Surveying Platypus and Rakali populations in the Oberon region
Current status of this initiative
Surveys of platypus, rakali and other native fauna living in and along the upper reaches and headwaters of key river systems in Oberon local government area are now being undertaken by members of Oberon Citizen Science Network, using specialised cameras designed and constructed by us specifically for this purpose. Funding applications will be submitted in April 2025 which, if successful, will allow us to significantly increase the scope and pace of these surveys. The results are progressively being formally submitted to relevant biodiversity databases, in particular the Atlas of Living Australia, operated by CSIRO, and the NSW government BioNet Atlas. However, highlights of the results can also be viewed as a series of edited videos, continuously updated via this YouTube playlist. A detailed rationale for this survey program can also be found on the Wind Farms and Citizen Science page.
The planned sites for platypus and rakali monitoring in 2025 and early 2026 are shown below (subject to revision and permission of landowners where relevant).
Introduction
Anecdotally, rivers in the Oberon region used to be famous for their abundant platypus populations – in fact, there is a story, probably apocryphal, that the name of the Duckmaloi River, which runs through Oberon LGA, came from the surprised exclamation of Irish settlers on first encountering a platypus: “Duck-mole-oy!” (“oy” being what you said if you wanted someone to agree with you). Certainly a lot of research last century into the extent and behaviours of the platypus was conducted in river systems around Oberon by researchers associated with Taronga Zoo and various NSW universities – copies of some scientific papers and reports on platypus in the Duckmaloi River, several by local resident Amanda MacLeod, can be accessed here, here and here.
A rakali (Australian native water rat, scientific name Hydromys chrysogaster) caught on a trail camera camera deployed in Stone Creek, O’Connell by Kyla Ries
Much less is known about the extent in the Oberon region of the rakali, also also known as the rabe, the “Australian Otter” or native water-rat, (scientific name Hydromys chrysogaster). This elusive creature lives in burrows on the banks of rivers, lakes and estuaries and feeds on aquatic insects, fish, crustaceans, mussels, snails, frogs, bird’s eggs and small water birds – and thus, it often shares similar habitats to the platypus, hence its inclusion here.
ABC News article on the elusive rakali
A recent article published by ABC News on the rakali, and a call for citizen scientists to log sightings of it, is available here. This is something which OCSN members intend to get involved in!
There are several time-lapse camera videos showing the results of platypus and rakali surveillance in the upper Duckmaloi River on our Gallery page.
NSW BioNet Atlas records of platypus and rakali sightings or trappings in Oberon LGA
BioNet is a database of flora and fauna information collected over many decades from multiple sources, operated by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE). The role of BioNet is described by the DPE thus:
BioNet aims to improve biodiversity outcomes by enabling the community and government to proactively manage and enhance biodiversity in New South Wales through comprehensive, credible and robust data and information.
It is also important because threatened and endangered species records in BioNet must be used by assessors of proposed developments in order to avoid or minimise impacts on wildlife, and is also used as part of the Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM), which is used as part of the legislated Biodiversity Offsets Scheme (currently under review due to numerous flaws found by the Audit Office of NSW).
Note
The data shown below were manually downloaded from the NSW government BioNet database on 18 February 2025. It is intended to convert these charts and maps to automatically update once a week with the latest data from BioNet once an API access key has been obtained.
The chart below shows the trend in platypus and rakali records in BioNet. These trends may reflect frequency of observations and survey efforts as much as declines or fluctuations in the animal populations or extents. This is an issue which OCSN hopes to address over the next few years by mounting regular, systematic surveys of platypus and rakali activity in key water courses in Oberon LGA, using a combination of direct observation and time-lapse camera recordings (see below). Note that there are very few observations of rakali. This may be because they are rare, but also because they are elusive – but see the video of a rakali captured by OCSN committee member Kyla Ries on this page.
