National Malleefowl Recovery Team | Environmental conservation organisation

National Malleefowl Recovery Team

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25.01.2022 Fox! A few weeks ago one of the cameras traps from the Gabbin Reserveetup by one of our team members, Liz, captured this fox trying to get to the malleefowl . You can see him taking off and escaping on the right side of the frame. We suspect this is early morning and the fox is visiting mounds hoping to find one that has eggs exposed. We think that this is how most mounds are raided; too much work for a fox to try to dig up eggs otherwise. Our Adaptive Management Predator Exp...eriment is currently underway to understand the overall impact of fox predation on Malleefowl populations. The fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a significant cause of mortality of adults, juvenile birds and chicks. Foxes are also known to dig out Malleefowl mounds and take eggs. Foxes find it almost impossible to dig out a fully formed mound due to the loose sand continually sliding back into the hole. If, however, they arrive at a mound that has already been partially dug out by a Malleefowl, they can dig out the remaining soil and take the eggs.

24.01.2022 FEATHER DETAIL! Look at this stunning image captured by Outside Four Walls and enjoy all the detail and tones of the malleefowl plumage! #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl

24.01.2022 (Sound on) - Malleefowl make several different sounds that can be heard often without seeing the elusive bird, here’s a list of the sound they make. - Female Malleefowl make a high-pitched grunt. - Whilst together, usually at the nest mound, the pair make a soft, drawn out cluck. - As a territorial warning to other Malleefowl, the male makes a loud, booming call.... - When threatened, they make a sharp grunt. - A pair of Malleefowl sometimes perform what is known as a duet, where one bird calls immediately after the other several times in a row. It is thought the duet serves to maintain the pair bond (check out the video page to see the one we posted last week with this sound!) This recording was captured by Michael Todd in Victoria

24.01.2022 Last week this camera trap captured this stunning image of a malleefowl in the late afternoon light, on top of a mound spreading its wings... How beautiful!

23.01.2022 Hello malleefolk! The Malleefowl is one of the contenders to become the new member of the Animoz card game and we need you to vote https://animoz.world/vote/ The vote runs from 1-31 August, and the three species with the most votes will feature on their own card in the next ANiMOZ packs, raising more awareness of their situation.... Share as widely as you can, the vote is happening now until the 31st August.

22.01.2022 It was a challenging, interesting, stimulating, and really rewarding experience. Maryann tells the story of her second time volunteering on a Malleefowl project on the blog: https://www.nationalmalleefowl.com.au/mt-gibson-malleefowl/

22.01.2022 NACC NRM are thrilled to announce that the National Malleefowl & Threatened Species Forum will be held in Geraldton, WA on 7 -10 September 2021! If you haven’t already, ensure you are saving the date NOW. This forum will provide opportunities for presenters and attendees to network and discuss the priorities of current national, state and regional threatened species strategies! We hope to create a space to share information on activities and interventions, science and solutio...ns for protecting and recovering Australia’s threatened plants and animals. This year will mark the first time the National Malleefowl Forum has been held in conjunction with the WA Threatened Species Forum, presenting an opportunity for national exposure and shared learning! We are now providing your opportunity to be involved. If you feel that you have an informative presentation to bring to this forum, we want to hear from you! Simply complete this Expression of Interest Form (https://bit.ly/3meZBc4) with your abstract for the opportunity to participate, share and promote ideas in your very own session! More info: https://www.nacc.com.au//national-malleefowl-wa-threatene/

20.01.2022 The Australian Wildlife Conservancy has been uploading great talks called "AWC in Conversation" in the past few months. Episode 7 of Season 2 had Professor Thomas Lovejoy talk about Biodiversity and he mentioned malleefowls & megapodes (with an awesome photo of him at a mound) at around the 22min mark: https://youtu.be/HDSfHyB6wqg A great watch (as is the whole series!).... #malleefowl #biodiversity

20.01.2022 Dr Joe Benshemesh running a training sessions for our volunteers on how to service our camera traps. Cameras provide a wealth of data for our monitoring program, but someone needs to head out bush to keep their batteries and SD cards topped up. We're lucky to have a great team of volunteers to help with this. #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl #cameratrap #monitoring #threatenedspecies

18.01.2022 "South Australia's malleefowl breeding numbers fall 40 per cent in 'comparatively' good year" https://www.abc.net.au//malleefowl-breeding-in-ou/12947892

18.01.2022 New year & new ways to support malleefowl conservation! We now have an online shop where you can buy t-shirts, bags, and mugs with our brand new malleefowl design by the talented Madison Erin Mayfield Here is the link (http://nationalmalleefowl.theprintbar.com/) to get yourself some awesome bird swag and help us with our ongoing work to protect and study malleefowl!

