Sector 4; Robins, Whistlers and Treecreepers

Third-last survey for the season took me to Sector 4. This represents the only sector in Toohey Forest not bounded on at least one side by suburban habitat, roads, buildings or any other major anthropogenic disturbance. As a result, the number of species were slightly up on the last couple of surveys. More importantly, the species composition of the sites was also different, with a large number of species that you could categorise as edge-avoiding, interior core-habitat species. Species such as the Rufous Whistler, White-throated Treecreeper and even the Eastern Yellow Robin are more likely to be found within the centre of large patches, and seem to avoid edges. The concept of ‘edge effects’ reflects the different biotic and abiotic attributes associated with ecotone or edge habitat. For example, patch edges with roads or suburban development are typically characterised by increased noise, greater density of weeds, altered microclimate (e.g., windier, sunnier, hotter and thus drier) as well as an increase in ‘edge-tolerant’ and aggressive species such as Noisy Miners, Australian Magpies, Common Mynahs etc. As a result of these altered biotic and abiotic conditions at edges, species such as the Rufous Whistler and Eastern Yellow Robin are excluded from such habitat. Generally therefore, the larger a patch of vegetation, the greater the probability that the patch harbours these ‘edge-sensitive’ species. Back to the survey results……

Apart from the species recorded below, I also heard a number of other species just off the survey route, including a Channel-billed Cuckoo, Striated Pardalotes and Olive-backed Orioles. In all therefore, there were a large number of species this morning! I also noted that apart from the number of species, there was a high diversity. By this, I mean, there were an appreciable number of almost all of the species instead of just single records of most species.

Species richness = the number of species in the community
Species diversity = the number and frequency of species in the community

The White-throated Treecreeper is a species that has apparently declined throughout Toohey Forest and is now primarily found on the high ridgelines within the centre of the forest. As they are specialist bark foragers (with highly developed legs for walking up trees as they feed), they require large mature trees to feed on. The Eastern Yellow Robin is another species that has declined in the forest, for unknown reasons. They are associated with the moister areas of the forest in the gullies. Severe droughts in the last couple of years may have dramatically affected their breeding output and therefore their population persistence. Furthermore, as these species are resident and don’t have strong power of flight and dispersion, it will be hard to see recruits flying in from other patches. The long-term outlook for this species may be bleak, although future research as part of the larger study we are undertaking in the whole Brisbane metropolitan area will determine whether this decline in Toohey Forest is representative of what is happening throughout Brisbane.

Date: 16th December 2008
Time: 0545 - 0805
Sector: 4
Number of species seen: 19
Number of birds seen: 123

Australian Magpie (8)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (3)
Eastern Whipbird (1)
Eastern Yellow Robin (2)
Grey Shrike-thrush (3)
Laughing Kookaburra (1)
Leaden Flycatcher (2)
Mistletoebird (5)
Pied Butcherbird (2)
Pied Currawong (5)
Rainbow Lorikeet (19)
Rufous Whistler (2)
Sacred Kingfisher (1)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (46)
Silvereye (4)
Spangled Drongo (1)
Tawny Frogmouth (1)
White-throated Treecreeper (1)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (16)

Sector 3; Coucals, spiders and more spiders

After being in Sydney last week for the Ecological Society of Australia conference, I am now back and in the groove of bird surveys. For the record, the conference was great, although was very exhausting: 8.30am – 5.00pm most days, Monday it was 8.15am – 7.00pm. Rebecca and I managed to catch up with a small number of friends, which was great fun. During the day, Bec kept herself busy walking and shopping in town. We stayed in Glebe at “The Haven Inn”. Nice place, but my god, Sydney is SO filthy!! Rubbish everywhere. I saw one girl in Paramatta placing stickers on cement pylons (about something inane no doubt) and blatantly throwing away the sticker backing!! There were 10 – 20 just blowing around the street!! Made me SO mad to see blatant vandalism and littering… sometimes I wish I was an undercover policeman……

Anyway, transplant yourself back to the clean and (relatively) safe Brisbane for another instalment of bird survey findings…

I surveyed the whole eastern section of sector 3 this morning; represented a very large portion of the forest to the east of the Pacific Motorway. The majority of the way was off-track, with many areas of dense understorey. Needless to say, there were hundreds of spiders, and those that know me would realised how much of a test it was to stay calm in the face of huge St Andrews Cross and Golden-Orb Weaver spiders everywhere!! It made the survey just that much more stressful! It was relatively quiet. I only saw 111 individuals from 15 species, although interestingly, there were two new species for my Toohey Forest surveying; one of which is rarely recorded in the forest. The first was a Pheasant Coucal that sat in a sapling in front of me and called a number of times (see dodgy quality video below; the call is right at the end). They are the most retarded species and don’t seem to harbour the ability to land gracefully in trees. They are more like a monkey in a large birds body; attempting to climb trees using their wings, only managing to attract attention from afar! The most unexpected species was a Topknot Pigeon. It was, granted, 70m above the forest, so most likely won’t be used in analysis, although it is worthy of note as this species generally inhabits sub-tropical forest in these parts, only being occasionally seen in eucalypt forest such as Toohey Forest. It is quite possible, given its high flight, that it was using the large expanse of Toohey Forest as a visual stepping stone to travel to greener pasture (albeit rainforest). Everything else was rather ordinary and unexpected, although the dense understorey in parts of Lantana and thick grass was particularly attractive to large numbers of Silvereye. My estimation of 20 individuals is perhaps a bit conservative; there were probably more like 25 – 35, although it is more of an estimate of number. With 7 surveys now complete, there are only 3 left to do. I will most likely get them all done before Christmas, although may do the last one between Christmas and New Year. It all depends on when Bec and I move house…… watch this space regarding THAT impending and building drama………..

