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Pigeons are
Pests around Penguin Island
Pigeons, which are not a native species,
are relatively new inhabitants of the Shoalwater Islands.
CALM staff have observed the population of a few hundred birds
on the Islands in 1986 grow to approximately 2 000 birds at
January, 1992. They appear to compete directly with the migratory
Bridled Tern, inhabiting the small crevices on vertical faces
of rocky outcrops and on talus slopes. Pigeon control on the
Islands is difficult because of the inaccessibility of roosting
sites as well as potential dangers to indigenous species.
The distribution of pigeons shows that
Bird Island and White and Gull Rocks have the highest densities.
Priority areas for control are those where conservation values
are being most detrimentally affected and where highest densities
occur.
The Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH) grain terminal in Kwinana
has been identified as a major food source for the island
pigeons. The birds feed on spilled grain. CALM and CBH have
combined efforts to reduce the pigeon population
at the grain terminal, and pigeons on the Islands.
Silver Gulls
Silver Gulls are an indigenous species
(native to the locality) which have increased dramatically
in numbers since the 1940s when about 200 pairs were recorded
on the Shoalwater Islands. Recent estimates indicate over
4 000 pairs, of which up to 3 000 pairs inhabit Penguin Island.
The characteristics of this colony are typical of sea birds
and provides interpretive opportunities.The Gull population
growth is unnatural and is related to urban development and
the increased availability of food, often from rubbish tips.
Control of the Silver Gulls unnatural proliferation is necessary
to minimise adverse impacts on other indigenous species.
Limiting available foods is considered the best method of
control. The Rockingham rubbish tip is a major source of food
for the Shoalwater Islands' colonies (pers. comm A.A. Burbidge).
A new tip is planned for 1992. The City of Rockingham is investigating
methods of control that can be incorporated in the tip's design
and ongoing management (pers. comm. ,City of Rockingham).
Liaison with managers of other landfill sites and potential
food sources is required. Control of Silver Gull populations
by local reduction of breeding success at colonies is difficult.
Methods of control at colonies include culling the breeding
adults, destroying their eggs or preventing their eggs from
hatching. Control at breeding colonies would need to be an
annual operation if nothing was done to control food availability.
(Information from the Department of
Conservation and Land Management for the National Parks and
Nature Conservation Authority. Shoalwater Islands Management
Plan, 1992-2002) A little old but still quite relevant.
An eagle perches on
top of an island and keeping a close eye on the feral pigeons
that roost under the overhangs and crevices of the island.
Birds use the Islands and their surrounds
for courtship, nesting, feeding and/or roosting. Fourteen
species nest on the Islands, including 12 sea birds: Little
Penguin (Eudyptula minor), Little Shearwater (Puffinis assimilis),
White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina), Pied Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax varius), Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus),
Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae), Roseate Tern (Sterna
dougallii), Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia), Bridled Tern
(Sterna anaethetus), Crested Tern (Sterna bergii), Fairy Tern
(Sterna nereis), Little Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax melanoleucos);
a water bird, the Buff-banded Rail (Rallus philippensis);
and a land bird, the Singing Honeyeater (Lichenostomus virescens).
The Sooty Oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) may also
nest on the Islands. In addition the feral pigeon (*Columba
livia) nests here. Their combined nesting habitat covers most
of the Islands' area, from crevices in rock faces, and burrows
in the sand, to hollows in the vegetation.
Some species have special status as they are listed under
the Migratory Bird Agreements between Australia and Japan
and/or China. These include the Caspian Tern and Bridled Tern
(listed as'breeding species'), and visiting waders such as
the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), Whimbrel (Numenius
phaeopus) and Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica). Australia
has a responsibility under the Agreements to protect these
species.
The Islands off the metropolitan coast are the northernmost
limit of the Little Penguins' range. This population is isolated
and distinct in size, and has larger individuals than found
elsewhere. It may represent a sub-species (Klomp and Wooller,
1988). The numbers of Penguins breeding on Penguin Island
vary widely and up to 500 breeding pairs have been documented;
however, their participation rate varies (Dunlop et al., 1988).
