bssa’s field guide - biology society of south...

Issue 54: January 2014

Inside this edition:

The President Speaks 2

BSSA Quiz Night 3-4

BSSA Committee:

New Members &

Positions Vacant

5

Creature Feature:

Pied Oystercatcher

6

Feature Scientist:

Nikki Zanardo

7-8

Volunteer Opportunities 9-13

Career Spot 13

What’s On? 14

BSSA’s Field Guide

EVENTS CALENDAR:

Biology Society of South Australia, Inc.

C/- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of

Earth and Environmental Sciences, DX650-312,

THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, SA 5005, AUSTRALIA

The views expressed herein are not

necessarily those of the Biology

Society of South Australia, Inc.

Need

VOLUNTEERS? What would you like to

see in future BSSA newsletters?

Welcome BBQ — 6th March 2014

General meeting — 1st May 2014

General meeting — 7th Aug 2014

Quiz Night — 5th Sept 2014

AGM — 2nd Oct 2014

www.biologysocietysa.com

Hello everyone,

Welcome to our first Newsletter for 2014 and my 1st ever ‘pres. speaks’, which

unfortunately means we have had to say goodbye to our former President Rebecca

West. Bec has done an amazing job as president for the last 3yrs and we are very sad to

see her go, but the lucky duck has just submitted her PhD and I have no doubt she will be

moving on to bigger and better things . We’d like to wish her all the best for her future

endeavours.

I suppose I should now introduce myself. I’m Casey, some of you may already know me

as I’ve been serving on the BSSA committee for the last two years as a publicity officer,

making all the event flyers and running the Facebook page. You may have seen my

many requests for volunteers to come out and chase wombats as part of my PhD

research. For those of you who I haven’t met I look forward to getting to know you.

Since the last newsletter we’ve had two big events, our AGM and quiz night. Firstly to the

AGM, this saw a big shake up of the committee. Unfortunately Bec wasn’t the only one

who left us, we also had to say goodbye to two other long standing committee members.

A huge thank you to Amanda Mclean who served as Membership officer for three years,

and took on both membership and Vice Presidency this year. Also thankyou to Rebecca

Kittle who has done a great job running our website for the last three years. Both are now

in the final stages of writing up their PhD’s and we wish them all the best for that and all

their future endeavours. This resulted in a few position shifts within the committee which

you can check out on our website.

We also welcomed several fresh new faces to the committee, and are excited to see

what they can bring to the BSSA. Grace Hodder is taking over Publicity, Gareth Ooerman

is stepping in as Treasurer and Skye Jenner will be our new Membership Officer. You can

check out their new profiles on page 5 to find out more about them.

Now on to the quiz night, it was a great night and I’d like to start by thanking our

wonderful sponsors (see page 4) for making it all possible with their generous donations.

Secondly to all those who attended, the committee and I thank you for your support,

and last but by no means least a massive thank you goes out to all the committee

members for their hard work in making the evening possible. Finally the news you have

all been waiting for, it is with great pleasure that I can announce we raised a record

$1,708.00 to contribute towards our field research grants for 2014.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Welcome BBQ on the 6th of March, until then stay

tuned to your emails for volunteer updates.

Have a great summer

Casey

The President speaks! CASEY O’BRIEN

Quiz Night success!

Thank you to everyone who attended the annual BSSA quiz night, helping to make it a huge

success! The quiz night was held on Friday 11th October 2013 at the Unley Community Centre. With

the help of sponsors and a huge turn out, the BSSA successfully raised a record amount. Money

raised by this event will fund BSSA Field Research Grants to assist conservation research in South

Australia in 2014. There were eight question rounds with topics ranging from general knowledge,

sports, music, celebrity gossip, geography, natural history, art and literature and history. In addition,

there were four fun-filled table rounds: tracks, scats and coats, country by shape, name the logo

and who said that?

A huge congratulations goes out to the winning teams! First prize went to ‘Bionebula’,

second to ‘Hawkward’, ‘Frillneck Quizzards’ took out third place, and ‘Late Ones’ claimed the

wooden-spoon.

