The Mundoonen Spotted Quail-thrush
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| Above: The Mt Lofty sub-species of the Spotted Quail-thrush - now declared locally extinct. What does it tell us about the bird we have in the Mundoonen district and the wider Upper Lachlan Shire? This article has a go at explaining the lessons we might draw from its story. Image courtesy Australian Geographic. |
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| Image courtesy Wayne Weatherstone |
From 1962 until 1981 he recorded bird sightings on his farm and its near surrounds. Each month we look at one of the birds Gladstone noted, try to place it in context and see if we can draw any lessons about the recent natural history of our district.
Gladstone's note book entry for 14 May 1974 records "Two Quail Thrushes (which are very rare in this area) seen in the Mundoonen Nature Reserve today".
It remains true today that the Spotted Quail-thrush is rarely seen. This may be due to its great success in remaining invisible to humans but, increasingly, it seems there are now fewer of these birds about now. Should we be concerned. It is, I think, timely that Gladstone's note book has drawn our attention back to this species today. Let's see why.
Seldom Seen - Always There
The Spotted Quail-thrush was one of the first birds in the colony to be described and named by western science. Despite it being officially recognised as long ago as 1794, we still do not have a full understanding of this shy and elusive bird's life and behaviour. Nor can we be confident about its long term future, either locally or more widely.
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| Image: © Ron Garret 2014. birdlife photography.org.au |
Gladstone may be right to say this species is rare here. Certainly, it is not often seen or recorded.
You can see from the picture at right that a Spotted Quail-thrush, standing still amongst the litter on a dry forest floor, blends into its background. It can be very hard to see until you are almost upon it. Once flushed, it can be difficult to re-locate for a better view because it drops to cover and then runs quickly away through the tussocks and leaf litter.
Again and again in articles about this bird it is said to be "always present but seldom seen". If so, all is well. However, right across its range reporting rates are going down which suggests a less promising picture. This article explores whether or not the Spotted Quail-thrush, particularly in the Mundoonen Ranges, is in decline.
Let's start with what we know with certainty. This bird frequents forested country, often on rocky and grassy slopes, particularly where tussock grasses grow and ground litter is abundant. Crookwell based ornithologist Dr Tony Saunders says they are quite common in the Wombeyan Caves and south-western section of the Blue Mountains National Park. We will look at the Mundoonen district separately.
The Spotted Quail-thrush (Cinclosoma punctatum)
There are seven members of this family of which ours is the largest and the only one in coastal se Australia. It also the only Quail-thrush to inhabit forests. We are almost at the western limit of its range.
They are quiet ground feeding birds with camouflaged plumage patterns. Their diet is varied, comprising a wide range of insects and seeds with occasional pieces of eggshell, bone fragments and grit. They feed by walking slowly and deliberately along a meandering path, flicking aside leaf litter in search of invertebrates to eat.
The Spotted Quail-thrush lays its eggs in a depression in the ground, often beside a tree, fallen log, rocks or tussock.
F E Howe studied them near Melbourne in the early 1900s. He found that each bird laid identifiable eggs unique to it alone. Knowing this, and observing the same patterns on eggs being laid each year, concluded the species was extremely localistic, remaining in the same area for many years.
Their social organisation is poorly known. It is thought they breed in simple pairs. The female incubates the eggs alone while the male brings her food. Both parents share the responsibility of feeding nestlings and fledglings. When foraging as a family, adults first scout the area before calling the youngsters to follow.
Although there is general acknowledgement that the national population is decreasing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not think this species is currently vulnerable to extinction. This is because the Spotted Quail-thrush has a very large range and its population decline is not believed to alarmingly rapid - despite acknowledging the total population is not known. Nothing to worry about then?
There may still be cause for concern. The Spotted Quail-thrush was listed as "Near Threatened" in a 2013 Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria. The IUCN says it is threatened by climate change, severe weather, habitat loss and degradation. The feral fox is obvious threat, as are cats and even domestic dogs in more closely settled areas. Further, this season's unprecedented bush fires will have had a significant impact on many forest dependent species including this bird.
