BDBSA Project Metadata Detail

Survey/Project Number: 883          Total No. of Sites: 25
Survey/Project Name: Population estimate of little corellas
Abstract: Large flocks of little corellas congregating in townships on the Fleurieu Peninsula have been causing serious social impacts for the last ten years or more. As these birds are flocking birds, they congregate in large numbers, creating substantial noise and litter concerns for the public. In addition to this, the birds can be very destructive while they are loafing in the day time, this can lead to substantial cost of damage to infrastructure, and a decline in the health of some trees. In order to be better placed to manage these populations, it is critical to gain a good understanding of the number of birds currently residing on the Fleurieu Peninsula over summer. An understanding of the degree to which individual birds move between different flocks would also be useful to assist in management. This project aims to establish a reasonable estimate of the number of little corellas flocking on the Fleurieu Peninsula over summer.
 
Start Date: 10/01/2013      End Date: 30/06/2013
Survey Type: Fauna only
   
Study Area Description: Strathalbyn, Old Noarlunga, Port Elliot/Victor Harbor, Yankalilla, Willunga, Ashbourne/Prospect Hill, Aldinga, Goolwa
Objectives
         Vegetation: *** No vegetation survey objectives recorded
         Fauna: Refer to Abstract.
Methodology
         Vegetation: *** No vegetation methodology recorded
         Fauna: In order to be able to obtain a reliable estimate of the number of little corellas on the Fleurieu Peninsula it is critical to conduct synchronised counts at each of the sites where little corellas are known to roost over night. These counts need to be conducted at dawn to enable the observer to count the birds as they fly out from their roost site. Synchronised counts will not only ensure that birds are not being double counted, or missed all together, it will also provide some insight into the degree to which birds move between flocks. If the number of birds in a flock decrease at one site and increase at another site the same day, then it can be assumed that birds have moved between these two roosting sites. This is only a very rough guide to the amount of mixing occurring, and will not provide any information about individual bird movement between flocks but it will provide a useful insight for managers as to whether this occurs or not, and whether there is any seasonal pattern to this mixing. There will always be some error associated with counts of large numbers of birds in flight. Therefore to minimise this error and increase the robustness of the estimates, individual observers will be assigned to a site, and the same observer will conduct all counts at that site (where possible). A meeting will be held after the first couple of weeks of counts to discuss the methods being used by all observers and to ensure consistency across the sites. The aim of this project is to determine an estimate of the little corella population across the Fleurieu Peninsula. However it may be impossible to decipher between little corellas and long billed corellas and sulphur crested cockatoos among large flocks of flying birds. Observers will be asked to record what proportion of the flock they believe is each of these three species so estimates can be adjusted if required. While misidentification of birds may lead to an over estimation of the population size of little corellas on the Fleurieu Peninsula, it is envisaged that this will not be a major limitation as little corellas will make up the majority of these flocks. Moreover, where flocks comprise of these other species, the general community are unlikely to recognise the difference between the species, and thus all contribute to the real or perceived impact from these birds.

Data Distribution Rules: Public Dataset
Project Basis: Unknown :
Information Authority: Department for Environment and Heritage (BDBSA:Adelaide) - Blackhill Office