Volume 54

One criterion for measuring restoration project success is the successful establishment of different microhabitats within the restoration area. An important microhabitat for many species is coarse woody debris (CWD), often one of the last microhabitats to develop naturally. To measure utilisation of restored rainforest habitats by CWD-dependant reptiles, we laid out 24 log piles in a 20 year old restored tropical wildlife corridor, sampling the piles after six and 12 months. Four rainforest-dependant skink species were recorded at multiple sites along with one rainforest-dependant frog and one exotic toad, suggesting restored habitat is suitable for a range of forest-dependent species, in addition to the success of log piles as a CWD analogue.

We report on an observation of a large Yellow-spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes panoptes, Varanidae) successfully predating upon a venomous Lesser Black Whipsnake (Demansia vestigiata, Elapidae). The medium-sized elapid snake managed to bite the monitor several times before being consumed. The monitor displayed signs of neurotoxic envenoming, including hind limb lethargy, before making a rapid and full recovery. This observation corroborates research findings on varanid resilience to neurotoxic binding and cephalic osteoderms as a defence against venomous prey.

An arboretum is a living collection of trees that serve multiple roles in public education and recreation, scientific research, and a means of practising ex-situ conservation of botanical resources. In the mid to late 1980s, local botanists and rangers planted 84 species of native Australian rainforest laurels (Lauraceae) in the Lake Eacham section of Crater Lakes National Park, Queensland, hence establishing the Lake Eacham Laurel Arboretum. In addition, a smaller living collection of native trees from the fig (Moraceae), macadamia (Proteaceae) and myrtle (Myrtaceae) families from the Wet Tropics Bioregion were also planted. The laurels, our focal group in this work, are a biologically, culturally, and economically important group of rainforest trees. As laurels are rather nondescript in appearance and have inconspicuous flowers, public awareness of native laurels is dismal. The collection could serve as a venue for public education and as a scientific resource for this group of trees. Unfortunately, the site has fallen into obscurity over the last decade, and rainforest regrowth has suppressed many of the original plantings. We therefore began the groundwork for rejuvenating the Lake Eacham Laurel Arboretum by resurveying the original plantings of laurels. To this end, we established a grid system over the site and re-identified, tagged, measured, and mapped all surviving Lauraceae. We identified 59 laurel species encompassing seven genera and 164 individual stems, representing a 27.9% reduction from the 84 species planted. Even in their diminished state, these plantings exceed collections in other regional botanical gardens, representing collections from Cape York, the Wet Tropics and the southeast Queensland – northern New South Wales region. The arboretum is of considerable scientific value, and we hope that this study will facilitate management and development of this largely forgotten site and help elevate the site to a significant public recreational and educational space for locals and visitors to the Atherton Tablelands.

Reliability of spotlighting for tracking trends in Northern Greater Glider (Petauroides minor) numbers was assessed by repeating three 1-km transects over three consecutive nights, using the same observers and at the same times for each transect, in Blackbraes National Park, north-eastern Queensland. We found that this repeated spotlighting resulted in a method precision of about 25%, based on a coefficient of variation of 25.0. From this finding, we conclude that spotlighting is a sufficiently precise method for monitoring trends in P. minor populations under consistent and favourable environmental conditions.

In mid-1924, a trapper, Wilson B. Sinclair (1894?–1935), shot some small wallabies that occupied rocky outcrops near Dajarra in north-west Queensland (21o41’S, 139o31’E). He noted an unusual, very marked, pink colouring on the fur around the neck and donated skulls and skins to A. S. Le Souëf, Director of Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney. It was a new species, the Purple-necked Rock-wallaby (Petrogale purpureicollis), but the composition and function of the pigmentation are still not understood. Three museums hold a total of 17 macropod specimens that can be attributed to Sinclair, and he has now been identified as the W.B.S. who was the author of regular Nature Notes in the Cairns Post newspaper from August 1925–May 1928, the first resident nature columnist in Cairns. Many of his Notes included local field observations and he also raised conservation issues, such as the need for reserves and public education on the values of wildlife. Sinclair’s field notes from elsewhere in Queensland suggest that while making his living as a trapper, he had the eye and memory of a naturalist for the wildlife he encountered. Sinclair is the only trapper-naturalist known to have extended his role to nature writing for the Queensland public. However, he also made extravagant, unverifiable claims to have had experience collecting overseas (possibly based on information from contacts in zoos), and service in WWI (possibly based on the experiences of another trapper-naturalist, Benjamin Hore). There are clues to Sinclair’s life and movements from 1924–1935, including through his association with his partner, Kathleen Finn. During the 1930s depression they moved to New South Wales, where Sinclair was unemployed, was convicted of illegal trapping, and died in November 1935. However, Sinclair’s origins (said to be in the USA) and his life prior to 1924 cannot be traced, and his identity remains as mysterious as the pigmentation of the Purple-necked Rock-wallaby.

The Australian Swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae) forages on the wing in daylight and roosts in colonies in inland and coastal boulder piles and in inland limestone caves at night. There are no previous records of foliage roosting by this species, or by any member of the Collocaliini. Here, we report five observations of foliage roosting by the Australian Swiftlet.

