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BIRD USAGE OF PLANTED TREEBELTS ON FARMLAND AT FRANKLAND, WESTERN AUSTRALIA By RITA WATKINS 5 Gulf Way, Leschenault W.A. 6233 ABSTRACT A study of the response of birds to corridors of trees across farmland over a time of 8 years shows how birds have adapted to the new conditions and made use of the trees for shelter, home territories, nests, food source and protection. INTRODUCTION this study was undertaken is In recent years there has been called “Payneham Vale”, (34°16'S, considerable interest in the fate of 117°05'E.), situated in the native bird communities on lands Frankland district, in the shire of managed for primary production Cranbrook and is owned by Ron and Suzanne Watkins. Ron took (Saunders and Ingram 1995; over the running of the farm in Newby 1999). Most of these studies 1973. At that time, some salt have been negatively slanted, encroachment was becoming focussing on the survival of birds in fragmented remnants of native evident and he developed a vegetation with very few of the remedial program to deal with it, studies having examined the called an Integrated Whole Farm value of revegetation programs to Plan. His work has gained inter¬ native birds. Farmers in Western national recognition (Churchill Australia have been replanting Scholarship, National Environ¬ tree and understorey species on mental Award and several other farms in Western Australia for awards, the most prestigious being nearly 20 years now. In many of United Nations Global 500 those early plantings the species Award). There is ongoing development and refinement of used were native to Australia, but the system, with further drainage not necessarily to Western Australia, or a combination of and re-afforestation having been both, as is the case in this study. In added, including planting along more recent times there has been creek lines and salt areas and much more emphasis on planting introducing Paulownia, carobs and olives. local plant species both to increase the likelihood of establishment An overview of the farm’s and to better provide for the activities and a map of the native fauna. The property where planted and natural timber belts 179 are presented in Watkins and lower the water table; and Watkins (2003). • The large catchment of water This study was carried out in an thus provided is stored in attempt to document: dams to be available for (1) The diversity and numbers of irrigation, aquaculture, etc. or birds using the planted allowed to enter existing treebelts; waterways if surplus to requirement. (2) The different ways the trees were used (eg. sources of The study began in winter 1989 on nectar, seeds, insects and the four drains established at that shelter); time with their adjacent treebelts. Each treebelt has a length of (3) The value of different tree about 1.6 kms and a width of 12 species to birds; and metres. (4) Changes in bird species Twenty surveys (one per season in diversity and population each year) were conducted over 5 numbers over time. complete years, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1996 and 1997. Counting was done by walking beside the METHODS treebelt recording numbers and The principles of the Integrated species of birds either seen or Whole Farm Plan are: heard. Birds were recorded as • Survey of the property to being either in the treebelt, in the ascertain significant landscape paddock or remnant bush features; adjacent to the drain for a distance of about 75 metres, or • Drains put in along a gradient flying overhead, and were listed and dug to clay depth, so that in these separate categories. water can be moved into Treebelts were counted catchment, e.g. dam or creek. consecutively, in the same order The distance between the each time and with the four drains is determined by surveys completed on the same significant features of the day on each occasion. Surveys land to control excessive run¬ took about 60 - 75 minutes for off, which causes soil erosion; each treebelt. • Twelve metre wide tree belts alongside and downslope of the drains provide windbreak, TREE PLANTINGS shelter, act as pumps and may provide habitat for birds, The trees used to establish the native mammals, and other treebelts were planted as seedlings, wildlife. The tree belts are with two rows of Eucalyptus, of situated immediately below various species, one row of Acacia, the drains, which is the driest and one of tagasaste part of the paddock, so the (Chamaecytisus palmensis) (Table 1). plant roots will go deep to All treebelts were fenced to take up water from below and exclude stock. 