This is a reply to my question from Eric Woehler, BirdLife Tasmania convenor:
**************
* the colony was known to Parks & Wildlife Service (PWS) and the permit
issued for the Mark Webber Challenge specifically prohibited helicopter
operations over beaches to protect beach-nesting shorebirds and terns, and
feeding/roosting sites of seabirds and shorebirds. BirdLife Tasmania works with
PWS in conducting beach-nesting bird surveys of the areas to be used by the MWC
in the weeks before the event to identify sensitive/no-go areas which are
incorporated into the event planning.
* the helicopter was observed 20m above the beach and all nesting fairy
terns were massively disturbed by the helicopter; the incident was witnessed by
a senior PWS Ranger.
* the colony was being monitored and there were approximately 70 nests
with eggs/chicks present. Based on fairy and little tern surveys over the last
4 or 5 years, we have fewer than 200 pairs of fairy terns in Tasmania, and
fewer than 10 pairs of little terns in Tasmania; we believe the colony
disturbed by the helicopter represents between 30 and 50% of the breeding
effort this season.
* the permit was specifically for the MWC and was not a statewide permit
***************
This sounds to me like the pilot, or somebody instructing them, paid no
attention to the information that had been provided.
Peter Shute
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> On Behalf Of
> Peter Shute
> Sent: Sunday, 2 December 2012 12:30 PM
> To: ;
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Disturbance to tern colony
>
> "He said a permit issued by the state Parks and Wildlife
> Service specifically called for the protection of
> beach-nesting birds to prevent just such an event."
>
> Would this be a permit for that landing, or a general state
> wide permit?
>
> Peter Shute
>
>
> --------------------------
> Sent using BlackBerry
>
|