Raffle prizes and silent auctions were also run throughout the evening, with thanks to some great

sponsors who donated the prizes! Overall a great night was had by all, and a special thank you

goes out to all of the committee members for their time and effort that went into the

organisation of this event.

1 2

3 4


THANKS to the BSSA

quiz night sponsors!

Thank you to all our sponsors who made the Quiz night possible. We were able to raise a

record amount which we look forward to contributing to conservation research in South

Australia. Eco Voice - Voice of the Earth, Trees For Life (SA), Westprint, Wakefield

Press, Roseneath Organics, Parks SA, Sukin-Australian Natural Skincare, Cleland Wildlife

Park, Palace Nova Cinemas, BIG4 Holiday Parks, Greenhills Adventure Park, Rockford

Barossa, splash of colour digital print and Thomas foods.


MEMBERSHIP OFFICER

Skye Jenner

I've always had a huge passion for animals. My family and I always used

to travel across country Australia and my favourite places have always

been those that seem to be forgotten by people. This, along with our

family's constant need to rescue potential hit and run victims of the non

-human variety has meant that I've always been passionate about

animals. Currently at the family home, there is one Galah (aptly named

Walker), a Ringtailed Possum, two dogs, a cat, 3 Eastern Water Dragons,

a Bearded Dragon and various other birds and walk-ins. I've always

loved the biological environment, and thanks to a mistake in my

preferences in Year 12 (I originally wanted to study veterinarian science), I am now about to embark on my

fourth, and final year of a Bachelor of Arts and Science. Thanks to the Biology Society and my fellow

classmates, I have never met such a passionate and like minded group whom have inspired me to

continue with my studies into (hopefully) honours and eventually a PhD in conservation biology.

new committee MEMBERS

PUBLICITY OFFICER

Grace Hodder

I’ve had a keen

interest in

nature since I

was a little

tacker trooping

around the

Flinders Ranges

on hiking

expeditions with

a backpack

twice my size.

Studying a

Bachelor of

Science at Adelaide Uni re-affirmed my passion

for the environment and I fell naturally into the

line of wildlife and ecology - where I can be

outdoors and work hands-on with animals. My

honours project investigated the habitat

requirements of the Scarlet Robin, a beautiful

woodland bird in the Mount Lofty Ranges. I fell in

love with birds during this year, and leapt at the

opportunity to continue my studies with a PhD

project on the ecology of Diamond Firetails.

Through this I met the wonderful crew behind the

BSSA and thought I should step up to the

challenge of being part of the committee – being

active in the endeavour to protect our precious

natural assets, whilst fostering community

awareness.


VACANT positions

Honours Representative

TREASURER

Gareth Oerman

I've had a passion for all things feathered since day

one. This passion was problematic for my parents

when I was a child, with constant pestering

eventuating in them purchasing an aviary in which

I would keep Scarlet Chested Parrots and Zebra

Finches. Dad's inner Russel Coight meant that

multiple week long journeys to remote regions of

the nation were common fixture in all calendars,

and led me to following birds into the bush for

many hours as a source of entertainment. I began

a Bachelor of Science degree in 2009 and quickly

became interested in the science surrounding

birds, leading me to

studying the effect of

Noisy Miners on small

woodland birds in the

Mount Lofty Ranges as my

Honours project. I've

become part of the BSSA

committee as I wanted to

join an active society

where the value of

conserving beautiful

landscapes and species

is shared.

ISSUE 54 PAGE 6 THE BIOLOGY SOCIETY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC


Australian Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus longirostris) are commonly found around the

entire coastline of Australia, often wading on sandy ocean beaches and mudflats, and less

common along rocky coastlines. The Pied Oystercatcher has a distinct bright orange-red

bill, legs, and eye-rings, and can be distinguished from the closely related Sooty

Oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) by its white breast and belly plumage.

Oystercatchers feed mainly on bivalve molluscs, prising them apart with their specially

adapted bills. Other common prey items include worms, crustaceans, fish and insects.

Oystercatchers forage by sight or by probing their long chisel-shaped bills into the sand or

mud. The Pied Oystercatcher is a monogamous species, and both the male and female

defend their ~ 200m breeding territory along the beach. The females typically lay 2-3 well

camouflaged eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand, commonly above the high-tide mark.

