Federal election 2013

This letter aims to gauge our politicians' attitude to threatened species funding. Please send it to your local candidates. When you receive a reply, let us know via email (orangebellied.parrot@gmail.com) or private message on Facebook, and we will publish the results just before the election.

Please also send it to the Minister for the Environment, Mark Butler: Mark.Butler.MP@aph.gov.au

and to the Shadow Minister for the Environment, 
Greg Hunt: Greg.Hunt.MP@aph.gov.au

For local candidates, first find your electorate: http://apps.aec.gov.au/esearch/

Find the contact details of your local candidates:

http://www.aec.gov.au/election/who-are-the-candidates.htm

Then copy and paste this letter into an email and send. Feel free to add your own words. Don't forget to delete these instructions!

Dear  ...............

As a constituent of .................... and a lover of Australia's native wildlife,  I wish to draw your attention to the issue of threatened species.  

The Senate Environment and Communications References Committee recently handed down its report, 'Effectiveness of threatened species and ecological communities' protection in Australia'. 

Addressing the Committee, Mr Peter Cosier (Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists) said:

...biodiversity conservation is not being taken seriously in this country. To have 1,790 [EPBC listed] species in Australia in 2013 ... suggests it has been a complete failure.

We are all diminished by biodiversity loss - and not just because it is our moral obligation to save all threatened species. Professor Stephen Garnett of Charles Darwin University has written:

..there is increasing evidence that biodiversity loss has an influence on ecosystem service provision on a par with drought, ozone loss, acidification and climate warming. Species conservation is an investment in natural capital that provides enormous returns.

In other words, without our rich heritage of living creatures and plants, our land will gradually become unliveable for us. In addition, we should consider the burgeoning value of nature tourism to our economy, which is immeasurably enhanced by the presence of rare and threatened species.

Unfortunately, it is evident that recovery plans for threatened species and ecological communities are not implemented or given sufficient funding to be properly implemented. A well-resourced funding stream for threatened species recovery is crucial to the future of Australia's birds, animals and plants. BirdLife Australia has suggested that all 20 of our critically endangered birds could be saved with the expenditure of as little as $380,000 each. Threatened species funding for all animals, plants and birds is currently $3 million per annum - less than one per cent of our weekly defence budget. This is a massive imbalance.

As a first-world country, we must improve on our dismal record of species extinctions. BirdLife Australia recommended to the Committee that threatened species investment  must not only be increased, but be guaranteed over sufficiently long periods to allow recovery. They suggested funding be provided for up to eight years at a time with independent review and potential extension after four years.

I am gravely worried about the future of animals like Leadbeater's Possum and the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby and, particularly, Australia's most endangered bird, the Orange-bellied Parrot, which has plummeted to fewer than 50. Even worse, ALL funding for recovery work on this parrot this summer has been discontinued. There is no longer any state or Commonwealth funding to undertake research or management in the parrot's Tasmanian breeding grounds.  I am ashamed to live in a country with so little regard for this priceless part of our natural world.

There is no doubt that funds for Australia's threatened species are finite and that, for the time being, many do not contribute to local economies. But we are undeniably entrusted with a responsibility not to let the Orange-bellied Parrot or any other species slip away.

I urge you to act so that your party adopts all 44 of the Committee's recommendations, in particular Recommendations  29 and 30:

·       that the Commonwealth government adjusts current funding under the Biodiversity Fund and Caring for our Country to provide targeted funding streams for threatened species and ecological communities. This dedicated funding should include funding for implementation of specific actions within recovery plans, conservation advices and threat abatement plans and advices;

·       In light of the evidence that feral animals and fire regimes are two of the biggest threats to threatened species and communities, the committee recommends that funding programs give high priority to on-ground projects addressing feral animals and fire regimes.

I will not vote for the representative of a party that supports the current, inadequate status quo. I would like you, if elected (or re-elected) to represent my views on threatened species, and help bring about a quantum increase in threatened species funding.

Please answer the following questions:

1. What is your attitude to threatened species?

2. Will you act to influence Parliament to adopt the Senate Environment and                Communications References Committee's recommendations on threatened species protection?

3. Will you publicly advocate for threatened species?

4. If (re)elected, will you work to strengthen and implement effective legislation and governance to ensure protection of threatened species?

5. Will you act to ensure adequate funding for all Australian threatened species, as suggested by the abovementioned Committee's recommendations? 

6. How will you remedy the current suspension in funds for Orange-bellied Parrot management, research and captive-release work?

Threatened species recovery is an important issue for me and will influence my vote. The very existence of too many creatures is at stake, and in the 21st century, this is both wholly preventable and most regrettable.

Thank you for your time in responding to these questions. An early response will help me consider your views when I decide how to vote.

