The October meeting will again be a normal face-to-face one held at our usual venue, but please note that the revised ACT Public School COVID Management Plan September 2022 (https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2075573/ACT-Public-School-COVID-Management-Plan-September-2022.pdf) states under Hiring a school facility “For a hirer to access a public school facility they must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan which must include adhering to physical distancing and hygiene requirements. Private events held at a school facility must also comply with any applicable public health restrictions for events.” Therefore, meeting attendees will need to continue wearing masks.
The short presentation will be Anthony Overs on “Bird banding in Indonesia.”
A little over a decade ago, the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme assisted the Indonesian government with the establishment of the Indonesian Bird Banding Scheme. A significant part of the AusAID-funded project involved the training of senior ornithological researchers, by Australian bird banders, in the capture and banding of birds. Join Anthony and his colleagues on their expeditions to Bali and Sulawesi, “training the trainers”, and get an in-the-hand look at some spectacular birds.
The main speaker will be Chris Lloyd, a volunteer with the NPWS on seabird work – one of the fields of ornithology he worked in for two decades prior to retirement, on “The Housing Crisis: A Penguin Perspective”
A series of externalities are placing pressure on the available habitat for Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) breeding. In NSW breeding of this and most pelagic species is largely restricted to offshore islands after predation by feral animals, industrialisation and urbanisation extirpated the mainland colonies over the last two centuries. Increasing temperatures will see the northern most breeding colonies decline and there is consequently a need to establish new colonies further south.
The community of Eden was one of the last places to have mainland breeding and their interest in having them return led to an experiment with artificial habitat and attraction. It is this project and the broader implications for obligate burrow nesters which will be the subject of Chris’ presentation.