Penny - Ray Gobbe and I were down at Maroubra this morning and saw quite a few
dead shearwaters. More uplifting were 4 sets of mother and calf Humpbacks going
south. About 4 Pomarine Skuas were seen going south. No albatross or Giant
Petrels though.
Cheers, Graham Buchan
-----Original Message-----
From: Penny Brockman
Sent: Friday, 13 November 2009 6:36 PM
To: Graham Buchan
Subject: Re: ATTACK OF THE ZOMBIE SHORTIES!!!!!!
Very funny . . . . .!!!
> Penny, I note that you "...counted 111 dead Short-tailed Shearwaters walking
> the length of the beach along the
> Little Tern enclosure from the inlet to opposite the beach car entry from the
> second car park."
> Must be Fitness First zombies (did they have Ipods in the ears too?).
> :-)
> Graham Buchan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> On Behalf Of Penny Brockman
> Sent: Thursday, 12 November 2009 10:22 PM
> To: Chris
> Cc: Birding Aus;
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Shearwater wreck Mid-North Coast NSW
>
> Following Chris's report, I was at Farquahar Inlet, just south of Taree,
> NSW Mid-North Coast on Tuesday 10th November, and counted 111 dead
> Short-tailed Shearwaters walking the length of the beach along the
> Little Tern enclosure from the inlet to opposite the beach car entry
> from the second car park.
>
> Also one dead Common Noddy.
>
> And a dead stingray about 45cm wide.
>
> No shearwaters seen out to sea. But at Wallabi Point, two Humpbacks
> were displaying - looked like a mother and calf as one was much smaller
> and was breaching one third out of the water, while the larger was
> mainly bashing the water with its flippers - watched for 10 minutes and
> left them still at it.
>
>> They're washing up dead and dying in Sydney.
>>
>> http://www.theleader.com.au/news/local/news/general/mutton-birds-just-dead-tired/1671845.aspx
>>
>> From 2 days ago (10 Nov 2009):
>>
>>
>> Mutton birds just dead tired
>> BY ALICIA WOOD
>> 10 Nov, 2009 04:00 AM
>> HARDLY a day goes by without Cronulla lifeguard Cameron Pyett getting asked
>> about the dead birds washed up on the beach.
>> An
>> increasing number of dead mutton birds had washed up on the sand in
>> recent weeks, after perishing on their way home from a long migration.
>> While some residents have put it down to unusually strong winds for this
>> time of year, the experts say it is nothing new.
>> "It happens every year,'' Mr Pyett said. "But there are usually not as many
>> as I have seen this year.''
>> The birds generally die of exhaustion while attempting to complete a
>> remarkable migratory round-trip of about 15,000 kilometres.
>> National
>> Parks and Wildlife Services officer, Geoff Ross, said this was a
>> natural event, with the birds flying from Australia to the northern
>> hemisphere, and back.
>> "The birds we see now have died on the last leg of their journey heading
>> south back to Australian shores,'' Mr Ross said.
>> "If
>> they encounter severe weather or have trouble locating sufficient fish
>> stocks along the way then they will struggle and some will succumb and
>> eventually wash up on beaches.''
>> But not all of the birds that
>> wash up are dead and a WIRES spokeswoman said the service had been
>> ``inundated'' with calls about how to care for exhausted birds.
>> She
>> asked those who found live birds to keep them in a box, away from
>> predators, and to either take them to a vet or wait until a WIRES
>> volunteer arrived.
>> She urged people not to feed the exhausted birds or offer them water as it
>> could cause shock.
>> Cronulla Veterinary Clinic took in six ailing birds last week but they were
>> so malnourished none survived.
>> Call: 13000 WIRES
>> Mutton bird facts:
>> - Also known as short-tailed shearwaters, or sea birds
>> -
>> They were hunted by the early Norfolk Island settlers for food and it
>> is thought this is where the common name "mutton bird'' came from
>> - Breeds on small Bass Strait islands and Tasmania, then migrates to the
>> Northern Hemisphere
>> - One of the few Australian native birds that is harvested commercially for
>> its feathers, flesh and oil
>> - They do not come to shore during their migration, often flying 15,000
>> kilometres in six weeks.
>> Do you think there have been more dead birds on the beach this year?
>>
>> Chris.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: "" <>
>> To:
>> Sent: Thu, 12 November, 2009 1:09:54 PM
>> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Shearwater wreck - Vict?
>>
>> Am after the advice of Victorian list members, especially those visiting
>> the coast or doing pelagic trips.
>>
>> Has anyone heard about or observed shearwaters sitting in the water close
>> to shore or on beaches recently?
>>
>> Apparently numbers of Short-tailed Shearwaters have been observed in and
>> around Griffiths Island near Port Fairy recently.
>>
>>
>> Martin O'Brien
>> Wildlife Biologist - Threatened Species & Communities Section
>> Department of Sustainability and Environment
>> 2/8 Nicholson St.,
>> East Melbourne 3002
>> VICTORIA
>>
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