Seeking volunteers for a Little Penguin survey
We are looking for volunteers to help with counting penguins at landing sites on Montague Island in September 2022. The survey will be run by MI Partners, a group that has been involved with seabird work on the island over many years.
We will be departing from Narooma and costs for travel to the island and accommodation will be covered, so volunteers will only need to cover food costs.
At this stage we expect to cross to the island on Saturday 17th September and returning on Friday 23rd. Departure may be early morning so could be advisable to stay overnight in Narooma before departure.
On the island we will be counting the number of penguins coming ashore at a known set of landing sites. Counts will start before sunset and end once there has been no further arrivals for the past 15 minutes, so typically the count will
take a couple of hours. Other than obtaining counts in the evening we will be searching for a sample of penguin nesting site during the day to determine state of breeding.
For this survey, at this stage, we are seeking a maximum of seven volunteers but there is a possibility that the survey will extended for the next two years so if interested could you register your availability. A general level of fitness
will be required, no greater than expected on a typical COG outing.
The survey will allow participants full access to the island which is not normally available. There will be plenty of time for exploration, birding and photography.
For further details or any enquiries please contact
Chris Davey and Peter Fullagar
