NUMBAT SURVEY

A section of road running along the boundary fence.

On the 23rd December I did my last rounds looking for numbats before packing the car and headed out of Scotia. Seventeen numbats were released, in the end ten of these had collars. By the end all were tracked and I knew roughly where to find them. It had taken some time for them to find an area to settle in, and some time for me to locate where these areas were. It was a real exercise in problem solving and patience. Using the telemetry was rather like fishing: sometimes you were lucky, sometimes you were not but it was always peaceful and better than mowing the lawn. I was asked several times 'was I having fun yet?' Well I'm not sure that you would call it fun but it was very satisfying. 

Mulga parrots looking for water on top of the water tank.

Conditions here were hot and dusty, however you were here to do a job and this always seemed the focus. Staff here, and the other volunteers, were always very good. They were always friendly and helpful. In the heat my favourite food became 'Super Doopers', if you don't know what they are ....well they are ice-blocks and they were very cool when it was hot.

Splendid wren.

My vehicle stopped on the track.

The experience was amazing. I saw animals I had not seen in the wild before: bilby, mala, numbats, bridled wallabies and the wyolie. I took pictures of some of these, but alas not good ones of the bilby nor the numbat in the wild. I did get a fleeting shot of a bilby running down the road at night; and my shots of numbats were mostly when they were being released. I think the best part was that I now know more about these animals and just how endangered they are.

I did get opportunities now and again to take other photographs. The mulga parrot, southern boobook owl and the splendid wren were just a few special ones, and sand goannas and various honeyeaters were almost a daily photo opportunity. I managed a glimpse of a mallee fowl but a photograph of one of these shy and endangered birds will have to be another project.

It was an experience to live and work in a different part of the country, if only for a very short time.  The mallee and spinifex country I had driven through before but it is a different experience to be in the countryside and move about. AWC have other reserves in other places; I have already visited Bowra in south-west Queensland and I now look forward volunteering at other sanctuaries.

So concludes my fruitless search for the wild ferret In the future I may write more about volunteering experiences. If anyone wants to volunteer with Australian Wildlife Conservancy then they should visit their website:                     
                http://www.australianwildlife.org

If you'd like to read about volunteering in South Africa then go to:
                http://eatenbylions.blogspot.com.au

Or just about travel and unusual things then try:
                 http://arthurstace.blogspot.com.au

END OF THE WORLD

Mapping the day's rounds.

Well today was supposed to be the end of the world......according to interpretation of the Mayan calendar. I heard people talking about it the other day and they were so serious about it. As the conversation continued it became obvious they didn't know who the Mayans were or where they came from. In fact I think one of these people thought "Mayan" was a person, an individual, something like an astrologer who had developed this calendar of predictions based on the stars and movements of the planets. But nevertheless I awoke at the normal time. I did get a chuckle recalling a post from one of  my daughters where she was worried about what she should wear for the end of the world. Finally she settled on a sweater and comfy shoes. 

A different view of a sand goanna.

Now it may not have been the end of the world but it still began as a bad day. The power was off in part of the kitchen. There I was with my porridge and milk in a bowl ready to cook and no power to the microwave. I cooked a chop on the gas stove instead. Gathered my gear and headed out to find some elusive numbats. I decided to start at the other end of stage 2 today and look for one of the animals we had had little contact with. On the way there I managed to drive under a low tree and ripped the wires from the aerial I had on the roof. This meant I couldn't scan from the car as I drove around the roads. This was not really a problem as I intended to spend most of the morning walking transects.

Loaded up I headed off for a walk in the countryside. Well the mulga and spinifex, and on a hot day. The plants are prickly and the ground full of animal scratchings and burrows. I walked several kilometres through the scrub and the heat and the flies but no numbats. Returning to the car I found I had left the keys partly on in the ignition......so a flat battery. I tried to radio but very weak reception. Found I had lost the sunshade off the front of my camera during my stroll in the bush. I wasn't going back. Tried to push start the car myself since the ground was flat. No luck. I could walk back to camp but for safety its best to stay with the car, eventually someone will come looking for you. Ok I'd just settle under a tree and read my book with a nice cup of tea. For the first time the water in the thermos was not hot......not sure why, maybe end of the world stuff?

