Wambo Coal AEMR 2011-2012 - Peabody Energy

Each site was a one hectare (100 m x 100 m) area that was surveyed for a 20 minute
period. At each site the number of birds heard and observed directly was recorded.
Species recorded outside the one hectare area were also recorded (although numbers
could rarely be determined from calls alone).
3.1.3 Owl and Nocturnal Fauna Call Playback
Owl call playback surveys were conducted on five nights at four different locations (Figure
3-1) enabling calls to be broadcast over those portions of the three RWEP areas
considered most likely to represent potential habitat for forest owl and nocturnal fauna
species. Forest owl surveys were also conducted opportunistically during spotlighting
surveys. The nocturnal calls of the following species were played using a megaphone
(10W rated output):
• Barking Owl (Ninox connivens);
• Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua);
• Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae);
• Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa);
• Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis); and
• Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis).
This method of survey is considered the most appropriate for the detection of large forest
owls (see Kavanagh and Peak 1993, Kavanagh et al 1995) with playback being
considered audible for up to one kilometre on a still night (Kavanagh and Peak 1993).
After listening for five minutes, the calls of the above species were broadcast for
approximately four minutes each and were separated by a listening period of two minutes.
At the end of each two minute listening period a brief spotlighting scan was made of
surrounding trees for owls that had approached silently. At the completion of the final
species call, a listening period of five minutes was undertaken and followed by a final
spotlight scan of the surrounding trees.
3.1.4 Spotlighting
Spotlighting was undertaken across five nights by two people for a period of three hours
each night (six person hours per night). One and a half hours was undertaken on foot
(predominately along vehicle tracks) and the remaining 1.5 hours was undertaken from a
slow moving 4WD. See Figure 3-1 for the location of spotlighting transects.
Where water bodies were encountered during spotlighting or where frog species could be
heard calling in close proximity, frog searches were undertaken around the margins of
suitable water bodies.
3.1.5 Herpetofauna Surveys
Reptile species were recorded opportunistically during all ecological surveys throughout
the day and frog surveys were undertaken when water bodies were encountered during
spotlighting.
2011 Annual Ecological Monitoring Report, Final Report, May 2012 Page 17