Film Footage of Nationally Endangered Malleefowl Obtained

Peter Watts has been monitoring malleefowl activity for a number of years in the Wychitella area. His patience and efforts were rewarded on the 23^rd of November this year when the camouflaged camera setup that he had rigged up near an active malleefowl mound recorded the activity of a breeding pair of these rare and endangered birds. The particular mound that these birds were using had not been active for approximately twelve to fifteen years according to Peter’s records. Peter’s three separate pieces of film, totalling approximately forty minutes, showed the breeding pair preparing the mound (mainly the male) for egg laying, the female inspecting the laying site and laying an egg and finally the male covering up the mound. This behaviour has been seen with birds in captive breeding programmes but never in the wild in this area. The incubation time for the egg is approximately fifty days and Peter would love to capture the moment when the chick emerges from the earth after digging its way out, fingers crossed. A new surveillance camera purchased by the WCMN has been undergoing testing before being set up on another active mound monitored by Peter. A total of four breeding pairs have been located in the WCMN’s area of interest.

Article by Peter Watts and Michael Moore