This article presents breeding data for colonies of the Coastal Australian Swiftlet, Aerodramus terraereginae terraereginae, on the Family Islands, off the coast midway between Townsville and Cairns, Queensland, Australia, obtained on visits to the islands between 2015 and 2022. This information is supplemented by published data going back to 1908 to provide an indication of population trends over a time span of 114 years. While colony sizes appear to have fluctuated significantly from year to year, possibly in response to cyclone impacts, the island populations of this swiftlet have remained fairly stable over the longer term – despite well-documented population declines in their main food source, insects. The breeding season of the island colonies was found to extend from July to April, with some variability between colonies. Peak egg-laying occurred between November and February. We also provide a population estimate for a previously unrecorded Australian Swiftlet colony on nearby Hinchinbrook Island. This colony, which shares its sea cave with a large colony of insectivorous bats, is by far the largest known island colony of the species. Daily time- lapse photography on a swiftlet colony on Dunk Island in 2016 and 2017 revealed that up to three sequential clutches, each comprising a single egg, were laid per nest during the breeding season. Incubation of the second and/or third egg by a nearly- fledged older sibling confirmed that sibling incubation, which had previously been observed in the Chillagoe Australian Swiftlet, A. terraereginae chillagoensis, also occurs in the coastal subspecies.

Re-establishing ecological connectivity between remnants and continuous forest can counter the effects of fragmentation and climate change by strategically increasing habitat area and improving movement potential. To evaluate the effect of restoring habitat between an isolated fragment and adjacent intact rainforest, we re-surveyed vegetation, birds and ground mammals in a restored wildlife corridor over a 12-month period in 2021, comparing results to data from 1996-1998 (birds) and 2000 (vegetation and mammals). Over 150 naturally regenerating plants were recorded; birds were primarily responsible for seed dispersal. Numbers of large-seeded (>30 mm dia.) and late successional species dispersed by birds and mammals have increased. Bird and mammal assemblages are increasingly similar to adjacent reference forest, although some endemic birds remain absent. Germination of some large-fruited species coincides with colonisation by the only mammals capable of their dispersal; generalist mammals have been replaced by rainforest specialists. After nearly 25 years, plantings have produced a structurally complex habitat inhabited by many species, and tropical restoration projects in similar settings may achieve comparable responses.

Forested (palustrine) wetlands are vital ecosystems that provide habitat for flora and fauna, sequester carbon, and filter runoff. Despite this, they are underrepresented in wetland studies. The Fan Palm (Licuala ramsayi) dominated lowland swamp forests of North Queensland are endangered ecosystems. The remaining fragments total ~1000 ha, of which over half are located in Djiru National Park in Mission Beach, North Queensland, Australia. While species lists for Djiru National Park are available, these do not differentiate species that are specific to the Licuala Fan Palm swamp forest. Moreover, the non-vascular plant flora is poorly studied and merits thorough surveying. To address this, we conducted a vegetation study at the Licuala Day Use Area in Mission Beach to describe the structure and to evaluate the botanical diversity of this forest. The palm swamp forest contained an estimated 1733 stems ≥ 5 cm at breast height per hectare, with L. ramsayi being hyperdominant and comprising 56% of all stems. Despite the dominance of L. ramsayi, our plant surveys revealed a highly diverse flora, with 238 species of vascular plants (182 genera, 80 families) comprising 109 trees, 57 herbs, 39 vines, 21 shrubs, and 12 epiphytes. Of the observed vascular plant species, 17 were wetland indicators, 13 had a ‘special least concern’ listing, and one was listed as endangered. Our nonvascular plants survey, which represents the first systematic survey of its kind in lowland forest of the region, also revealed a rich diversity of nonvascular flora, with 40 species of mosses and liverworts from 25 genera and 13 families. Our study highlights the remarkable ecological value of Licuala Fan Palm swamp forests and justifies the need for increased public awareness and further protection of this ecosystem throughout its broader distribution in the Australian Wet Tropics.

Predation by Feral Cats (Felis catus) could be a threat to bowerbirds that spend frequent short periods of time on or near the ground during their breeding season. To assess this risk, Feral Cat activity at three Golden Bowerbird (Prionodura newtoniana) (GBB) bowers and nine Tooth-billed Bowerbird (Scenopoeetes dentirostris) (TBBB) courts was determined from video footage collected from automated cameras on a single ridge in Wet Tropics upland rainforest. Fifty-five cat events were recorded at GBB bowers over 3179 trap days, and 23 at TBBB courts over 836 trap days. Fifty-three percent of cat records were of a cat walking past a camera and not interacting with a bower or court. Where cats did interact with a bower or court, their most frequent activity was walking over it. Although peak bowerbird and cat detection periods overlapped, cat visits to bowers and courts were infrequent and there was no evidence of bowerbirds being predated.

The reproduction and general habits of two small sympatrically occurring skinks from the Wet Tropics region are described. Saproscincus  tetradactylus was active year-round and was mainly crepuscular but also diurnal. The species was terrestrial, inhabiting moist, shaded leaf litter and was rarely seen in direct sun. It also used surface stones as both refugia and oviposition sites. The species had an invariant clutch size of two. Eggs were found in all months of the year except June, but with peaks occurring in February and October–November. Mean hatchling size was:   snout-to-vent length (SVL) 15.0 mm, tail length (TL) 15.9 mm and mass 0.06 g. Lampropholis similis was active year-round, diurnal, terrestrial and mainly inhabited leaf litter receiving partial sun where it routinely basked and used surface stones as oviposition sites but rarely as refugia. The species produced one to three eggs between September and February with a peak in egg-laying activity in November. Mean hatchling size was: SVL 17.7 mm, TL 20.5 mm and mass 0.12 g. The mean natural incubation time for S. tetradactylus  eggs was 40.6 days while for L. similis eggs it was 42.7 days.