Orange-bellied T-shirts (and hoodies, and stickers)

How to buy a t-shirt, hoodie or sticker from our Redbubble site

We've sold lots of Orange-bellied Parrot t-shirts, hoodies and stickers on Redbubble. And with all profits going toward conservation of OBPs, it's a great way to contribute to the cause.

But the site can be a bit difficult to navigate at first. It's easy (and lots of fun) once you know how. This post will guide you on how to buy your very own OBP duds, so you can wear your love for OBPs on your sleeve, so to speak. 

First things first. How to find us? On Redbubble, our name is 'OBparrot'. To go to the OBparrot page:  http://www.redbubble.com/people/obparrot. Or go to Redbubble http://www.redbubble.com, click inside the 'Search' box and type 'OBparrot'.

Shown is the 'Profile' page. 

Each square OBP picture represents one of the four products on offer. You don't need to remember what's what - just run your mouse over the pictures and a caption will pop up.

For example, if you run your mouse over the Orange-bellied Parrot in the top left corner, this caption comes up: 'Orange-bellied Parrot t-shirt (dark) by OBparrot', as shown.

At the moment, the grey square under the black square is for 'Orange-bellied Parrot t-shirt (light)'. [The default colours for all the squares will change from time to time for Facebook purposes. But each square will always represent the same product.]

You'll notice t-shirts with light and dark backgrounds are separate items. Why?

The difference between light and dark

It's because of the text. We wanted the slogan 'Save the Orange-bellied Parrot' in black with 'Orange-bellied' in orange. This was fine to use with light coloured t-shirts such as white or pale blue.

However, lots of people wanted dark coloured t-shirts such as black and dark blue. The black text wouldn't appear at all! So our artist created a different design, using white and orange text.

Therefore your first decision is whether you want a dark or light shirt.

Which product to choose?

If you want a dark background t-shirt, click on the OBP in the top left corner, as in the example.

If you want a light background t-shirt, click on the OBP in the square at bottom left.

If you want something for a baby or a child up to 12 years, click on the middle picture, top row.

And if you want some cool OBP stickers, click on the OBP on the right of the top row.

The ordering process

Suppose you want a black t-shirt. Here's how the screen will look:

Next, pick a colour from the squares at top right (circled). When you click each colour, the torso on screen will magically wear that colour, so you can see how it will look. Make your choice.

Now, pick a style. In the box headed 'STYLE', look for 'T-Shirt'. Click on the small arrow to the right.

Here's where it gets interesting. T-shirts are available in four styles:

• Women's fit t-shirts - tighter fitting and with slightly scooped neckline. Called 'Girly Fit'
•  Unisex - loose-fit t-shirt;
•  Three-quarter sleeve has two-tone, contrasting sleeves
•  V-neck  

There's also:  

• long-sleeved shirts (think sloppy joe) and
• hoodies (zip or pullover).

Organic cotton is available as an option, although the colour choices are smaller.

Note: the range of colours varies, depending on the style. Many popular colours aren't available at all because they just don't look right with our OBP. We tried them but yellow, orange and red backgrounds looked pretty silly.

This example shows a black, Girly Fit t-shirt:

Next, click on your size, as shown:

We recommend checking your size in the Sizing Chart, located on the far right, half way down (circled, below). It gives actual measurements in inches and centimetres.

For more information, washing instructions, sizing, etc, click on 'T-Shirts & Hoodies Info' (circled, below, bottom).

Just to vary the look of this blog, we've changed the example's colour and style. This is 'T-shirt' in 'Blue'. Once you've had a play with the site, you'll see how easy it is to change around.

Now, at last, you can click on 'ADD TO CART' (black checkmark) and you're well on your way to owning a fabulous item of OBP apparel.

Choose 'Paypal' or 'Checkout Now' and fill in your details. If you've made a mistake, click on the square OBP picture corresponding to the item you want to change and go back to editing it.

If you want to remove an item, click 'Edit Cart'.

Click the 'x' corresponding to the item you want removed.

Choose your payment method, fill out your details, take a big breath and wait. Any day now (technically, between three and ten business days), a lovely cardboard parcel will be delivered to your door.

Congratulations on buying an OBP shirt. You'll be the envy of all your friends and should wear it with pride, happy in the knowledge you've done your bit to raise awareness of Australia's favourite critically endangered, priceless little jewel of a bird.

Note: you'll undoubtedly be stopped in the street. Don't forget to tell people all about the birds, and about Save the Orange-bellied Parrot on Facebook. Zzzt!

Hand-reared Orange-bellied Parrot

Saving the smallest Orange-bellied Parrot - at Taroona

Jocelyn Hockley works for Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) and oversees the captive Orange-bellied Parrot program. 

As the Studbook Keeper and Species Coordinator for the entire captive population - at six separate institutions - her responsibilities are heavy. She recently sent us the following interim report on breeding at Taroona, which includes a charming story of struggle and survival.

