3 November 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
To date, 14 birds (11 males and 3 females) have returned to their Melaleuca breeding grounds this season. Yesterday, the OBP Tasmanian Program transported 12 captive-bred birds (2 males and 10 females) to Melaleuca to balance the sex ratio and provide more breeding opportunities in the wild this season. The 12 captive-bred birds have settled into their pre-release aviary and will be released in a few days time.
The official
Orange-bellied Parrot Tasmanian Program Facebook Page has now gone live. Stay up to date with our latest posts and photos @TasmanianOrangebelliedParrot.
26 October 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
A total of thirteen Orange-bellied Parrots have now returned to Melaleuca. These include three females and ten males, all of wild origin. Eleven are greater than one year of age, and 2 are less than one year
of age.
We will keep you posted of any more returns in the coming weeks.
19 October 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
A total of nine Orange-bellied Parrots have now returned to Melaleuca. These include two females and seven males, all of wild origin.
We will keep you posted of any more returns in the coming weeks.
5 October 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
The first Orange-bellied Parrots
of the 2016-17 breeding season have returned to their breeding ground at
Melaleuca in Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area.
With fewer than 70 remaining in
the wild, these parrots fly more than 1,000km annually from mainland
overwintering grounds to their Tasmanian breeding grounds and back.
DPIPWE’s OBP Program staff and
volunteers were fortunate enough to spot the first parrots while undertaking
preparations for the upcoming breeding season, signalling the annual return of
this critically endangered species. Five birds have been observed
since 20 September, all ranging in ages from three to nine years. More
OBPs are expected to arrive back at Melaleuca over the coming weeks.
DPIPWE oversees management of the
wild OBP population at Melaleuca, including: provision of nest boxes for
breeding; supplementary feed; predator control; collection and analysis of
breeding data; and analysis of data on population size and survival. This work
is supported by stakeholders including the Commonwealth Government, the
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and WILDCARE Friends of the OBP.
To support the OBP conservation
efforts, make a donation to the WILDCARE Save the Orange-bellied Parrot Fund -
http://wildcaretas.org.au/donations/obpfund/
We will keep you up to date with
the OBP population as the breeding season progresses.
The first Orange-bellied Parrot to arrive at Melaleuca for the 2016-17 Breeding Season
19 April 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
The 2015-16 breeding season is coming to an end, with fewer than five individual OBPs observed at Melaleuca over the last few days.
Our last pair of volunteers will remain at Melaleuca until the end of April.
DPIPWE staff are now finalising data entry and reporting for this breeding season, and beginning to plan winter data analyses, review program priorities and organise logistics for next breeding season.
DPIPWE have also produced advocacy materials including a postcard and brochure. These products provide information on the OBP Tasmanian Program and also how people can get more information, donate to the program, or become a volunteer. Please email OBP.Program@dpipwe.tas.gov.au if you would like copies.
28 March 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
The final three nestlings have
fledged from their pole mounted nest box and been recorded at the feed tables,
bringing the total number of fledglings this breeding season to 18.
The
majority of wild adults have now left Melaleuca to undertake the migration to
their winter feeding grounds. There are still approximately 20 OBPs at
Melaleuca, mostly young birds or captive-bred released adults. This timing is
consistent with the recent previous breeding seasons, and we expect these birds
to depart on their northern migration in the coming weeks. Volunteers will
continue to monitor the feed
tables at Melaleuca throughout April.
DPIPWE
staff participated in the recent OBP Recovery Team and Strategic Action
Planning Group (SAPG) meetings held in Melbourne on 22-23 March 2016. A
summary of our presentations will be included in a Recovery Team Communique
that will be made available to the public.
1 March 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
Last week, DPIPWE OBP program wildlife biologists conducted final nest checks at Melaleuca, and three more nestlings were banded and sampled.
This breeding season, fourteen fledglings have been observed at the Melaleuca feed tables, with the three recently banded nestlings due to fledge in mid-March.
Over the past fortnight there has been a reduction in the number of wild adult OBPs being observed at the Melaleuca feed tables, suggesting that some individuals may have started their northern migration to south-eastern mainland Australia
We are now compiling breeding data, which, combined with daily observation data collected by our volunteers, provides information on breeding and survival this summer. This information will be reported at the OBP recovery team meeting to be held in Melbourne later this month.
11 February 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
So far, eleven fledglings have been observed at the Melaleuca feed tables. One of these fledglings was banded as a nestling on our first nest box check trip, and the remaining 10 fledglings were un-banded, so likely to have fledged from 2-3 natural nests in tree hollows. DPIPWE staff trapped nine of the ten fledglings at the feed table and banded them for future identification, and the aim is to band the tenth fledgling next trip. Three further nestlings have recently been banded in a nest box. A trip scheduled for late February will check on the status of the remaining clutches of eggs. We will be able to provide firmer figures after that trip.
Between trips, we are busy with data entry and analyses, banding and sampling the captive bred chicks at Taroona, and progressing a range of other OBP program actions.
18 January 2016
News from the DPIPWE OBP program team
A newly arrived OBP was observed at Melaleuca last week, bringing the total number that have returned this season to 23. The first observation of this first-year male occurred much later than the other arrivals. It is unknown whether he arrived earlier in the season and evaded detection; has been hanging out somewhere else; or only recently arrived. Of particular interest is this birds likely parentage – the pair using the newly designed nest box that he fledged from were both captive-bred adults from Taroona released last season.
A team of DPIPWE OBP Program wildlife biologists and veterinary staff visited Melaleuca and surrounds last week to check 83 nest boxes on trees and 10 nest boxes on poles for signs of breeding. A total of 10 OBP nests were found, of which eight were active and two had failed. Seven of the nests were in nest boxes on trees, and three were in nest boxes on poles. Three breeding attempts in the 10 nest boxes on poles within a few months of their installation is a promising result for the pole nest box trial. To date, only one nestling has been banded, with the remaining nests containing nestlings that were too young to process (0-1 week old), or females sitting on eggs. OBP Program staff will revisit Melaleuca in coming weeks to recheck nests and continue to band and sample nestlings.
The DPIPWE OBP Program now has a website! You can find out information about the Orange-bellied Parrot, the DPIPWE OBP Program, volunteer information, how to donate to help save the OBP, and DPIPWE program news updates here: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/obp
11 December 2015
News from Melaleuca
The total number of returned Orange-bellied Parrots remain at 22, with the late arrival of one new bird last Saturday. Red T Pink was captive-bred at DPIPWE's Taroona captive breeding facility and was released at Melaleuca last November, the second bird of captive origin to return this season.
Eleven of the thirteen captive-bred OBPs released at Melaleuca in the past month are still being consistently observed at the feed tables or nest boxes.
Females have begun to return to the feed table following long periods of absence consistent with incubation. All going well, we expect to see fledglings at the feed table from the second week of January.
Sightings of two Starlings have been reported at Melaleuca in the past week. A DPIPWE Wildlife Ranger is currently on site attempting to eradicate.
