March 3, 2023
Our speaker was ornithologist and conservation biologist Dr Claire Greenwell, who has a passion for seabirds. Claire has recently completed her PhD on the conservation of Australian Fairy Terns (Sternula neiris neiris) and is the convenor of the WA Fairy Tern Network.
Fairy Terns are the smallest of tern species to breed in southwestern Australia. Fairy Terns plunge into the water in flight and catch mostly small bait fish such as Sprats (Whitebait) and Hardyheads. They form colonies and usually lay 1 to 2 eggs each, which they incubate for 21 days. The chicks can fly 22 days later. They have a protracted breeding season because it is asynchronous. The nest is a shallow scrape in the sand, so the eggs and chicks are vulnerable, resulting in low breeding success. They use a range of coastal habitats such as river mouths, the sand bar at Point Walter, Penguin Island, and the salt lakes at Rottnest. There are 5-6000 Fairy Terns between the Pilbara and Israelite Bay on the WA coast. On the Pilbara islands, they breed in winter, but from Perth to Bunbury, they breed in spring and summer.
Fairy Terns are listed as “vulnerable”. Flooding and predation are the main threats to nesting birds. Beach recreation and 4WD vehicles are a threat, especially as the nests blend in well and are hard to see. Off-lead dogs are a thread, as well as Silver Gulls, foxes, and cats. (One cat in Mandurah lead to the abandonment of 110 nests.) There is also habitat loss. Disturbance can cause heat stress, temporary nest abandonment, reduced feeding rates and clutch failure.
The WA Fairy Tern Network was formed in 2016 to coordinate local recovery efforts. This has 500 members, including citizen scientists. It coordinates conservation action, does research, shares information, and provides education about Fairy Terns. Colour-coded banding is used for mark-and-recapture records. Signage and barrier fencing are erected, and sometimes chick shelters are built. Claire stressed the importance of early detection of colonies so that conservation action can be done in time to protect colonies.
Some local Councils, such as the City of Melville, have promoted positive attitudes and community engagement. “Nippers” are being trained to be “guardians of the beach”. Claire said that at Point Walter, kite surfers respect the nesting area, and the public seems to respect the fence built across the Point Walter spit, leaving the colony undisturbed.
We can all help by noticing signs of nesting, such as birds high on the beach and sitting low, birds carrying fish to the young, moving stones and shells for camouflage, and driving off gulls. And we can notice signs of threats, such as car tracks, predator tracks and dogs running free. We can report these observations to Claire at the WA Fairy Tern Network (cgreenwell@iinet.net.au), but we should never share locations on social media.
Claire hopes her research and the public’s cooperation will help Fairy Terns recover here and overseas. There are a few other species of terns. For simplicity, it is easiest to say they are the smallest species in southwestern Australia.
Mike Gregson