It appears that only about 20% of Penguins which can reproduce
do so in any one year and that these Penguins nest in the
least disturbed locations (B Wienecke pers. comm. 1990). A
few pairs nest on Seal Island and some have been observed
and may nest on Bird Island and Shag Rock. (The most recent
study is mapping out the nesting sites of all the 600 pairs
of the islands resident little penguins. The Department of
Environment and Conservation is always looking for volunteers
to help with research and conservation projects on Penguin
Island. For more information go to www.calm.wa.gov.au)
The Penguins nest under low, dense vegetation. They will also
nest under buildings and other structures and adopt artificial
nest boxes quite readily. Penguins are nocturnal on land,
with most making their landfall within two hours of sunset,
generally landing in small flocks. The size of the flock varies
seasonally and can range up to 15 birds prior to laying. They
are most sensitive to disturbance when landing. Seasonally
they are most vulnerable to disturbance when moulting (around
January) and during the peak laying period (around July, August
and September). Penguin Island is closed to the public annually
during the peak laying season to ensure the birds are not
disturbed. However, Penguins breed most of the year.
(Information from the Department of
Conservation and Land Management for the National Parks and
Nature Conservation Authority - Shoalwater Islands Management
Plan, 1992-2002
Pelican Chick at Penguin
Island
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From WA to
Canada
Sunrise on Lake Superior,
(near Spar Island) Canada, 2011 Cross Canada Expedition. We
saw two wolf pacing up a nearby beach and several eagles just
before this campsite. The good thing about Lake Superior is
it doesn't have crocodiles, sharks or sea snakes, blue ringed
octopus but capsize in its 4C water temperarture and you are
dead within minutes. Annual storms on Lake Superior regularly
record wave heights of over 6 m (20 feet). Waves well over
9m (30 feet) have been recorded.
Mountain Ash berries
and fungi at our camp on Lake Superior, Canada. 2011 Cross
Canada Expedition
Threading our way through
the many islands of the northern part of the lake.
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Hitch Hiking
to Australia
Caught Up in Afghanistan 1972
In 1972 Fred, a friend and I hitch hiked across Europe into
the Middle East. Once we left Europe we were picked up by
two English guys Les and Andy who drove a BMW car with false
plates and papers which they bought cheaply in Germany. They
were headed for India where we were headed, so we were lucky
to get such a long ride. We were happy with our ride but then
Les and Andy told us that they had been siphoning petrol from
other cars in Europe because they had little money to buy
fuel. We were appreciative of the ride but we were a little
concerned that we were taking a ride from a couple of dodgy
characters so we suggested that we paid most of the fuel if
they stopped stealing.
As we left Europe and
stepped into Asia things started to get very interseting.
Along the route through eastern Turkey we were continually
checked out by local police, hassled by the local people and
children were often stood at the side of the road throwing
rocks at the car. It was quite scary to have children bombard
the car with rocks. Not only was it dangerous for us, we could
do little about. How do you protect yourself from kids throwing
rocks in a foreign country? We were lucky to move through
the country without getting injured.
Our lift continued into Iran where things got a little better
but our safety and the fact that we didn't know what other
adventures lay around the next corner kept us in suspense.
Corrupt custom officials and quarantine at the Afghanistan
border delayed us. For a moment we thought we were going to
be turned back but somehow we talked our way in. The country
was in a little turmoil but foreigners were still allowed
to travel through it. Once we were through the border, the
local Afghani people pounced on us, trying to sell us everything
under the sun, even big knives. To see so many of the local
people carried big knives under their clothes made us a little
wary and uneasy but we still wanted to go on, as we were on
one big adventure.
Our journey through different countries and customs were so
different from Europe which made it that much more interesting.
All the trucks in Afghanistan were painted and decorated and
although they looked quite stunning and decorative, it was
nearly impossible for some drivers to see through the windscreen.
We had to get used to the local customs, the poverty, the
food, but we just about lived on bread and jam to keep costs
down. Fred and I had $200.00 each to get from England to Australia.
