An important pillar of our conservation work at EcoGipps is the management of introduced feral animals.
Deer species are widely distributed across the globe, and are native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Deer were introduced to Australia in the 19th century, with six species now in Australia. Their introduction was as game animals, initiated by ‘acclimatisation societies’, which were associations that sought to introduce non-native plants and animals with the hope they would adapt and acclimatise.
This concept of acclimatisation is now commonly understood to be extremely harmful to the native wildlife and ecosystems in Australia, with the introduced species causing extensive damage and destruction. Deer will over-consume native vegetation, leaving plants and trees stripped of foliage and bark. This can weaken and kill the vegetation, and leaves a limited or no food source for native animals.
Trees damaged by deer eating and rubbing the barkThe new shoots growing from this tree’s trunk are a sign the tree is in distress
Deer have significant negative impacts on aquatic species in particular, as deer will frequently spend time in waterways, pondages and wetlands.
Sambar deer disturbing habitat on North Paddock property at EcoGipps
A sambar deer pictured in native habitat of India, enjoying playing in mud. This activity in Australia is destroying aquatic ecosystems.
Australian aquatic ecosystems are vulnerable to the impact of deer feeding on the aquatic plants, as well as their hard hooves trampling wetlands and riverbeds, and eroding river edges. This has devastating consequences, leaving many aquatic creatures such as frogs, tortoises, fish, water birds and platypus with destroyed habitat and lack of food source.
July 2019 – Deer had disrupted the water and eradicated the aquatic plants on North Paddock property at EcoGipps
January 2021 – The same pondage on North Paddock after deer population controlled in the area. Aquatic life quickly regenerating.
The Invasive Species Council reports that during the development of the Victorian Deer Control Strategy, released in 2020, there was significant pressure exerted by the community to change the legal status of deer from “protected wildlife” to that of a “pest animal”, to appropriately recognise the population explosion and serious impacts across Victoria.
In order to protect wildlife and regenerate habitat, deer control has been implemented at EcoGipps on the North Paddock and Huggett’s properties. EcoGipps is working in partnership with accredited deer hunters, who employ hunting practices in line with the State Government Game Management Authority regulations.
Sambar deer are prevalent at EcoGipps, and the hunters work together with hounds to eradicate the introduced deer. The hounds have an excellent sense of smell, and can locate deer by their scent. Once they locate the deer, the hounds will ‘flush’ out the deer in to an open space, giving the hunters the opportunity to shoot them. There are strict guidelines around the use of hounds when hunting Sambar deer, such as the hounds not attacking or biting the deer at all. This protects both the deer and the hounds from potential distress and injury.
The Sambar deer hunting season is open from April 1 to November 30 every year. Within the 2020 hunting season, the hunters eradicated 19 Sambar deer on EcoGipps Blocks, and a total of 55 Sambar deer in the broader area. They was a positive season outcome, considering much of year was constrained by COVID-19 restrictions.
EcoGipps will continue to assess and manage deer activity and impact on the properties, with flourishing results already seen in flora and fauna life returning to ponds and waterways on the properties.
EcoGipps is working with West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA) to implement restoration of Mount Bradley Creek.
EcoGipps and WGCMA have completed restoration plans to revive Mount Bradley Creek, with works due to begin in 2021. Working together with neighbouring properties, the activities will include erosion control, revegetation techniques, pest strategy and weed control.
Significant channel erosion at Mt Bradley Creek.
This restorative project aims to reduce further channel and head cut erosion, as well as create an environment for water to be retained in the landscape. The project works will commence with filling some of the eroded cavities with natural materials such as rocks and logs, to ensure no further damage occurs to the vulnerable landscape whilst works are taking place.
The next stage of the works is planting trees, shrubs and ground plants to instigate the restoration of the riverbanks. Through the planting of diverse indigenous vegetation, Mount Bradley Creek will serve as a more dynamic and valuable habitat for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and birds to nest and feed.
Wombat hole in dry Mt Bradley Creek bed.
The planting is to be scheduled over a 3-5 year period, dependent on seasonal weather. Native seeds indigenous to the area will be sourced and established for planting, which can also be a timely process. WGCMA has developed a mixed planting plan, which will aim to establish 30% overstory, 35% mid-story, 35% understory and ground-level vegetation.
The plan consists of over 40 indigenous plant species, including Gippsland Red Gum, Red Ironbank, White Stringybark, Sweet Bursaria, Shiny Cassinia, Swamp Paperbark, Nodding Blue Lily and Tussock Grass.
Pest control measures will be put in place, such as deer guards for the larger plant species and exclusion plots for the lower shrubs, to prevent plant destruction by rabbits and deer.
Mt Bradley Creek pondage, situated on Block 2 of EcoGipps.
The project aims to foster more areas of pondage, as pictured above, whereby water is captured and retained in the landscape. By supporting the Creek to retain water, it is then available all year round for plants and animals. These native plants then offer varied layers of habitat, protection and food source for birds and animals.
Project map by West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority
The platypus is endemic to Eastern and Southern Australia and can be found in streams, rivers, mountain lakes, farm dams, and even urban waterways.
There is mounting evidence that platypus numbers are decreasing due to factors such as climate change, introduced predators, pollution and habitat destruction. The scientific community is calling for the platypus to be recognised as a nationally threatened species.
Platypus sighted in Melbourne region, image courtesy of ecologist Josh Griffiths
To research and monitor platypus populations and better understand the long-term impacts of the 2019-20 summer bushfires on platypus populations in East Gippsland, in 2020 the eDNA Platypus Project was established. The project is facilitated by East Gippsland Landcare Network (EGLN) and EnviroDNA, funded by WIRES and Landcare Australia.
eDNA Platypus Project is headed up by ecologist and platypus researcher, Josh Griffiths, and engages citizen scientists to collect water samples from key sites in the East Gippsland region. With over 100 sites surveyed in total, 55 of those samples were collected by volunteer citizen scientists. The water samples are analysed for genetic material such as hair, skin and waste from platypus inhabiting the sites. In order to have comparative data, samples have been taken this spring, and will be collected again in autumn from the same testing sites.
