Trialing nesting hollows for Palm cockatoo
Due to the large size of the Palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) they need large nesting hollows that can only be accommodated in trees up to 300 years of age. Unfortunately, suitable hollows are limited in the landscape, causing a housing crisis for these birds.
The People For Wildlife team, Apudthama Land and Sea Rangers , Traditional Owners, and Palm cockatoo expert, Dr. Christina Zdenek, spent 3 weeks on the Apudthama Land Trust creating nesting habitat for Palm cockatoos, and saving existing habitat, as part of a 24-month research program that aims to fill knowledge gaps for this iconic species in Cape York.
The field work began with 5 days navigating remote locations through Apudthama, surveying for evidence of nesting of this rare and cryptic bird. Using a combination of Dr. Christina’s knowledge acquired over 16 years working with Palm cockatoos, and modern surveillance technology, the team identified 3 main sites on which they would focus their efforts for this breeding season.​
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Joing the team in the field
was environmental arborist and tree climber, Alexander Jardine from Heartwood Habitat, who spent ten days with the team teaching them how to create artificial wooden nesting hollows from fallen old growth trees.
Alex also put the team through their paces during tree-climbing training, and taught intricate rope and pully setups for hoisting hardwood nesting hollows exceeding 200kg into the canopy.
3 types of nesting hollow
WOOD
RESIN
ENHANCED
The hand-carved wooden nesting hollows were one of three prototype hollow designs that the team installed to examine if artificial hollows can be used to augment existing breeding habitat. ​
They also installed Habitat Modular Nest Boxes, made of durable resin and designed & manufactured by Habitat Innovation & Management. Finally, the team identified trees with existing empty hollows that required enhancement in order to become useable nesting habitat for Palm cockatoos.
By climbing the trees and making fine adjustments to hollow entrances using a chainsaw, the team were able to assess each hollow and carefully modify them to replicate the known criteria used by Palm cockatoos to select nest sites.
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Wooden nesting hollows crafted from fallen old growth trees
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Habitat Modular Nest boxes made of resin
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enhanced natural hollows
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Field cameras installed - one at each hollow
After an intensive trip the PFW Apudthama team now has to wait patiently and monitor, potentially for up to 2 years, for any signs of Palm cockatoo interest in the artificial or enhanced nesting hollows.
In addition to creating nesting hollows, the team surveyed and identified several natural hollows used by Palm cockatoos, and created 20 fire breaks around trees containing natural and artificial hollows. By creating and maintaining 2 meter-radius firebreaks around the base of trees containing hollows, the team are protecting this already-limited nesting habitat from the effects of wildfire.
Program education
Dr Christina engaging with local children in years 1–8, at Injinoo and Bamaga primary schools. She talked with them about the Palm cockatoo project, to raise awareness about Palm cockatoo conservation and the importance of protecting old growth trees on Apudthama.
