Lachlan River nest boxes improve threatened population of squirrel gliders

In 2022, K2W Link Inc and the International Fund for Animal Welfare [IFAW] at the Great Eastern Ranges, installed 10 nest boxes at The Angle, near the Lachlan River.

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Sean and Brenda Proudman own the 300-acre property on which the next boxes were installed. The couple has worked to improve the biodiversity of The Angle and reconnect the landscape by preserving the natural habitat of gliding possums.

"We knew we had gliders because they had been picked up in an audit of bats and night birds, but we didn't realise they were as plentiful as they seemed to be," Mr Proudman said.

"The gliders were investigating the new nest boxes within a week of installing them."

The site was established after surveys for birds and bats had shown the small gliding possums were among the night-time animals present at the property.

"Brushtail Possums were also discovered in two of the nest boxes, and camera footage shows a mother and baby brushtail possum using another," Mr Proudman said.

"Several more had evidence consistent with the nests of squirrel gliders. At one site, the footage shows a squirrel glider returning every few nights over several months."

In February, ecologists Carl Tippler and Mick Callan set wildlife camera traps to monitor the threatened species' nest boxes, near Bigga, Tuena and Peelwood.

"There were very high rates of use of the boxes with some of the properties in excess of 80 per cent," Mr Callan said.

"A broad range of fauna was recorded using the Habitech nest boxes, including brushtail possums, Krefft's gliders, squirrel gliders, ringtail possums and lots of evidence of rosella nests from the recent breeding season."

Mr Callan said the modular design of the nest box means that in areas where gliders have little uptake, other species will be targeted.

"We believe that it is likely that gliders aren't currently present at these sites," he said.

"We intend to modify the nest boxes to make them suitable for other species that are present.

"One of the great things about a modular system is that this is a very simple, quick and cheap change to make," Mr Callan said.

Understanding what is using, investigating and potentially preying on animals that shelter in the nest boxes at each site allows the team to better target habitat for those species.

"We're always learning and adapting, and monitoring is a really big part of that," Mr Callan said.

He pointed at a box used by European honeybees, which had been occupied and filled with honeycomb. However, within four months those bees had moved on to find a larger home.

"This is particularly interesting as there are many theories ... of how to deter honeybees from nest boxes," Mr Callan said. "But evidence suggests that dependent on the size of the colony, the bees will rather rapidly fill the nest box with honeycomb and move on to a new site leaving the nest box available for other species.

"Typically, to make the nest box habitable again will require gliders, possums or some other lucky critters to get in there and gorge themselves on honeycomb to open the box for future use," he said.

K2W Link Inc is planning more nest box installations in 2023 as part of regenerating country, culture and communities with support from The Great Eastern Ranges and funding from the Australian and NSW Governments Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund [BLERF]. To get involved visit www.k2wglideways.org.au.

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