Leaving the border Les drove his BMW car along the highway
passing through toll gates every few miles manned by armed
Army personnel . Once through the town of Kandahar, on our
way to Ghazni, the countryside was bare and uninteresting
so with nothing much to look at I started teaching Fred how
to play chess. Suddenly Les blew the car horn and when we
looked up an Afghani woman wearing a veil walked from behind
a stationary bus and right into our path. When she heard the
horn, instead of stopping or going back, she started hurrying
and headed straight towards the car. Les braked and swerved,
but before he could get off the road the women just ran into
the side of the car hitting her head on the windscreen. As
the windscreen shattered Les lost control of the car and we
careered down an 8 metre embankment narrowly missing a deep
gulley. The car bumped along the rough ground with boulders
hitting the undercarriage. The thought of the car plunging
into the gulley or over-turning entered my head but seconds
later we came to a halt.
We jumped out and hurried back to see how the women was. We
were all in shock but Les was more so. A man who stepped off
the same bus removed the old women's veil, but the woman was
dead and showing her black rotten teeth, a scarred wrinkled
face, and there was blood streaming from her mouth and forehead.
It wasn't a pleasant sight. If she had stopped running she
would have been safe.
We didn't really know what to do as we were in the middle
of nowhere and the bus had moved off. A few minutes later
another bus stopped heading towards Ghazni , the nearest town
60 miles away so I jumped on it. The bus had a goat and was
full of sacks of vegetables which I had to sit on. The bus
stopped whenever a person stood beside the road and waved,
so it took hours to reach Ghazni. The people stared at me
continually but it wasn't until arriving at Ghazni, after
one of the Afghani men asked me why I killed the women, that
I realised why they were staring so much. If I had known that
the people on board the bus thought I had killed her I would
have felt much more uneasy than I was.
I found the police station and eventually persuaded the police
to drive back to the scene. They were in no hurry and the
ambulance we travelled in was slow and stopped several times
including at toll gates, a church and a house to pray. Finally
after six hours after the accident we arrived back at the
accident site.
Once we arrived at the scene pictures were taken, the ambulance
carried the women and a policeman took no chances in making
sure we didn't run off by riding in the back of Les's car.
We thought we were going to the town of Ghazni , but when
we came to a junction a Jeep came speeding towards us and
an army chief jumped out. He signed something and then he
changed places with the policeman and we diverted off the
main highway and onto a very rough dusty road. It was as if
we had been kidnapped and were being taken away into the desert.
It felt serious and we became very suspicious as we didn't
know what was going on and where we were headed. As we enetered
the small village of the dead women we realised we were going
to be held and judged there. That didn't seemed very safe
for us. The army chief took the car keys and our passports
just to make sure we weren't going to run off. He knew we
couldn't go far without these, so they allowed us to camp
between the police station and the jail.
The village had no banks, no post office, only a very basic
shop, a baker, a police/army station, and of course the jail.
We had no communication with the outside world and what we
saw of the jail, we were pleased not to be in it. Because
it was the village of the women who died we expected the locals
could be hostile to us.
We had hopes of contacting the British Embassy but the old
fashion telephone in the police station didn't work, nor did
we have the number. Communicating with the police was impossible
as they didn't speak English so when they wanted our statement
they were unable to read what we wrote. Eventually they found
out that the local school teacher was able to speak a little
English so we had a frustrating time trying to explain to
him what happened. After a paying a ridiculous fee for him
to translate our statement, we only had a couple of dollars
left and because we had no hope of changing money we didn't
have enough money to buy food apart from a little bread.
Sometime later the chief made Les take him, the schoolteacher
and Andy back to the accident spot to go through it all again.
That night several army members, that didn't look the brightest,
came around and just stared at us eating our meal of bread.
After they had left and while we were sleeping, someone cut
a slit in the clear temporary plastic windscreen and stole
the cigarette lighter not realising that it didn't work without
the car. We were camped in a tent in the middle of now-where
in the same village of the women that had just died so we
didn't feel the safest, but being young and adventurous we
didn't really care as much as we should. The next day the
women's husband came and asked us for money, but we didn't
have any to give.
Eventually our very difficult discussions over the last few
days started to get better. We were very relieved when we
were told that we were getting transferred to the large town
of Ghazni . It was a relief to leave the village, it was too
easy for things to happen there without anyone knowing and
know one knew where we were. The police station at Ghazni
was a lot more civilised than in the village, well except
the toilet being blocked and no way to flush it. We had to
visit the vegetable garden behind the police station to relieve
ourselves in a more hygienic way.
