Pygmy Possum Recovery Project

JACOB SIFE'S BONZA ANNUAL REPORT THAT WILL HELP ENGAGE DECISION MAKERS
1
2
3
PYGMY POSSUM HABITAT
Coastal Upland Swamp (endangered).
Darwinia biflora bonsai heathland (endangered).
Coastal Heath-Mallee.
Duffys Forest Open Forest (endangered).
Open Forests, Woodlands, Heathlands, even Rainforest.
All bushland habitats with Banksia ericifolia (BE), but what about other bushland (bias in our results from focus on BE) ?
Other possible habitats with food plants and/or insects:
Banksia spinulosa and/or other Banksias.
Other Proteaceae: Mountain Devils, Waratahs, Geebung fruit too.
Heaths such as Styphelia tubiflora.
Wattles with nectar glands such as Acacia suaveolens.
Tree flowers (and sap ?) such as Red Bloodwoods and Turpentines (shared with Sugar Gliders and Fruit Bats ?) MORE FROM YOU ?

HABITAT LOSS
Best pygmy possum habitat is flat heathland.
Humans like to build their nests on flat land.
Ovals, courts and recreational/educational facilities that humans use require flat land.
Habitat required by pygmy possums removed.
Transport corridors follow flatter ridgetop.
Leaves isolated patches of habitat: no links connecting left, subject to urban "edge effects".
Need to protect/enhance remaining areas and where possible the links between them.
Results: Where in Ku-ring-gai ?
We found around 34 Eastern Pygmy Possums (EPPs) at 26 sites in 3 areas all with some Banksia ericifolia in the Cowan and Middle Harbour Creek catchments:

Area #
Area Name
Catchment - Sub-Catchment Description
Number of EPPs
Number of EPP Sites
1
Guringgai
Eastern Cowan – Ku-ring-gai Creek
19
14
2
Gibberagong
Western Cowan – Gibberagong Creek
9
7
3
Garigal
Upper Middle Harbour Creek
6
5
We have not found any evidence of EPPs yet in:
Lane Cove Catchment (paid Fauna Survey agrees).
Middle and Lower Middle Harbour Catchment.
Southernmost reaches of Cowan Catchment creeks
PYGMY POSSUM STREET AREA GROUPS
PETER CLARKE'S DRAFT LETTER TO RESIDENTS OF A STREET AREA

CATS LOVE NOTHING BETTER THAN TORTURING AND KILLING POSSUMS:
Cat on loose in an area of Sheldon Forest where we found Bandicoots with Janet.
BUT THE LURE WAS UNLOVED
BOB and JACOB's PHOTO:
IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SNIFF
BOB and JACOB's PHOTO:
Skilled, Trusted Eastern Pygmy Possumers (STEPPers): SOME OF OUR FIELD VOLUNTEERS
BOB's PREVIOUS PHOTO:
NICK's LATER PHOTO:
A SMALL ANIMAL WAS SLEEPING HERE PUSHING UP THE NESTING MATERIAL
EPP SCATS
GUM LEAVES DRAGGED INTO NEST BOX
Field Exploration for Suitable ? Habitat
2 PYGMY POSSUMS HANG DOWN WITH THEIR PREHENSILE TAIL TO ACCESS A SUSPENDED LURE
DUFFYS FOREST ENDANGERED ECOSYTSTEM:
CAT SOLUTIONS
Pygmy possums sleep during the day (or night in torpor) in less than secure lodgings. Easily ambushed by cats when active during the night.
Nest boxes to provide more secure lodgings.
Keep cats inside – don't let them outside, especially at night and colder times of year.
Cat enclosures to keep them in your yard.
Bells around neck to alert other mammals.
Scrunchies whose bright colours alert birds who in turn alert mammals with their "cat calls". Lack of success puts cats off their game.
MORE EFFECTIVE FOX CONTROL IS NOW NEEDED: THEY EAT LOTS OF PYGMY POSSUMS FROM THE LOOKS OF SCATS WE'VE SEEN


http://www.kmc.nsw.gov.au/Current_projects_priorities/Key_priorities/Warrimoo_Downhill_Mountain_Bike_Track
A LONG MARCH FOR KMC AND JACOB BUT FINALLY PAYOFF WITH OUR HELP FINDING THREATENED SPECIES