Eggs are incubated for 28 –32 days, and both sexes share the parenting duties. Young

oystercatchers are capable of running shortly after hatching and are capable of flight

between 42 to 49 days of age. The juveniles may remain within their parents territory for up

to 6 months, and begin to breed themselves at around four to six years of age. Pied

Oystercatchers are vulnerable to human disturbances caused by off-road vehicles and

other forms of recreational beach use. The Pied Oystercatcher is considered to have a

‘secure’ conservation status in all states of Australia, with the exception of New South Wales

where it is currently listed as ‘vulnerable’.

References: www.birdlife.org, viewed January 2014; www.arkive.org/pied-oystercatcher, viewed January 2014

C reature

FEATURE Pied Oystercatcher

Haematopus longirostris

T Wittmann


Nikki Zanardo, PhD Candidate I have always been quite fond of nature and at a young age I developed a strong

passion for marine mammals. I believe that this can be attributable to the fact that I grew

up in Adelaide, with the Port River dolphins in such close reach of the city. I have many

fond memories of my childhood, collecting newspaper clippings and images of dolphins

from the paper. This passion continued to develop as I grew older, ultimately leading me

to study marine biology at Flinders University, where I

began to focus my attention on the conservational

aspect of research. Fortunately, I was able to

undertake an Honours project in 2011 with the

Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab

(CEBEL) at Flinders University, investigating the

social-genetic structure of short-beaked common

dolphins in South Australia. This project was a part of a

much larger project investigating the impacts of

fisheries and by-catch on common dolphins,

entailing numerous boat surveys on board the

well-known SARDI research vessel, RV Ngerin. During

surveys, biopsy samples of common dolphins were

obtained to provide information on the sex and

relatedness of individuals, which was used to

determine the presence of kinship within groups. This

project enhanced my appreciation for genetics

based research, an aspect of biology I had

previously not considered. In presenting this research,

I was awarded best student prize at the 2012

symposium of the Australian Marine Science

Association SA (AMSA-SA). Fortunately, I have also been given the opportunity to present

my honours research at the 20th biennial conference of marine mammals in New

Zealand this year!

Currently, my passion for marine mammals

is being heartened through my PhD

research on the southern Australian

bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops australis)

inhabiting the Adelaide metropolitan

coast. My research will aim to provide

information regarding their conservational

management, which is particularly

important for this newly endemic species.

Incorporating boat based surveys with

both photo-identification and biopsy

sampling, I will provide information to

investigate their abundance, residency,

habitat usage and socio-genetic structure.

Nikki Zanardo

FEATURE Scientist

Coincidently, the milestone

of completing the first year

of my PhD also happened

to coincide with the end of

our first block of boat

surveys. Boat surveys began

December 2012 and

continued until the end of

August 2013, where we

followed a pre-determined

track ranging from North

Haven to Hallet Cove,

extending 5-7km offshore.

Upon encountering a

dolphin group, we record

information on their

location, behaviour, group

size and group composition and then commence photo identification (individual dolphins

are distinguishable by the unique and natural marks on their dorsal fins) and biopsy

sampling.

Boat surveys have so far

demonstrated that

dolphins are located within

the entire study area. In

particular, a larger number

of sightings have been

recorded for both the

northern and southernmost

parts of the survey area.

The most recent surveys

have demonstrated some

change in the location of

dolphin sightings, which,

with further survey effort,

may be found to

correspond to a seasonal

movement pattern along

the Adelaide coastline. In

hindsight, this project is an

essential means to collect

baseline data of this local, potentially at-risk, dolphin population. The research will no doubt

inspire future studies and, should surveys continue, will provide further insight towards the

appropriate management and conservation strategies for

this endemic species.

