Brigalow Fauna Survey: Moonie, QLD
We have been busy using science to explore Brigalow remnants in our region to gather baseline data about biodiversity, vegetation types and overall ecosystem health, specifically in the Moonie area.
Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) is a species of silvery wattle that creates open forest and woodland communities known as the Brigalow Belt. Belah, Gidgee, Lancewood and Bendee trees grow alongside Brigalow as part of these forests and woodlands.
Excitingly, the eastern boundary of the Brigalow Belt is an ancient system. There are scattered patches of semi-evergreen vine thickets which are remnants of the extensive subtropical rainforests that occupied much of the brigalow lands millions of years ago. Due to land clearing for agriculture, only fragments of this system now remain.
The Brigalow and surrounding ecosystems provide habitat for many distinctive fauna species, all of which are key indicators of the overall health of the area.
Our team lead by Sandy Robertson and Holly Hosie spent the first week of March camped near Moonie where they identified four key sites across private and public land to undertake a fauna survey. They built trapping mechanisms at each site and recorded their findings over five days to create a snapshot of what lives in the area – read on to see what they found at each site.
Moonie after the rain
Brigalow scrub
Birds & buffel grass
Holly surveying
The trapping set up
Sandy and Holly set six funnel traps, three pitfall traps along a drift fence and 20 elliot traps -10 on either side of the drift fence at each site.
Two infra-red remote camera traps were also set up at each of the four sites with one to capture feral animals in identified impact zones and one set up at the fauna trap site to measure the movement of species along the drift net.
Holly setting a camera trap
Funnel trap
Holly and Sandy after digging in the final traps
Drift net fence
SITE 1: Open Woodland / Grassland
Characterised by knee high grasses and shrubs, fallen timber piles and a widely-spaced eucalypt trees, the open woodland site produced some of the most thrilling finds of the survey.
A couple of exciting reptile finds were made in the grass including a healthy eastern brown in one of the funnel traps and a Bynoes gecko. Sandy identified the snake within the safety of the trap and carefully released it away from the trap site.
Amphibian species were also trapped, including green striped frogs, rough frogs and wrinkled toadlets. It was the perfect time to survey for frogs following the much-needed summer rainfall.
An eastern barn owl was spotted near the site at night, eastern grey kangaroos passed through the grasslands morning and evening, and a lucky bearded dragon was moved from the road near the site by Sandy. The dragon was in the middle of shedding its skin, something adult dragons do once or twice a year lasting 2-3 weeks.
The infra-red camera at this site captured a number of photos of a mob of feral pigs travelling along an established track late at night and early in the mornings - not a great sign but not unexpected.
Bearded dragon shedding
Green-striped frog
Bynoes gecko, by Will Brown (sourced)
Feral pigs caught on infra-red camera trap
SITE 2: Wetland / Woodland
The wetland site provided the highest count of fauna out of all the trap sites. The recent rainfall in the region meant there was plenty moving around – both native and introduced. The site was marsh-like with plenty of mud, grasses, wildflowers and low shrubs.
Frogs were abundant at the wetland site with 167 individuals counted in just one day. Unfortunately, there were plenty of signs of feral pigs also in the area including wallows, hoof prints and uprooted vegetation.
Feral pigs don’t have sweat glands and therefore require water to cool themselves. Additionally, feral pigs eat many native frog species so although it was promising to see so many frog species represented, it was also worrying to see strong evidence of this destructive species once again.
Observed frog species included ornate burrowing frogs, green striped frogs, wide-mouthed frogs and wrinkled toadlets.
Ornate burrowing frogs were the most common species discovered throughout the survey. These frogs are remarkable survivors that – as their name suggests - burrow during dry or cold times, emerging when it becomes warmer and rains. They occur in a wide range of habitats from the coast to central arid environments.
Their feet have special hardened plates known as tubercles that they use like a shovel to help them dig their burrows. They burrow backwards at an angle giving them the name 'backwards-sliding burrower'. (Source: Backyard Buddies.)
A number of other species were also spotted in proximity to the trap site including a lace monitor, brolga, red-tailed black cockatoos and feral species such as mice and a piglet.
Lace monitor
Feral pig damage
Ornate burrowing frog by Will Brown (sourced)
Counting 167 individuals
SITE 3: Brigalow woodland
The trap sites in the Brigalow woodland revealed a number of reptile species such as Ingram’s skink, Dwyers snake, Bynoes gecko and tree skinks alongside a couple of amphibians – wide-mouthed frogs and ornate burrowing frogs.
Excitingly, a couple of mammals were also observed at this site – a slender-tailed (common) dunnart and an echidna. Australia has the worst mammalian extinction rate in the world so finding mammals in the ecosystems we’re working to protect is always celebrated.
Common dunnarts are endemic to Australia and are nocturnal insectivores whose diet consists mainly of beetles, spiders and cockroaches. Unfortunately, these small marsupials are a similar size and therefore often mistaken for house mice, a pest found in farm houses and sheds all over rural Australia. A trained eye can easily spot the difference though.
Dunnarts have sharply pointed snouts, large, bulging black eyes to help them with their nocturnal hunts and delicate white hind feet with no nail on the inner 'big' toe on the hind foot. They also have white bellies and cat-like teeth, excellent tools for feeding on insects where mice have rat-like teeth for eating seeds and grain.
Caper white butterflies and their chrysalis were found on the native orange bushes, and plenty of birds were observed including Rufous whistlers, an olive-backed oriole and yellow thornbills.
Common dunnart
Rufous whistler
Dwyers snake by Matt Clancy (sourced)
Spider burrow
SITE 4: Brigalow woodland and associated wetland
The team were relieved to discover that the second brigalow site had the easiest soil for digging traps into. A Dubious dtella was trapped at this site, a four-clawed gecko native to north-eastern Australia. Tree skinks were also observed to be quite common to the area.
Amphibian species trapped mirrored those caught at the other sites - wide-mouthed frogs, short-footed frogs, green striped frogs and rough frogs. A few other species were also observed near the site such as an emerald spotted tree frog, broad-palmed frog and a number of fluorescent juvenile crucifix frogs.
Crucifix frogs also burrow into soil waiting to emerge after summer and autumn rains. They are one of the few species of Australian frogs which has skin patterning that does not provide camouflage, but instead acts as a vivid warning against predation. It is not clear whether the pattern is intended to warn against a poison, or a bad taste that the animal may possess, however the species and its relatives do also have glands that secrete a glue-like substance which may act as a deterrent against predators such as snakes and birds. One member of the same genus is known colloquially as the 'Superglue Frog' for this reason. (Source: Australian Museum)
Unfortunately, wild dog paw prints were found in the mud around the puddle where the crucifix frogs were found indicating that pigs weren’t the only feral species moving around the brigalow country.
A swamp wallaby made its way through the scrub while the team were working there and like the other sites, insects were abundant. The butterfly explosion was quite the sight with blue tiger and caper white butterflies dancing around the woodland. A large number of native cockroaches were also found at this site.
The team observed a wedge-tailed eagle in the area, pale headed rosellas and a burrowing spider, yet to be identified - added bonuses to the species trapped.
Crucifix frogs are named for their cross-shaped dots
Spider, yet to be identified
Wide-mouthed frog
Native cockroaches
The data we’ve collected from our fauna survey at Moonie is essential as we work towards better understanding the state of Brigalow remnants and the fauna that relies on its existence and health. For information about our Brigalow project, visit our project page.
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