Seen from above, some lights of these sedentary species might twinkle brightly while others were fading. Eventually though, more and more of these twinkling lights would go out completely as local populations aged in isolation - unable to move to new areas or to benefit from an influx of new birds from outside.
The Spotted Quail-thrush is a sedentary species. We don't know how far they can travel. The longest
distance a banded bird has been recorded as going is just under 10 kilometres. So, it may well be susceptible to local extinction.
What caused its demise? Habitat degradation, closer settlement, fires, foxes, cats and dogs all contributed. While the Mundoonen population benefits from living in a nature reserve, it is certainly subject to closer settlement on its borders. Foxes are always with us - despite a concerted effort led by Gunning District Landcare to eliminate them as a threat. Cats and dogs are also likely to be present.
Further, vegetation in the area has been placed under stress by the hotter temperatures we now experience which reduces its nutritional value. This may well have contributed to the possible loss of the Koala in the Mundoonens. It might well have had knock on effects for invertebrate ground fauna that species like the Spotted Quail-thrush glean from the forest floor.
At the time I began this article, the Birdlife Australia Birdate site and the Atlas of Living Australia showed the following sightings of Spotted Quail-thrush in the Mundoonen district.
1977 15 January
1987 17 May
1993 8 April
2003 25 November
2007 November
2007 August
2011 August
The 1997 to 2003 records seem to be for the Nature Reserve. The most recent three were on an adjoining property beside the NPWS site. There was another single record for Bellmount Forest. But for the Mundoonens, nothing since 2011 - surely a cause for concern?
In recent weeks I have begun searching in earnest for this bird on the adjoining property. On only the second day after beginning this search, two of us were delighted to see a single bird. However, there have been no sightings since then, either by people or on two trap cameras.
Does this recent re-emergence mean all is well? It was certainly a cheering sight to see this bird again after more than eight years. The paucity of sightings may be due to the fact that very few people are looking or bother to record their observations. But, as two keen but inexpert observers have not seen any Spotted Quail-thrushes between 2011 and early 2020 (despite being in the area frequently) it may be that we have a fading twinkling light in the Mundoonens.
The bird in the bottom left of the picture above is a Common Bronzewing pigeon but a Spotted
Quail-thrush was clearly seen by two observers very near to this site recently. The private covenanted reserve where the picture was taken is a dry sclerophyll forest which has abundant ground litter, rocky and grassy slopes and tussock grasses - an environment favoured by this species.
As I write this we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic - not a time when people are able to work in groups or pay full attention to the possible plight of a bird; Nevertheless, Gunning District Landcare has recently sought funding to form a "Mates of the Mundoonens" group in partnership with landcarers in the Yass district, NPWS and others. If the application is successful and when conditions allow, this group would do regular bird surveys and resume the search for the Koala in the area.
1 For now, to help us get a better handle on how our birdlife is doing please consider recording your bird sightings - wherever you might be. You can do this opportunistically or, better still, do short 20 minute surveys at a particular site (or sites) at regular intervals e.g. monthly or quarterly. The more of us doing this, the bigger and clearer will be our understanding of the state of our birds. You can record sightings on either of the following:
https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/
https://ebird.org/home
If you just want to record up to three incidental bird sightings rather than a complete survey you could also do this at http://canberrabirds.org.au/
2 If you are interested in learning more about birds in our district and would like to get involved in any post Covid 19 surveying that may be happening later please e mail me at bobgunninghistoryblog@gmail.com. I would then be in touch with you when we are able to be out and about safely - be it next month or next year.
The best site to learn about birds (and also record sightings) is https://birdata.birdlife.org.au. The Canberra Ornithologists Group (COG) http://canberrabirds.org.au/ is also a good site relevant to our area.
