Today I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to assist the Rangers with searching for Burrowing Petrels on North Head in the Special Management Area. There are many special management areas on the island, and these require permission from Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service to be added to our permits to enter. Being invited to assist the Rangers in their work provides an excellent opportunity to see these areas of the Island and the inhabitants who live there.
We were searching for endangered Grey Petrels in areas where nesting sites had been recorded in previous years. Grey Petrels were seen on Macca prior to 1900, but were not seen again until cats were eradicated from the island in1999. The Grey Petrels nest in burrows tucked in between the tall tussock which grows on the steep slopes of the island, towering above the rocks below.
A this time of year many of them will have chicks in the burrows, and the Rangers are interested to see how many of the nesting sites were in use to monitor their ongoing breeding success.
To find a Petrel chick first one must get to the sites. A steep hike up Wireless Hill and then a walk through a sharp saddle led us to the first of our nesting sites. The tussock grass (
Poa Foliosa)can be up to 1.5metres tall, and you need to crawl down between it's giant tufts and search for burrow entrances. If you find a hole the next step is to check it out. I was briefed by Ranger Anna to sniff it! Yep, Petrels are smelly. Frankly I got quite confused as I could smell musty rotting vegetation everywhere, which I was confusing with musty Petrel... so I didn't find that the most helpful cue. The next step was one which goes against anything an Australian has ever learned. ....stick your arm down the hole and feel around, or shove your head in it and have a look with a torch. I lost my torch down in the my pack and my hands were too frozen on account of the sub-zero day to dig it out, so I just snapped a photo down every hole instead. On the first slope a little grey fluffy critter appeared in one of my pictures. I heard a little skrawking sound when checking out the burrow, and there it was on the camera!
Snow storms kept rolling through all day. The tussock makes an excellent shelter, as if you sit between the plants you are tucked away from the wind and the snow, and can enjoy a snack, or try and warm the hands.
The next few slopes yielded no finds and then we found a burrow with two adult birds inside. We couldn't see a chick, but it was a chilly day so if I were a Petrel I would also hide in a burrow!
I found an old egg in a burrow, but it was long abandoned.
Right at the end of the day, on the way back up the hill I found a burrow in which I spotted a little beak in a burrow which promptly hid further inside it's underground labyrinth. The sounds from this burrow were different, and were not Grey Petrels. Upon listening to the bird calls track back at station we identified it as a Blue Petrel! Blue Petrels are listed as a vulnerable species, who were also impacted heavily by cat predation.
Just as we were celebrating the Blue Petrel discover 8 Cape Petrels appeared and flew passes over us again and again. These beautiful Petrels are distributed across the Antarctic and sub-Antarctica, and carry beautiful black and white markings.
Sadly wer were losing the light and still had to haul ourselves up the cliffs over the tussock and back up to the plateau for our hike back to Station so we left our Petrel friends to soaring above the cliffs in peace.
An amazing day and a rare opportunity to witness some rare birdlife up close.
Three new birds on the bird list.
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Looking east toward Totten Head. Photo: Jacque Comery
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View south to Plateau and Station. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Snow storm passing through. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Catch me Point. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Grey Petrel Chick. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Abandoned egg in burrow. Photo: Jacque Comery
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North tip of North Head. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Adult Grey Petrels in the burrow. Photo: Jacque Coemry
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Sasquatch like photo of a Blue Petrel! Photo: Jacque Comery
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Time to go home. Photo: Jacque Comery
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