SIMON's PHOTO OF A POWERFUL OWL WHILE SETTING UP A CAMERA IN AN AREA WE FOUND PYGMY POSSUMS
Coastal Upland Swamp: Wildflower Garden
Hanging Swamp: Heathland and Sedgeland
Banksia ericifolia - Leptospermum Shrubland
Banksia ericifolia - Leptospermum Shrubland
Educational and Recreational use
CHRIS's PHOTO OF HER NEST BOX
BOB's PHOTO OF CHRIS'S NEST BOX
NEST BOX OBSERVATIONS



BMX Bikers clearing Banksia ericifolia scrub with endangered Darwinia biflora SAVED BY KATHY REPORTING IT – YOU CAN DO THE SAME IF YOU SEE DAMAGE
Inge's find in nearby nest box on 24 May: SAVED BY OUR NEST BOXES ?
At 1.47 PM a very hungry looking endangered Rosenberg's Heath Goanna
comes looking for a meal of pygmy possums ! We haven't found the pygmy possum family in this nest box since !
BOB's PHOTO:
MORE EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF BLACK RATS
Black Rats invading the bush compete with pygmy possums for nectar. This is clear from our videos.
They are known predators of small native animals.
They spread disease and parasites like cats to to.
Food scraps encourage their invasion of our bush.
Don't feed animals outside and if you must clean up any food scraps before dark.
Get rid of rats in your yard, house and roof space.
Nest boxes to protect pygmy possums from rats.
Black Rats deterred from nesting area by small nest box hole ?
2014 – 2015 Breeding Season
2015 – 2016 Breeding Season






















Fox scats found
Videos of a fox
Coastal Upland Swamp: Warrimoo Oval
Oval
Tennis Courts
Illegal BMX damage
Hanging Swamp: Heathland with Banksia ericifolia
Mum Pygmy Possum (under) with 3 joeys piled and top on 12 February 2016:
BOB's PHOTO:
Mum Pygmy Possum (under) with 3 joeys piled on top on 15 February 2016 – still using nest box 3 days later
BOB's PHOTO:
HEATHLAND: WILDFLOWER GARDEN

Old Banksia ericifolia - Leptospermum Shrubland: dying
Partial regeneration after "environmental burn"
AFTER BURN:
BEFORE BURN:
Mum Pygmy Possum Evacuates Nest Box with 3 joeys on her back on 12 March 2016 at 4:41 AM. She just knows something is up !
BOB's PHOTO:
Nest boxes are monitored and photos taken by our field volunteers : Bob Jones,
Simon van der Veen, Inge Buchanan, Kathy Bradfield, Chris Hayward, Nick Yu, Aly Ross, Mike Davies, Margaret McDonald:

Stage 1: "Observers" Nest box observation.

Stage 2: "Producers" Wildlife camera operation to produce night footage.

Stage 3 "Explorers" Habitat and pygmy possum locators with GPS and cameras.
...with KMC staff Jacob Sife and Harry Leung.
SIMON's PHOTO OF EPP IN CHRIS's NEST BOX
RAPID EPP DETECTION WORK CYCLE
1. February to July: Set your wildlife cameras to focus on a freshly opening Banksia ericifolia flower spikes (smell and see nectar drops) for night time shots. After around 2 weeks, collect your footage.
2. August to January: Attach nest boxes facing E/NE to a rough-barked shrub/tree trunk at around 1m height with soft tea-tree/geebung or corky red bloodwood bark on top of she-oak "needles" in nesting area and hole against the trunk obscured to around 2 cm aperture at most. A few small "treats" of Honey, Peanut butter, Oat and Sultana mix applied in branches above. Wait for 2 or 3 weeks to months for EPP to start to use or nest (if female). Monitor nest box monthly at most over whole year.

