Hi all,
I have been approached by one of our local newspapers with an intriguing
question, for which I had no certain answer. I will talk to them again next
week. Your thoughts would be welcome.
Apparently there will be a New Year's Eve fireworks display in Caloundra
(SEQld) from a location which is not yet able to be determined. However, it
is understood that the launching site will be possibly on the northern tip
of Bribie island, or one of the adjacent (100-200m away) intertidal
sandbanks. The tide will be low at midnight. Many thousands of terns roost
on the intertidal sandbanks, but not much on the tip of Bribie. There is, I
gather, some understandable secrecy about the event, in order to create the
greatest surprise.
The question is really whether the greatest surprise will be for the terns.
Will the event cause distress to the terns?
I try to take a balanced approach to such matters, for I am not out to be a
spoiler. New Year's Eve falls smack bang in the middle of our regular storm
season, when spectacular, prolonged and noisy electric storms can occur. I
can't say I have asked the terns how they feel about the storms, but I
guess they do survive them. I never find corpses.
My feeling is that there would be considerable distress to the terns if the
organisers launch right on the bank which the terns use. However at low
tide the terns have plenty of choice of sandbanks up to 1km away, and would
obviously head off to safer areas. In addition, there would no doubt be
plenty of prior human activity building up to the noisy event. I am
inclined to see it as a low risk activity - for the terns. I say all this
on the basis that it is a once-only event. Naturally I would prefer that
the display were not held on the sandbanks.
The area in question falls just inside the northern end of the Pumicestone
Passage, which is part of Moreton Bay, Qld. Moreton Bay is a listed Ramsar
site. The terns concerned fall under both JAMBA and CAMBA. At that stage of
the year they would comprise mainly Crested, Little and Common Terns.
Apart from the disturbance issue, do fireworks displays have "fallout" junk
landing back on ground, or does it all burn up? I don't want to get into
discussion about whether fireworks displays are good or bad.
Does anyone have an opinion on the disturbance issue, which differs from
mine? Or even someone with experience of birds and fireworks? Is there
something I haven't considered?
Can I just say, at this point, how much I value birding-aus for discussion
such as this. Bird information and opinion is spreading at a breathtaking
pace.
Cheers,
Jill
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Qld
26º 51' 152º 56'
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