A small thornbill watches my every move.

I read for a little but since I had also left my reading glasses at home this was only partly successful. Half an hour later I again tried to push start the car; again unsuccessful. Again tried the radio, this time balancing on the roof of the car. I think they could hear me but their reply was mostly static. Read some more. Tried to call again. This time I could understand that a car was on its way. With some help the car was easily started and I headed off to check the roadway for my camera part in a vain hope that I had lost it when traipsing across roadways. Luck for the first time favoured me and I found the piece where I had scrambled onto a large log to get elevation when using the telemetry. On the way back I tried a few more spots but with no success. back to camp for lunch and to avoid the hottest part of the day. What will the afternoon bring?

A tree creeper looking for bugs hiding in the bark.

A TYPICAL DAY

A numbat I was monitoring takes refuge in the base of a tree.

Over the past week I have been monitoring the newly arrived numbats. A typical day involves leaving camp between 7 and 7.30 in the morning. I drive to stage 2 and once there program into the telemetry box the frequencies of the numbats I am looking to find. Then I follow a map around the area I expect those animals to be in. The telemetry box is connected to an aerial on top of the car and it is continually scanning to locate the animals. I drive at about 10 kilometres an hour to be able to pick up the signals.

One of many insects in the area.

When I hear a signal I switch the box to a portable aerial. With the smaller aerial I am also able to find which direction the animal is in by pointing the aerial where the signal is strongest. Loaded up with a back-pack containing; water, satellite phone, snake bandage, radio, GPS and camera I then head off towards the signal trying to find the numbat. Often the signal is very feint and not consistent so it is a matter of trial and error (and luck) and a lot of walking to find the numbat. If I don't discover a signal then I may walk over a particular area in transects, back and forth about 80 metres distance from where I last walked.

Southern Boobook Owl

I continue this routine until about 1.30 in the afternoon when I head back to camp for lunch and to map the numbats I have located. The afternoon session begins about 4 and goes until after dark, about 9, though lately it has had to stop early as they are doing a cull in the area and its not safe to be out after dark.

Originally 12 numbats were to have collars. One of these showed signs of rubbing the animal's neck and so it was taken off and only 11 numbats were released with collars. Over the week each one is located a couple of times. At first this was one or two a session but this grew to about 5 or 6 as I started to recognise the signals and knew where the numbats were foraging and resting. Two collars continued to elude me. Eventually I found one numbat some 500 metres into the scrub. The other collar was located when it gave off a weak mortality signal. The worst was feared but the collar was located and it was found to have simply slipped off the animal's neck. So now there are 10 numbats with collars. Each will move about until they establish an area they consider their home range. This will make it a lot easier to track them.

The survey team: Sharon, Megan and Louise.

While patrolling the area in stage 2 I have had a few opportunities to take photographs of other animals in the area. The days are extremely hot and this results in not many animals being seen. Now and then I see a sand goanna or a few small birds. The other evening I was fortunate to see a southern boobook owl. The other three volunteers here at present continue to do the driving surveys. They are in stage 1. They drive around the roads at a slow speed and record any animals seen. They have seen a number of numbats.

A great photograph of a young numbat. Taken by Louise Purcell.                      

NUMBATS

So what is a numbat?

The numbat is a small carnivorous marsupial between 35 and 45 centimetres long, including the tail. It can vary in colour from grey to a reddish-brown. Usually there is a patch of red on the back. Numbats also have between four and eleven white stripes across their hind-quarters, these becoming lighter towards the mid-section. They also have a black stripe running from their nose through the eye to the base of each ear.

The numbat has a long sticky tongue which it uses to collect its only food: termites. It does not have strong enough claws to dig into a termite mound but must collect up the termites as they go to feed or in the shallow tunnels which led to their food supply. An adult numbat requires about 20,000 termites a day. The numbat is diurnal, that is it is active during the day, unlike most marsupials which feed at night.

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) is also known as the banded anteater or walpurti. It once used to range across most of southern Australia but is now limited to two small pockets in Western Australia and two feral controlled area, the Yookamurra Sanctuary in South Australia and the Scotia Sanctuary in NSW. It is classified as endangered. Perth Zoo has been conducting a breeding program which has re-introduced about 150 numbats back into the wild. The numbat is the emblem of Western Australia.