As can be seen, the small number of records, particularly recent records, for platypus and rakali in BioNet is a bit disappointing, and distressing. However there is a more inclusive source of biodiversity data we can query.
Australian Living Atlas (ALA) records of platypus and rakali observations or trappings in Oberon LGA
The Australian Living Atlas (ALA) is a fantastic resource, partially funded by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). ALA collates biodiversity data from many sources into a single database, which in turn is made available as part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
In the table below, we can see the various sources and numbers of records for platypus and rakali sightings in Oberon LGA over time. Data which was downloaded from NSW BioNet Atlas is also shown in the table for comparison – it should match the ALA data for the same source, but it doesn’t. This needs to be investigated in due course – there seems to be a delay in BioNet data being added to the ALA database – but for now, we will just present the ALA data here.
Note
Duplicate records in the ALA database have been filtered out of the data presented in the tables and maps below – only the record marked as REPRESENTATIVE, where records appear to be duplicated, is included. Similarly only those records flagged as spatiallyValid==TRUE are included. See also the warning below regarding spatial precision, which is different from spatial validity.
| Platypus and Rakali records for Oberon LGA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database with comparable data direct from NSW BioNet Atlas also shown | ||||||
| Decade | ||||||
| 1970-1979 | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2020-2029 | |
| Platypus | ||||||
| ALA species sightings and OzAtlas | - | - | - | - | 11 | - |
| Australian Platypus Conservancy | - | - | - | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| cPlatypus1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 17 |
| Encyclopedia of Life Images - Flickr Group2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - |
| iNaturalist Australia | - | - | - | 4 | 17 | 19 |
| NSW BioNet Atlas (direct) | - | 2 | 17 | 61 | 16 | 18 |
| NSW BioNet Atlas (via ALA) | - | 21 | 11 | 41 | 22 | 7 |
| Observation.org, Nature data from around the World | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| All sources | 0 | 23 | 28 | 108 | 77 | 66 |
| Rakali | ||||||
| ALA species sightings and OzAtlas3 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| Australian Platypus Conservancy4 | - | - | - | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| iNaturalist Australia5 | - | - | - | - | - | 21 |
| NSW BioNet Atlas (direct) | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 2 | - |
| NSW BioNet Atlas (via ALA)6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
| All sources | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 30 |
| 1 cPlatypus - see also platy-project | ||||||
| 2 Encyclopedia of Life Images - Flickr Group | ||||||
| 3 ALA species sightings and OzAtlas | ||||||
| 4 Australian Platypus Conservancy | ||||||
| 5 iNaturalist Australia | ||||||
| 6 NSW BioNet Atlas (via ALA) | ||||||
Interactive maps
In the maps below, you can toggle layers on and off for platypus observation records in each decade, as well as for rakali records for the entire period since 1970. Zoom in to see individual sighting records where they overlap. If you click on each platypus or rakali icon on the map, additional details about the record in the ALA database will pop up. Merging of NSW BioNet records that are not (yet) in the ALA database is planned, as soon as BioNet approves OCSN access to the API they provide for automated data extraction (we are using such automated data extraction for the ALA data shown here).
Variable geographic precision!
Please note that the geographic position of the icons in the map below may not be precise. Some records provide precise position information, in which case the locations are accurately shown, but many provide imprecise information so as to protect the exact locations from unwanted attention or interference. If you click on an icon, the pop-up information will show the positional accuracy information (in metres) where it is available for that record. Often it is very approximate eg within 10 km! Unfortunately not all data sources which contribute to the ALA database seem to report positional accuracy. Anyway, please be aware of this important limitation of the data, which in many cases is an intentional limitation to protect vulnerable and endangered species or populations.