Date: 12th December 2008
Time: 0535 - 0810
Sector: 3
Number of species seen: 15
Number of birds seen: 111

Galah (2)
Laughing Kookaburra (2)
Pheasant Coucal (1)
Rainbow Lorikeet (27)
Sacred Kingfisher (1)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (8)
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (2)
Silvereye (26)
Spotted Turtle-dove (2)
Torresian Crow (11)
Topknot Pigeon (1)
Variegated Fairy-wren (6)
White-browed Scrub-wren (8)
White-throated Needletail (1)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (13)

Sector 2; Raptors and rain

I surveyed the SE section and northern boundary of Sector 2 this morning. This is the first survey to date that I saw no Noisy Miners!! These species are one of the most aggressive, competitive and exclusive of all species on the east coast. They are usually associated with edge habitat and habitat that has undergone considerable impact. The absence of Noisy Miners was due to the intact nature of much of the habitat I surveyed this morning! As a result, compared to Sector 1 that I surveyed just 3 days ago, there were vastly more small insectivores and honeyeaters. The presence of a Brown Goshawk along the northern boundary kept the Pied Currawongs very vocal and restless; together keeping all other species away (Currawongs are also somewhat aggressive and recognised nest predators). The Currawongs tried many times to chase off the Goshawk, to no avail! The only other highlight was the late presence of a female Leaden Flycatcher. They are seasonal migrants and travel to northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea for winter, before returning to breed in spring. The sexes are di-morphic, and in contrast to the usual case with birds, the female is the more colourful one. The female is characterised by the orange throat and chest, whereas the male has a somewhat crested dark head and back with white belly. The Leaden Flycatcher is very difficult to distinguish from the Satin Flycatcher, although the Satin Flycatcher is found in more mesic (rainforest-like) habitat. The Satin Flycatcher is ‘darker’ black and ‘shinier’ I colour than the Leaden, although if the light is not right, this is very hard to tell in the field. JUST as I finished the survey, the heavens opened up, and it rained real heavy! It was perfect timing, and an interesting experience to see the already saturated ground on which I was walking, turn into a number of trickles, then streams flowing around me. Got back to the car unscathed, albeit rather wet.

Date: 27th November 2008
Time: 0535 - 0740
Sector: 2
Number of species seen: 22
Number of birds seen: 143

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (4)
Brown Goshawk (1)
Cicadabird (2)
Common Mynah (1)
Grey Butcherbird (6)
Grey Shrike-thrush (1)
Laughing Kookaburra (1)
Leaden Flycatcher (1)
Mistletoebird (1)
Noisy Friarbird (9)
Pied Currawong (11)
Rainbow Lorikeet (20)
Rufous Fantail (1)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (30)
Spangled Drongo (1)
Spotted Turtle-dove (3)
Striated Pardalote (6)
Torresian Crow (4)
Variegated Fairy-wren (15)
Weebill (3)
White-throated Honeyeater (9)

Yellow-faced Honeyeater (13)

Ecological Society of Australia conference poster

Between the 1st and 5th December 2008, the Ecological Society of Australia is holding their 33rd annual ESA conference in Sydney, at the University of Sydney! I am going to this conference and will be presenting a poster of some of the research that I am carrying out here at Griffith University. I have pasted the poster as an image to the right here, although if you wish to see it in all it’s full quality (7MB Powerpoint slide; A0 in size, 84cm x 119cm), click here to download. You will notice on the poster a picture of my supervisor (Prof Catterall) and myself, and as you will notice, yes, I have cut all my hair off! Given the hot, muggy weather up here in Brisbane, short hair is DEFINITELY better to work with than longer hair!!

Sydney University is one of the ‘Sandstone Universities’ (along with University of Western Australia which is where I undertook my undergraduate degree in Zoology and Botany), representing the 6 oldest educational institutions in Australia; all were founded before World War 2, and represent the oldest universities in each state. The grounds of Sydney University look stunning, with predominantly sandstone buildings, exemplifying the early Victorian Gothic architecture of the mid-nineteenth century. I will definitely post images of the university and the conference in the near future! Rebecca is coming with me and shopping and relaxing while I am at the conference. Everything is paid for (travel, taxis, accommodation and conference registration), so this is an opportunity for Bec (oh, we had to pay for her airfare of course) and I to enjoy a holiday (of sorts), without the exorbitant costs normally associated with it! Enjoy perusing over the poster, feel free to leave feedback or questions, and I will post photos and debrief when I get back!

