Commonwealth of Australia 2010
Appendix 2 - Effect of Tailing Storage Facilities on Bird Species
Download 2.29 Mb.
|
|
Species |
Habitat Used – Activity |
Utilisation Period* |
Observed Effects & Comments |
|
Black Swan Cygnus atratus |
Supernatant – Roosting |
Vagrant. Responding to drought conditions in usual range |
Some mortalities observed at CNT. Observed to weaken then get bogged in slurry. |
|
Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa (S) |
Supernatant-roosting & feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Some mortalities. |
|
Grey Teal Anas gracilis (S) |
Supernatant-roosting & feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Suffers significant mortalities. Disperses after rain, returning to TSFs in dry conditions. Large flocks travel by night. |
|
Pink-eared Duck (S) Malacorhynchus membranaceus |
Supernatant-roosting |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Few mortalities, although likely to be attracted to TSFs, depending on environmental conditions. Known to form large flocks if conditions suitable at CNT. Travels by night. |
|
Hardhead Aythya australis (S) |
Supernatant-roosting |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Significant mortalities recorded. Low silhouette in water, frequently diving, so exposed to toxicity. Can form large flocks; attracted to deep supernatant. Can travel at night. |
|
Australian/Hoary-headed Grebe Tachybaptus novaehollandiae /Poliocephalus poliocephalus |
Supernatant-roosting & feeding |
CNT: all year TE: all year |
Overlooked and mortalities grossly underestimated. Low silhouette and frequently diving. Carcasses removed by raptors and buried by slurry. |
|
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus |
Supernatant-roosting |
CNT: Vagrant? TE: May-Oct |
Some mortalities. Requires large expanses of water. |
|
White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae |
Supernatant & slurry-Feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Regular mortalities observed. Attracted to TSFs. Solitary or in pairs. |
|
White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica |
Supernatant & slurry-Feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Fewer mortalities than White-faced Heron, perhaps due to lower visitation rate. |
|
Great Egret Ardea alba |
Supernatant & slurry-Feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
The most common egret visiting TSFs during the surveys. Fewer mortalities than abundances would indicate, possibly due to feeding habitat |
|
Nankeen night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus |
Supernatant & slurry-Feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Very few mortalities. Nocturnal and common in vegetated areas around TSFs. |
|
Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus |
Carrion-feeding, Ponding-drinking |
TE: Dec-Apr |
Drinks from ponding at sprinkler heads on heap leach pads. Generally rare visitor to mining leases in this study. |
|
Brown Goshawk/Collared Sparrowhawk Accipiter fasciatus/A. cirrhoceophalus |
Carrion-feeding? |
CNT: all year TE: all year |
Not known to take carrion, mortalities have been recorded. Possibly mis-identified (for Brown Falcon?). Not expected to be attracted to TSFs. |
|
Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax |
Carrion-feeding |
CNT: all year TE: all year |
Possibly susceptible when feeding on large carrion on site. |
|
Australian Bustard Arteotis australis |
Supernatant-drinking |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Dead on TSF wall (possibly drinking) |
|
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatalis (S,J,C) |
Supernatant & slurry-feeding |
CNT: Sept-May TE: Sept-Nov, Mar-May |
Feeds in wet slurry. Possibly overlooked during passage migration. More thorough observations required. |
|
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (S,J,C) |
Supernatant & slurry-feeding |
CNT: Sept-May TE: Sept-Nov, Mar-May |
Feeds in wet slurry. Possibly overlooked during passage migration. More thorough observations required. |
|
Black Kite Milvus nigrans (S) |
Carrion-Feeding. Bare ground-roosting. Supernatant-drinking. Thermals – soaring |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Continually patrolling TSFs for bird carcasses (& other wildlife), and large insects embedded in slurry. Small prey items eaten on the wing or removed from slurry. Suffers significant mortalities when eating large prey items on site when exposed to toxic tailings, fumes and possibly flesh. Drinks from seepage on the outside of TSFs where mortalities have been recorded. On heap leach pads, drinks (dry season) from small ponds around irrigation heads. |
|
Whistling Kite Haliastur sphenurus (S) |
As for Black Kite (refer above) |
CNT: all year TE: May – Oct (all year?) |
As for Black Kite (refer above) |
|
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis (S,J,C) |
Supernatant & slurry – feeding |
CNT: Sept-May TE: Sept-Nov, Mar-May |
Feeds in wet slurry. Possibly overlooked during passage migration because of small size. More thorough observations required. |
|