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, V6
Some Observations on the Domestic Economy of the Genus Cinclosoma (Quail Thrushes) By F E Howe F.Z.S., C.M.Z.S. Emu Vol 30 1931
"Twinkling lights or turning down the dimmer switch? Are there two patterns of extinction debt in fragmented landscapes?" Hugh A Ford. Pacific Conservation Biology 17 (4) 303 - 309. Published 2011 https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pc110303
"An example of a "Twinkling Lights" local extinction event: population dynamics of Gilbert's Whistler at the Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve, New South Wales" Anthony Hunt, Peter Ewin and Mark Clayton. Corella, 2018, 42: 42 - 49
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/spotted-quail-thrush-cinclosoma-punctatum
"Mt Lofty Spotted Quail-thrush" by Rebecca Nadge, Australian Geographic. 29 May 2015. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2015/05/spotted-quail-thrush-bird/
The Australian Bird Guide" Peter Menkhorst et al. CSIRO Publishing.
"Birds of the Upper Lachlan Shire" Dr Tony Saunders https://www.upperlachlan.nsw.gov.au
https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/conserving-threatened-species/threatened-species-advisory-lists
Dr Tony Saunders, ornithologist and President of the Crookwell Native Flora and Fauna Club.
Tony and Nicki are regular pre publication reviewers of articles in this series. On this occasion I was given valuable help and advice by:
Mark Clayton, former Senior Technical Officer (retired), CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology. Mark, with colleagues,has written about "twinkling lights" extinction events - one of which may be underway in the Mundoonens.
Rainer Rehwinkel, a former senior government agricultural scientist and ecologist with a particular interest in best approaches to data gathering to support biodiversity conservation. He has also been a regular visitor to the Mundoonen Nature Reserve.
Susannah Power. Ranger, Southern Ranges Branch, NSW National Parks and Conservation Service.
Thank you also to John Weatherstone for providing a transcription of Gladstone's notebook and fielding lots of follow up questions on Gladstone related matters.
They are quiet ground feeding birds with camouflaged plumage patterns. Their diet is varied, comprising a wide range of insects and seeds with occasional pieces of eggshell, bone fragments and grit. They feed by walking slowly and deliberately along a meandering path, flicking aside leaf litter in search of invertebrates to eat.
 |
| Image courtesy Julie Favell. Lighgow Environment Group |
F E Howe studied them near Melbourne in the early 1900s. He found that each bird laid identifiable eggs unique to it alone. Knowing this, and observing the same patterns on eggs being laid each year, concluded the species was extremely localistic, remaining in the same area for many years.
Their social organisation is poorly known. It is thought they breed in simple pairs. The female incubates the eggs alone while the male brings her food. Both parents share the responsibility of feeding nestlings and fledglings. When foraging as a family, adults first scout the area before calling the youngsters to follow.
The National Story: Abundant Nowhere, Presumed Not Departed.
It will help to think about this bird in the Mundoonens to think about the national picture first. The total number of Spotted Quail-thrushes is just not known. Overall across the country though, the numbers of them reported is in decline. There are exceptions to this - for example reporting rates in the Canberra Ornithologists Group's Annual Bird Report for the twelve months to June 2017 were up recently. Although this seems promising, the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds cautions that increases in reporting may be due to changes in bird behaviour and/or post breeding dispersal into more open habitat where they are more conspicuous. |
| The Spotted Quail-thrush. A beautiful bird - if only you could see it. And there are now fewer of them to be seen. Image ©Collete Livermore birdlifephotography.org.au |
Although there is general acknowledgement that the national population is decreasing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not think this species is currently vulnerable to extinction. This is because the Spotted Quail-thrush has a very large range and its population decline is not believed to alarmingly rapid - despite acknowledging the total population is not known. Nothing to worry about then?
