which they then lick off. Most gliders return to the same feeding spots every night with a set route and markings on the same side of a tree, then they glide from tree to tree feeding as they go often in a zig zag path on a downward slope. Generally the bigger the scratch marks the larger the animal.

All are nocturnal and live in trees, resting during the day in tree hollows. While most of these mammals are relatively quiet, yellow-bellied gliders and mating striped possums are extremely vocal. Most gliders are solitary, except when males accompany females before mating the couple share a den until the mostly single young leaves the pouch about four months after birth. The gliders tend to communicate by scent to mark trees rather than sound. Their only call is the females shrill twittering as she nears the den containing her young. She rarely carries the young on her back. Once the young leaves the pouch it is den bound for a further 4 months and then sets out and explores its surroundings. So keep your ears and eyes open for marks on trees and if you have time record what you find as it will help Scott when he comes at the end of July. Thanks for your help.

My name is Annette House and I have been focusing on the Environmental aspects of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Terms of Reference (TOR) for several months. I have lived in and around this area for the past 30 years and am passionate about preserving this very special piece of paradise that we call our home. This area is particularly abundant in rare and endangered flora and fauna and I feel that it is imperative that we identify and document the species that are here before there is any detrimental impact from the proposed devastation by Powerlink.

We are very fortunate to have Dr Scott Burnett who is a lecturer at the Sunshine Coast University conducting wildlife surveys. On the 14th March Scott set some camera traps in the corridor for a documentary later shown on 7.30 Report and Stateline regarding Extinctions and Threatened Species. At this point he is concentrating on the quoll as there was a northern quoll skull found and identified in this corridor.

We need your assistance in gathering any wildlife sightings to expedite the process of locating any of the species that may still exist. If possible we need a photo and sound recording as well as time and location data. This data goes on to the Faunawatch data bank. Scott will be putting more camera traps out at the beginning of May but he needs some idea of the distribution of sightings not just quolls. If anyone sees a dead animal, bird or frog that they suspect may be one of interest to us please phone me on 5447 0410 or mobile 0407 636 199 so that I can collect it and pop it in the freezer for Scott to pick up.

We are also encouraging anyone who may be interested to apply for Land for Wildlife status. There are no legal ramifications nor does it convey the right of public access. This is purely voluntary and encourages and assists landholders to provide habitat, integrating wildlife conservation with other land management activities for wildlife on their properties. I have the application forms here. The Environmental Officers of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council are David Burrows - Noosa office ph: 5449 5202 and Amanda Ozolins - Maroochy office ph: 5441 8414.

Landcare are also very active in removing weeds and exotic species and replacing them with native endemic plants and trees. Paul Sprecher is the Landcare Project Manager ph 5485 2155.

There are numerous endangered fauna such as Giant Barred Frog, Spotted Tail Quoll and Northern Quoll, Red Goshawk, Coxen’s Fig Parrot, Birdwing Butterfly, Powerful Owl, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Swift Parrot and others on the vulnerable list like Koala, Tusked Frog, Cascade Tree Frog, Grey Headed Flying Fox, Grey Goshawk, Black-breasted Button-quail just to name a few. I have included some basic information about the some of the lesser known species that are known to be in the area.

There are two subspecies of spotted-tailed quoll: the northern quoll and the southern spotted tailed quoll. Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 the northern is listed as endangered and the southern is vulnerable. The EPBC Act 1999 lists both subspecies as nationally endangered.

Northern quoll 

The northern quoll is the smallest of the quolls and varies from grey-brown to brown in colour with large white patches on its body (no white patches on its tail). Its chest and belly are cream or white in colour. It has a pointed face similar to many of the smaller marsupial carnivores. It can be distinguished from the other quolls by its small size, unspotted tail and the clearly striated (ridged) pads on its hind feet with 5 toes that assist in climbing.

The northern quoll lives in a range of open woodland and open forest types preferring rocky areas. Its greatest breeding success is known to occur at sites near water. It is nocturnal and equally at home on the ground or when climbing in trees.  It shelters in tree hollows and feeds on a variety of prey ranging from insects and reptiles to small mammals and even fruit. It is known to be aggressive in behaviour when disturbed. Adults become sexually mature at 12 months and live for two to three years.

Spotted tail quoll

The spotted-tailed quoll ranges in colour from rich-brown to dark brown with white spots of varying size scattered over both the body and the tail. The fur on the underside is paler. The head has a distinctive pink-red nose and short rounded ears that just extend above the outline of the head. In size it is similar to a cat but with a more elongated body and shorter legs. When moving quickly it bounds and it is also an agile climber. It is known for its yawning gape – like the Tasmanian devil. When threatened it opens its jaws widely and gives a piercing scream. It is also vocal when looking for a mate or when another quoll is in its territory.

The spotted-tailed quoll is usually nocturnal and solitary. It eats a range of animals either as prey or carrion, including insects, reptiles, birds and mammals up the size of a small wallaby. It is also known for killing chickens. It kills all of the birds present instead of just catching and eating one.

Quolls are territorial with overlapping home ranges. The home ranges of individuals vary from 100-200 ha for the northern to 580 ha for the spotted-tailed. Communal latrine sites can be found where these home ranges overlap and they advertise its territory and its readiness to mate. Being a secretive animal it is more likely to be discovered from the tracks and scats that it leaves behind.