Numbats are solitary creatures and they establish a home territory of about 1.5 square kilometres. They feed during the day and rest in a burrow or hollow log or tree during the night. Numbats breed during February and March, having one litter a year of four young. Numbats do not have a pouch. Numbat predators are pythons, foxes, cats and birds of prey.

The photographs on this page are actual camera trap photographs of the animals we just released. Some of the nubats have collars and some don't. Photos kindly provided by AWC and Scotia sanctuary.

THE NUMBATS ARRIVE

The numbats arrive by light plane.

Their collars are checked.

The numbats were due to arrive from Perth Zoo, via Adelaide this afternoon at about 3 o'clock. There were a few delays but they eventually arrived in a small plane about 5. They were taken to the hanger and their collars checked to see if they were working and two new collars put on. Then they were loaded into three vehicles and taken to the bush for release. The numbats were not just let go to fend for themselves. Over the past few days sites had been prepared for each numbat. Areas were selected so that each animal had a big enough range so they would not be overcrowded and competing for food. At each site logs were prepared to put the animals in and water dishes were placed near the logs. Each log was also covered by a camera trap to record the animals coming out of the log and to see if they continued to use the log as a home base. The collars were so that we could come back and check they were still alive and still in the area without disturbing the individual animals. The collars also allow the numbats to be located easily when the collars need adjusting. Sharon, a volunteer from Manildra, and I will be working with Jennifer over the next week and a half to monitor the numbats' movements. After that a new team will take over and the numbats will be monitored for a couple of months.

A numbat being released.

A numbat collar.

There are nearly 300 numbats already here at Scotia. Today's release is of another seventeen. Eleven of these have been collared. The numbats are being released into stage two. This is a fenced feral-free area, that is it does not have foxes, cats or dingos. There are a number of birds of prey in the area and these will take numbats; there are also goannas, which are opportune and may take a numbat given a chance. The vegetation is mainly mallee with a few areas of spinifex. There are a number of watering points. There are also some numbats already in the area (maybe 10 to 30), there are a few bilbies and a few kangaroos. Stage 2 is just under 4,000 hectares in area.

Being placed into a log.

The collars are made as small as possible and ideally, as with all animals they are less then 5% of the animal's body weight. This also means compromises in the case of small animals. Usually it means the battery has to be smaller or the range of the signal from the collar is less. These collars weigh 7 gms, the battery lasts about 13 months and they have a  nominal range of 250 to 300 metres, though this is very much affected by the topography of the area and climatic conditions.

Sadly, Nicholas, the young numbat we had been monitoring before this release, was found dead today. His collar was giving out a 'mortality signal', it does this when the collar has not moved for 10 hours. The collar was tracked and his body found. An early post-mortem seems to indicate he may have been attacked by a small bird of prey as the body had tear marks on it.

Note: two different collars have been used with the numbats. They vary slightly and only one type have the 'mortality signal'.

STAGE TWO AT SCOTIA

After some time off and a few thousand kilometres its back to Scotia Sanctuary to release and then monitor numbats from Perth Zoo. I was delayed a little while the car got new tyres and new brakes, not sure why as I never use the brakes. The weather was extremely hot and I pulled up the first night beside Benanee Lake, near Euston. I put up a mosquito net and left the van doors open. A cool breeze blew across the lake and through the van, it was the coolest night sleep I had had for a while. In the morning I awoke to birds chirping. It was a very pretty place and I spent a few hours here swimming, having breakfast and photographing birds.

A wood swallow at Benanee 

Then it was on to Manildra for groceries before heading out to the sanctuary. Once there I unpacked and then headed out for the night-time mala monitoring and feeding. It was very hot at Scotia. During the monitoring in my little tent the sweat was rolling down my face and despite the Aeroguard the insects gave me no peace. Monitoring only went until about 2 in the morning. Back at camp it was too hot to sleep and I found that the electricity in my block was blacked out. This wasn't good preparation for a 5am start.

An emu, spotted on the approach to Scotia.

The mala being fed at night.