By now our dollar had been spent and it was on a Friday night
when we arrived, it was also a public holiday and the bank
was closed so we had to pawn, rings, St Christopher necklaces,
bracelets for a few days to buy a supply of bread.
The first two nights in Ghazni we had no choice but to sleep
four in the car and it wasn't very pleasant, but the following
night the police chief, who spoke English let us stretch out
and sleep in the police station. The police chief enjoyed
playing cars so he invited us to play with him, but he had
no chance of winning any money, we didn't have any.
We continued pawning our things or whatever we had to buy
bread but the police chief eventually found out and ordered
the bread shop to return our things.
Several days had passed since we arrived at Ghazni and we
still didn't know what was going to happen to us but then
came a surprise announcement. The police chief told us that
Fred and I were free to go, but Andy and Les had to stop to
face the judge. We were unable to help the guys so we left
them with a hand shake and a wish of good luck, but at least
we were able to contact the British Embassy in Kabul to let
them know what had happened.
It was a time of considerable unrest in Afghanistan and before
leaving Ghazni we met an American Peace Corp guy who told
us that 12 hitch hikers had recently been killed. They had
been invited to take drugs in Afghani homes and when they
were stoned they were killed, robbed and dumped on the side
of the road.
Part of the Kyber Pass
Our hitch hiking days
were over as it was too dangerous to take any more lifts so
after a few days in Kabul we decided to take a bus through
the notorious Kyber Pass heading towards Pakistan and limit
the risk of death or robbery .
Fred and I continued on through Pakistan and into India where
we got into more bother, but that's another story.
Several months later we
heard from Andy. He said that six weeks after we left Les
was charged. The car insurance had to pay $4000.00 dollars
and Les had to pay $2000.00, as well as losing his BMW car.
Les who was shattered with the whole affair had to rely on
his parents to pay the fine and his air fare home. Andy was
freed and made it to India. He then managed to catch three
different diseases in India, which endangered his life, but
luckily he got better and found work on a Dutch ship and returned
to Europe and received $240.00 in wages when he arrived.
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Hi Terry
I note your comments (and those of others) about your newsletter
and thought I would add my 'six penneth worth' as well.
Having had two knees replaced I am
probably too old at 75 to start considering the Avon Descent
and as I live in the country I cannot get to fitness training
or skills practice, so certainly some of your newsletter content
is sometimes irrelevant. However, having purchased a kayak
from you and sought your advice on several occasions, I appreciate
the opportunity of seeking expert advice in a supportive and
professional manner. That is a key to CDU, yourself and the
newsletter, the latter caters for diverse interests and one
need only read what might be considered to be relevant. I
also enjoy the snippets about the dolphins and birds along
the Swan, having done some paddling and boating to the upper
reaches.
As I have indicated before, I have enjoyed reading of your
travels, especially the Kimberley where I have been fortunate
enough to experience much of the country and terrain you have
travelled through. Here are a few pictures below. Barry Jones
Tackling Manning Pool.
Photo Barry Jones
Tackling Manning Pool.
Photo Barry Jones
A Pool at Diamond Gorge,
Fitzroy River. Barry Jones
Rapids in Diamond Gorge
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Terry , Further to your sighting of
Dolphins at Sandy Beach Sunday morning .. I was with the Juniors
later in the morning ( 9:15am ) and just upstream of the club
we met 2 dolphins coming downstream. Well all thought of "serious"
training went overboard as the kids followed the dolphins
down towards the Tonkin Hwy boat ramp and rushing over to
tell every one on the river what was happening ..
Finally had to tell them my assistant "coaches"
had to go home and it was past time to return to the club
and waiting parents ...
Friday morning (9:30am ish) , I was
walking my dog on the flats downstream of Olive Farm and 2
Dolphins where moving along the bank , twisting and turning
in the water as we walked along the bank watching them ...
I do read most of your newsletters
, I like the stories , great you have put one of Paul Caffyn's
in as well. It's a side of canoeing most people dream about
but never get there ...
Regards Peter A. MARTIN
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