Sharp-tailed sandpiper Calidris acuminata (S,J,C) |
Supernatant & slurry – feeding |
CNT: Sept-May TE: Sept-Nov, Mar-May |
Feeds in wet slurry. Possibly overlooked during passage migration. Because of small size and coloration. More thorough observations required. |
|
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus (S) |
Supernatant & slurry – feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Feeds in wet slurry. Attracted to TSFs, where almost continual mortalities recorded. Mostly found in shallow supernatant. |
|
Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae |
Supernatant & slurry – feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Feeds in wet slurry. Less frequently observed on TSFs compared with Black-winged Stilt, consequently suffers fewer mortalities. |
|
Masked Lapwing Vanellus miles |
Bare ground – feeding |
CNT: all year TE: all year |
Common around TSFs but its feeding preference on short grassland generally does not expose it to tailings |
|
Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum (S,J,C) |
Bare ground-feeding, Supernatant-drinking, Thermals – feeding |
CNT: Nov-Feb TE: Oct-Nov |
Passage migrant (one way in Top End). Drinks from TSFs’ supernatant and ponding around sprinkler heads on heap leach pads |
|
Australian Pratincole Stiltia isabella (S) |
Bare ground-feeding, Supernatant-drinking, Thermals – feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
Drinks from TSFs’ supernatant and ponding around sprinkler heads on heap leach pads |
|
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae |
Supernatant – feeding |
CNT: all year |
Usually associated with garbage dumps on mining sites. In one case a mortality identified as Silver Gull could have been a Tern species. |
|
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica (S) |
Supernatant & slurry-feeding, |
CNT: all year? TE: all year? |
Suffers significant mortalities. Disperses away from TSFs/dams after rain. |
|
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia (S) |
Supernatant & slurry – feeding |
CNT: all year? TE: all year? |
Not common on tailings, although some mortalities recorded. More coastal in Top End. |
|
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus (S) |
Supernatant & slurry – feeding |
CNT: Sept-Apr TE: Apr – Dec |
Suffers significant mortalities. Appears to prefer TSFs to natural waterholes, because of stranded or dead insects, etc. TSFs raised above the surrounding terrain apparently attracts this species, probably anti-predator behaviour. |
|
Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus (S) |
Supernatant – drinking |
CNT: all year TE: May – Oct |
In CNT, will drink from open water bodies, such as TSFs. Occurs in large flocks after good seasons, thus susceptible to significant mortalities. In the Top End, usually travels in small flocks preferring waterholes. No mortalities recorded during this study although unquantified anecdotal information suggests that considerable mortalities may occur under some environmental conditions. |
|
Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus (S) |
Supernatant-drinking and feeding |
CNT: all year TE: May-Oct |
In CNT, will drink from open water bodies, such as TSFs. Occurs in large flocks after good seasons, thus susceptible to significant mortalities. In the Top End, usually travels in small flocks preferring waterholes. No mortalities recorded during this study although unquantified anecdotal information suggests that considerable mortalities may occur under some environmental conditions. |
Source: Donato (1999) & cited in Donato (2002). CNT = Central Northern Territory (dry arid climate). TE = Top End of Northern Territory in wet/dry tropical climate. J = Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement. C = China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement. S = susceptible species as nominated by Donato (2002).
Directory: data -> assets -> word doc -> 0017
0017 -> National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme
word doc -> Priority Existing Chemical
word doc -> Rail safety news issue 6 – October 2011
word doc -> Review of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying
0017 -> Rail Safety News Edition 8, December 2012
0017 -> Real-Time License Plate Localisation on fpga
0017 -> Careers network bulletin issue 6 July 16 2012
0017 -> Wiser science: Finding References inspec for Physics and Engineering
0017 -> Part A: Depth Study: The globalising world Popular culture and public policy
0017 -> National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme
word doc -> Priority Existing Chemical
word doc -> Rail safety news issue 6 – October 2011
word doc -> Review of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying
0017 -> Rail Safety News Edition 8, December 2012
0017 -> Real-Time License Plate Localisation on fpga
0017 -> Careers network bulletin issue 6 July 16 2012
0017 -> Wiser science: Finding References inspec for Physics and Engineering
0017 -> Part A: Depth Study: The globalising world Popular culture and public policy
Download 2.29 Mb.
Share with your friends: