Further Observations on the Diet of the Sooty Owl Tyto Tenebricosa in the Royal National Park, Sydney

Dietary samples from four Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa roost-sites within one territory in the Royal National Park, Sydney, New South Wales, were collected in December 2005. A total of 144 dietary items was identified, representing eight mammal species and at least one bird species. The samples were compared with those collected during a study 10 years earlier (in 1994-96) that included samples from the same roost-sites. Ten years later, the diet of the Sooty Owl in this territory appears little changed, except that the Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps is now taken more frequently. The Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus continued to be the principal prey species taken by the Owls at this location. The Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta may have declined in the Sooty Owl's diet during this period, but this trend was not significant statistically. This study showed that Sooty Owl diet at a single location is relatively stable, despite the occurrence of a major disturbance to habitat caused by a severe wildfire 12 years previously.

Diet of an eastern barn owl Tyto javanica on the Patho Plains, northern Victoria

A small sample of eastern Barn Owl Tyto javanica pellets, from native grasslands on the Patho Plains in northern Victoria in February 2007, contained the remains of 48 prey individuals: 38 Australian Plague Locusts Chortoicetes terminifera, nine house Mice Mus domesticus and one Fat-tailed dunnart Sminthopsis crassicaudata. Such a high proportion of locusts in the eastern Barn Owl's diet is noteworthy, and is discussed in the context of recent locust-spraying operations in the region.

Imagery cultivation vs. noise reduction : shamanic-like journeying as a psi-conducive alternative to the Ganzfeld protocol

Historically, psi effects have been linked to altered states of consciousness (ASCs; Bem and Honorton, 1994). In this context, arguably the most widely used technique is the Ganzfeld. However, in recent times, scholars (e.g., Alvarado, 1998; Braud, 2005; Scimeca, Boca, and Iannuzzo, 2001) have formulated cogent arguments that cast doubt on whether the Ganzfeld is, in fact, an ASC that is psi-conducive. Consequently, it may prove prudent to investigate other conditions that induce ostensible ASCs that are purportedly psi-conducive, and it would be wise to get feedback from test participants in these states. In this theoretical paper, we propose that psi effects may be enhanced (i.e., strengthened) using a shamanic-like treatment. On that basis, we argue that parapsychologists must go beyond the assumption that psi effects are optimised under conditions that are inherently passive procedures, and foster techniques that require cognitive action from test participants.

Public and stakeholder values and knowledge of wildlife in Victoria, Australia

Prompted by a lack of human dimensions research in Australia, this study investigated the values and knowledge relating to wildlife held by members of the public within distinct demographic subsets of the Victorian population and members of wildlife management stakeholder groups; and compared these characteristics with how Victorian wildlife managers perceive these groups. A combination of semi-structured interviews and postal questionnaires were used. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted to explore how wildlife managers perceive the values and knowledge of wildlife held by members of various subsets of the Victorian population. A total of 1,431 questionnaires were completed by members of 13 public and stakeholder groups throughout Victoria, and these were analysed to explore values and knowledge relating to wildlife in Victoria. The findings of this study suggest that Victorian people have a strong emotional attachment to individual animals (the humanistic value), and an interest in learning about wildlife (the curiosity/learning/interacting value). The dominionistic/wildlife-consumption, utilitarian-habitat, aesthetic and negativistic values were not expressed by the majority of respondents from the public samples. The data also suggest that Victorian people have relatively low levels of factual knowledge about Australian wildlife. Thus, wildlife managers should expect support for wildlife management objectives that reflect the strong humanistic orientation of Victorians and tailor management and education programs to appeal to this value and Victorians' interest in learning about wildlife. Members of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV), Bird Observers Club of Australia (BOCA), Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) stakeholder groups and management agency Parks Victoria expressed a strong interest in learning about wildlife. Members of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) obtained high humanistic value scores; and members of the Victorian Field and Game Association (VFGA) obtained high domimomstic/wildlife-consumption value scores. Importantly, the humanistic and curiosity/learning/interacting values were the most strongly expressed values in all six groups and these values could be the key to more effective communication and collaboration between groups. Relationships between demographic factors, and values and knowledge relating to wildlife were found. For example, rural Victorians held a stronger dominionistic/ wildlife-consumption value than urban Victorians; females held stronger humanistic, curiosity/learning/interacting and negativistic values than males; young Victorians (18-34 years) held a lower curiosity/learning/interacting value and lower factual knowledge of wildlife than older Victorians; and more highly educated Victorians were more knowledgeable about wildlife than people with less formal education. No statistically significant differences were found between the values and knowledge of wildlife held by different income classes. While relationships between demographic factors, and values and knowledge relating to wildlife were found, they were generally much smaller than expected based on wildlife managers' perceptions and previous research. For example, the results suggest that Victorian females have a slightly stronger humanistic value of wildlife than males do. However, the important message emerging from the data is that males and females both express a strong emotional attachment to individual animals. Importantly, the results indicate that the effects of demographic factors on values and knowledge relating to wildlife are not always consistent across different geographic locations and stakeholder groups. For example, the slightly stronger interest in learning about wildlife among females when compared with males was observed in the rural and urban-fringe samples but not in the urban samples. This suggests that caution must be used when generalising the findings from human dimensions studies from one type of community or stakeholder group to another. Management programs should be tailored to the specific characteristics of the target audience. The findings also indicate that Victorian wildlife managers have diverse perceptions about the values and knowledge of wildlife held by members of different publics and stakeholder groups, and that the perceptions held by wildlife managers are not always consistent with the actual values and knowledge of wildlife held by members of different publics and stakeholders. For example, counter to the perceptions expressed by the interviewed wildlife managers, the interest in and factual knowledge of wildlife held by members of voluntary conservation groups equalled or surpassed that of wildlife managers; young Victorian adults (18-34 years) held a slightly lower curiosity/learning/interacting value and slightly lower level of factual knowledge of wildlife than older Victorians; and rural and urban communities in Victoria held low dominionistic and utilitarian values. Such discrepancies highlight the importance of investigating the actual values and knowledge held by members of such groups, so that appropriate and effective wildlife management programs can be implemented. Inaccurate perceptions and assumptions may contribute to ineffective communication between managers, stakeholders and publics; and adversely effect the success of wildlife management programs.

Diet of powerful owls Ninox strenua in inner city Melbourne parks, Victoria

Most dietary studies of Powerful Owls Ninox strenua have been from forested habitats or partially disturbed habitats on the urban fringe. The diets of single Powerful Owls roosting in two inner city parks in Melbourne, Victoria, in 2008 and 2009 were analysed. Common Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula and Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus were the only prey species recorded in the Fitzroy Gardens (occurring in equal numbers in the Owl’s diet), whereas Common Brushtail Possums and Black Rats Rattus rattus were recorded in the diet of the Flagstaff Gardens bird. This is a less diverse prey selection than recorded in the only other inner city dietary analysis for this species.