Agriculture
29 May, 2024
Citizen scientists receive malleefowl report
VOLUNTEERS spent more than 1200 hours monitoring malleefowl numbers across Victoria in the past year. More than 60 of the citizen scientists were in Boort last weekend to hear the annual report of the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group. Dr Joe...
VOLUNTEERS spent more than 1200 hours monitoring malleefowl numbers across Victoria in the past year.
More than 60 of the citizen scientists were in Boort last weekend to hear the annual report of the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group.
Dr Joe Benshemesh said breeding numbers were lower than the previous season.
Volunteers visited 1466 mounds in the 2023 breeding season with 203 rated as active
He said that with favourable rainfall, it was unclear what contributed to the decline. The number of fox scats found at mounds increased but remained at historically low levels, Dr Benshemesh said.
Breeding at monitored sites around Wychitella continued to fluctuate with an average of two or three active mounds each year.
Dr Benshemesh said the Wychitella reserves had the most isolated malleefowl populations in Victoria “and understand the population size is critical information for management because in-breeding is a major threat”.
The group has entered a partnership with Cobram Estate Olives for conservation at the adjoining O’Bree montoring site and a meeting in Wedderburn last month discussed the need for a comprehensive survey of malleefowl in the Wychitella district.