Sector 1; Needletails and Drongos

Surveyed the western-most portion of Toohey Forest this morning. After a rather cool start, it ended up rather warm by about 7.30am! In general, it was a rather uneventful morning; only a couple of small insectivores or forest-interior species. It was however interesting in that I added some more species to the my Toohey list. The first, was a flyover of a Channel-billed Cuckoo, which was calling out loud across the canopy as it flew through. The second was the presence of two White-throated Needletail. These species breed in northern Asia and migrate to inhabit Australia between October and about May. You rarely get a good glimpse of them, and usually see them soaring high above the treetops where they feed on flying insects. Often, you see hundreds and hundreds of them immediately prior to storms as they feed on large insect eruptions that occur at this time. For this reason, they are also sometimes referred to as Stormbirds! The third species of interest was the presence of a species that I believe harbours the best name of any bird in Australia: The Spangled Drongo! I saw three of them chasing a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike! They are a very easy species to identify. Firstly, even in silhouette, you can see the characteristic forked ‘fish’ tail. They also have iridescent black plumage, with a stark red eye! One final ‘first’ for me this morning was being swooped by a Grey Butcherbird! I have rarely been swooped in my life, little alone by a Butcherbird, so I was pleasantly surprised!!

Date: 24th November 2008
Time: 0530 - 0810
Sector: 1
Number of species seen: 23
Number of birds seen: 150

Australian Magpie (3)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (6)
Channel-billed Cuckoo (1)
Cicadabird (1)
Common Mynah (1)
Crested Pigeon (2)
Dollarbird (1)
Grey Butcherbird (2)
Magpie-lark (4)
Noisy Friarbird (3)
Noisy Miner (43)
Olive-backed Oriole (1)
Pied Butcherbird (1)
Pied Currawong (1)
Rainbow Lorikeet (19)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (23)
Silvereye (6)
Spangled Drongo (4)
Spotted Turtle-dove (1)
Striated Pardalote (22)
Torresian Crow (2)
White-throated Needletail (2)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (1)

Sector 10 survey; Fairy-wrens and Fantails

Another early morning start for me this morning. Because of the incessant rain over the last few days, I never thought I would be able to get this survey done, but finally it is done! It was the most daunting of all surveys to date, because it was done around the Mt Gravatt summit, so there was a lot of steep country to follow. The view from the top of Mt Gravatt rivals that of most city views in the country in my opinion (although the King’s park view of Perth is still the best by far!). There were two highlights to this survey. The first was an extended look at two male Red-backed Fairy wrens!! The stark contrast between the fire-rich red and black plumage is just incredible. The second highlight was a record of a highly unexpected Rufous Fantail. This species is similar to the Grey Fantail except that it is found in more mesic rainforest vegetation, whereas the Grey Fantail is typically in woodland and forest! Given that Toohey State Forest is primarily represented by lowland woodland/forest vegetation rather than rainforest vegetation, the recording of a Rufous Fantail is an odd and thus rare occurrence!

Date: 21st November 2008
Time: 0530 - 0800
Sector: 10
Number of species seen: 18
Number of birds seen: 220

Australian Magpie (2)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (3)
Grey Butcherbird (4)
Laughing Kookaburra (3)
Noisy Friarbird (17)
Noisy Miner (18)
Pied Butcherbird (2)
Rainbow Lorikeet (75)
Red-backed Fairy-wren (5)
Rufous Fantail (1)
Sacred Kingfisher (1)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (45)
Silvereye (5)
Striated Pardalote (4)
Torresian Crow (5)
Variegated Fairy-wren (19)
White-browed Scrub-wren (6)
White-throated Honeyeater (5)

The Brisbane storms, hail, rain and wind of November 2008

Needless to say, many would have heard of some of the devastating effects experienced in Brisbane form a spate of storms that have ravaged the city in the last week! In total, there have been at least 4 major storms that have wreaked havoc across the region. In terms of rain, here are some stats just for Brisbane over the last week!

Mon 17/11/2008 31.8mm
Tue 18/11/2008 14.6mm
Wed 19/11/2008 77.2mm
Thu 20/11/2008 79.4mm
Fri 21/11/2008 29.0mm
TOTAL 232.0mm

That is 232mm in 5 days!! To put it in perspective, that is almost 3 times the average November rainfall for Brisbane and just under a quarter of the yearly rainfall for Brisbane in 5 days! No wonder the rivers in the region are flooded! In the Ipswich region to the west of Brisbane, 250mm of rain fell from 10pm Wednesday night till 5am Thursday morning! Homes were flooded, highways were flooded, railways were flooded! Crazy!! Thankfully, all we had to deal with was a bit of a flooded front lawn, compared with the poor buggers who lost their house and garden.


