| Survey/Project Number: | 863 Total No. of Sites: 64 |
| Survey/Project Name: | WildEyre Bird Survey |
| Abstract: | The WildEyre project partnership was formed in 2007 and is underpinned by a strong collaboration between three environmental non-government organisations (Greening Australia, The Wilderness Society and the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia), the Eyre Peninsula NRM Board and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). The `WildEyre' region of Eyre Peninsula has a unique and diverse assemblage of vegetation communities and native fauna. The Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process has identified key assets and priorities in the region for protection and restoration. The project described in the report assessed bird communities in four of these identified assets, including Red Gum Woodland, Pine/Mallee Box Woodland, Sheoak Grassy Woodland and Coastal Dunes and Cliffs. Survey sites in remnants across the four vegetation communities were selected using a stratified random sampling procedure. Sites being restored as part of the wider WildEyre project (performance management sites) were also surveyed. Bird surveys were conducted in Spring 2012 and 2013 using a standard 2 hectare, 20 minute survey method. Preliminary analyses show that bird species richness and abundance varied between vegetation communities and remnant sites had generally higher abundance and richness than revegetation or restoration sites. Results from this study will be used as a baseline for monitoring the success of future local- and landscape-scale restoration activities in the WildEyre region. It is recommended that study sites are resurveyed in Autumn to detect seasonal differences and that additional restoration and revegetation sites, particularly in underrepresented vegetation communities, are surveyed as they become available throughout the project. Participation by local community members and landholders should continue to be encouraged and supported. NCSAA hold manage this dataset and have provided a summary to BDBSA. More specific details can be obtained by contacting them direct. Data entered into BDBSA was a summary of the dataset. For more detailed information regards to IN, OUT and FO 2ha survey records, contact NCSSA. |
| Start Date: | 01/10/2012 End Date: 01/01/2020 |
| Survey Type: | Vegetation and Fauna |
| Study Area Description: | The `WildEyre' region of South Australia extends across approximately 1.2 million hectares of central western Eyre Peninsula. The region includes the coastal townships of Sheringa and Elliston in the south to Streaky Bay in the north and extends inland to the large Wilderness Protection Areas of Hincks and Hambidge Conservation Parks. |
| Objectives | |||
| Vegetation: | *** No vegetation survey objectives recorded | ||
| Fauna: | - Determine baseline information on bird communities across the four priority vegetation communities - Provide monitoring data to evaluate the effectiveness of the WildEyre landscape restoration efforts - Enable improved planning, monitoring and adaptive management (by identifying bird species that can be used to detect changes from landscape restoration activities). - Engage the community in the design and implementation of a best-practice bird monitoring program, and - Contribute to the Conservation Action Planning process to guide conservation decisions at a landscape scale. | ||
| Methodology | |||
| Vegetation: | Veg. monitoring (BCM) at some sites | ||
| Fauna: | The standardised search method of 2ha/20min Birdlife Australia atlas surveys (after Barrett et al. 2003) was used as a basic sampling unit. This enabled the collection of meaningful data by observers that were familiar with the method as well as consistency with the Birdlife Australia and NCSSA bird databases. Surveys were undertaken between 11th and 18th October in 2012 and between 28th October and 7th November 2013. Three consecutive 2ha/20min searches were conducted on two separate occasions at each site during the periods four hours after dawn and four hours before dusk in fine weather conditions. Most sites were surveyed in the early morning and again in the late afternoon on different days. However, at some sites, both surveys were conducted in the early morning on different days. A small number of sites were sampled once in Spring 2012 and again in Spring 2013. Due to the generally low abundance of birds within the 2 hectare sampling areas and the objectives of this study, analyses also included birds that were detected outside the sampling area but within the same vegetation type during the surveys. | ||
| Data Distribution Rules: | Public Dataset |
| Project Basis: | Unknown : |
| Information Authority: |
Nature Conservation Society of SA Inc
Department for Environment and Heritage (BDBSA:Adelaide) |