By SAM STRONG and BERTRAM LOBERT THE beeping and buzzing of the launched infra-red drone faded quickly as it flew up and into the night sky to search for its quarry, the endangered southern greater glider (Petauroides volans). The drone's green and red lights were barely visible on the distant horizon, but we could all follow the action as it broadcast vision to the base station in real time onto a ute-mounted TV monitor. Tree branches and granite rocks glowed a pearly white from their heat gained during the day, making the forest a surreal visual spectacle. This was a friendly drone, carrying a cargo of cameras and lights. The thermal (infra-red) camera was used to detect heat signatures of tree dwelling mammals. Once an animal was found, the drone moved in closer, then used a spotlight and visible light camera to identify the species. Bingo. This southern greater glider night walk at Caveat on Friday 9 May had a chilly and science fiction vibe to it compared to the first one held a month earlier on a still and balmy autumnal evening. The sense of anticipation among the 15 keen night explorers was apparent as the glowing TV monitor came to life. The walk took place on the property of Sue and Neville Debney on Taungurung country as part of the Landcare-funded project The Last Stand, a collaboration between Strathbogie Ranges Conservation and Hughes Creek Catchment Collaborative. The project aims to understand and help the isolated population of the glider to survive for another few decades as local forest trees get bigger and develop more hollows. Drones developed by local business Field Master Systems (FMS) are being used to survey 60ha of private forest in the vicinity of Forest Road, Caveat. Although the southern greater glider is known to occur in the area, past ground-based surveys have only been able to find a handful of the animals limited to a few small pockets of this bushland area. The purpose of the drone survey was to check whether the ground-based surveys were underestimating their number. Adding another survey method will also assist in validation of findings and locating the most suitable places for nest-boxes to boost habitat in the maturing post-disturbance forest. Using drones with thermal cameras is now a cost-effective way to survey for larger tree-dwelling species like gliders and possums, particularly in dense bush and rough terrain where ground-based surveys are not possible or else time-consuming. Watching vision of the drone's survey work helped distract the participants from the cold as much as the food and mugs of hot drinks did. While the FMS staff continued with the drone survey, the group ventured into the forest to hopefully see these gliders in the flesh – and were not disappointed! Armed with torches, binoculars, cameras, and thermal scopes, four of the gliders were found, including a male-female pair – autumn is breeding season. The group's enthusiasm was audible. Not only did the group witness the future of wildlife survey work, the walk among the large old trees to see rare and cryptic animals was a truly grounding experience. Local-scale projects like The Last Stand not only play an important role to unearth vital information about the distribution and habitat availability for tree-dwelling creatures sensitive to change, but help people connect to the majesty and mystery of the natural world that needs our care. For more information about this and similar projects visit strathbogierangesnatureview.wordpress.com