All Platypus and rakali observations in Oberon LGA recorded in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database
platy-project platypus observations in Oberon LGA found in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database
iNaturalist platypus and rakali observations in Oberon LGA found in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database
Australian Platypus Conservancy platypus and rakali observations in Oberon LGA found in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database
NSW BioNet Atlas platypus and rakali observations in Oberon LGA found in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database
ALA species sightings and OzAtlas platypus and rakali observations in Oberon LGA found in the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database
platy-project sends data promptly to ALA
Just to verify that reports contributed to the platy-project are promptly and automatically also added to the Australian Living Atlas (ALA) database, here is a screenshot of a report added by OCSN member Tim Churches to the platy-project database:
…and here is a screenshot of the same report reflected in data extracted from the ALA database and visualised in the interactive map above:
Surveying platypus and rakali populations in Oberon LGA
As can be seen above, government data on platypus and rakali populations in the Oberon LGA are rather sparse and patchy. OCSN can help improve this situation.
This recent scientific paper by Simon Roberts and Melody Serena describes the use of time-lapse cameras for detection of platypus (and presumably rakali). OCSN members have been trialling an older Brinno TLC100 camera and a current model Brinno TLC300 time-lapse cameras as described in the paper. Our findings will be described in a forthcoming blog post here on the web site.
An example of a time-lapse platypus sighting as a result of this initial testing can be found in the gallery section of this web site.
Several organisations are calling for citizen science participation in platypus (and rakali) observations and surveys. These include:
- the Australian Platypus Conservancy, a long-standing NGO. Their web site contains a wealth of information on platyous biology and behaviour, survey and monitoring methods and extent information. It also include a section on rakali. Platypus sightings by citizen scientists are able to be reported thriugh their web site.
- the platy-project a joint initiative of the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Platypus Conservation Initiative at UNSW Sydney Centre for Ecosystem Science. The platy-project also has a sighting reporting facility with excellent maps.
Survey methods
Excellent information about platypus observation and systematic surveys is available from the web sites mentioned above. In particular see the platy-project toolkit and the Australian Platypus Conservancy pages on platypus surveys and monitoring and hints on spotting platypus and rakali in the wild.
OCSN encourages its members to undertake ad hoc, opportunistic direct observation surveys as time permits, but it also intends to undertake systematic surveys of key waterways in Oberon LGA using special purpose DIY night-vision cameras designed and constructed by OCSN members, using very low-level infrared (IR) illumination.
DigiVol
It may be possible for Oberon Citizen Science Network to use the DigiVol crowd-sourcing platform operated by the Australian Museum to distribute the task of watching trail camera and time-lapse video to volunteers. DigiVol is an online platform which hosts “expeditions”, which are projects for which volunteers can register to under small tasks, such as watching a segment of video recorded by a wildlife or trail camera and noting if any target species appears in the footage. Each participant can undertake as few or as many of these small, discrete tasks as they wish, and as time permits, over the course of the project (expedition). OCSN will contact DigiVol to enquiry about whether they can host time-lapse camerascreening tasks for us. As well, OCSN members are encouraged to sign up as a DigiVol participant, join an expedition and undertake some tasks!
All sightings will be contributed to the Atlas of Living Australia as well as uploaded into the NSW government BioNet Atlas database. OCSN now has a BioNet Atlas account with permission to submit uploads of observation records.
BioCollect
The utility of the BioCollect app provided by the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is being assessed for use in systematic platypus and rakali surveys by OCSN, in particular whether the ecoscience project type rather than the citizen science project type should be used by OCSN (note that the link on the BioCollect for ecosciences page incorrectly links to the citizen science version of the BioCollect user manual).
NSW Waterwatch
Waterwatch NSW is a program supported by the NSW government to encourage local community engagement with waterway health. Quality quality is known to be especially important to platypus health, and thus OCSN intends to participate in the Watchwatch program and monitor water quality at sites where platypus have been observed in Oberon LGA. More details will appear here in due (water) course.
All Waterwatch NSW data is made available through the Atlas of Living Australia database. A preliminary look at those data suggests that there is little or no data for waterways in Oberon LGA – a situation which OCSN must attempt to remedy.