Despite only commencing in April, this season (2023) has seen two properties planting almost 400 trees across 4 ha. Monitoring seedling survival and growth and the use of planted areas by birds is planned to help refine planting techniques and strategies.
Another two properties have all the materials ready for planting, which is happening mid-winter.
Installation of nest boxes and feather dispensers to aid reproductive success is planned to occur prior to the nesting season, starting late July.
Two competitors, Striated pardalotes and Tree martins often evict Forty-spotted pardalotes from their boxes, thus an experiment in conjunction with Australian National University (ANU) testing better nest box design for Forty-spotted pardalotes starts soon.
Building on other work by ANU which shows dramatically enhanced reproductive success by reducing rates of nestling mortality due to a parasitic fly, dispensers providing fumigated feathers for forty-spotted pardalotes to line their nests will be maintained at strategic locations.
If you want to be involved – contact Andrew Hingston (0478601306)
