Rare western grasswren songbirds return to Dirk Hartog Island to bring ecosystem back to 1616

A species of rare songbirds have been brought back to Dirk Hartog Island after suffering local extinction, as part of a drive to restore the local ecosystem.

Conservationists worked together to translocate 85 western grasswrens to the island last month.

The translocation is a first for the grasswren species, in a collaboration between scientists from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Bush Heritage Australia and The University of Western Australia.

It marks the halfway point of the Return to 1616 Ecological Restoration Project, a program reintroducing 13 species which once inhabited Dirk Hartog Island but were wiped out with European arrival and the introduction of sheep, goats and feral cats.

Western grasswrens are a rare species of small, brown songbirds with white streaks and a distinctive squeaky song, which once inhabited an area spanning from Shark Bay to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, but are now restricted to those two locations due to habitat loss

The 85 birds were captured from different parts of Shark Bay and brought over by helicopter to the island on the same day.

It was a real challenge, but absolutely worth it, according to Bush Heritage ecologist Dr Michelle Hall.

“They’re pretty elusive, hard to see. A few years ago, the first grasswren trip I worked on, I sort of wasn’t even sure they existed,” she said.

“It was very exciting to see the first grasswrens taking off to their new island home (now free of introduced predators) after all the research, planning, and hard work leading up to the moment.”

Coming from different sub-populations, the hope is there will be enough genetic diversity to ensure 85 grasswrens will be enough to kick off a self-sustaining population.

The translocation was based on the work of PhD researcher Aline Gibson Vega.

“It was so rewarding to see my research being used to inform the translocation planning and execution,” she said.

Scientists estimate Dirk Hartog Island could support up to 8000 pairs of western grasswrens, which will hopefully live amongst the hare-wallabies, Shark Bay bandicoots, dibblers and other species being reintroduced as part of the Return to 1616 project.