Flinders Island Trip

I've just gotten off the plane from Flinders Island. I got a phonecall on Friday asking if I was interested in flying to Flinders on Sunday to do some seabird work. As if I wouldn't be. Even with still trying to get over the cold and having had 3 days off, I was keen to go. We flew out on Sunday arvo so we could have a good early start on the boat on Monday. The wildlife biologist I went with is as nutty about birds as I am, so the first thing we did was go around the island a bit to do some twitching. Then it was dinner at the pub at Lady Barren and back off to Whitemark to our pub/hotel for an early night. We started at 6:30 the next morning and I can tell you that climbing from the wharf onto a big cray boat, across it, and then down onto our much smaller fishing boat is not something that should be attempted that early in the morning. I dont know how none of us fell in.

The boat ride from Lady Barren to our first island was an hour and a half and it was beautiful. We surveyed three islands, but half our day was taken up with travelling in the boat. Not that I mind sitting back in the boat watching the scenery speed past and the occassional interesting bird or seal.

Anyway, the actual work itself was surveying Short-tailed Shearwater (mutton bird) chicks to determine stock level and harvesting restrictions for the upcoming season (people eat them, but I have no idea why you'd want to personally). The process involves putting out a transect and checking every burrow along it and 1m either side of it to see if there's a chick in it. This means laying on the ground and putting your entire arm in the burrow and feeling around - sometimes your arm isnt long enough and you have to use your arm plus a long stick. If there's a chick in the burrow it will start pecking you or the stick. If you can reach the chick you then gently pull it out to weigh it. Thankfully, there were no snakes on the islands we surveyed so the only other things down the burrows were penguins. You have to be a lot more careful on the islands inhabited by snakes.

We spent all yesterday out surveying and then it was back to Flinders for dinner and the night at the pub at Whitemark. And then it was back on the plane to Launny this morning. A flying visit, but it was definitely worth it.

Main road at Whitemark - our hotel on the right.

Flinders Island scenery.


The beach at Whitemark.

Sunrise on the boat.

Chappel Island - home of the giant tiger snakes.

Surveying one of the smaller islands.

Me with a mutton bird chick. Notice how dirty I am :)

Weighing some chicks.

Muttonbird Burrow

The landing beach on one of the smaller islands.