The main storm in Brisbane actually occurred on Sunday night; giving rise to the 31.8mm recorded up to 9am on the Monday. However, it was the wind and rain together that caused much of the devastation! The degree of devastation was so localised! A suburb called The Gap bore the brunt of the storms, while others nearby escaped with minor damage if at all!! One video that exemplifies the strength of the wind and rain where it was devastating is this YouTube video. Well work checking out, especially for the wind shear in the last 20 secs or so!! Scary stuff, and to think that the wind was strong enough in other places to remove destroy whole houses!!



Only last night, while out late-night shopping, Rebecca and I were in the middle of an almighty storm, and watched it pour with rain like I have never seen it. Following the storm, we managed to capture on film the most intense lightning I have ever seen as the storm receding storm as it raced north and on to Brisbane city! I have posted it here! Enjoy!

Sector 9 survey; A good look at a Cicadabird

Another sector finished this morning! It was a strenuous walk, with a lot of hills and gullies. The survey was undertaken on the east side of the Pacific motorway, which meant I entered the forest from the Mt Gravatt campus. Nothing extraordinary during this survey, apart from a large number of Sacred Kingfisher (even though there were only 8, that is a lot relative to what you would normally see) and a large number of Silvereye, the latter probably because of the dense understorey associated with the many gullies. The highlight of the morning though was my best ever sighting of a Cicadabird! I heard one on one of the ridge lines. Their call is amazing, and funnily enough, sounds like a cicada to the untrained ear! (Click here to listen to recording) As I got closer I managed to track the source down and there it was in plain view (albeit through the binoculars)! I have previously had a fleeting glimpse of a single individual on Mt Duval (just to the north of Armidale NSW), but this was a long and great view of one!


Date: 14th November 2008
Time: 0535 - 0800
Sector: 9
Number of species seen: 18
Number of birds seen: 155

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (3)
Cicadabird (1) Galah (2)
Grey Butcherbird (1)
Noisy Miner (11)
Olive-backed Oriole (3)
Pale-headed Rosella (2)
Rainbow Lorikeet (34)
Sacred Kingfisher (8)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (3)
Silvereye (31)
Striated Pardalote (3)
Torresian Crow (4)
Variegated Fairy-wren (23)
White-browed Scrub-wren (7)
Welcome Swallow (3)
White-throated Honeyeater (4)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (12)

Sector 8 survey; some WEIRD behaviour

During the 11th November survey, I witnessed one of the strangest behaviours I have even seen in the field. I recorded an interaction between a Brown Thornbill and a female Variegated Fairy-wren. My initial reaction was that the Variegated Fairy-wren ‘supplanted’ the Brown Thornbill; supplanting is where a species displaces another species from its perch, i.e., I run toward you and scare you off your seat and take your seat. HOWEVER, I noticed afterwards that the Fairy-wren persisted for over 2 minutes with this apparent aggressive behaviour toward the Brown Thornbill. Let it be known at this point, that the fairy-wren is perhaps one of the most placid of any species and rarely exhibits any form of aggression to any other species (interspecific), or even to members of its own species (intraspecific; apart from that associated with breeding I suppose). Anyway, it was after 2-3 minutes of watching this interaction that I recorded the most bizarre behaviour: the Brown Thornbill turned and fed the fairy-wren!! This is unprecedented! Apart from observations of small birds feeding cuckoo chicks (for those not aware, cuckoos only ever lay their eggs in the nest of other species, so a small little bird feeding a great big cuckoo is not all that uncommon), interspecific feeding is incredibly uncommon!

So how can we explain this bizarre behaviour? Well, there is one possibility that I can think of, and it relates to the fact that fairy-wrens live in (often) large groups; usually with more females than males. Young females usually disperse away from their ‘birth’ place the year after they fledge, and therefore look for mates outside their natal territory. It is possible however, that the young fairy-wren female, having no doubt been harassed by her mum or other dominant female to leave the territory, has decided to remain. Without an available mate (or dominant female allowing her to mate with the male/s in the territory) her cluckiness has led her to find another bird, perhaps similar looking, to be the object of her desire. What reason the Brown Thornbill has to feed her however, I will never know. It is possible that the Brown Thornbill is also an unwanted individual, so likes the company that the female fairy-wren provides…….. Anyway, there is an interesting story I am sure you will agree!!

I have included a pic of the male Variegated Fairy-wren, as he is much more striking in colour than the female!! Now on to the sightings!!