There may still be cause for concern. The Spotted Quail-thrush was listed as "Near Threatened" in a 2013 Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria. The IUCN says it is threatened by climate change, severe weather, habitat loss and degradation. The feral fox is obvious threat, as are cats and even domestic dogs in more closely settled areas. Further, this season's unprecedented bush fires will have had a significant impact on many forest dependent species including this bird.
Dimmer Switches and Twinkling Lights
We know that many of our bird species are under threat and, in too many cases, will be lost to us forever without our intervention. Recent ecological studies point to two ways in which woodland birds are declining. Firstly, population densities of species which are widespread and mobile may be declining fairly uniformly - their light dimming gradually right across their range. Other species, described as sedentary (which generally remain faithful of fixed to their local areas) may be declining at varying rates from place to place.The Spotted Quail-thrush is a sedentary species. We don't know how far they can travel. The longest
A Sad and Salutary Story: The Mt Lofty Spotted Quail-thrush.
The Mt Lofty Quail-thrush, pictured at the start of this article, shows what can happen. This species gained critically endangered status only when it may already have gone extinct or, if not, was reduced to a very small and unviable population. It has not been recorded since 1984. Recognition of its plight came too late to save it.What caused its demise? Habitat degradation, closer settlement, fires, foxes, cats and dogs all contributed. While the Mundoonen population benefits from living in a nature reserve, it is certainly subject to closer settlement on its borders. Foxes are always with us - despite a concerted effort led by Gunning District Landcare to eliminate them as a threat. Cats and dogs are also likely to be present.
Further, vegetation in the area has been placed under stress by the hotter temperatures we now experience which reduces its nutritional value. This may well have contributed to the possible loss of the Koala in the Mundoonens. It might well have had knock on effects for invertebrate ground fauna that species like the Spotted Quail-thrush glean from the forest floor.
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| A Spotted Quail-thrush pair. E E Gostelow 1933. Are these birds in a similar position to that which led to their extinction in the Mt Lofty disrict? Image: National Library of Australia |
Ignorance Isn't Bliss
We may need to attend to surveying and record keeping more closely if we are to know how well or badly the Spotted Quail-thrush is doing in the Mundoonens. Why? Let's start with a poem.
The other day, from my office chair
I saw a bird that wasn't there.
It wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish that bird could stay.
Thank you and apologies to William Hughes Mearns Antigonish 1889
At the time I began this article, the Birdlife Australia Birdate site and the Atlas of Living Australia showed the following sightings of Spotted Quail-thrush in the Mundoonen district.
1977 15 January
1987 17 May
1993 8 April
2003 25 November
2007 November
2007 August
2011 August
The 1997 to 2003 records seem to be for the Nature Reserve. The most recent three were on an adjoining property beside the NPWS site. There was another single record for Bellmount Forest. But for the Mundoonens, nothing since 2011 - surely a cause for concern?
In recent weeks I have begun searching in earnest for this bird on the adjoining property. On only the second day after beginning this search, two of us were delighted to see a single bird. However, there have been no sightings since then, either by people or on two trap cameras.
Does this recent re-emergence mean all is well? It was certainly a cheering sight to see this bird again after more than eight years. The paucity of sightings may be due to the fact that very few people are looking or bother to record their observations. But, as two keen but inexpert observers have not seen any Spotted Quail-thrushes between 2011 and early 2020 (despite being in the area frequently) it may be that we have a fading twinkling light in the Mundoonens.
The bird in the bottom left of the picture above is a Common Bronzewing pigeon but a Spotted
Quail-thrush was clearly seen by two observers very near to this site recently. The private covenanted reserve where the picture was taken is a dry sclerophyll forest which has abundant ground litter, rocky and grassy slopes and tussock grasses - an environment favoured by this species.
What Next?
