Raptor Nest Activity Assessment Form 2010

Fauna Technical Note No. 1: 

Raptor Nest Activity 

Assessment Form 2010 

Nest activity checks must only be done by people who have been 

accredited by the FPA and TSS 

Ground assessments are NOT to be conducted if the weather is cold or 

wet. 

Time within 100m of the nest is not to exceed 20 minutes. 

Time within 200m of the nest is not to exceed 1 hour. 

Ground assessments ONLY to be conducted between 

13 th and 24 th of September 2010 and 8 th and 19 th of November 2010. 

Specialist Use Only 

Activity Classification 

Active 

Not in use 

Requires Confirmation 

Nest Number: 

1385, 1810, 1237, 1114 and 1236 

SH084B, SH085C and SH086D Pre Operational Search 2009 

New Nest 2009 - Grid reference 562452 mE : 5361561 mN GDA 

Date: 27 th of July 2010 

Observer Name and Contact 

Details: 

Vanessa Thompson and 

Bernard Plumpton 

Location Name: 

1385 – Doctor Levers Head 1 km E 

1810 – Doctor Levers Hill 

1237 – Butler Creek N 

1114 - Doctor Levers Head 1.5 km SE 

1236 - Butler Creek S 

SH084B, SH085C and SH086D New Nest 2009 – Butler Creek 

Raptor Nest Activity Form SH087A Nest Complex Page 1 of 14

Environmental Variables 

Estimated Temperature: 5 - 6 degrees 

Fine Overcast Showers (Please bold) 

Notes 

Nest inspected by air employing a 

helicopter. Conditions were generally 

overcast through entire inspection. The 

day however was generally still. 

Grid Reference GDA 

Nest Number: 1385 

Observation point: 

East: (6) 562195 mE East: (6) mE 

North: (7) 5363897 mN North: (7) mN 



East: (6) 561888 mE East: (6) mE 


(hh:mm) 



East: (6) 561721 mE East: (6) mE 




East: (6) 561903 mE East: (6) mE 




East: (6) 561786 mE East: (6) mE 


Nest Number: New Nest 2009 Observation point: 

East: (6) 562452 mE East: (6) mE 


Notes 

Observation point is not in this instance applicable as inspection 

made from air above the nest location. 

(hh:mm) 

Start Time : 15:50 Finish Time : 16:03 Duration: 13 minutes 

This includes inspection of all six nests and 

location of new nest 

Nest Description: 

Provide any further comments relating to what was observed 

Note: Be specific in your description. Comments such as “nest untidy” 

(common to all nests) provide little detail 

Nest 1385 

Nest was found to be in excellent condition. 

The last inspection of this nest occurred on the 

8 th of July 2009 during aerial search activity in 

this area. 

There does not appear to have been any 

substantial changes in the size of this nest in the 

intervening period. The nest on the day of this 

inspection however was found to display multiple 

signs of maintenance activity and therefore 

expected use during the 2010 breeding season. 

Based on observation this nest on this day this 

nest should be considered active status leading 

into the 2010 breeding season. 

Were any of these observed on the nest 

Each box MUST be marked Yes/No or Not Assessed 

Green Leaves 

Yes 

Fresh (brown) sticks 

Yes 

White wash (droppings) 

Not observed 

Flat compressed nest top 

No 

Nest Bowl (concave nest platform) Yes 

Brown leaves on nest 

Down on/around nest 

Nest Partly/mostly bleached 

Nest condition 

Poor/average/good/excellent 

Prey remains 

Bird on nest or nearby 

(note age if possible) 

Yes 

No 

Mostly Bleached 

Excellent 

No 

No 

If the nest has no vantage points or you believe the 

nest cannot be accurately assessed tick this box 

Bird Activity Observed: (Write a description of what was observed e.g. Two birds soaring over the nest, bird carrying sticks) 

No birds observed in area during inspection of Nest Number 1385 







This nest was located on the 8 th of July 2009 as a 

result of pre operational search activity for state 

forest coupe SH084B, SH085C and SH086D. 