Date: 11th November 2008
Time: 0530 - 0732
Sector: 8
Number of species seen: 16
Number of birds seen: 149

Australian Brush-Turkey (1)
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (1)
Brown Thornbill (3)
Eastern Yellow Robin (2)
Grey Butcherbird (2)
Australian Magpie (3)
Noisy Miner (32)
Olive-backed Oriole (1)
Pied Currawong (1)
Rainbow Lorikeet (20)
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (35)
Silvereye (8)
Torresian Crow (3)
Variegated Fairy-wren (27)
White-browed Scrub-wren (6)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (4)

Fieldwork journal...

A small part of my work over the next two months is fieldwork in Toohey Forest; a 640 hectare forest block surrounding the Nathan campus of Griffith University. The map below shows the location of Griffith University in relation to the centre of Brisbane. The approximate boundaries of Toohey Forest are shown outlined black. It encompasses the Nathan campus of the uni and, to the east of the Pacific Motorway, the Mt Gravatt campus.

The picture below shows an aerial image of Toohey. In this image you can see the Nathan campus of Griffith Uni (where I work) at the bottom of the forest block, surrounded by the ‘Ring road’. The smaller Mt Gravatt campus is obvious to the right of the Pacific Motorway, which cuts down the middle of the forest! Interestingly, the large stadiums to the bottom right of the campus is where the 1982 Commonwealth Games were held….. bit of random trivia there!! As you can see from this pic, the forest is rather large!!

The forest is divided into 10 sectors (see figure below), and over 10 weeks, I will be surveying a part of every sector. I say a part of every sector, because there are a number of other observers also assisting. The aim at the end of the summer survey period is to have surveyed every sector 5 times; attempting to cover every part of Toohey Forest including all edges, gullies, hilltops and even the campus.

This has been undertaken over many years, with data stretching back to the early 90s. In short, this data will effectively represent a control model, by allowing us to compare what is happening in the greater Brisbane area with what is happening in Toohey Forest. What I intend to do over the next 10 weeks is present the species lists and details of each of the 10 surveys, in case anyone is interested in what I see! Needless to say, doing bird surveys can be quick taxing on your sleep patterns. In order to be out in the field just after dawn, (and given that QLD does not have daylight saving), I need to be up by 4.30am and am in the field by 5 – 5.15am!! ANYWAY, onto the results of my first survey. The first sector that I surveyed is Sector 7 on the morning of 29th October 2008.

Date: 29th October 2008
Time: 0530 - 0810
Sector: 7
Number of species seen: 23
Number of birds seen: 174

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (1)
Galah (3)
Grey Butcherbird (4)
Grey Shrike-thrush (2)
Laughing Kookaburra (1)
Mistletoebird (5)
Noisy Miner (25)
Pale-headed Rosella (4)
Pied Currawong (1)
Rainbow Bee-eater (1)
Rainbow Lorikeet (48)
Red-backed Fairy-wren (13)
Rufous Whistler (1)
Sacred Ibis (1)
Sacred Kingfisher (6)
Scarlet Honeyeater (4)
Silvereye (11)
Spotted Pardalote (2)
Striated Pardalote (3)
Torresian Crow (6)
Variegated Fairy-wren (6)
White-throated Honeyeater (11)
Yellow-faced Honeyeater (15)

Wedding!

This post is a long time coming. It is hard to believe that it has been just over a month that Bec and I have been married!! Our wedding was an amazing success!! Everything went exactly to plan. We were worried a number of days before the wedding that the weather would be terrible; there was a lot of rain and wind beforehand. Although, on the day, the weather was absolutely perfect!! Sunny, warm with a light breeze; couldn't have asked for anything better!!

I had a bit of stress on the wedding morning as I had planned to find a bunch of nice roses with my mum to create the bouquet to be thrown at the end of the reception; kind of a mum of the groom and groom bonding moment. Needless to say, there was not a single florist open in Coffs on the Saturday, so stress levels rose, although luckily I managed to find some nice roses in various Woolworths and Coles stores!! After that, and adding the final touches to the reception venue and showering and watching a couple of minutes of the AFL grand final and putting on suits and not being able to figure out the floral buttonholes, I found myself at the chapel. Unexpectedly, I was nervous as hell!!! I don't know if it was because I thought I might have forgotten something (no, I had the rings) or whether the enormity of the situation got to me, but I was really nervous!!!

Then, I was in position, the music started and the bridesmaids entered, and then I saw Bec!!! I had no idea previously what the dress would look like, nor what her hair would look like..... she was stunning!!! The photos are testament to how good the whole experience was. I have pasted a few photos into an album, although will update them soon with the professional ones that we only got yesterday.......

I can't express enough how perfect the day was for Rebecca and I. We loved and cherish every moment and every memory of the day! Furthermore, we got to enjoy a relaxing honeymoon to the Whitsundays afterwards too (will add some of those photos too soon.........not all of them...)Thank you to all of you who were able to make it to the wedding, and for all your fantastic gifts and well-wishes. It was a fantastic experience and one that we will never forget.

About time to update!

Well, a lot has happened since my last post.