The next morning we headed out to find two numbats. A young one, Nicolas, was being monitored to see if he was coping by himself. He had a collar so we located where he was sleeping and then put a camera to see if he was by himself or still with his mother. After this we looked for a female called Nana. She had not been sighted for a while. We tried to find her signal but without success. After returning to camp I was loaded up with equipment and then dropped back in the area where Nana was last spotted. I had a back pack with water and food and a snake bandage. I had a hand radio, a satellite phone, a GPS and the telemetry box and aerial. I also took my camera. The next few very hot hours were spent walking transects through the bush scanning for the missing numbat. I didn't have any success.

A sand goanna.

In the afternoon the rest of the volunteers went out to set up logs and water dishes for the new numbats arriving. I was left at camp because I had just come back and was due to do telemetry for the mala that night. Unfortunately an electrical storm came over and the telemetry had to be called off. 

Birds using a favoured watering point

Early next morning we again set out and found Nicholas and put a new camera at the entrance to the burrow he had slept in. Then I joined the team doing numbat surveys as they were one member short. Louise and Megan drive around the dirt roads at 10 to 15 km/hour and try to spot numbats and goannas. They record the position of any they find. This goes on for about 4 hours. This morning we saw a lot of goannas but no numbats. Usually they do see at least one each day, and one day they saw some juveniles playing and were able to take some good pictures. More storms and the monitoring was again cancelled, though we still had to go out and feed the mala. Despite the storms it is still extremely hot here during the day and the night. Sleeping is difficult.

SURVEYSl

I came to Scotia to help with the pit fall surveys. The plan was to do a 9 day cycle, have 4 days off and then do another 9 day cycle with a different group of volunteers. In a cycle each team erects the pits at three different sites and monitors them over three nights. The sites are physically checked each morning and afternoon and any wildlife in the traps are identified and measured. Then the traps are taken down and put at a different site. This is repeated three times during the cycle.

My monitoring station: home in the desert.

Arriving at Scotia I found the team monitoring the mala at night were short a member so I volunteered to do this job as it wouldn't interfere with the pit fall surveys. The mala monitoring went through the night. Each session of taking telemetry readings on twenty mala would take about 40 minutes. There was a break between each session of at least an hour, but sometimes two or sometimes three hours. This is when sleep happened. The monitoring would last all night.

I have completed the first 9 day survey and thoroughly enjoyed my time here. It was hot, though reasonable. Although at times the work was constant it wasn't in any way excessive or difficult. Although we were monitoring snakes and spiders we were never in any danger and the only problem I had was with a certain spinifex plant. Doing the surveys was a very worthwhile experience. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and dedicated to their work. Many, but not all, of the volunteers were working or studying in an ecology related field so knew the wildlife we were coming across. While I was grasping the difference between a Royal Ctenotus skink and a Jewelled gecko they were all using their latin/scientific names. This wasn't a problem. I came to appreciate the remarkable variety of reptiles that we have in Australia and especially in spinifex country.

A mala with a radio collar

I also learnt about the mala, an animal I had never heard of before. I saw and learnt about a number of other small mammals, reptiles and 'bugs'. Although I didn't get a photograph (yet) of a bilby they were certainly good to see in their natural state; and I still haven't seen a numbat, but I am sure this will happen when I return. I also learnt a lot about AWC, Scotia and conservation work being done in Australia and in particular pit fall surveys. I would recommend doing a 9 day cycle to anyone......it is a valuable experience.

My plans did change. Now I am regrettably not doing the second pit fall survey cycle but instead will be taking a longer break away from Scotia before returning to do a release of numbats into the wild. These numbats are from Perth zoo which have a numbat breeding program operating with Scotia. There is some preparation to do before the animals arrive to ensure sufficient food sources and nesting sites and then, when they are released, monitoring to make sure they are surviving in the wild.

So here ends phase one at Scotia. I will return in a few weeks for phase two: the numbat release. Surely this will bring me closer to 'the wild ferret'.

Gehyra variegata, a small gecko.

