Janet, the Bat Whisperer

Janet Jones from Tuross Head has had a steep learning curve from  WIRES novice in 2016 to Bat Coordinator in 2019. Like Rachel (see July newsletter), Janet joined WIRES after seeing so many dead animals along the roadsides. She hoped that by joining WIRES and doing the training she would be able to help. 

From the start Janet attended many rescues. She soon became the go-to person for the Tuross Head community, whenever there was a bird or animal in need of help. The local vets also relied on her to provide ongoing care after they had initially treated injured birds or reptiles.

Janet did all the WIRES species training courses (apart from Snake Handling) but after doing the bat course she thought “Wow!” The scales had fallen from her eyes and she was captivated by the amazing little creatures. 

During her first year after doing the course, bats mainly needed rescuing from barbed wire and netting. The Mid-South Coast Branch hardly ever had to rear bat pups. But then came the drought, the bushfires, the floods. It was a baptism by fire for Janet as the grey-headed flying foxes dropped their pups  en masse. There were so many pups to care for "it was shocking and full on." Bat carers around NSW were swamped. Phone calls and texts flowed at all hours and bat pups were transported from carer to carer up and down the coast. 

Fortunately there is a strong and supportive network of bat carers from various organisations who cooperate closely with each other. This helped Janet get through the tough times. This and the fact that Janet is able to communicate her empathy to stressed out bats so that they calm them down and trust her. She has become a bat whisperer.

Reuniting Masked Lapwing Chicks

Last month a call came in to reunite some plover (masked lapwing) chicks with their parents in the industrial area of Batemans Bay. Anica Jabkiewicz, who had only recently joined WIRES, volunteered to do it even though she had not done any rescues before and was terrified. Anica knew that plovers were very protective of their chicks and might dive on anyone coming near them so she asked for advice on WhatsApp. Rachel McInnes advised a wide brimmed hat. Not having one Anica improvised with an umbrella, taking her husband along  for support and to hold the  umbrella. 

On arrival Anica found the parent lapwings unsuccessfully trying to herd their chicks across a busy road. "The chicks were running all over the place like cue balls” she said. But when she and her husband approached them the chicks stopped dead and sat down, lowered their heads to the ground. Anica was taken aback. They looked like they had dropped dead. However Janelle Renes reassured her that this is what they do when faced with danger. They have great camouflage and by staying still they blend into the ground and are less likely to be seen by predators. So Anica collected the chicks in her rescue basket and relocated them to a nearby field and stood back to watch. 

The mother lapwing swooped in around them while the father lapwing soared around them checking the area out. Eventually the parents settled in with the chicks and they were reunited. For Anica it turned out to be a wonderful experience and she is glad she overcame her fears and took the call. She is also grateful for all the support that her WIRES colleagues gave her.

More Info: Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), Rescue and Reuniting , WIRES, 2019.

Federal Government Washes Hands

The  EPBC Amendment (Streamlining Environmental Approvals) Bill 2020   seeks to make it easier to shift environmental approval powers from the federal government to state and territory governments. However a report by the Environmental Defenders Office find  that  this will weaken environmental protections.

Key findings

1. "Does Commonwealth accreditation of state and territory laws deliver environmental outcomes?  Mostly no.
2. Can state and territory laws guarantee national standards will be implemented?  No
3. Do state and territory systems have independent assurance, compliance and enforcement (and deal effectively with conflicts of interest)?  No
4. Do state and territory laws adequately implement international obligations?  No
5. Do state and territory laws adequately address cumulative and cross boundary impacts?  No"

Ref: Devolving Extinction? The risks of handing environmental responsibilities to states and territories ,  Environmental Defenders Office, 5 October 2020 (pdf)

Destruction of Habitat Trees

Documents accessed under freedom of information laws by Birdlife Australia, show that in 2015 the Victorian government destroyed hundreds of  stringy bark  trees without penalty, despite their importance to  the endangered red-tailed black cockatoo. 

South-eastern red-tailed  cockatoos are only found in a small area of south-west Victoria and an adjoining area of South Australia and the seeds of the  stringybarks are an important part of their diet.

A federal government investigation decided not to penalise the state government while " noting courts had imposed large fines in other cases ”  involving private landowners .

Ref: Lisa Cox, No penalty for Victoria despite 'wanton destruction' of trees vital to red-tailed black cockatoo , The Guardian , 28 September 2020.

Three Species of Sugar Glider

It has recently been discovered that there are actually three species of sugar glider, that are genetically and physically different. They are :  Petaurus breviceps  and two new species, Krefft’s glider ( Petaurus notatus ) and the savanna glider ( Petaurus ariel ).

"The savanna glider lives in the woodland savannas of northern Australia and looks a bit like a squirrel glider with a more pointed nose, but much smaller.

"Krefft’s glider has a clearly defined dorsal stripe and fluffy tail. It is widespread in eastern Australia and has been introduced to Tasmania.

"The sugar glider, with a less-defined dorsal stripe, is apparently restricted to forests east of the Great Dividing Range, extending from southeast Queensland to around the border of New South Wales and Victoria.” 940 × 940

This means that sugar gliders are not as widespread and abundant as originally thought and the savanna glider, in particular, is at risk of extinction.

Ref: Teigan Cremona et al.,  A rare discovery: we found the sugar glider is actually three species, but one is disappearing fast , The Conversation, 17 July 2020 .

Blue Green Algae Kills Elephants

More than 300 elephants died in Botswana this year and the cause has been found to be toxins produced by cyanobacteria in their water holes. Cyanobacteria are called blue green algae in Australia and associated with drought. This production of toxins by cyanobacteria has increased around the world as a result of warmer temperatures caused by climate change.

Ref: Brian Benza, Botswana says it has solved the mystery of mass elephant deaths , Sydney Morning Herald , 22 September 2020.

EchidnaCSI September Update

Echidnas have been laying eggs and hatching puggles that they are either in their pouches or in nursery burrows. This is why it is important  not to relocate echidnas between now and early next year. They need to be able to get back to their burrows. Also, if you find a dead echidna, check its pouch. And if you find a deceased juvenile echidna please call Echidna CSI   " to further aid in our understanding of their unusual biology and our conservation efforts" .

Ref: Echidna CSI September Update, University of Adelaide.