Tracking quolls

In Queensland the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (RBB) in classified as vulnerable and their food plants the Pararisolochia praevenosa are currently listed as rare and in decline and the habitats are becoming more fragmented and the previous prolonged drought exacerbated the decline. There is an exotic species the Dutchman’s Pipe Vine that attracts the RBB to lay eggs on it, but poisons the caterpillars after they emerge and feed on the leaves.

I have a handbook on the butterfly if anyone is interested. The butterflies wingspan is about 11 cms. It is green and black on the top the wings with a yellow abdomen and black thorax. The underwings are yellow, black and green with a red spot on the thorax – not easy to describe.

Eva Ford from the Mary River Catchment Co-Ordinating Committee (MRCCC) reports that the current known line of healthy breeding populations occur roughly from Cooroy through Belli Park to Kenilworth and Conondale. To the south populations seem to be secure. To the north between Gympie and Kenilworth there seem to be no records. Landcare are doing a lot of work in this area planting vines to reestablish the butterflies.

Coxen’s Fig Parrot (CFP) is one of Australia’s rarest and least known birds. It has been recorded on just 200 occasions with 60 sightings in South East Queensland. The parrot is cryptic and extremely difficult to see in its habitat and may therefore be more common than the sightings suggest. CFP occurs wherever fig trees are present in lowland and upland forest types, riparian corridors, farmland and urban environments.

It is an attractive,  small predominantly green parrot whose seemingly overlarge head and bill, together with an extremely short tail give it a somewhat dumpy top heavy appearance resembling an exotic lovebird. It attains a length of 16 cms. Both sexes are rich green above and yellowish green below with a yellow sided upper breast and flanks. CFP have been sighted in this area at Kenilworth 1997.

The flight call of CFP is a short clipped two note call. Variously described as a loud high pitched metallic ‘zeet zeet’.

Ian Gynther from QLD Parks and Wildlife is confident they could well be here in an isolated patch of forest. They are omnivors and feed mainly on seeds of near ripe or ripe fruits of native figs and or insect larvae. Favoured species are the Moreton Bay Fig, Strangler Fig various other figs as well as various Syzygium species, blue quandong, red ash, silky oak and other fruiting trees in agricultural areas. They are thought to nest in high trees usually within or near the edge of rainforest. The nest chamber is excavated on the underside of a dead or decaying limb or trunk in a living or dead tree.

All of the sightings and data that is collated will be incorporated in the records of Faunawatch. This is the database that is used by Government Departments to get a better picture of the distribution of wildlife and the viability of a species. I have attached an introductory letter from Keith Hickman, Co-ordinator of Faunawatch. I am on dial-up internet so have been unable to attach photos but will put them on a link for anyone who is interested.

My email address is annie@flexinet.com.au. I look forward to receiving lots of great informative emails.

Fauna monitoring on the Sunshine Coast

Faunawatch is a fauna recording system operating throughout the Sunshine Coast supported by the Sunshine Coast and Hinterland branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland. The aim is to build a database of records of all species from as many people as possible scattered throughout the Sunshine Coast. The greater the number of records, and the broader the area covered the better the picture we can build of the current state of our native wildlife. Started in 1998 it is a long term on-going project.

If monitoring your own property we suggest a monthly record of sightings is kept, starting a new list at the beginning of each month. Information required is simple and straightforward. Obviously we need to know where you are, what you have seen, when you saw it and how many were seen. Also if you can recognise juveniles or are aware of breeding activities then that is of great importance to establishing the future viability of a species. It is important to know the food sources of animals, so if the plant being eaten, or the species predated upon can be recognised this too can be added. Records from other locations, such as outings to national parks or bush care sites can also be submitted.

We encourage everyone to become involved, you do not have to be an expert. Record only the species that you can positively identify. Hopefully, in time and with the help of our identification workshops you will be able to include more species to your list.

Download easy to complete Faunawatch forms here: http://www.wildlife.org.au/faunawatchreg.pdf

The Faunawatch program started in Maroochy and has expanded to include Caloundra, Noosa and Caboolture and now with council amalgamations the Pine Rivers and Redcliffe areas are recent additions.

If you are interested in participating are just wish to know more about the project please contact me or if you have digital photos of species you would like identified then please email them to Scott Burnett at burnettscott@hotmail.com.

Keith Hickman
Faunawatch Coordinator
WPSQ Sunshine Coast and Hinterland Inc.

Annette House
Email: annie@flexinet.com.au
Phone: 07 5447 0410
Mobile: 0407 636 199

Dr Scott Burnett
Sunshine Coast University
Email: burnettscott@hotmail.com

Land for Wildlife (Sunshine Coast Regional Council)
David Burrows (Noosa office)
Phone: 07 5449 5202

Amanada Ozolins (Maroochy office)
Phone: 07 5441 8414

Paul Sprecher (Landcare Project Manager)
Phone: 07 5485 2155

Keith Hickman
Faunawatch Coordinator
WPSQ Sunshine Coast and Hinterland Inc.
Phone: 5493 0068
Email: www.faunawatch@wildlife.org.au