TEAM LEADERS

Flic

During my time here at Scotia I have been very impressed with the staff supporting the research being done. Flic, Amy and Leah have each operated a pit-fall survey team, and Jennifer has made it possible for Bonny to do the research on the mala. All four girls work in these hot dry conditions, and often it is hard work, and I have never once heard them complain or whinge. In fact they are always cheerful and ready to help each other out or give a hand to anyone with any other task which needs doing. This is isolated, tough country and while doing the work you tend to get covered in dust, but at all times these four leaders seem to be able to remain very feminine and lady-like. Yep, haven't seen them chew tobacco or spit once! They also have an extensive knowledge of the country, the fauna and the flora.

My team leader is Flic (Felicity). She grew up in Orbost, eastern Victoria. She has already completed a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Science and Honours at Deakin University. She studied the Masked and Sooty owls while working as a Park ranger in Bairnsdale. After a short spell at Tidbinbilla she gained a job at Scotia in 2008, first, as a Land Management Officer, and then as part of the ecology team. She is currently studying a Masters of Wildlife Management through Macquarie University. Flic says she loves what she does and does not see it as work but rather as a way of life. She takes pride in doing a job with such an important purpose.

Amy

Leah

The other two pit-fall survey teams were led by Leah and Amy. Leah grew up on a dairy farm at Mil-lel, a town near Mount Gambia in South Australia. She has a Ph.D for her work on the reintroduction of Tamar wallabies. Leah has been here for nearly two years as a Wildlife Ecologist. Amy is at Scotia doing an internship with the ecology team It is supposed to be for six months but she has been here for nine already. She has been working as an ecology consultant for the past 5 years in Brisbane after completing her Science Degree with honours. She enjoys the chance to work with endangered animals. Since being here she has gained a lot of experience handling snakes as her pitfall survey teams always leave the snakes to the team leader to deal with.

The telemetry team I have been working with is made-up with Jennifer and Bonny. Bonny comes from Armidale and is collecting the data on the mala as part of her degree. Jennifer is the team leader and works at Scotia. She began here about six and a half years ago as a Land Management Officer. Now she works as a Field Ecologist. Most of Jennifer's work is with telemetry and management of the numbat population at Scotia.

Jennifer

FERAL ANIMALS

A section of the feral free fence at Scotia.

Scotia Sanctuary is 65,000 ha in area. It contains 11 distinct ecosystems. It is home to 20 species of mammals, 145 species of birds, 47 species of reptiles and 2 species of amphibians, (and a number of volunteers). At least 44 of these species are on the threatened wildlife list; and there are 9 known threatened plant species. Currently there is 12,000 ha on the property which has been fenced off and is feral free. These feral free areas are vital for endangered wildlife populations to allow them to stabilise and begin to grow. The pressures put onto these populations by feral predators and introduced pests can mean the difference between extinction and survival of the species. For example, one of the last two remaining mainland populations of Mala in the wild were wiped out by a single fox. Of course, these fences can't keep out all predators, owls and birds of prey can still take some victims. 

Feral goats are a widespread pest in Australia

Two of the common feral pests found around Scotia are goats and feral cats. Goats are estimated to roam over more than a quarter of Australia and they are plentiful over a wide area here. They have a major effect on native vegetation, not only by overgrazing but also by the soil damage they cause. Goats can also disperse weeds by carrying seeds in their droppings. They also do considerable damage fouling waterholes. While goats are not a predator they do have a negative carry-over effect on native populations by disrupting and destroying the environment the native population rely upon for survival and by competing for the resources those animals need.

Feral cats, to my mind, pose the biggest threat to Australian wildlife. There are an estimated 12 to 18 million feral cats. An individual cat may kill between 1 and 15 lizards, birds or small mammals a night. If we calculate the total number of wildlife killed on a regular basis it is no wonder cats are credited with driving many species of native fauna into extinction. One study found that even individual domestic cats were killing around 50 birds a year. Another study found that in a surveyed test area cats were killing over half the bird population in a year and disrupting the production of young so that the bird population was relying on birds coming from outside that area to keep the population viable. It is not difficult to imagine the entire population of mala at Scotia being wiped out by feral cats if it wasn't for the feral free fence being in place. AWC continues to fence more areas with these fences and there is always plenty of work for volunteers erecting fences.

Rabbits used to be widespread and in plague proportions.