For more information please contact me:

[email protected] or visit our webpage

www.cebel.org.au/

or facebook www.facebook.com/CEBELresearch


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.cebel.org.au/

http://www.facebook.com/CEBELresearch



All field trips are carried out under the auspices, supervision and insurance provisions of the organisations offering the work, not the Biology Society. It is your responsibility to check with the organisation and determine the arrangements you need to make for insurance, liability etc.

is conducting another season of western blue groper

surveys and we need your help! We will be going to Yorke

Peninsula over the xmas holidays, Eyre Peninsula in late

Jan (probably), then

Fleurieu Peninsula and

the south east will

probably be in

Feb/March some time.

They are all snorkeling,

so bring your snorkel

gear and we'll provide

training and survey

equipment.

If you're interested in taking part, please contact

Steve Leske: [email protected],

0400 272 177

VOLUNTEER Opportunities

© James Brook

meetings Thank you to everyone who attended the general meeting in August and the AGM

meeting. A special thank you to Professor Chris Daniels and Dr Phill Cassey for their talks

about citizen science and vertebrate pest eradications, respectively.

AGM & General

2014 Events CALENDAR

Welcome BBQ — 6th March

Grant recipient speakers — 1st May

General meeting — 7th Aug

Quiz night — 5th Sept

AGM — 2nd Oct

Reef Watch



Field assistants required for fieldwork on brush-tailed

mulgara at Newhaven, NT Feb, May and Aug 2014

I am currently looking for 2 volunteers for my PhD research work on brush-tailed mulgara

(Dasycercus blythi) at Newhaven Sanctuary, NT. The project is looking at the effect of fire

management on population dynamics and spatial ecology of brush-tailed

mulgaras and other arid zone species.

Work will include:

Pitfall and Elliot trapping across Newhaven Sanctuary

Animal handling and ID (training will be provided if needed)

Conducting spooling/ chemi-tagging trials on mulgara

Attaching GPS transmitters to mulgara

Vegetation Surveys

Insect surveys

Work will be predominantly conducted during early mornings and late afternoons/ nights allowing

for some free time during the day. Volunteers will be required to sleep in swags/ mozzie domes

(which can be provided) but will have access to kitchen and bathroom facilities. All expenses,

including travel, food and accommodation, will be covered (ex. Alice Springs).

If you are interested in any of the 2014 trips please request the

expression of interest form from the BSSA.

Contact: [email protected] or 0407 364 806


Adelaide Dolphin

Sanctuary Action Group

Become a volunteer with DEWNR at the ADS and help protect the Port River Dolphins

No previous experience is

required, but medium or long term commitment is needed

08 82400193

[email protected]

www.environment.sa.gov.au

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy are looking for volunteers to help

with their annual surveys at various sanctuaries during 2014. For more information go to:

http://www.australianwildlife.org/Support-AWC/Volunteering.aspx



Arid Recovery’s annual trapping program 2014

Arid Recovery’s annual trapping program is the longest running trapping event of its kind in

Australia, and you have the opportunity to take part in the monitoring for 2014!

Develop your skills in ecology, learn about the mammals and reptiles of the unique arid zone and

meet other people with the same passion for the environment and conservation.

Participation in Arid Recovery’s annual trapping will give you skills in:

· Pitfall trapping

· Elliott trapping

· Animal ID

· Laboratory processing

· Animal husbandry

· General reserve tasks

When: Arrive Sunday 9th February and depart on Saturday 15th of February

Where: Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs, Outback South Australia

Cost: $375 includes a 1 year membership to Arid Recovery, and accommodation and food

for the duration of the event

There is only a limited number of positions, so register your interest quickly to secure a place.

Email [email protected] or visit www.aridrecovery.org.au for more information.


Wombat Catching 2 - 6 Feb 2014 — 2 Volunteers Required

We will be catching wombats on both Brookfield and Moorunde. Volunteers will assist with

catching, taking notes and various other tasks.

Getting There: Option 1) you can come up with me. There is plenty of space in the car for 3

volunteers. Option 2) You can drive yourself

Food: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are provided. However it is advisable to bring your own

goodies if you want anything specific. Also let me know whether you are vegan, vegetarian or

have any allergies.

Accommodation: Depending on availability we will either be at the homestead or the research

camp. You just need to bring your pillow and sleeping bag. You may bring laptops if you wish as

there is a generator at both sites - please note that the safety of laptops is not guaranteed if

there is a power surge. Plugging any electronic devices in will be completely at your own risk.