At the time of location this nest was found to be 

in very poor condition with very little of the 

nest structure remaining. While nest material was 

still evident, the limb that supported this nest by 

virtue of being hung up in this area. 

The inspection on this day confirmed that the 

nest tree at this location has now fallen over. The 

nest tree is still evident on the ground at the 

location of the original grid reference established 

last season. 

Based on observation this nest on this day this 

nest should be considered ‘nest gone’. 

The District will need to undertake a further 

search of this area in accordance with TFA 

recommendation 10. 



Green Leaves 

Not applicable 







Nest Bowl (concave nest platform) Not applicable 






Prey remains 








No 










This nest was located in 2003 as a result of an 

aerial search in this locality. An ground inspection of 

this nest in 2007 was unable to relocate this 

nest. A further aerial inspection of this nest 

including a further search in accordance with TFA 

recommendation 10 on the 8 th of July 2009 

confirmed the status of this nest as nest gone. 

The District are still awaiting confirmation of the 

status of this nest as nest gone. 

Prey remains 

The inspection on this day reconfirmed the status of 

this nest as nest gone. 



Green Leaves 





















No 











This nest was located in February 2003 as a 

Result of forest inventory work. A ground 

inspection of this nest in 2007 was resulted in an 

indeterminate status for this nest and therefore 

active management status for this nest. 

An aerial inspection of this nest on the 8 th of July 

2009, found this nest to be in very good 

condition and while not lined at the time of 

inspection the nest did display isolated evidence 

of nest maintenance activity through the 

restricted placement of new nesting material. 

The inspection of this nest on this day found 

evident signs of change in the condition of this 

nest as indicated in the attached photography. 

The nest has an area of compression in the nest 

centre that suggests possible use during the 2009 

breeding season. The number of brown leaves on 

this nest are more than any observed during the 

2009 inspection of this nest. It could also be 

possible that this nest is starting to display signs 

of lack of maintenance activity. This could be true 

especially given the status and condition of nests 

within this complex of nests in this locality. 

The nest however shows no signs of maintenance 

activity in preparation for the 2010 breeding 

season. In addition the nest tree appears to be 

progressively losing condition. This would 

suggest some concerns for the longevity of this 

nest in this location. 

Its current condition suggests a likely inactive 

status for the 2010 breeding season especially 

given the better signs of nest maintenance 

activity of other nests within this complex of 

nests in this locality. Conservatively however this 

nest should be considered indeterminate leading 

into the 2010 breeding season. A further activity 

check will be required to confirm the status of 

this nest. 



Green Leaves 

No 


No 


Not observed 


Yes 

Nest Bowl (concave nest platform) No 






Prey remains 



Yes 

No 


Average 

No 

No 











This nest was located in as a result of aerial 

search activity in this locality. An ground 

inspection of this nest in 2007 was resulted in an 

active status for this nest. 

An aerial inspection of this nest on the 8 th of July 

2009, found this nest to be in average condition 

with evidence of lack of ongoing maintenance 

activity. While this nest was traditionally the 

largest in this complex of nests it was displaying 

evidence of no recent maintenance activity. As a 

result it was assessed to be of indeterminate 

status. 

The inspection of this nest of this day found this 

nest to continue to shown strong signs of loss of 

nest condition. There is no evidence of ongoing 

nest maintenance activity of this nest. Nest also 

appears to have commenced loss of nesting 

material. 

Nest displayed no evidence of nest maintenance 

activity in preparation for the 2010 breeding 

season. Its current condition suggests a likely 

inactive status for the 2010 breeding season, 

especially given the strong signs of expected use of 

other nests in this locality. 

In addition one new nest was located as a 

consequence of the aerial inspection of nest 

number 1236. The attached raptor nest 

recording form details information pertaining to 

this newly located nest site. 