18.01.2022 The latest newsletter just went out to our subscribers, you can read it below and subscribe to stay up to date. We wish you all the best for the festive season and the new year. The National Malleefowl Recovery Team.... https://mailchi.mp/7765/malleefowl-newsletter-december-2020

15.01.2022 Here's a malleefowl pair displaying to each other at the mound. This behaviour can be quite elaborate and makes for some great photographs. #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl #birdbehaviour #conservation #threatenedspecies #birdsofaustralia #australiasbirds

15.01.2022 There is still time to vote for the Malleefowl! Head over to https://animoz.world/vote/ Go team Malleefowl! #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl #conservation

14.01.2022 Dr Joe Benshemesh has a longstanding interest in the habitat and ecology of the iconic malleefowl and has been involved in research and conservation of this incredible bird for over 30 years. In this short video Joe gives an insight into the interesting life of this mound building megapode and details the unusual method it uses to incubate its eggs.

13.01.2022 A beautiful short film giving you a glimpse into what it is like to volunteer on malleefowl work - the largest threatened species monitoring project in Australia - and why your help is so important. It's amazing to see people from all walks of life come together with this one common goal: helping the malleefowl. Thank you to everyone who has participated over the years, and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with you over the years. Your help is crucial to the surviv...al of the malleefowl. Please note that things might be different due to COVID-19 this year, so please make sure to follow this page and subscribe to our newsletter to get the most up-to-date information: http://bit.ly/malleefowl-newsletter #malleefowl #volunteering - This was filmed pre-covid.

13.01.2022 This malleefowl is not searching for food! The male malleefowl checks the egg chamber temperature by thrusting his beak into the sand/litter. For the incubation process to succeed, the chamber has to stay at a constant temperature which means regular checks and digging/covering to adjust to the conditions. A lot of work! You can see one of the eggs appear towards the end of the video.

13.01.2022 Our first e-newsletter went out this morning, if you already subscribed to "Around the Mounds" in its PDF and printed form then you should have received it (check your spam folder). If not then there it is: https://mailchi.mp/1a0/malleefowl-newsletter-september-2020

12.01.2022 Sound on ! A new malleefowl vocalisation recording, this time from Ferries McDonald CP in South Australia. #naturesound #malleefowl #southaustralia #savingmalleefowl

12.01.2022 Wait until you see it! This camera trap captured another amazing glimpse into Malleefowl life. You can see the chick’s head emerging from the sand while the adult is scratching, he evens get a few pecks on the head before coming out and wobbling his way into a new life! After their emergence from the mound, the chicks are capable of leaving the nest mound entirely on their own and receive no parental care. They are capable of feeding and flying within 24 hours of their emergence. The knowledge of what to eat, what predators are, what to avoid, how to build mounds is embedded in the chicks DNA.

11.01.2022 Malleefowl calling from the mound - another example of their great vocalisations! Have you ever heard them ?? #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl

09.01.2022 A timelapse made over a period of 17hours shows how tall the mound gets and just how much soil and leaf litter this pair of Malleefowl is moving around!

09.01.2022 https://www.abc.net.au//cameras-reveal-malleefowl/12292622

07.01.2022 Did you know Leipoa ocellata is the scientific name of the malleefowl? As with many scientific names, it is a derivative from the bird's behavior/biology/appearance. Leipoa comes from Leip(ein) - to leave + Õi - egg. Alludes to the bird's habit of leaving its eggs in a mound after laying them. ocellata means "eyes marked" - Gould (who named this species) thought the larger spots on the feather pattern resembled eyes, or 'ocellae', hence the species name of ocellata.

06.01.2022 Camera traps are an integral part of Malleefowl monitoring. They are triggered by motion in front of their sensors and start recording photos and videos. The array you see here is testing the sensitivity settings on the camera traps to find the best compromise between sensitivity and number of triggers (photos/videos). Some camera models are more sensitive to movement than others and this can means tens of thousands of false triggers per year due to foliage and shadow movement rather than animals. Too many false triggers slows processing and sorting the photos by volunteers and makes things very tedious and this is why this array was setup to work out the best settings.