'We have had a very good year at Taroona with most of the 26 females attempting to breed.

'Most of the chicks have now fledged, with just two late nests still having chicks, which are about two weeks old at the moment.'

For various reasons, Jocelyn had to hand-raise some chicks. The photos show one of them.

She's not sure of its sex yet but for the sake of the story, it's a 'he'.

'His two siblings were much bigger than him and he was not being fed so at a few days old and weighing 6 grams, I made the decision to take him from the nest.

'Three weeks later he now weighs 46 grams and will fledge [leave the nest and fly] next week and start spending time in one of the aviaries to start interacting with other birds. A real little fighter this one.'

Captive breeding, January 2013

Breeding aviary, Healesville Sanctuary

What's captive breeding?

The aim of the captive population of Orange-bellied Parrots is to prevent the species' extinction. It supplies birds for release into the wild, and acts as an insurance population. It began in 1985.

In order to quickly increase the captive population, six facilities now breed Orange-bellied Parrots:

•  Taroona captive breeding facility (Tasmania)
•  Healesville Sanctuary (Victoria)
• Adelaide Zoo (South Australia)
• Melbourne Zoo (Victoria)
• Priam Parrot Breeding Centre (NSW)
• Halls Gap Zoo (Victoria)

Private zoo, Moonlit Sanctuary (Victoria), has older birds for display which may or may not breed. 

So how's captive breeding going?
On 7 July 2012, studbook analysis showed the captive population numbered 205. The recovery program aims to have at least 350 birds by 2016/17.

Eggs are being laid at all institutions mentioned above. Chicks are hatching everywhere except Melbourne Zoo and chicks are now fledging at Healesville and Taroona, the two largest breeding facilities.

Taroona - breeding OBPs in the heat
Jocelyn Hockley is Senior Keeper of the Captive Management and Trans location Section of DPIPWE (Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment). She oversees the captive OBP program and is the Studbook Keeper and Species Coordinator for the entire captive population. 

According to Ms Hockley, the OBPs at Taroona breeding facility are doing well. The first chicks fledged on Christmas Day and this week, late-laying females hatched chicks.

Hockley says that the recent hot weather affected the birds, especially chicks in the nest. But she is confident about the staff at Taroona.

'They've done an amazing job in ensuring that everything is done to cool the birds down by opening nestboxes up a little, providing fresh food and water in the afternoon and spraying the aviaries. 

'They have also been going back in the early evening once it starts to cool down, to check chicks again and close nestboxes back up for the night. All the chicks appear to be doing well.'

Taroona has more than 20 pairs housed together and also four group aviaries. One aviary has four birds (two male, two female); three aviaries have three birds (one male, two females).

Sources:
Jocelyn Hockley 
Kristy Penrose
Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team, Update on the Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Program, January 2013.

Debbie Lustig

Breeding in the wild: an update

Nineteen chicks and counting

The wild population of Orange-bellied Parrots at Melaleuca now numbers at least 20 adults (including 'first-year birds', which can breed in their first year). They comprise nine females and 11 males.

They began arriving on 1 October 2012, with the last (known) arrival 22 November.

Recent breeding seasons have seen similar numbers, with at least 22 arriving in 2011/12, twenty-one in 2010/11 and twenty-three in 2009/10.

This week 19 chicks from five nestboxes were banded. They are caught as nestlings (before they can fly), leg-banded, weighed, and have blood taken for DNA analysis. Each bird is fitted with bands of a unique colour and letter in order for later identification to be made.

As a total of nine females are known to have arrived and five have bred, it is hoped up to four additional nests have been used by the remaining females.

Chick tries to bite scientist after banding

Silver-coloured leg bands

Review of the year 2012

OBPs on feed table, Melaleuca

The Orange-bellied Parrot year doesn't follow the calendar year; it can be said to begin in spring, when they arrive at their breeding grounds in Tasmania. It ends with the last survey of sites on the mainland in late winter. Nonetheless, some highlights of 2012 can still be outlined. 

The year saw less media attention on OBPs but a concerted campaign by Zoos Victoria helped raise awareness in novel ways. Love Your Locals highlights the plight of 20 south-east Australian vertebrates threatened with extinction, including the Orange-bellied Parrot. Via a website, educational activities, displays of painted, baby elephants, a mural and a tram, the message has slowly expanded.

Another expansion was of captive breeding facilities. Adelaide and Melbourne Zoos, Taroona government breeding facility and Healesville Sanctuary were augmented by Priam Parrot Breeding Centre and Halls Gap Zoo. Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale also received birds, primarily for display. See August and September (below) for details.

January, 2012 began with 22 birds at Melaleuca. Five pairs occupied nest boxes and eventually produced 24 eggs, of which 19 fledged. Of those, 14 juveniles became independent. The minimum wild population presumed to leave Melaleuca by autumn was thus 36.

