March 2010

Queensland - a great spot for Quoll Seekers!

photo: John McCann

Thank you to everyone who has joined Quoll Seekers Network in the last few months - we hope you find plenty to interest you in this Network News.

As you know, our activities are limited by what funding we can get and we have been busy applying for grants this month to supplement the generous donations from our Adopt a Quoll supporters.

If you haven’t already donated, please consider supporting Quoll Seekers’ activities by donating $60, that’s just $5 a month. Please Adopt a Quoll.

We are planning further Quoll Discovery Days in 2010 in regional areas of Queensland and have had enthusiasm and support for these from our local QSN members in Cairns, Mackay and Ballandean. See the June 2010 issue of this Network News for dates.

Ewa Meyer
Projects Manager
ewameyer@wildlife.org.au

Our website is also the place to keep up with the latest news on other WPSQ programs: Qld Glider Network, PlatypusWatch and MangroveWatch.

Field Surveys Update

Several of our members who received our Caring for Country project updates throughout 2009 have requested copies of the final report.

'Quolls (Dasyurus maculatus and D. hallucatus) in the southern Mary River catchment, south-east Queensland' by Scott Burnett and Alina Zwar is now available online.

‘Spotting’ a fire: Quoll Survey 2009

by Jesse Rowland & May-Le Ng


Survey team
photo: May-le Ng

When we received an email from Quoll Seekers Network (QSN) in October asking for volunteers to participate in fieldwork in North Queensland, we just couldn’t say no.

We, Jesse Rowland and May-Le Ng, two intrepid volunteers and members of QSN, travelled to Crediton State Forest (approximately 70km west of Mackay) to assist with the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) survey of northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) between 30 November and 11 December 2009.


Releasing a collared quoll
photo: Jesse Rowland

Northern quolls (herein referred to as ‘quolls’) are listed nationally as Endangered and are declining in Queensland and many other parts of their range. The main threats to this voracious marsupial include habitat loss and fragmentation, competition and predation by introduced species such as foxes and cats, and inappropriate fire regimes. Poisoning by cane toads (Rhinella marina) has also been identified as a serious threat, particularly in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.  

The purpose of the survey was to study one of those key threats: the effects of prescribed burning on the local quoll population. More specifically, data collected about the survivorship and movement of quolls living within Crediton State Forest in areas proposed for burning will be compared with data obtained from quolls living in the nearby area known as Quoll Camp, which will not be burnt.

Story continues here .....

Join a quoll survey

If the article by Jesse has inspired you to volunteer on a quoll survey this year, then you have more great opportunities to get involved. Dates for this year’s Mackay Highlands northern quoll project are:

  • 15-19 March
  • 6-16 April
  • 21- 25 June

Remember places are limited, so hurry to register your interest.

At this stage QPWS staff are planning to survey for quolls in Crediton State Forest and possibly Gamma State Forest. These dates may need to change due to weather or other unforseen circumstances. We will be camping so each person needs to provide their own camping equipment.

Most food expenses (not including alcohol) are included as well as transport from either Rockhampton or Mackay. Experience is not essential as you will be working with experienced Queensland Parks and Wildlife staff.

Volunteers needed in far north QSN.

Are you are interested in being trained in the use of camera survey techniques or would like help with placing them around the region? We will also need you to collect and collate the information from the cameras. Contact quoll.fnq@wildlife.org.au

Who’s spotted a quoll?

Michael Beck has!

It was Friday 13 November 2009 on the Main Border Track out of O’Reilly’s. The quoll appeared to be injured and was in the middle of the track. We stayed there for 15 - 20 minutes.

When we eventually tried to pass, the quoll ran to the high side of the track and into the forest. Its left front leg seemed to be injured and also its right hind leg. We reported the incident to Rangers at Binna Burra at 4pm.

Rangers stated that male quolls can sometimes sustain such injuries from fighting each other or it could have been an older male who was losing condition.

What’s happening?

Quoll Discovery Days 2010:

3 March 2010 Kuranda
10 April 2010 Lakeland

Bookings essential, contact quoll.fnq@wildlife.org.au

July details tba – Mackay

September details tba – Ballandean

Adopt a Quoll

By symbolically 'Adopting a Quoll' you will help us fund conservation efforts and research to help the future survival of the endangered quoll.

For more information about our Adopt a Quoll program, and how you can help, read more about it here.

Quoll Store

Order your QSN t-shirt

They come in all sizes - to order yours just gve us a call on 3221 0194 and we'll post one straight out.

They cost $15 for QSN members and $20 for everyone else. We'll need to add $5 p&p to your order - so if you can drop into the office or buy in bulk, you'll get a bargain!

Free QSN fridge magnet with every order.

Quoll Info kit - order yours online.

QSN Special members price $5.50. Everyone else $10 inc post.

Are you a QSN member?

If not — why not?

You’ll get our regular Network News, merchandise discounts, as well as prior notification of workshops and volunteer opportunities.

To join, just fill out a QSN membership form.

QSN News is available by email only. Sorry but we can’t keep you up to date without your email address.

Quoll Bites

If you have a story to share about where and when you saw a quoll, send it to Quoll Bites - along with a picture if you have one and we may publish it on our website.

Great places to spot quolls

Far North Queensland QSN recommend the following spots:

Northern Quolls:

  • Mareeba Wetlands (just off the Peninsula Development Road 5km north of Mareeba) has good populations with visitors staying overnight often having them visit the safari tents.
  • Granite Gorge near Mareeba has rock wallabies as well as quolls. Camping is available.
  • Tinaroo Dam has regular sightings and a variety of accommodation including camping.
  • Emerald Creek and Davies Creek Camping Area (accessed off the Kennedy highway a few kilometres east of Mareeba on the way to Kuranda).
  • Mt Cook (near Cooktown), Lakeland and Brooklyn Sanctuary near Mt Molloy are also good places to see northern quolls.

Spotted-tailed Quolls:

Spotted-tailed quolls are harder to find as they live in more inaccessible areas of the wet tropics and tend to stick to higher altitude rainforest.


photo: Luke Jackson
Good places to witness them are Mt Bartle Frere, Mt Bellenden Kerr, Mt Lewis, Lamb Range (northern side of Lake Tinaroo), Windsor Tableland, Cape Tribulation, Thornton’s Peak in the Daintree National Park, any of the trails leading off the Palmerston Highway in Wooronooran National Park (between Innisfail and Millaa Millaa), and the Tully Falls area.

Quoll-proof poultry pen program

Here’s another update from one of the successful recipients of our grants.

Sandra Price from Mareeba writes:

Here are the photos of the extensions we made to the existing pen. It has made a great difference to the amount of space the chickens have. The knowledge that they are safely locked away at night is well worth the effort, especially as we have had an awful lot of dead and gutted cane toads around the pen lately and suspicious claw prints in front of the poultry door. The new shed houses our bantams and young pullets and cockerels who are particularly prone to predators. We hope to finish off with making the large chicken shed completely secure in the year ahead.

Thank you Quoll Seekers!


Chook pen before


Chook pen externsions


Quoll proof pen

A quoll-proof poultry pen fact sheet is available from QSN. If you live adjacent to a world heritage area or national park which is known quoll habitat, either in the far north, central or southern Queensland, please contact us if you can help with distributing fact sheets to your neighbours.

If you'd like to contribute to the next Network News, please contact us before 30 April 2010.

This project is supported by Wildlife Queensland and we are looking for a sponsor – please contact us at quoll@wildlife.org.au if you know someone who can support our projects.


Keeping the wild alive