Bec and I are living in Brisbane in the lovely suburb of Sunnybank Hills. Next suburb next to us, Sunnybank, is Brisbane's 'Chinatown'. There is a complex only just down the road from us that has 43 restaurants!! Everything we ever need is at our fingertips; there are 3 huge shopping centres within 15 minutes drive, including a huge Westfields. Here is a pic of our house from the outside!

















Work for me at Griffith University is FANTASTIC! The project is so awesome! There is such an amazing and incredibly comprehensive data set of the distribution, abundance, behaviour and interactions of bird species throughout the greater Brisbane region in the 1990s and the 2000s!! My job is to pool all the data together and make sense of any changes over time as well as changes in developments of different types. It is a collaborative project with Brisbane City Council, Logan City Council, South-east Queensland Catchment Authority, James Cook University (Townsville) and Griffith University. Uni is just over 7km from my home, so commuting takes no time at all! I leave at 8.15am in the morning and am sitting in my office just after 8.30am!! I have undertaken some fieldwork for the project (really early morning surveys), although the field sites surround the university (in a 600ha patch of forest!), so no long commutes into the field like I am used to!!

Bec and I are getting married in just over two weeks time!! We are so excited!! Everything is ready and planned, and we can't wait to see everybody!! I surprised Bec two weeks ago by tentatively organising a honeymoon to the Whitsundays. We are now booked into Airlie Beach at a resort for 4 nights. Originally, we weren't going to go until next year, but I decided that it would be silly to com back from a wedding and straight back to work, so this little escape is JUST what we need!! Nothing stopping us on going on a honeymoon (version 2) again next year!! Bec is getting quite a bit of work, and the school she is working at (Runcorn Heights Primary School) is really impressed with her teaching skills (as they should be!), so financially, everything is going fine and dandy (especially given that we are both used to student-style living)!! I will post again shortly with wedding pics etc etc......... wow, I am about to be married......!!!!

At the age of 29, I finally have a fulltime job!

Well, I had the interview for the Griffith University postdoc fellow position on Thursday 12th June, and yesterday, Monday 16th June, I got a call to say the job was MINE!!

I am so bloody excited about it and can't wait to move to Brisbane and start! Bec and I are travelling to Brisbane tomorrow to look at 4 houses to rent in Sunnybank Hills, Sunnybank and Mansfield. They are pretty close to the university so it means that I can occasionally ride my bike to uni!! Although the cost of renting may be $10 - 20 more per week closer to the uni compared to suburbs further out, we will be saving on fuel driving vast distances getting anywhere! My wage (before tax and superannuation) is exactly 60k which is more than I thought I would be getting! I have now been to the University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University, University of New England and now Griffith University: four universities in three states! Looks like I am continuing my 'professional student' career!!

I am really looking forward to the drive to Brisbane, having never driven north of Yamba (see earlier post from last year), so there will be many a photo and further details soon, so watch this space!

Bongil Bongil National Park

Following on from the last post, I thought I might post something a bit more intuitively positive. I recently decided to visit some of the nearby national parks and take a few walks and just relax and birdwatch. I went to Bongil Bongil National Park, an area of littoral rainforest just south of Coffs Harbour. Littoral rainforest refers to rainforest with a closed structure and composition which is strongly influenced by proximity to the ocean. And I can tell you, it is weird seeing rainforest within throwing distance of ocean! The bird species list was quite impressive and included rainforest restricted, coastal heath and oceanic species; over 30 in total. It included a 'lifer' for me: Russet-tailed Thrush (Zoothera heinei)...

I did the Bundagen Rainforest Walk (6km return) and the Palm Crossing walk, recording the species of birds seen as well as their abundances. I have now included this information into the online atlas database (Birdata).

I have decided just to show pics below.... experiences don't always need captions...

C'mon Griffith...

Life is sometimes hard, sometimes, it seems to fall into place. However, sometimes, it throws you curve balls.... Take the saga that I am experiencing at the moment regarding work. Yes, I am still jobless and living with my fiance and her parents. However, a job has come and gone in the intervening period between blogs...

In my last post, I expressed hope regarding a consultancy position that I was being interviewed for. Needless to say, the interview came and I was pleasantly surprised. The CEO of the company (James Warren) actually flew down to Coffs Harbour and then met me in Nambucca for the interview. He basically said that he wanted me for the position and that I would be in a senior/management position by the end of the year in the Brisbane office.... I was gracious in acceptance, but commented on my waiting on an academic position at Griffith Uni. He was happy to wait for the outcome of that, however, as universities are the quintessential bureaucracy, they have taken for ever to get back to me. In the meantime, I got a call last week (two weeks after the interview) from James to inform me that they were 'moving on' and looking at interviewing other people if I didn't accept... To say that I was depressed and disappointed is an understatement; I basically threw away a perfectly good, well-paying job on the hope that I will be shortlisted and hired for the university position... Such are the curve balls of life; dangling a carrot of gold when you dream of a carrot of platinum.