Nest boxes rolled out to 8 areas already. Rollout to 5 more new areas with EPPs is underway now. Plan is to rollout to 8 areas with different habitat/status.

Bobbin Head Corridor of Death
Pygmy Possums disappear from corridor in aftermath to "Black Saturday" 2009 ?

BOB CHECKS NEST BOXES BUT NONE FOUND HERE AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS
OPEN FOREST WITH BE



Eastern Pygmy Possum

Eastern Pygmy Possum
"Fire fighter surprised by pocket rocket possum
Eastern Pygmy Possum
A National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) fire fighter was shocked to find an eastern pygmy possum in his trouser pocket following a routine Hazard Reduction burn in Sydney's north.
Ranger Al McDonough said he saw the little possum during the fire and had bent down to pick him up but thought he ran past.
"I couldn't believe it when this tiny little creature crawled out of my pocket during the lunch break," Mr McDonough said.
"He'd been safely hiding in my fire fighting gear the whole time while I worked.
The pygmy possum was securely placed in a tree hollow after a full day of fire fighting.
Photo: Therese Cobcroft Taken on September 12, 2009"
DARWINIA BIFLORA HEATHLAND: OUR PROGRAM'S FIRST EPP FIND, "TONY"
Data stored in GIS "database"
Help from Jacob Sife Harry Leung of KMC
No pygmy possum pollination
=> Little seed set by recent flowers
=> Disappearing banksia scrub
2014
2012
2013
2011
2010
2010
MORE TO COME: JOIN US ON NEW ONES !
HOW CAN YOU HELP THE RECOVERY ?
Manage your cat to minimise its impact.
Join WIRES: look after a possum instead of a cat.
Control Black Rats – don't feed native animals.
Join WildThings NSW - $10 per household per year.
Monitor a nest box – become a field volunteer.
Produce wildlife camera footage of nest box use.
Explore for more habitat using your camera.
Join a WildThings Street Area group (coming soon).


SPREADING THE MESSAGE TO THE MERMAID POOL LANDCARE GROUP AT MANLY VALE. ALSO TO PITTWATER EPP PROGRAM LEADER, MANLY SELECTIVE EPP NEST BOX DESIGN STUDENT AND KU-RING-GAI PUBLIC AT WILDTHINGS NSW TALKFEST AND NOW WIRES.
Bringing them back
Enhance conservation status of bushland with EPPs.
Liase with fire-management authorities to modify burning of old Banksia ericifolia thickets: frequency > 6 years best 10-15 years, high-intensity environmental burns, with continuity maintained.
Maintain and enhance connectedness between such thickets, change of fire regime, replanting, provision of more nest boxes to bridge gaps ? Sponsorship and fund-raising for this ?
Rehabilitate BMX damage and control burning damage..
Eradicate Black Rats then reintroduce Boguls (Rattus fuscipes) to such thickets in Lane Cove catchment prior to pygmy possum release. Cat control in all pygmy possums habitats.
Lobby for RAPS for Bobbin Head (solar), ranger patrols of habitat areas, feral-proof fenced areas/reintroduce native top predators (Joint Venture between NP&WS, AWC and KMC).
More research: WildThings NSW "Citizen scientists", Academics.

Effects of cool season fires/fire suppression
BURNT IN COOL SEASON: NO Banksia ericifolia SEEDLINGS
NOT BURNT: BLACK SHE-OAK SHADES OUT Banksia ericifolia EXCEPT ON EDGE
"Death of a thousand cuts"
Clearing of understory, "fire breaks", powerline "corridors" and control burning breaking up continuity of Banksia scrub: pressure from bordering land owner(s).
Fire regime too low-intensity for Banksia scrub maintenance or too frequent in some areas (blady grass) and too infrequent in others (black she-oak).
Illegal removal of non-Banksia food sources (waratahs) and nesting habitat (fire wood).
Feral fox control seems not to be as effective any more.
No control of cats (feral or pets) ?
YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW TO SAVE THIS UNDER-PRESSURE AREA OF KU-RING-GAI NATIONAL PARK ?






