CARELESS FISHING LEADS TO TRAGEDY ON FAIRY MEADOW BEACH

A call came in regarding a dead bird, tragically a Pied Oyster Catcher, which was on Fairy Meadow Beach, entangled in fishing line, with a band on its leg. 

Australian Seabird Resecue Team members, Terry and Fran, headed out to collect the bird whilst I checked things out with our mates at SOSSA.  Being an endangered species it was delivered to Lindsay Smith of SOSSA and he checked his records.  It was a sad result for Lindsay as he had banded the bird as a chick (approximately 12 days old at the time) in December 1992  on Flinders Isle off Port Kembla.  Yes, that’s right, 21.5 years old only to meet its fate due to someone not caring – it is presumed someone was fishing among the cunjevoi and rocks, the line became snagged and he/she just cut the line.

What a horrible death for the poor thing as the tide came in.

Oyster Catcher tangled in fishing line

Please – STOP – THINK – REMOVE AND TAKE HOME ANY FISHING LINE OR DEBRI.  IT REALLY IS VERY EASY TO BE RESPONSIBLE.

Betty

Little Black Comorant adopts a pelican for its' mum!

Here's a delightful Australian Seabird Rescue story from Rhonda....

This is very young " Little Black Cormorant '' (which is its name as opposed to Cormorant or pied cormorant). He was found in a backyard at Fairy Meadow, after obviously having left Mum and was undernourished. At the same time we had a very gentle pelican in care who had recovered from pneumonia. The poor Little Cormorant decided to adopt the pelican as its Mum. It snuggled up to her and walked around with her every step. At night I found it sleeping under the pelican's chest.

What was I to do when it was time to release them? I decided to release them together. When they arrived at the lake the pelican swam towards the breakwall and the Little Cormorant followed. Later on in the day 3 more adult Little Cormorants arrived and since then they have adopted the juvenile and they fly around together.

The pelican is doing fine also.

Little Black Comorant

Little Black Comorant adopts a pelican for its' mum!