Field study
Study site – We conducted this study in the Meehan Range, near Hobart,
Tasmania, because it is a swift parrot important breeding area
(Commonwealth of Australia, 2019, Stojanovic et al. , 2014,
Stojanovic et al. , 2016) and known to be occupied by sugar
gliders. The site comprises 180ha continuous forest across a hilltop
from 180-400m elevation. The forest extends into nature conservation
reserve in the south-west and is otherwise bordered by agricultural and
residential land. Across tenures, the total continuous forested area
surrounding the study site is ~6500ha. The landscape is
dominated by mature blue gum Eucalyptus globulus and white
peppermint E. pulchella forest with a dry, grassy
understorey. Silver wattle Acacia dealbata and sheoak Allocasurina verticillata occur in patches on the lower slopes
and gullies. The climate is temperate maritime and annual rainfall is a
mean of 486mm with an average of 45-65mm a month in spring
(September-November) (Bureau of Meterology,2023). Mean minimum and
maximum spring temperatures range from 6-10°C to 16-20°C (Bureau of
Meterology,2023).