EcoGipps is thrilled be participating in the project, and has taken the initial spring water samples at three sites across different EcoGipps Blocks.
Collection site at Macalister River on Block 1
The samples are collected by a syringe and filter method where the river water is drawn into the syringe, and then expelled back out of the syringe through a fine filter. This process is repeated until around 500ml river water has been expelled through the filter, and therefore sufficient DNA has been collected onto the filter. This process needs to be done in a sterile manner with gloves worn to prevent any sample contamination. The filters containing the DNA samples are then stored frozen until collected for analysis by the EnviroDNA team.
Citizen scientist Heather collecting Spring water sample at Avon River site
EcoGipps citizen scientists took the spring water samples from three sites; Macalister River on Block 1, Ben Cruachan Creek on Block 4 and Avon River between Block 3 and 4. The exact coordinates of these sites have been recorded to allow continuity when the Autumn water samples are taken at the same sites.
As platypus are notoriously hard to spot, this method of DNA scanning water samples is an effective method to identify crucial data to inform about platypus populations and habitat.
EnviroDNA has recently analysed the water samples for sites which have data for pre and post 2019-2020 bushfires, finding a significant decrease in platypus detection since the fires. However, these results are preliminary and for a number of the sites this spring was the first time they had been surveyed, so it is important couple the results with the upcoming autumn sampling to give a more accurate picture of the effects on platypus in East Gippsland.
Spring samples collected at Ben Cruachan Creek on Block 4
EcoGipps has commenced an eco-thinning project. What exactly is eco-thinning, and why is it useful?
‘Thinning’ refers to the selective removal of trees, primarily undertaken to improve the growth rate or health of the remaining trees. This practice has long been implemented by the logging industry by means of mechanical thinning in order to stimulate faster growth of the remaining trees. Thinning of trees in native bushland can also occur naturally in some tree species and habitat, seeing the weaker trees dying off over decades.
In consultation with Blue Devil Consulting, EcoGipps has commenced an eco-thinning project on Block 2. The site for the project was identified in the Conservation Management Plan delivered by Blue Devil Consulting, with soil and tree conditions appropriate for eco-thinning.
The soils in this region of EcoGipps are ‘Solodic’ soils, which can typically see a lack of ground vegetation. A key aim of the eco-thinning project is to promote ground vegetation growth, which assists to both hold the top soil together, reducing erosion, but also boosting soil organic matter, promoting moisture retention and biological activity.
With approximately 50% of the underdeveloped trees thinned, the upper canopy is more open, allowing a greater amount of both sunlight and rainfall to reach the ground story. This creates a more conducive habitat for ground vegetation such as perennial tussock grasses, herbs and shrubs to flourish. Simultaneously, the remaining trees now have the opportunity to mature to a larger size than they would have otherwise.
Added benefit: The felled trees are placed over a disused track as erosion control
The felled trees are left in situ, to assist with erosion control. This woody debris also provides diversified habitats for many birds, bats, mammals and even invertebrates.
Over 120 bird species have been spotted in and around EcoGipps, from a possible 272 species local to the area.
We are always on the lookout for both new and familiar birds. EcoGipps is particularly excited to make sightings of Swift Parrots, a prattle of these beautiful parrots seen in the feature image. Swift Parrots are endangered in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania and are listed as Critically Endangered nationally.
BirdLife Australia is leading the Woodland Birds for Biodiversity (WBfB) project, which aims to enhance the conservation of threatened and declining woodland birds, with their initial focus on the Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater. Projects such as this are crucial in the fight to save Australia’s threatened bird species. Browse through the full list of bird species sighted at EcoGipps to date (BELOW).
Rainbow Bee-eater
Family of Chestnut Teals
Spotted Pardalote
Gang-Gang Cockatoo
A-Z List of Bird Sightings at EcoGipps
All images appearing in this list were captured at EcoGipps by Dan Brown.
Birds A-C
Birds D-F
Birds G-J
Birds K-M
Birds N-P
Birds Q-S
Birds T-V
Birds W-Z
A Australian Grebe Australian King-Parrot Australian Magpie Australian Pelican Australian Raven Australian Shelduck Australian White Ibis Australian Wood Duck B Barn Owl Black-faced Cuckooshrike Brown Goshawk Brown Thorn-bill Brown-headed Honeyeater Buff-rumped Thornbill C Channel-billed Cuckoo Chestnut Teal Common Blackbird Common Bronzewing Common Myna Common Starling Coot Eurasian Crescent Honeyeater Crested Pigeon Crimson Rosella
D E Eastern Cattle Egret Eastern Rosella Eastern Spinebill Eastern Whipbird Eastern Yellow Robin Emu European Goldfinch F Fantail Cuckoo Flame Robin
G Galah Gang-gang Cockatoo Golden Whistler Great Cormorant Great Egret Grey Butcherbird Grey Currawong Grey Fantail Grey Shrike-thrush Grey Teal H Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo House Sparrow J Jacky Winter
K L Laughing Kookaburra Lewin’s Honeyeater Little Corella Little Lorikeet Little Raven Little Wattlebird M Magpie-lark Masked Lapwing Mistletoe Bird Musk Lorrikeet
N Nankeen Kestrel New Holland Honeyeater Noisy Miner O Olive Whistler Olive-backed Oriole P Pacific Black Duck Pallid Cuckoo Peregrine Falcon Pied Cormorant Pied Currawong