Old Banksia ericifolia dying: no "environmental burn" in this area
AREA 5: Banksia ericifolia - Leptospermum Shrubland BEFORE BURN
BMX Damage
AFTER BURN
Endangered Darwinia biflora Low Heathland on Ironstone Pan
Orienteering route


RANGER DENNIS's FIND IN DISUSED RAINMAN METER BOX
Shelter and Nests
Shelters in tree hollows, rotten stumps, holes in the ground, abandoned bird-nests, Ringtail Possum dreys or thickets of vegetation, (e.g. grass-tree skirts); nest-building appears to be restricted to breeding females; tree hollows are favoured but spherical nests have been found under the bark of eucalypts and in shredded bark in tree forks.
Lives only several years at most.
Nest Box Program: Shelter, Breeding plus Wildlife Cameras for Monitoring
Entrance hole 3 cm diameter at most
10 cm SCALE ATTACHED TO NEST BOX
ID NUMBER
NEST BOX MADE AND DONATED BY JIM HARWOOD
NEST BOX BOUGHT FROM ALF BRITTON (STATE FORESTS)
BY KMC
EPP FEMALE BARK "BLIND"
HOLE HALF OBSCURED AGAINST TRUNK


BOB's PHOTO:
HSC DESIGN PROJECT: KOKO KAWAURA'S PROTOTYPE NEST BOX MADE TO OUR SPECS
Entrance hole 1.5 by 2 cm slot
New nest boxes ready to go out. Made by Alf: entrance hole 2 cm diameter.
COURTESY OF OUR FRIENDS JACQUI AND IAN
STARTED WITH 6 NEST BOXES NOW WE HAVE 20 WITH 2 MORE ON WAY FROM KOKO KAWAURA AND 1 MORE FROM JIM HARWOOD: 23 SOON.

WIRES RESCUED AND REVIVED THIS LITTLE ONE THAT HAD BEEN ATTACKED BY A CAT OR FOX






Pygmy Possums (Burramyidae)
Eastern Pygmy Possum Program and Recovery Plan for Ku-ring-gai Municipality – Beginning 2016 Version

Entrance hole less than 10 cent piece (2.4 cm diameter) after putting cables in hole


BOB's PHOTO:
Gazetted under Threatened Species 2001.
Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable 2014.
Feeds largely on nectar and pollen collected from banksias, eucalypts and bottlebrushes using its brush-tipped tongue; an important pollinator of heathland plants such as banksias; soft fruits are eaten when flowers are unavailable.
Depends on Heath-leaved Banksia (Banksia ericifolia) flowers for cold season food source.
Also feeds on insects throughout the year.
Male range around 19.4 ha (440 metres square)


BOB's PHOTO:
Pygmy Possum Recovery Project
Cercartetus nanas "Eastern Pygmy Possum"
Bob Jones (Eastern Pygmy Possum Program Leader, WildThings NSW): WildThings NSW Talkfest #2, 14 August 2016
https://mq.academia.edu/BobJones
FACEBOOK GROUP: "WildThings NSW"


EPPs HAVE "HAND FEET" WITH AN OPPOSABLE "THUMB BIG TOE": GOOD FOR LEAPING OFF A BRANCH

63
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
14/08/2016

#

78

57
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
Click to edit Master text styles
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style

Click to edit Master text styles
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
Click to edit Master text styles
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master subtitle style
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level
14/08/2016

#
Click to edit Master title style
Click to edit Master text styles
14/08/2016

#

1

15

49

14/08/2016

Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Third level
Fourth level
Fifth level

#