A motion sensor camera set up by field naturalist Sarah Lloyd OAM picked up a passing Tasmanian devil at 1.52am on December 5, and again at 4.01am when it appeared to be foraging. It was unclear if it was the same devil.

The site was near the area where test drilling equipment became bogged in October.

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Ms Lloyd said it was further proof of the conservation values of the reserve.

"With devils, because they move so far - up to 16 kilometres in a night - they might not necessarily have their burrow there, but we'll be checking again this weekend for possible den sites," she said.

"They can use old wombat burrows and under old logs. There were certainly wombat burrows on this reserve in the past."

At least one Tasmanian devil spotted on the proposed prison site:

Members of the Launceston Field Naturalists Club collected pellets on October 18, which were tested at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.

Club members stated they came back positive as being from a masked owl, including fragments from a starling it could have preyed upon, as well as containing scales from a lizard.

A further two pellets were confirmed as being from a masked owl, also collected in mid-2020.

The Natural Values Atlas contains observations of a nest site.

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The Department of Justice was already aware of the possible presence of the devil and masked owl, as well as the grey goshawk, wedge-tailed eagle and green and gold frog, as detailed in its works authority documentation.

To trigger the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act - the Commonwealth laws - any works would need to be proven to have a "significant impact" on the endangered species population as a whole, rather than individual animals.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the new environmental consultant, North Barker, would consider these matters.

"As part of the due diligence processes the environmental consultant will undertake a nocturnal values survey and targeted habitat tree survey that will provide valuable information to inform the important planning work for the development," the spokesperson said.

"The department is unable to comment on any reported wildlife sightings until the relevant studies have been undertaken."

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