Observations of Predation, Nest-predation and Other Disturbance Events at Dryandra, South-western Australia I: Birds as Predators

Abstract

I describe 16 predation and other disturbance events including the predation of birds and reintroduced mammals, nest-predation and the theft of nest-material. The Grey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonica was identified as an important nest-predator, being responsible for four nest-disturbance events. Nest-material was stolen from a variety of active nests, causing some of them to fail; observed thefts involved physical contact between Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen and Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters Lichenostomus ornatus; and a Rufous Treecreeper Climacteris rufa broke the eggs and destroyed the nest of Willie Wagtails Rhipidura leucophrys. Wedge-tailed Eagles Aquila audax were detected preying on reintroduced Boodies Bettongia lesueur. All observations were made at Dryandra Woodland, a 27 000-ha remnant of woodland 160 km south-east of Perth, in south-western Australia. This site retains an almost full community of animals that have declined or disappeared from the surrounding wheatbelt, and has large areas of old-growth woodland. The context of each event is discussed in relation to the broader background of a 3-year community-wide study of Dryandra’s birds, which involved continuous monitoring throughout each breeding season.