We need to understand whether or not the Spotted Quail-thrush is in rude good health or getting into bother in the Mundoonens. Further, we should do what we can to ensure their situation is not worsened. Gladstone was a naturalist who knew the importance of keeping records. If he were with us today I am sure he would be actively involved in trying to learn more about how this species is doing and then working to improve things.As I write this we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic - not a time when people are able to work in groups or pay full attention to the possible plight of a bird; Nevertheless, Gunning District Landcare has recently sought funding to form a "Mates of the Mundoonens" group in partnership with landcarers in the Yass district, NPWS and others. If the application is successful and when conditions allow, this group would do regular bird surveys and resume the search for the Koala in the area.
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| Gunning District Landcare members and international exchange students, part of a larger group, at the end of a Koala seeking expedition in the Mundoonen NR in September 2016 - still cheery despite their search being unsuccessful. |
1 For now, to help us get a better handle on how our birdlife is doing please consider recording your bird sightings - wherever you might be. You can do this opportunistically or, better still, do short 20 minute surveys at a particular site (or sites) at regular intervals e.g. monthly or quarterly. The more of us doing this, the bigger and clearer will be our understanding of the state of our birds. You can record sightings on either of the following:
https://birdata.birdlife.org.au/
https://ebird.org/home
If you just want to record up to three incidental bird sightings rather than a complete survey you could also do this at http://canberrabirds.org.au/
2 If you are interested in learning more about birds in our district and would like to get involved in any post Covid 19 surveying that may be happening later please e mail me at bobgunninghistoryblog@gmail.com. I would then be in touch with you when we are able to be out and about safely - be it next month or next year.
For More Information
You can get a short biography of Gladstone Weatherstone as a PDF file by emailing bobgunninghistoryblog@gmail.com.The best site to learn about birds (and also record sightings) is https://birdata.birdlife.org.au. The Canberra Ornithologists Group (COG) http://canberrabirds.org.au/ is also a good site relevant to our area.
References
The main sources used in writing this article were:Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, V6
Some Observations on the Domestic Economy of the Genus Cinclosoma (Quail Thrushes) By F E Howe F.Z.S., C.M.Z.S. Emu Vol 30 1931
"Twinkling lights or turning down the dimmer switch? Are there two patterns of extinction debt in fragmented landscapes?" Hugh A Ford. Pacific Conservation Biology 17 (4) 303 - 309. Published 2011 https://www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pc110303
"An example of a "Twinkling Lights" local extinction event: population dynamics of Gilbert's Whistler at the Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve, New South Wales" Anthony Hunt, Peter Ewin and Mark Clayton. Corella, 2018, 42: 42 - 49
http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/spotted-quail-thrush-cinclosoma-punctatum
"Mt Lofty Spotted Quail-thrush" by Rebecca Nadge, Australian Geographic. 29 May 2015. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2015/05/spotted-quail-thrush-bird/
The Australian Bird Guide" Peter Menkhorst et al. CSIRO Publishing.
"Birds of the Upper Lachlan Shire" Dr Tony Saunders https://www.upperlachlan.nsw.gov.au
https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/conserving-threatened-species/threatened-species-advisory-lists
Thank You
Nicki Taws, Program Specialist - Ecologist, Greening AustraliaDr Tony Saunders, ornithologist and President of the Crookwell Native Flora and Fauna Club.
Tony and Nicki are regular pre publication reviewers of articles in this series. On this occasion I was given valuable help and advice by:
Mark Clayton, former Senior Technical Officer (retired), CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology. Mark, with colleagues,has written about "twinkling lights" extinction events - one of which may be underway in the Mundoonens.
Rainer Rehwinkel, a former senior government agricultural scientist and ecologist with a particular interest in best approaches to data gathering to support biodiversity conservation. He has also been a regular visitor to the Mundoonen Nature Reserve.
Susannah Power. Ranger, Southern Ranges Branch, NSW National Parks and Conservation Service.
Thank you also to John Weatherstone for providing a transcription of Gladstone's notebook and fielding lots of follow up questions on Gladstone related matters.
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