Green Leaves 

No 


No 


Not observed 









Prey remains 



Yes - Isolated 

No 


Poor 

No 

No 










New Nest 2009 

This nest was located on the 8 th of July 2009 as a 

result of preoperational search requirements for 

state forest coupes SH084B, SH085C and 

SH086D. This nest was found to be in excellent 

condition at this time with multiple signs of nest 

maintenance activity. The report prepared at this 

time indicated the following. 

While not lined with green leaves, fresh nesting 

material was evident. In addition the nest 

displayed a zone of compaction in the nest 

centre. Droppings were also evident on the nest 

surface and adjoining limbs. Finally two adult 

birds were observed during the inspection of the 

nest. One believed to be the male was located on 

an adjoining tree on the western face of the gully 

into Butlers Creek. The second presumed to be 

the female was actually on the nest when we first 

entered the gully. She moved off the nest during 

the short inspection. No distress behavior was 

evident. 

The inspection of this nest on this day found 

strong signs of confirmed use during the 2009 

breeding season. While this inspection would not 

be able to confirm an outcome of successful 

breeding the nest displayed a large are of 

compaction in the nest centre which is a strong 

indicator of longer term use during the 2009 

breeding season. 

The nest however did not display signs of any 

recent maintenance activity in preparation for the 

2010 breeding season. Its current condition 

suggests a likely inactive status for the 2010 

breeding season, especially given the strong 

signs of expected use of other nests in this 

locality. However if this nest has been employed 

during the 2009 breeding season it is 

recommended that this nest be treated as 

indeterminate status and therefore active until 

such time as a further activity check can establish 

nest status. 



Green Leaves 

No 


No 


Yes 


Yes 

Nest Bowl (concave nest platform) No 






Prey remains 



No 

No 

Partly Bleached 

Excellent 

No 

No 




No birds observed in area during inspection of New Nest 2009 - Grid reference 562452 mE : 5361561 mN 

GDA 

Report Author : Vanessa Thompson 

Report Date: 13 th of August 2010 


Wedge Tailed Eagle Nest Number 1385 



Photography captured by B.S. Plumpton and V. N. Thompson – 27 th of July 2010 

Photography captured by B.S. Plumpton and V. N. Thompson – 8 th of July 2009 





New Wedge Tailed Eagle Nest 2009 



SPECIES 

Wedge Tailed Eagle 

OBSERVERS Vanessa Thompson (Senior Forest Planner – Derwent District) 

Bernard Plumpton 

James Gard 

Clint Miles 

(Senior Forest Planner – Derwent District) 

(Business Manager – Derwent District) 

(Pilot – Helicopter Resources) 

DATE OF THIS REPORT 13 th of August 2010 

WHEN AND HOW WAS 

THE NEST WAS FOUND 

27 th of July 2010 

Nest located as a consequence aerial activity check of nest number 1236 conducted by 

the District 

HAD THE AREA BEEN 

PREVIOUSLY SEARCHED 

Yes 

The area in which the nest is located has never been previously searched by the District 

most recently by the District in July 2009. This nest did not occur in this area at the time 

of this search. Given the confirmed loss of Nest 1237 during this 2009 search activity 

and the confirmation of nest 1810 as nest gone during the conduct of activity 

inspections on the 27 th of July 2010, this nest appears to have been constructed as a 

replacement nest in this area. 

LOCATION OF NEST 

Nearest Feature 

FPP Number 

Coupe Number 

Co-ordinates 

Butler Creek 



Grid reference 561778 mE : 5362153 mN GDA 

Mapsheet Roys (5636) 

GPSed and Accuracy 

Nest location has been GPSed with Garmin etrex to 10 metre accuracy 

NEST SITUATION 

See attached photography 

Tree species –Eucalyptus delegatensis 

Estimated height 35 -40 metres with the nest positioned at approximately 25 - 30 

meters. Nest is located and positioned on a side branch with a heavy lean. The nest tree 

itself is perhaps not the most robust in this area. Estimated width 1.0 – 1.5 meters with a 

depth of around 1.0 metre. 