180 Table 1. Tree species used at the study site near Frankland, Western Australia. Species marked with an asterisk (*) are not native to Western Australia, but are native to other parts of Australia. Tagasaste is an exotic species. Species Treebelt No. 1 (1985) 2 (1986-7) 3 (1987) 4 (1985) Eucalyptus ivandoo Y Y Y - E. muelleriana* Y - - - E. maculata* Y Y Y Y E. camaldulensis Y - - - E. globulus* Y - Y Y E. resinifera* Y - - - E. melliodora* - Y E. salgina* Y Y Acacia microbotrya* Y Y Y - TagasasteC/irtmaecystisus palmensis Y Y Y Y The plantings in all four of the remnant vegetation remains in a 5 treebelts established successfully kms radius of the survey area. and were, for the most part, quite There are five dams adjoining the vigorous in growth. At the treebelts surveyed. Those on commencement of the study the Treebelts 1, 2, and 4 are old trees in Treebelt 1 were 4.5-6m tall, established dams of and had grown to about 12m by approximately 1 - 2000 cubic 1997. Those in Treebelt 2 had metres. The dam on Treebelt 3 is a grown from 2.5 - 4.5m tall to large dam used for irrigation and about 9m by 1997, those in is approximately 30,000 cubic treebelt 3 from 1.5-3m to 12-14m metres. and those in treebelt 4 from 9m to Names of the native birds 12T4m. mentioned in this study follows The remnant vegetation included Christidis and Boles (1994). in the survey is an area of 8 hectares from where Treebelt 1 starts and another 2 hectare area RESULTS through which Treebelts 1 and 2 pass. There is a 3 hectare area BIRDS through which Treebelt 4 passes. During the 22 surveys a total of Apart from the bush already 8063 birds was recorded, mentioned, “Payneham Vale” has representing 77 species (Table 2). approximately 25 percent of land Two extra counts (one done in left as native bush. The property spring 1992 and one in summer adjoining on the north side of the 1996) have been included, so this study site also has 25 percent is a list of birds actually recorded uncleared, including a block of 37 in the treebelts during all surveys. hectares. An estimated 15 percent For purposes of comparison 181 Tabic 2. Number of birds recorded (see text for explanation of abbreviations). Species Years Common Name Trees Padd RB Total 89/90 90/91 91/92 96 97 Status Stubble Quail 8 4 12 * * * UR (Cotnrnix pectoralis) Musk Duck - 1 * V (Biziura lobata) Australian Shelduck — 138 * * * * CR (Tadorna tadornoides) Australian Wood Duck — 263 * * * * CR (Chenonetta jubata) Pacific Black Duck — 40 * * * * CR (Anns superciliosa) Grey Teal _ 43 * * * CR (Anns gracilis) _ Hardhead 2 * V (Aythya australis) Australasian Grebe 3 * V (Tachybaf)tus novaehollandiae) Little Pied Cormorant - 2 * V (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos) Pied Cormorant — 2 * V (Phalacrocorax varius) Little Black Cormorant - 1 * V (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) Great Cormorant 11 * V (Phalacrocorax carbo) White-faced Heron - 12 * * * * UR (Egrctta novaehollandiac) Black-shouldered Kite 3 4 7 * * * V (Elanus axillaris) Brown Goshawk 1 1 * V (Accipitcr fasciatus) Wed^c-tailcd Ea^le 3 3 * * V (Aqnila audax) Brown Falcon 1 1 V (Falco berigora) Australian Hobby 2 2 * V (Falco longipennis) Peregrine Falcon 1 1 * V (Falco peregrinus) Nankeen Kestrel 1 1 * V (Falco cenchroides) Eurasian Coot - l V (Fulica atra) 182 Species Years Common Name T rees Padd RB Total 89/90 90/91 91/92 96 97 Statu Little Button-Quail 2 2 * V (Turnix velox) Painted Button-Quail 2 2 * V (Turnix varia) Black-fronted Dotterel - 8 * * UR (Elseyornis melanops) Common Bronzewing 135 4 139 * * * * * CR (P/iaps chalcoptera) Crested Pigeon 12 9 21 * * * * UR (Ocyphaps lop/iotes) Red-tailed Black Cockatoo 13 13 * * V (Calyptorhynchus banksii Short-billedBlack-Cockatoo 19 19 * * V (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) Purple-crowned Lorikeet 38 3 27 68 * * * CR (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala) Regent Parrot 26 4 6 36 * * * * * CR (Polytelis an tl\ ope plus) Western Rosella 253 9 14 276 * * * * * CR (Platcercus ictcrotis) Australian Ringncck 1016 187 119 1322 * * * * * CR (Barnardius zonarius) Red-capped Parrot 89 8 22 119 * * * * * CR (Purpureiceplialus spur ins) Elegant Parrot 41 5 46 * * * * * CR (Neophema elcgans) Shining Bronze-Cuckoo 4 6 10 * * * S (Chrysococcyx lucidus) Laughing Kookaburra 21 18 12 51 * * * * * CR (Dacelo novaeguineae) Rufous Treecreeper 4 1 19 24 * * * UR (Climacteris rufa) Splendid Fairy-wren 367 14 381 * * * * * CR (Malurus splendcns) Spotted Pardalote 5 1 6 * V (Pardalotus punctatus) Striated Pardalote 19 4 43 66 * * * * * CR (Pardalotus striatus) 183 Table 2 (cont.) Species Years Common Name T rees Padd RB Total 89/90 90/91 91/92 96 97 Statu: White-browed Scrub-wren 5 5 * * V (Sericornis frontalis) Western Gerygone 82 9 