06.01.2022 Good luck little one! After their emergence from the mound, the chicks are capable of leaving the nest mound entirely on their own and receive no parental care. They are capable of feeding and flying within 24 hours of their emergence. The knowledge of what to eat, what predators are, what to avoid, how to build mounds is embedded in the chicks DNA. #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl

05.01.2022 Our live camera at the Adelaide Zoo is back online. Now you can watch a pair of malleefowl do their thing from the comfort of your home: https://www.nationalmalleefowl.com.au/news/live-camera/ This video was taken from the camera a while ago and people watching at the time would have seen egg-laying live!! Head over to our website (link in bio) and have a look! The camera is active from 5 am to 9 pm. We'll update the highlights when we capture new events.... #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl #conversation #wildlifecam #nest

05.01.2022 One of our camera traps caught the exact moment this female Malleefowl laid an egg. This will be one of the many eggs laid during the breeding season. The eggs are laid at intervals of a few days, and, since there is a very large number, three or four months pass before all eggs are produced. As each egg is placed in the warm nest it begins to incubate; long before the last egg is laid the first eggs have hatched and the chicks have run away to begin their solitary life. Excerpt From: Graeme Tonkin. Malleefowl. Graeme Tonkin, 2017. Available for free on Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/au/book/malleefowl/id1313712686

05.01.2022 Here is a selection of images showcasing the different stages and the evolution of a Malleefowl mound. What an incredible system. The caption on each photo will tell you more about what you are looking at!

05.01.2022 Malleefowl Muster! The WA Malleefowl Recovery Group is pleased to announce the Program for this year’s inaugural Malleefowl Muster at the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre in Ongerup on the 17th and 18th October. This is a FREE event with meals provided but places are limited - please contact Liz Kington on [email protected] to register your attendance. During a jam-packed Muster Saturday, we will be hearing from Dr Joe Benshemesh from the National Malleefowl Recovery Tea...m (via a Zoom meeting) who will talk to us about what’s happening with Malleefowl around Australia, and we have the pleasure of an evening talk from Drs Mike and Mandy Bamford, WA Ecologists who specialise in wildlife research and science communication, at the BBQ dinner and there’s plenty more presentations and things to do in between. Due to the Covid-19 situation, we are currently restricted in WA to the number of people we can accommodate at this free public event. So, if you are no longer wishing to attend and have not already told us, please let us know so we can enable others to attend. We are looking forward to meeting you all at the Muster! This event has been made possible through The WA Malleefowl Recovery Group, Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre and supported by the NACC through funding by the National Landcare Program.

04.01.2022 Freshly hatched and about to leave the mound, roam free and live entirely independently of its parents. #malleefowl #savingmalleefowl #threatenedspecies #birdsofaustralia #australianwildlife

03.01.2022 SECOND ROUND - SMALL GRANT AVAILABLE from The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group (VMRG)! Applications open on 1 December 2020 and funds released in February 2021: https://wettenhall.org.au/grants/apply/ The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group (VMRG - http://www.malleefowlvictoria.org.au/) has small grants available from the Geoff Armstrong Bequest to provide financial support to projects that will make a positive difference to malleefowl conservation and preservation in Vict...oria or to promote the enhancement of the natural environment for malleefowl in Victoria. Applications for projects in other States will be considered but Victoria must benefit in some way. In accordance with the policies and aims of the VMRG ( http://www.malleefowlvictoria.org.au/policies.html ) this may include research projects or activities that include on-ground monitoring, raising awareness of malleefowl issues or undertaking field research. It may also include research and/or education into known or emerging mallefowl threats (both human and natural) such as predators, competition, land management or climatic impacts on malleefowl numbers or breeding activities. The citizen science model of science, research and education is strongly supported by the VMRG as is community education and training that leads to malleefowl conservation and preservation. Applications open on 1 December 2020 and funds released in February 2021

03.01.2022 NEWS UPDATE! The Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group (VMRG) is excited to announce that small grants are available from the Geoff Armstrong Bequest to provide financial support to projects that will make a positive difference to malleefowl conservation and preservation in Victoria or to promote the enhancement of the natural environment for malleefowl in Victoria. Applications for projects in other states will be considered but Victoria must benefit in some way. Applications ...must be made through The Wettenhall Environment Trust. Applications open 1 October 2020 and funds allocated November 2020. Link to apply: https://wettenhall.org.au/grants/apply/

02.01.2022 An update from our project partner Wimmera CMA on this year's malleefowl monitoring program. We are glad to be able to work with NRM groups across the country to ensure that monitoring is consistent and done in a way that allows us to estimate the conservation status of malleefowl as a species. Threatened Species Recovery Hub #savingmalleefowl

01.01.2022 Listen to the amazing vocalisations made by this malleefowl pair. One bird calls immediately after the other several times in a row. It is thought the duet serves to maintain the pair bond. Malleefowl make several different sounds that can be heard often without seeing the elusive bird. This was recorded at Adelaide Zoo, head over to our website to see the webcam footage of these incredible birds. Recorded by Graeme Tonkin at Adelaide Zoo