Our Malleefowl monitoring cameras don’t stop. Earlier this year, our cameras caught the rare sight of a Malleefowl chick’s first steps (have a look here if you haven’t seen it already).
Since then we have been constantly monitoring the same mound to accurately record the behaviours of this elusive bird. During this time we’ve also picked up footage of a range of interesting visitors to this particular location.
Despite being outside the traditional breeding season, our cameras have shown that Malleefowl are still frequenting the mounds. However, they are not the only ones. We’ve also seen quite a variety of other species that our cameras didn’t see during the breeding season.
Our motion-sensor cameras have picked up great footage of an array of native birds and animals. It’s been great to see willy wagtails, currawongs, kangaroos, echidnas, bronzewings and dunnarts all make an appearance.
An unwelcome guest
Unfortunately, though, the most common visitor during this period has been foxes. This further highlights the need for year-round feral animal control, particularly in spring and autumn. We have a focus on these two seasons because spring control disrupts the breeding cycle whereas autumn control disrupts migration.
We’ve recently put out some handy information on spring feral animal control. There’s also a good article on cage trapping as a way of managing foxes and cats during spring.
Time is of the essence
Thankfully, the mounds have not been active during this period. However, with egg-laying occurring from late September to early October, quick action is required to get feral predator numbers under control. Managing those unwelcome guests will be crucial for the Malleefowl’s breeding success this season.
Learn more about our “Pick Of The Litter” Malleefowl project here.
This Wheatbelt NRM project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.