Nest was found to be in very good condition. The entire nest structure consists of 

relatively fresh brown sticks. Fresh bark and brown leaves were evident on the nest 

surface. The nest however was not lined at the time of inspection. The condition of this 

nest combined with the confirmed loss of nest 1237 and 1810 and the ongoing evidence 

of deterioration in the condition of nests 1236 and 1114 should mean that this nest while 

currently not displaying strong signs of expected use during the 2010 breeding season 

should be managed as indeterminate status and therefore active until such time as a 

further activity check can confirm the status of this nest. 


HISTORY OF NEST USE 

NEST DISTURBANCE 

WHAT WAS SEEN 

Unknown 

This nest is considered based on search history for this area to have been constructed 

between the 8 th of July 2009 and the 27 th of July 2009. The entire nest structure consists 

of relatively fresh brown sticks and while the nest tree is not considered the most stable 

tree in this area it appears that this nest may be a replacement nest for the deteriorating 

status of nest 1236. 

Since 2003 a total of seven nests have been located in this gully system. It is considered 

to be the most unusual territory within the District as there has been no disturbance in 

this area as a result of forest harvesting activity which is traditionally thought to be the 

prompt for such prolific nest development. The inspection of nests in Butler Creek gully 

system on the 27 th of July 2010 as detailed within this report found a highly variable 

report of the condition of nests in this area. This area has been proposed to both the FPA 

and DIPIWE as an area worth consideration for further study as it appears that 

something quite interesting is occurring with regard to patterns of use in this area. 

Nest was found to be in very good condition. The entire nest structure consists of 

relatively fresh brown sticks. Fresh bark and brown leaves were evident on the nest 

surface. The nest however was not lined at the time of inspection. The condition of this 

nest combined with the confirmed loss of nest 1237 and 1810 and the ongoing evidence 

of deterioration in the condition of nests 1236 and 1114 should mean that this nest while 

currently not displaying strong signs of expected use during the 2010 breeding season 

should be managed as indeterminate status and therefore active until such time as a 

further activity check can confirm the status of this nest. 

The required reserve for this newly located nest occurs entirely almost entirely within 

the reserve design previously in place for Nests 1810, 1237, 1114 and 1236. There will 

be a requirement however to extend the minimum reserve design slightly to capture the 

required minimum reserve. In addition a revision of this reserve is proposed to better 

capture shelter in this area and provide a better operational boundary for this area. 

There has been no recent activity within 500 meters or 1.0 kilometer line of sight of this 

newly located nest. Forest operations at SH087A are the most recent in this area with 

forest harvesting activity completed on the 24 th of June 2008. Forest activity however 

for this area was managed in accordance with breeding season restrictions for the 

previously known nests in this area. The FPP for this area specified a Section boundary 

for the management of known nests that is no different than that which would be 

required for this newly located nest. 

The District has yet to complete PI typing for this area and the associated confirmation 

of the location of the harvest boundary in this area. It is possible that the extension for 

the existing reserve in this area to capture this newly located nest may need to include a 

small part of SH087B that underwent partial harvesting in 2008. 

Very good condition nest. The entire nest structure consists of relatively fresh brown 

sticks. Fresh bark and brown leaves were evident on the nest surface. The nest however 

was not lined at the time of inspection. The condition of this nest combined with the 

confirmed loss of nest 1237 and 1810 and the ongoing evidence of deterioration in the 

condition of nests 1236 and 1114 should mean that this nest while currently not 

displaying strong signs of expected use during the 2010 breeding season should be 

managed as indeterminate status and therefore active until such time as a further activity 

check can confirm the status of this nest. 

No birds were observed during the inspection conducted on this day 

NEST NUMBER AND 

NAME 


Newly located Wedge Tailed Eagle Nest 

Located as a consequence of aerial activity inspection of Nest Number 1236 



Newly located Wedge Tailed Eagle Nest 

Located as a consequence of aerial activity inspection of Nest Number 1236

Raptor Nest Activity Assessment Form 2010

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