Bring back the Pygmy Possums

Cercartetus nanas “Eastern Pygmy Possum”

Bob Jones, WildThings NSW Talkfest, 19 July 2015

https://mq.academia.edu/BobJones

• Gazetted under Threatened Species 2001.• Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable 2014.

• Feeds largely on nectar and pollen collected from banksias, eucalypts and bottlebrushes; an important pollinator of heathland plants such as banksias; soft fruits are eaten when flowers are unavailable.

• Depends on Heath-leaved Banksia (Banksia ericifolia) flowers for cold season food source.

• Also feeds on insects throughout the year.

Pygmy Possums (Burramyidae)

Shelter and NestsShelters in tree hollows, rotten stumps, holes in the ground, abandoned bird-nests, Ringtail Possum dreys or thickets of vegetation, (e.g. grass-tree skirts); nest-building appears to be restricted to breeding females; tree hollows are favoured but spherical nests have been found under the bark of eucalypts and in shredded bark in tree forks.

Nest Box Program: Shelter, Breeding plus Wildlife Cameras for Monitoring

Entrance hole 3 cm diameter (enough for larger Sugar Gliders)

Ku-ring-gai Catchment Areas

Cowan Creek

Lane Cove River

Middle Harbour

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Field Exploration for Suitable Habitat

Results: Where in Ku-ring-gai ?

• Only found a few Eastern Pygmy Possums at 2 widely-separated areas of extensive Banksia ericifolia thicket in the Cowan catchment side.

• Not found between these 2 areas in suitable habitat after several months.

• Not found at 5 widely separated remnant Banksia ericifolia thicket areas of the Lane Cove Valley catchment after several months (locally extinct ?).

• Accessible suitable habitat not located in Middle Harbour catchment after some exploration.

Area 1 – Cowan Catchment

Area 1 – Site 1

Entrance hole less than 10 cent piece (2.4 cm diameter) after putting cables in hole

Pygmy possum climbs branch and then leaps from branch

to branch. See videos on our Facebook Public Group:

“WildThings NSW”

Area 1 – Site 2

Nest of gum leaves made in Nestbox

Bogul/Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes))

Yellow-footed Marsupial Mouse

Old pygmy possum nest in burnt out top now used by ringtail

Antechinus flavipes

IMAG0040.AVI

Area 2 – Cowan Catchment

Area 2 – Site 1

Eastern Pygmy Possum

Eastern Pygmy Possum

IMAG0002.AVI

Gum leaves put on top of tea-tree bark in nest box by pygmy possum ?

Bogul/Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes)

BMX Bikers clearing Banksia ericifolia scrub with vulnerable Darwinia biflora

Area 4 – Cowan Catchment

Cowan Creek “Bermuda Triangle” ?Pygmy Possums disappear from triangle in aftermath to

“Black Saturday” 2009 ?

No pygmy possum pollination

=> Little seed set by recent flowers

=> Disappearing banksia scrub

2014201

22013201

12010

2010

“Death of a thousand cuts”• Clearing “fire breaks”, powerline “corridors” and control burning breaking up continuity of Banksia scrub: pressure from bordering land owner(s).

• Fire regime too low-intensity for Banksia scrub maintenance or too frequent in some areas (blady grass) and too infrequent in others (black she-oak).

• Illegal removal of non-Banksia food sources (waratahs) and nesting habitat (fire wood).

• Feral fox control - but not cats from urban buildup ? ...

Cat on loose in Sheldon Forest

Area 3 – Lane Cove Catchment

Around 98% burnt Nov 2013 wildfire

Even remnant affected by fire

Large number of triggers and ...

...green leaf in nest box...one to watch further as

it regenerates...

Area 5 – Lane Cove Catchment

Glider Eye-shine spotted

Honey-peanut butter baiting to bring down gliders from canopy: Sugar Glider

Useful technique for vulnerable Yellow-bellied and Squirrel Gliders ?

Honey peanut-butter baiting

Black Rat (Rattus rattus)

Area 6 – Lane Cove Catchment

Honeyeaters: banksia pollinators

Eastern Spinebill

White-cheeked Honeyeater

Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) in Lane Cove Valley

Black Rats eat almost all peanut butter: even inside near hole, but...

Deterred from nesting area by small hole ?

Middle Harbour Exploration ResultsArea 7

Bringing them back• Liase with fire-management authorities to modify burning of old Banksia ericifolia thickets: frequency > 6 years, high-intensity, with continuity maintained.

• Maintain and enhance connectedness between such thickets, change of fire regime, replanting, provision of more nest boxes to bridge gaps. Sponsorship and fund-raising for this.

• Eradicate Black Rats then reintroduce Boguls (Rattus fuscipes) to such thickets in Lane Cove catchment prior to pygmy possum release. Cat control in all pygmy possums habitats.

• Lobby for RAPS for Bobbin Head (solar), ranger patrols of habitat areas, feral-proof fenced areas/reintroduce native top predators (Joint Venture between NP&WS, AWC and KMC).

• Nest boxes with smaller holes, monitoring habitat by WildThings volunteers with IR motion cameras, research.

• Who’s up for it ? Join WildThings NSW and be active. Ideas ?