66 157 * * * * * CR (Gerygone fusca) Inland Thornbill 56 9 65 * * * * * CR (Acanthiza apicalis) Western Thornbill 15 4 19 * * * * * UR (Acanthiza inornata) Yellow-rumped Thornbill 408 16 43 467 * * * * * CR (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) Singing Honeyeatcr 242 9 7 258 * * * * * CR (Lichenostomus virescens) Yellow-plumed Honeyeater 25 25 * V (Lichenostomt4s ornatus) Brown-headed Honeyeater 51 51 * * * * * CR (Melithreptus brevirostris) White-naped Honeyeatcr 150 4 53 207 * * * * * CR (Melithreptus lunatiis) Red Wattlebird 59 27 14 100 * * * * * CR (Anthochaera carunculata) Brown Honeyeater 1202 10 37 1249 * * * * * CR (Lichmera indistincta) New Holland Honeyeatcr 4 1 5 * * V (Phylidonyris novaehollandia e) Western Spinebill 2 2 * V (Acanthorhynchus superciliosus) White-fronted Chat 4 4 * V (Ephthianura albifrons) Western Yellow Robin 4 4 * * UR (Eopsaltria griseogularis) Scarlet Robin 70 7 77 * * * * * CR (Perroica multicolor) Red-capped Robin 4 4 * * V (Petroica goodenovii) White-browed Babbler 6 6 * * V (Pomatostomus superciliosus) Varied Sittella 31 10 6 47 * * V (Daphoenositta chrysoptera) Golden Whistler 43 2 21 66 * * * * * CR (Pachycephala pectoralis) 184 Species Years Common Name Trees Padd RB Total 89/90 90/91 91/92 96 97 Status Rufous Whistler 12 1 10 23 * * * * * UR (Pachycephala rufiventris) Grey Shrike-thrush 15 1 5 21 * * * * * UR (Colluricincla harmonica) Grey Fantail 123 1 19 143 * * * * * CR (Rhipidura fuliginosa) Willie Wagtail 79 11 5 95 * * * * * CR (Rhipidura leucophrys) Magpie-lark 15 64 12 91 * * * * * CR (Grallina cyanoleuca) Restless Flycatcher 7 2 1 10 * * * * UR (Myiagra inqiiieta) Australian Magpie 58 274 79 411 * * * * * CR (Gymnorhina tibiccn) Dusky Woodswallow 6 1 7 * * V (Artamus cyanopterus) Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike 2 4 6 12 * * * UR (Coracina novaehollandiae) White-winged Triller 1 1 * S (Lalage sueurii) Australian Raven 31 167 39 237 * * * * * CR (Corvus coronoides) Welcome Swallow 10 3 13 * * UR (Hirundo neoxena) Tree Martin 113 41 56 210 * * * * * CR (Petrochelidon nigricans) Silvereye 727 13 740 * * * * * CR (Zosterops lateralis) Rufous Songlark 6 2 8 * * S (Cinclorhamphus mathewsi) Brown Songlark 11 34 45 * * * S (Cinclorhamphus cruralis) Richard’s Pipit 4 16 20 * * * * * CR (Anthus novaeseclaj\diae) Totals Bird Numbers-. 5766 969 799 8063 Species Total: 62 37 34 77 185 between treebelts and seasons others not observed. A Shining these extra two surveys were not Bronze-Cuckoo was observed included in the other data, of four being fed by Inland Thornhills complete seasons/years. The first • Rest and shelter three columns list the number of • Corridors between remnant birds counted in the treebelt, bush and revegetated areas. (Trees), paddock (Padd) and remnant bush (RB); * shows the years in which birds were PADDOCKS recorded. V = vagrant (N<10), U = uncommon (N=10 - 30), C = 969 birds of 37 species were common (N=> 30), R = resident, S = counted in the adjoining paddock. seasonal. Resident denotes birds These included Richard’s Pipit, known to be resident on this or a Brown Songlark, Magpie-lark, neighbouring farm, not Australian Magpie and Australian necessarily resident in the Raven, which were also recorded Treebelt. in the treebelts and the last three in the remnant bush, but were in bigger numbers in the paddocks. TREEBELTS No species was exclusive to the paddock. Most were in the mature The treebelts provided habitat for eucalypts, which have been left in 5750 birds of 56 species, excluding the paddocks and moving waterbirds and raptors. Although between them and treebelts. The raptors are recorded in treebelts or paddocks adjacent to the treebelts paddock, they were flying over contain isolated E. wandoo, E. those areas and seen so seldom marginata and E. calophylla. With that there are insufficient data to the eucalypts, acacia and tagasaste ascertain their use of the treebelts. in the treebelts, they give a spread Tree Martins are also usually of flowering times covering much recorded flying but are included, of the year. The old paddock trees because they are seen frequently also have useful nesting hollows. and are probably resident and Some birds were observed feeding foraging for insects that may be on the ground, such as Australian there as a result of the extra Ringneck, Western Rosella, vegetation provided by the Elegant Parrot, Yellow-rumped treebelts or remnant bush. Thornbill, Scarlet Robin, Willie Treebelts provided the following Wagtail, and Splendid Fairy-wren. benefits: • Nectar, seeds and insects, animal, bird and egg prey REMNANT BUSH • Territories for species such as, 799 birds of 34 species were Splendid Fairy-wren, Grey