Monday, August 25, 2014

Looking back and eastwards


Ecological studies of the Ground Parrot have been on a state by state basis as each state in Australia has responsibility for its own wildlife.

Victoria was the first state to undertake a detailed study of the Ground Parrot, well ahead of such work in other states. At that time (1980) the Western Ground Parrot was considered to be a subspecies of the more widespread 'Eastern' Ground Parrot. The Victorian study was of the 'Eastern' Ground Parrot, but of interest to all who wanted to know more about these intriguing parrots.

"A study of the Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) in Victoria" by C.W. Meredith and A.C. Isles 1980

Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Fisheries and Wildlife Division

Publication No. 304 of the Environmental Studies Division of the Ministry of Conservation, Victoria

Several interesting findings were made. This posting is an extract from the report (pages 35 to 37) on Movements (in the geographical sense).





Thursday, August 21, 2014

Vegetation study and survey further afield 1989

Supplementary to the 1988/89 study 'Conservation of the Ground Parrot in Western Australia' was an additional report focussing on vegetation in known and possible Western Ground Parrot (WGP) habitat.

Surveys for the presence of WGPs as well as for vegetation structure and species were undertaken in Cape Arid National Park, other parts of Fitzgerald River National Park (FRNP), and in the south-west corner of Western Australia.

At that time, WGPs were only found in the site, also within the FRNP, that was most floristically similar to the Short Road site where the radiotracking had been done.


Possible WGP habitat in FRNP. Jim, Brenda and Shapelle. Photo: Allan Burbidge.



Studying the vegetation, east of Hamersley Drive near known WGP habitat. Jim Rolfe (foreground); Shapelle McNee and Brenda Newbey (background). Photo: Allan Burbidge.




Setting out a vegetation plot in Leeuwin - Naturaliste National Park. Neil Gibson and Mike Lyons. Photo: Allan Burbidge


Vegetation plot number one in Scott River National Park. Neil Gibson and Mike Lyons. Photo: Allan Burbidge.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Awareness raising



In winter 1990, the virtually unknown Western Ground Parrot made its first appearance in a glossy magazine. The magazine was "Landscope", a quarterly publication of the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management as it was then known (now Department of Parks and Wildlife).