Flying around

Both my study birds and I have been flying around the countryside these last couple of weeks. I have been participating as a counter for the annual aerial kangaroo surveys. We flew over where some of my study birds have been hanging out which gave me an interesting perspective of their habitat.


Blue X has visited the Clackline area

 

Blue E has spent a lot of time in pine plantations near Lake Preston

 Four of my study birds have flown inland in the last couple of weeks. Our long distance traveller, Pink S, (who was released at Yanchep, travelled up to near Lancelin, then further up the coast to Arrowsmith, back down to Jurien, then near Cervantes)...has now travelled 100 km inland to near New Norcia! I can't keep up!!

Others have moved inland to Bindoon, Morangup and Clackline.

Cheeky Chasey

During our lunch break from fitting tracking devices to Baudin's cockatoos we had the opportunity to meet Chasey. He was hit by a car when he was very young and is now one of the cockatoos used for education by the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Rehabilitation Centre.

He isn't always well behaved as the photo below shows. He is very skilled at button removal!

Lian Yeap and Chasey (with button in his beak!)

Great Cocky Count results for 2012

The results of the 2012 Great Cocky Count have been released. The report is available from the BirdLife Australia website.

Satellite tracking Baudin's cockatoos

Last week I helped attach satellite tracking devices to two Baudin's cockatoos. We used the same devices and methodology I used on my study birds with the hope that it would work just as well. They were released on Friday evening and so far so good.

Murdoch University released a media statement today that summarises their movements for the first few days and other details.



Baudin's cockatoo has a much longer bill than Carnaby's cockatoo

Louise Hopper and Anna Le Souef releasing the two Baudin's cockatoos at Rushton Park, Kelmscott

September update

Data management course

I have just returned from a week long intensive course on data management for movement ecology. I met some fantastic people and learnt a lot. It is always a good experience when many like-minded people are put in a room together to share stories and experiences about their common interests.

If you are interested, the course materials are available here. Similar or related courses were held earlier this year in Amsterdam and Norway. It is certainly a rapidly advancing area of study. The technology and associated spatial database tools and analysis techniques are all quickly developing and many cooperative projects (e.g. MoveBank, WRAM etc) are underway helping to share knowledge between researchers.

Lecture room for course

Study bird update

Whilst I have been away two more tracking devices have stopped transmitting, most likely from battery failure. Just before his tracking device stopped, Blue L was last recorded in a new area for him south of the river in the vicinity of Canning Vale. Another notable movement was again from Pink S (the study bird who took the long flight up to Arrowsmith). He has returned south about 50km to the vicinity of Jurien.

Cockatoo sign

A new sign has been created to alert motorists that Carnaby's cockatoo frequents an area. The signs are being placed at locations where cockatoos are often struck by vehicles. They are quite large birds and must take off into the wind which means they sometimes cannot move fast enough to get out of the way of passing traffic. Places where they drink from puddles beside the road or feed on roadside vegetation are where they are most vulnerable (see my previous post Living Dangerously). Hopefully the signs will encourage motorists to slow down and reduce the number of cockatoos struck by vehicles.

A media statement with a photo of the new sign is available here.

A previous media statement titled road danger for cockatoos also highlights the problem of vehicles for cockatoos.

August update

I am happy to report that there are 9 out of 11 tracking devices that are still attached to cockatoos and transmitting. I keep wondering how much longer the batteries will last!

I have been busy following flocks, taking copious field notes and learning lots about the cockatoos. They have remained reasonably stable in their locations over recent weeks. Apart from the impressive journey to Arrowsmith the only other notable movements have been the two in the hills that drifted north and then back again and one of my study birds that had spent a lot of time in the Mt Lawley area has recently made a move up to the vicinity of The Vines.

I am about to travel to a course on managing data for movement ecology. Perfect timing for my study seeing as my study birds have been sending heaps of great data on their whereabouts. Now I just have to figure out how best to analyse it!

Nest monitoring is about to start with the first field trip in September. I will miss it because I will be away on the course but I am eagerly waiting to see if any of my study birds are sighted in the breeding areas.

How many cockatoos can perch in a tree?