Contact: [email protected]




Volunteers needed for research on short-tailed shearwaters

I requ i re vo lunteers to as s i s t me wi th my

re search on shor t - ta i led shearwaters .

My research inv olves i nvest igat ing ; foraging

behav iour , d ie t , p las t ic contaminants and

long- term su rv iva l . Vo lunteers wi l l get the

oppor tun i ty to as s i s t wi th ; handl ing seabi rds ,

GLS and GPS t rack ing , weigh ing ch icks and

car ry ing out a populat ion census .

Where: Wedge and Bruny I s lands , Tasmania .

Both s i tes have very l imi ted fac i l i t ies .

Vo lunteers mus t be happy to camp wi thout

showers . The ups ide i s that you wi l l get the

oppor tun i ty to gain f ie ld exper ience in two

very beaut i fu l locat ions .

What i s requi red: ENTHUS I ASM! ! ! No exper ience i s necessary but I am

look ing for v o lunteers who have a reasonable leve l of f i tness and are

w i l l i ng to work in a l l weather condi t ions for ex tended per iods of t ime. The

f ie ld work i s most ly car r ied out fo r a few hours dur ing the day and for

severa l hours a f ter dark . Pre ference wi l l be g iven to s tudents/v olunteers

who have f ie ld work exper ience.

When: There are severa l t r ips p lanned for 2014 unt i l the end of Apr i l .

T r ip lengths wi l l vary f rom 2 to 14 days .

(2 v o lunteers per t r ip )

Wedge I s land January 23 —Feb 3

More dates to come for February –Apr i l .

Sen ior F i r s t Aid ( I S COMPULSORY) : Vo lunteer s are requi red by I MAS

to have a cur rent f i r s t a id and CPR qual i f icat ion to go in to the f ie ld .

What i s covered:

Food whi l s t in the f ie ld and t rave l f rom

Hobart to the f ie ld s i tes .

Camping equipment :

You wi l l need to have your own camping

equipment ( tent , s leeping bag etc). Cook ing

equipment wi l l be suppl ied .

I f you are in teres ted in gett ing involved, p lease

emai l me an expres s ion of i n teres t and a copy of

your CV to Nata l ie at nata l ie .bool@utas .edu.au


Coordinator, Environmental

Investigations, Dept of

Environment, Water &

Natural Resources, $83-88k,

Adelaide Closing date 31

Jan 2014

Project Officer - River

Murray Operations, Dept of



Adelaide Closing date 31

Jan 2014

District Manager -

Ranges, Dept of



Port Augusta, SA Closing

date 31 Jan 2014

Regional Landcare

Facilitator - SA Arid

Lands, Dept of Environment,

Water & Natural Resources,

$62-65k, Port Augusta,

SA Closing date 24 Jan 2014

15 partial scholarships for

IWC postgraduate

programs starting in 2014 -

apply now!, International

Water Centre,

Queensland

Closing date 31 Jan 2014

CAREER

SPOT



What's ON ?

For on-going conservation opportunities with various

organisations, visit the BSSA website:

www.biologysocietysa.com/

Monsters at the Museum South Australian Museum

Have some fun in the sun in January’s School Holiday Program!

Relax on crash mats on the Museum lawns, handle collection items, splash in our

rock pools and enjoy hands-on exploration of creatures from the Permian.

To cool off, venture inside to check out the exhibition Life Before Dinosaurs:

The Permian Monsters, sing and dance along to performances, and

explore life in the past with a self-guided fossil trail.

See more at: http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/learn/for-kids/school-holiday-

program/monsters-at-the-museum

Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference CONFERENCE 27-30 MAY

HOBART 2014 http://www.awrchobart2014.org/

7th Australian Stream Management Conference – ‘Catchment to Coast’ 27-30 July 2014, Rydges, Townsville

http://7asm.org.au/

Fire Management within Grassland Ecosystems Forum 2014 City of Salisbury

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Mawson Lakes, SA http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/fire-management-within-grassland-

ecosystems-forum-2014-tickets-9171882347

bssa’s field guide - biology society of south...

Documents