An interesting project is happening in southern Queensland where wild dogs are a problem to sheep graziers. In the past wild dogs have been shot, trapped or baited. A pack of dogs might kill up to 30 sheep in one attack, and some farmers were losing as many as 700 sheep in a season. To combat these dog attacks graziers are now putting wild donkeys in with the sheep. The donkeys bond with the mob and then protect them. The donkeys themselves are from feral stock in the Northern Territory where they are a pest and exist in their thousands. So far 128 donkeys have been transported to southern Queensland.

AWC

Martin Copley was a British financier and insurance underwriter who first visited Australia in 1966. In 1991 he purchased a property in Chidlow, Western Australia to be used for conservation purposes as it had a large area of natural bushland. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy traces its origins back to this purchase. Copley moved to Australia in 1994 and in 2001 the AWC became a public charitable organisation. It now owns 22 sanctuaries covering more than 2.6 million hectares around Australia. The organisation employs approximately 80 staff and manages more conservation land then any other government or non-government organisation in Australia.

The Nailtail Wallaby

Australian Wildlife Conservancy is actively protecting 300 ecosystems, 100 of which are throated, and 170 different threatened animal species. It continues its conservation work by acquiring land to establish sanctuaries for threatened species and ecosystems, by conducting conservation programs, such as the eradication of feral animals and the reintroduction of endangered species, conducting scientific research and undertaking public education promoting the awareness of problems facing Australia's wildlife.

Volunteer working for AWC at Scotia.

A significant part of AWCs work has been the Threatened Species Reintroduction program. Some 27 species of mammals only found in Australia have become extinct on the mainland; many more are in such a critical condition that they are nearing extinction. Some of these species have survived on offshore islands. This has allowed an opportunity to save these animals from total extinction by building up their population in a safe environment and then reintroducing them back to where they used to roam. AWC has a number of breeding programs in feral free areas and are set to reintroduce species such as: the Banded Hare-wallaby, Bilby, Bridled Nailtail Wallaby, Burrowing Bettong, Numbat and Shark Bay Mouse.

The Mala, being brought back from the brink of extinction.

In one of the most exciting projects AWC have taken on is the management of 150,000 hectacres of wilderness in the north-west Kimberley. This property has proved to be a "lost world". There are possibly 50 species of reptiles, mammals and birds which have survived here and nowhere else in Australia. At present scientists and ecologists are doing a 'stocktake' to discover how rich this area is.

                                                                                       

REPTILES

A snake in a funnel trap.

Australia has the most diverse collection of reptiles in the world. It has over 836 described species of reptiles, with many more still unnamed. It also has more reptiles species than birds species. A Complete Guide to the Reptiles of Australia says because there is so much diversity "no single person is ever likely to see all of our species in a lifetime". 

A Broad-banded Sand-swimmer (Eremiascincus richardsonii)

Reptiles are spread right across the continent from cool Alpine forests to tropical rainforests to coastal mangroves. However it is the arid zones which support the greatest diversity and concentration of reptiles. Spinifex, or porcupine grasses, cover vast tracts of land in central and western Australia. The protective foliage create a haven favoured by many species. It is said that "A square kilometre of Australian spinifex desert may support more species of reptiles than an area of comparable size anywhere else in the world". Interestingly nearly half of the reptile species are skinks. The most recent count says there are 389 species of skinks in Australia, this includes the well known Blue-tongue lizard.

A Dtella (Gehyra variegata)

Several times I have talked to people overseas and they say they would never visit Australia because of all the snakes and spiders we have (It was interesting that the last time I had this conversation I was in South Africa and we were monitoring lions in the wild!). This may be surprising when there are about 2500 species of snakes in the world but in Australia there are only 110 land snakes and 32 sea snakes. But not so surprising when you realise that of our snakes more than half of them are venomous, though not all of these venomous snakes have a poison that will kill, or even harm, humans. In the last 25 years there have been only 43 deaths from snake bite, and none of these have been in the last 10 years. There are more deaths in Australia from scuba diving accidents, lightning strikes, horse-riding accidents and, the worst of all, bee stings. Statistically India, South Africa and America are just some of the countries that are worse than Australia for deaths from snake bites.

Two views of the Ringed Brown Snake (Pseudonaja modest)