Kerguelen Petrel

This very rare pelagic bird breeds in the Southern Atlantic and Southern Indian Oceans. It was unknown in the Australian region until a specimen was found in 1926. It is often seen among the pack ice but seldom seen in Australian seas. However – this poor bird was caught up in the “perfect storm” being blown across from the big system in West Australia then caught up in the East Coast low that caused havoc over the weekend of the 5^th and 6^th June. It must have been like being in a big washing machine – scary for a 36cm bird with a wingspan of 81cm.

The rare Kerguelen Petrel blown into NSW South Coast shores during a storm.

He was found in a backyard at Callala Bay approx 1 1/2 hours south of Wollongong.

Not being able to identify him from the photos I asked Australian Seabird Rescue team member Lisa to send photos directly to Lindsay of Southern Ocean Seabird Study Association (SOSSA) who is an absolute expert on seabirds. Lindsay wanted to measure the birds feathers etc for absolute identification. So he drove an hour south (for which I am very grateful) and Lisa drove 45 mins north to meet and for him to bring the bird back. He of course was correct in his identification from the photos but found the bird to be only half the weight he should be. Due to the rarity of the bird Lindsay looked after him through the night but he just didn’t have any fight left in him and very sadly died quietly. He is now off to the Australian Museum in Sydney for display.

A great big thank you to Lisa for collecting and transporting him and Lindsay of SOSSA for driving south to bring him back and care for him.

It has to be stressed again the importance of getting these seabirds to specialist care and identification. Dead birds are invaluable also for research.

Betty.

Lulu of Callala Bay

Meet 'Lulu' a very pretty young pelican (no they don't all look the same) from Callala Bay.

Lisa and Lulu in Callala Bay

 

This young pelican owes her life to Lisa (pictured) who also lives in Callala Bay. She was spotted by Lisa in the water in all sorts of trouble. After phoning Australian Seabird Rescue and realising our one hours travel time, Lisa took it on herself to try and catch her which she very bravely did. Lulu's leg was really badly tangled in fishing line and a hook in her wing also, who knows how long she had been tangled. With the help of a couple of young fellas and staying on the phone with them, I talked them through how to remove the hook and fishing line. They managed to free Lulu from the line while Lisa held her. She was released but didn't go! ALARM BELLS! something else was wrong. It was getting quite late by now so I asked Lisa to pick her up again. A phone call to Judy of Wildlife Rescue to see if she could babysit Lulu overnight - no problems. So Lisa then transported her to Judy for overnight care and rehydration as she was weak. On collecting her the next morning it was apparent she had an infection from the hook and a bad limp. So off into care back in Berkeley until 100% better.

Without the commitment of Lisa the outcome may not have been so good. A great big thank you to Lisa and Judy for your help. Well done.

Betty