recorded in Remnant Bush. All Fantail, Willie Wagtail, Scarlet were also recorded in the treebelts, Robin, Inland Thornhill including Rufous Treecreeper. • Nesting of the territory birds Also Western Yellow Robin, mentioned and probably which was unexpected, as they 186 had to cross about 10 metres open counted either in the dams or in space to enter the treebelt from the adjacent paddock. Although the remnant bush. The amount of not actually using the treebelts remnant bush in the area would they are mentioned as being part contribute to the diversity of of the Whole Farm Plan. Of species, even though much of the course, the dams provide drinking understorey is denuded by grazing and bathing water for the birds sheep, cattle and kangaroos. Many that use the treebelts. birds using the treebelts for foraging and shelter would not find them suitable for nesting, eg. SEASONAL VARIATIONS parrots, which would require nest Winter counts were higher in all holes in older, larger trees. Being treebelts except No. 4, due able to move between bush and primarily to the flowering of treebelt is an enormous advantage tagasaste, which attracted large for most birds and at the junction numbers of Brown Honeyeater of the two habitats was often and Silvereye, with smaller where many birds were recorded. numbers of Red Wattlebird, A Yellow-rumped Thornbill nest Singing, Brown-headed, White- was observed in E. wandoo in the naped, New Holland, Yellow- remnant bush of Treebelt 2. plumed Honeyeaters and Western Spinebill. It was particularly obvious in Treebelt 1 where DAMS tagasaste was most advanced in 529 waterbirds of 14 species were the early part of the study. Seasonal Variations in Bird Numbers Figure 1. Numbers of birds recorded in each treebelt during each season of the study (data combined for all years). 187 Honeyeaters and Silvereyes were study. It is particularly prone to observed feeding on the nectar insect attack, mainly through the provided by flowering eucalypts dry months. Inland, Western and and tagasaste. The most Yellow-rumped Thorn bills, commonly recorded species was Western Gerygone, and Striated the Brown Honeyeater whose and Spotted Pardalotes were also annual total numbers were observed feeding at flowers, but generally high, beginning at 147 in this may have been in response to 1989/90, peaking at 285 in 1996 insects foraging in the flowers and returning to 147 in 1997. rather than on the nectar sources There was obvious seasonal itself. variation in the numbers of Granivorous bird species (parrots, Brown Honeyeaters with large pigeons and quail) were least numbers present in winter and numerous in the treebelts in early spring when tagasaste is spring when most species were flowering and in very low breeding in areas supporting numbers in autumn. The Silver- mature remnant woodland eye and other honeyeaters showed elsewhere in the landscape. Their a similar trend, although there numbers steadily increased during were a few resident Singing summer and autumn, peaking in Honeyeater always to be found in winter. In the Frankland district the same area of treebelt. sheep are usually hand fed grain The smaller species of birds during late autumn until well appeared to establish most, or all, into winter, because of of their home territories within insufficient paddock feed at that the treebelts, and a small number time. One of the winter records were observed to nest there. was of 35 Australian Ringneck Juvenile birds of several species feeding on a grain trail laid out (Scarlet Robin, Grey Fantail, and for sheep. In spring green stock Splendid Fairy-wren) were feed is abundant and recorded within the treebelts supplementary grain feeding during the study unnecessary. In summer the crops Small insectivorous bird species are either ripe or harvested, with were most abundant in summer shed grain on the ground and and autumn. They colonised the again there is plenty available for treebelts well, especially Splendid parrots. The Australian Ringneck Fairy-wren (n=381) and Grey is the species most recorded, with Fantail (n=143). Yellow-rumped Western Rosella and Red-capped Thornbill (n=467) were always Parrot well represented. Since the present foraging along the increase of cropping in the region, treebelts, but may only have beginning in mid-1980s, parrot nested in the remnant vegetation numbers, especially Australian where their nests have been Ringneck, have steadily increased. observed in E. wandoo. The During the period roughly 1960 to wandoo in the treebelts, being a 1990, a large percentage of bush slow growing species, is still only was cleared in the Cranbrook about 3m tall at the end of the district and much of this is now 188