In captivity, birds breed at these facilities: Adelaide Zoo, Taroona government breeding facility and Healesville Sanctuary. Melbourne Zoo and Priam Parrot Breeding Centre had both been given birds towards the end of 2011, too late to begin breeding in 2011/12.

The following is a subjective list by the author.


January

January sees plenty of activity at Melaleuca. By late 2011, at least twenty-two birds had arrived - nine female, 12 male. Wildcare volunteers are feeding them sprouted canary seed twice a day at the feed table. 

Six are unbanded birds and 15, banded. 

February

Birds begin to migrate north, adults initially then juveniles.

A boat harbour development in Westernport Bay is deemed worthy of assessment under the Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act, giving rise to 'frustration' for the developer. (The site was once used by OBPs although none have been seen since 1987.)
     Federal opposition politician and local member, Greg Hunt, refers to 'this imaginary parrot'. An environmental assessment is actually required as the harbour lies in the vicinity of a Ramsar site, that is, a wetland of international significance.

March

The Big Issue magazine publishes an article about the OBP in Issue 402, entitled 'Come Fly With Me'.

Birds continue to leave Melaleuca. 

Zoos Victoria commissions street art specialists Everfresh Studios to produce a graffiti mural in AC/DC Lane, Melbourne, highlighting its campaign to fight extinction. (In this video, an Orange-bellied Parrot appears at 2:30 minutes.)

April 

The first sighting of an OBP on passage to the mainland is made at Sea Elephant River, King Island, north-west of Tasmania.

On 11th April at Airey's Inlet, Victoria, Lindy Frost sees an OBP - during her morning tea! The first record for that site, it's also the first bird seen anywhere on the mainland, although not recorded as such until later.

Hedley Earl sees the first two recorded birds on 19 April, at the Western Treatment Plant, near Werribee, Victoria. 

The state government of Victoria cuts funding for public servants, including 10 threatened species officers.

May


Three OBPs take up residence at a well known site in the Western Treatment Plant (WTP). The OBP Recovery Team (OBPRT) asks for birders' cooperation and patience, organising for one access road to be temporarily closed.

The OBPRT meets in Adelaide. On the agenda: discussion of aspects of the recovery planning process and presentation of the full draft of the fifth recovery plan - now under review by government.

Bob Green, south-east South Australia Regional Coordinator, celebrates 12 years of work on the OBP.

June

OBPs on the mainland.

July

John Peter sights two OBPs at Kaarst wetlands near Torquay on July 21, the first record there since 1998.

Four (or possibly five) OBPs in total have been seen at the WTP. Another bird is seen at south-east South Australia and another in western Victoria, near Yambuk. 

August

A new facility receives Orange-bellied Parrots. Halls Gap Zoo, in western Victoria, takes delivery of five pairs to augment the OBP captive breeding program. 
     
208 birds announced in the captive flock.

September


Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale, Westernport Bay, Victoria, receives seven older birds for display, to raise awareness and possibly, to breed. 

The Sunday Age publishes an article, 'A parrot so rare it may need to be captured to survive', which details some of the OBP recovery history in the past few years.

September survey turns up one OBP, across all sites in Victoria and South Australia.

Last winter sighting of an OBP on the mainland on 10 September, near Queenscliff.

Winter sightings total nine.

October

First sighting in Tasmania. An unbanded male OBP arrives at Melaleuca around 1 October, followed by more birds on 4th, 5th, 6th, 12th, 13/14th October. By 29/10, there are 15 birds - 8 males and 7 females.

A release aviary built to acclimatise captive-bred birds at Melaleuca, in preparation for a release.

Zoos Victoria and Yarra Trams launch a 'Love Your Locals' tram, with an OBP featured in the brightly-coloured artwork.

November

Plans for a 2012 release of captive-bred birds shelved. Factors influencing this decision: similar numbers of birds as 2011/12, roughly equal sex ratio, and uncertainties about possible different strains of Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease in captive and wild populations.

More arrivals bring the total of OBPs to 20: 11 males, 9 females.

7.30 Tasmania, the ABC TV current affairs program, films a segment at Melaleuca featuring Mark Holdsworth, Tasmanian coordinator, OBP recovery program. It screens 30/11.


December

Numbers at Melaleuca 20 with an unconfirmed extra, an unbanded male.

Proposal by Hydro Tasmania for a 200-turbine wind farm on King Island, a crucial stopover for OBPs on both northward and southward migration.

Priam Parrot Breeding Centre publishes unique photos showing candling of OBP eggs and a day-old chick.

Four nest boxes at Melaleuca reported occupied; several pairs seen mating at the feeding table at Melaleuca.

Melaleuca scene

Debbie Lustig

Copyright 2013. May not be reproduced without prior written permission.