HOWEVER, today I got a call from Griffith University informing me that I have bee shortlisted for an interview for the position. So next Thursday, 12th June at 12.30pm, I have a phone interview from home with a selection panel from the university. FINALLY, after submitting the application in the second week of April, submissions closing on the 8th May, I now know that I have AT LEAST got to the interview stage. I am just hoping that the wait will be worth the reward of actually getting the position...

I will keep you informed....

An interview

Well, I got a call the other day from the director of an environmental consultant company in Brisbane that I applied to work with. He called and initially asked if I was aware that the job was in Brisbane rather than in Newee Creek where I am living now!! To cut a long story short, he is calling me in the next few days so that we can get together for an interview. I am happy to drive to Brisbane for a day or two, but he is happy to meet me down here.... hopefully that reflects his enthusiasm to employ me!! Am I excited? Yes, although I want to find out about the Griffith University job first as that is the ULTIMATE position. Either way, I will go to the interview for the consultant job, because that is still a fantastic job!! Oh, by the way, Rebecca graduated on the 11th April with Bachelor of Education (Primary), so YAY to her!! Here is a picture of her in all her 'academic regalia'!!

While waiting to find out about work, Rebecca and I are looking at places to live in Brisbane on the internet. We are attempting to gauge the good and bad areas of Brisbane, and looking for houses accordingly!! We are getting very excited about moving to Brisbane, and I believe that this is where we will settle for at least a few years!!

In news regarding our wedding, I have finalised my suit (and my groomsmen's suits) for the wedding and are currently looking for a wedding cake. I now also have my wedding ring.... very happy and PERFECTLY sized... On the subject of our wedding, for those invited (hehe), don't forget to PLEASE send your RSVP cards back ASAP... or else

Keep in touch everybody, and watch this space for more updates!! BYE!!!!

Looking for work

Since my last post, I have still been looking for work. That Geolink job I mentioned in the last post never eventuated; it appears that the deadline for applications was a week before they received mine. The employment website that I got the application off had the incorrect close date. Mind you, Geolink's OWN site was still advertising the position well over a week after the close date. I had a similar experience with another job working as a landscape ecologist with Greening Australia that I emailed to get a position description for, only to be told (even though the close date was still a week away on the Envirojobs website) that applications had closed!! This job was based in Hobart, Tasmania, so as you can guess, I am looking for positions outside of NSW.

The position I am putting all of my effort into now however, is the ultimate job for me: a postdoctoral fellowship in avian ecology!!! It is at Griffith University in Brisbane, and is a two-year full time position. It is the PERFECT position for me, as it would represent a stepping stone to a future lecturing position at university!! More importantly however, it is a really interesting subject for a postdoc:

A postdoctoral fellow is required to contribute to research into change in birds and their habitats in human-dominated landscapes over space and time. The appointee will play a key role in progressing an existing ARC Linkage project "Forecasting and Managing Biodiversity Change: Birds in an Urbanising Environment". The project aims to test whether current knowledge enables correct forecasts of longer-term trends in biodiversity within urbanising regions, by investigating the real-time change in bird assemblages between the early 1990s (pre-existing data) and late 2000s (current data), in south east Queensland. Other project aims include assessing the strength of both local and landscape-scale habitat change (including forest clearing, forest fragmentation, and different forms of urban development) in causing avifaunal change, and developing tools for forecasting future biodiversity scenarios under different land-use policies.

Pretty much RIGHT up my alley for those that know me. Applications close in the first week of May, although I hope to have it in by the end of this coming week, just to reduce the chances of previously experienced late comings!! I will let everybody know the outcome!!

Back home

After 7 weeks away, I am finally back in NSW. Although it has been all go, go, go since being back. Firstly, I was supposed to get back to Coffs Harbour on the Friday night (7th March), but given that the plane from Perth to Sydney was delayed for 2 hours (apparently the pilot's chair wasn't secured and was moving around!), I missed the connecting flight. As a result, I was put up in the Mecure Hotel for the night (including complimentary dinner and breakfast) before catching the first flight in the morning of the 8th March. It was probably a good thing arriving the next day however, as I was still suffering a hangover from my Thursday buck's night... mind you, I was still suffering it all day Saturday too!! My buck's night was awesome!!! It involved a round of golf in the morning (with Ryan as he was the only one able to come) at Wembley Golf Course. We hired a golf cart which was HEAPS of fun: a bit of work for the groundskeepers around the course after our little effort. All said and done however, it was one of my best rounds ever: 117 from the 18 holes!! The actual buck's night was awesome too: needless to say, there was 'entertainment' for the night which everyone enjoyed, although just hanging out with the Warwick High School boys (and Ryan) was the real joy; playing poker, laughing, talking and drinking (what obviously must have been) copious amounts of beer and bourbon!! Needless to say, waiting to catch the plane the next morning was one of the more uncomfortable experiences of my life: the hangover was a cracker (as Glynn, who was flying with me, could atest to).

