An engaged audience attended a public talk by Dr Eric Woehler in mid-December at Currie in which he described his scientific surveys of shorebirds and seabirds around Tasmania, including King Island and the Furneaux Group spanning 30 years.
Analyses of his mapping and census data show that King Island’s beaches are of international significance for the Threatened Hooded Plover and the Australian Pied Oystercatcher. With more than 1 per cent of the global populations of both species, King Island’s beaches are a critical breeding habitat for them.
“These species rely on King Island’s beaches every day of their lives to nest, feed and survive,” Dr Woehler said. “Pied Oystercatchers can live for more than 35 years, a remarkable life expectancy.”
The talk also described the current breeding efforts of the Threatened Fairy Tern – a tiny seabird a fraction of the size of a Silver Gull – on several beaches around the island. “Both Federal and State Governments are becoming increasingly concerned about this small seabird, as the populations around Australia are crashing – we’ve lost around 75 per cent in the last 40 years,” Dr Woehler said. “Unless this trend halts soon, the species will become Endangered.”.
Following the talk, and an extended question/answer session, Dr Woehler presented Margaret Bennett with her BirdLife Australia Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to conserving King Island’s birds and their habitats.
Margaret Bennett with her BirdLife Australia Distinguished Service Award.
Picture: Eric J Woehler