Reflecting back on one of his past jobs working with camels on the North Coast of NSW, Liam Phillips recalls he was the only employee never to have been kicked. 
With a clear affinity for animals, Liam decided to see where this unique gift could take him and enrolled in a Bachelor of Zoology with Honours at the University of New England (UNE).
“I have always loved animals, especially their behaviour,” he says. “I would love to know what animals do and why they do it and if they have thought processes similar to humans.”
So, when his Honours supervisor, Professor Paul McDonald, mentioned a project that would trial a new method of reducing noisy miners’ aggressive behaviour to help the breeding of endangered species, Liam knew he had found his niche.
“As I love animals, their conservation is a high priority to me, so I was excited by this experiment as it combined the study of animal behaviour and the conservation of species.”
Birds such as the regent honeyeater, which have an estimated wild population of just 500, are under threat from the aggressive and destructive behaviours of the noisy miner. For his thesis, Liam trialled a new eradication method called a ‘doughnut’ cull which provides some relief for threatened bird species without needing to remove entire noisy miner colonies.
“The doughnut method is hypothesised to punch a hole in the middle of the colony and provide some respite for other birds within the area,” says Liam. “Audio recorders were setup for the duration the post-cull period and all 14,000 plus documented calls were manually analysed and used as a comparison before and after culling.
My research will add a hopefully new and potentially successful method to be used to help reduce the impact that noisy miners have on other animals.
“Based on what I found, the doughnut culls do have a positive effect on reducing the aggression of noisy miners for at least the 28 days. My research will add a hopefully new and potentially successful method to be used to help reduce the impact that noisy miners have on other animals.”
Liam is in the process of finalising his thesis and turning it into a publishable work. He hopes his research will provide the basis for further investigation in the future.
“There is always more to learn, and there is an opportunity to assess any possible changes in colony dynamics after disruption of a colony due to the use of doughnut culls,” he says.
“My study is a short-term answer and hopefully one day a non-lethal solution may be found that is quicker than the very long-term rejuvenation of Australian woodland areas that must take place.”
As Liam prepares to graduate in December and pursue a career in animal behaviour research, he looks back on his time at UNE fondly.
UNE has provided many resources throughout my undergraduate and honours project and many of the lecturers and demonstration staff have been wonderful.
“Working with experts in their fields whilst apart of the Animal Behaviour and Ecology Lab has been fantastic and has improved my understanding of what I am fascinated by immensely,” he says.
“UNE has provided many resources throughout my undergraduate and honours project and many of the lecturers and demonstration staff have been wonderful. I would encourage people to do their honours year if they feel up to it as I feel it has better prepared me for working in this field and gives insights that the straight Bachelor’s degree cannot.”
You can read more about some of the work that UNE is doing in bird ecology here, and if you’re interested in pursuing an Honours project in 2023, find out more here.