Since being back, I have been doing everything from designing and preparing the weddnig invitations, driving to Port Macquarie to visit Bec's relatives, driving to Coffs for various items and looking for and applying for work. I have just sent off my resume to an Environmental Consultant company based in Coffs Harbour called GeoLINK. They are looking for an ecologist to join their team, so I jumped at the chance to apply for the job!! Hopefully I hear from them soon!!

I will keep everybody updated on how this goes!!!

Working in the Pilbara

Well hello again for my second (and most likely last) installment of the "Working in WA" series!! I am currently working at a "Fortesque Mining Group" (FMG) exploration mine site. The absic gist of it is this: FMG want to mine iron ore here, they set up an exploration camp where they drill in a grid pattern looking for the highest grade ore, they determine whether it is worth mining. If it is, an environmental consultant company like us (Coffey Environmental) are brought in to do a fauna assessment; basically to find out what is here!! We have been in the process of digging in almost 1,900 traps (20L bucket traps and 50cm deep pipe traps), often into hard rocky ground in 40 degree plus temperatures and >70% humidity, from 6.30am to 5pm or later!! Needless to say, chaffing is a big problem out here, but I will spare you all the details.

So for the last 13 days, we have been digging, digging, digging and within the next 4 or so days, we will be done. We ALMOST had to evacuate because it was looking like Cyclone Nicholas was going to pass right over us, but it luckily travelled further west, although we still got about 50mm of rain, cloudy days and wind for a number of days, which in red, clay-like soils is a bit of a pain. Once all of the traps are in, this survey we are undertaking will apparently be the largest faunal survey ever undertaken in Western Australia, and possibly the whole of Australia (may have mentioned this in the last post...). Over the last 4 days, I have actually been spending most of the morning hours doing bird surveys. So far, I have seen about 9 new species here including (for all those bird-nerds out there) Blue-winged Kookaburra, Spinifexbird, Painted Firetail, Little Button-quail, Grey-headed Honeyeater and Black-tailed Treecreeper..... For those interested, I have kept a COMPLETE list so I can share it in detail at a later date!!!

Please have a look at the new photo album that I have created a link to to see some cool pics of the Pilbara and various bits and pieces. Aside from the scenery and amazing animals, the accommodation here is pretty spectacular. There is a smorgasborg breakfast and dinner EVERY day, which generally involves REALLY good quality food, compared to the crappy college meals I put up with for years!!! For lunch, you can make sandwiches to take out with you as well as fresh fruit salads, packs of any sort of potato chips (as many as you like!!!), and for desert, apart from ample choices of cakes, there is an icecream freezer with all sorts of magnums, gaytimes, cornettos etc.... once again, all for the taking!!!! Basically, they look after you in exchange for you staying!!! Having said all the good things about here, I am ready to go home... Working this many hours for this long is too draining, and being away from Bec for 6 weeks now is too long. Since about the 23rd January, I have only had 4 days off, so I am physically and mentally drained.

I leave here next Monday 3rd March, have my buck's night with the boys over here on Thursday 6th March and fly back over east the next day with Glynn (as he is going to Sydney for a wedding). Then I finally get to see Bec and we can continue to organise wedding stuff!!!!

ANYWAY, enjoy the pics, I hope you enjoyed the blog, and I will talk/see you all soon!!!

Working in WA!!

Hello everybody.....

It has been so long since I have messaged people. I am currently working for 8 weeks in WA as a consultant zoologist for an environmental consultant company (Coffey Environments). I have already worked in Laverton for 4 days and am currently working at Mt Gibson in the NE wheatbelt. We commute to the exploration minesite from Dallwallinu, a town 120km away. We wake in the morning at 4.30am, leave the accommodation by 5.15am and start work at 6.30am! We check 960 traps every morning; in woodland, sandplain and rocky hilltop habitats!! We have caught about 800 animals so far including about 15 - 20 dunnarts (small marsupial mice), with the rest made up of skinks, goannas, blind snakes, gekkos and true snakes (pythons and elapids).

I have attached a photo album of all the photos to date. I apologise if there are any double-ups, but I dont have much time to edit them as I am at a telecentre in Dallwallinu.

We have been here at Mt Gibson since the 22nd Jan and have worked every day (sometimes from 6.30am to 6.30pm) INCLUDING weekends AND Australia day public holiday!!! We leave here on the 7th February, I have 4 days off (including going to my mate Vinh's wedding) and then I leave for the Pilbara and work there for 4 weeks straight (once again, no breaks!!). We will be setting up a fauna trapping regime that will be the biggest ever undertaken in WA and potentially in Australia!!! It is in the Pilbara that I will be let loose on the birds of the region, and it will be my responsibility to collate a species list (with numbers) of all the birds on the proposed mine site!! I CANT WAIT!!! I also cant wait to actually get back to the east coast to see Bec, but the money that I earn here will help set us up!!!!

TAKE CARE EVERYBODY, AND CHECK OUT THE PICS!!!