Island Arks conference Fiji October 2017
In October I was at the Island Arks conference in Fiji; and gave a presentation on the success to date of one island – Lord Howe Island – in reducing plastic waste. Very well received.
2017 Landbird surveys
In September the 3rd Landbird surveys were carried out on the island. This is part of pre-rodent eradication monitoring and was carried out with volunteers from Canberra Ornithological G roup.
Horsfields bronze cuckoo
18 September a Horsfields bronze cuckoo was seen around the airport terminal area feeding on ants in the short grass. Only the second record of this bird on Lord Howe Island.
Brown wood lark -a new bird record
On 9th September Mark Ley of Woodford NSW spotted a Brown songlark at the Old Settlement paddock – this is the first record of this bird for Lord Howe Island – and it is still there 15 September.
August 2017 Friends of LHI weeding tour
In August the 83rd Friends of Lord Howe Island weeding ecotour was run. It was just a small group, but had an important task to complete – to cut and paint a large infestation of Fan flower (Scaevola sp) that had been introduced onto Blinky Beach dune with the airstrip construction in 1974. The group […]
April 2016 Filming for Coast series
April 2016 Neil Oliver and the team from Coast visited Lord Howe Island for a series about coast around Australia. I took them on a walk south to explain the geological origins of the island and the Providence petrels. Neil said the Providence petrel experience was one of the most amazing things he had ever […]
2017 Victoria University Island Biology field trip
The fourth year this has run, and another great group of 12 enthusiastic students keen to lean about how plant and animal species reach an island; and the process that species undergo after they arrive. The students enjoyed walks over Transit Hill, Malabar and Kim’s Lookout, North Bay and the Goathouse Cave walk. As a […]
April 2017 shearwater and plastic research
The team this year consisted of Ian Hutton, Jennifer Lavers Alex Bond and various volunteers over for periods through the fortnight to assist. The Flesh footed shearwaters had the usuals amounts of plastic in the stomachs; but we had extreme trouble finding enough Wedge-tailed shearwaters for good statistical numbers. It appears that the 2016/2017 season […]
May 2017 Friends of Lord Howe Island weeding trip
A big week with many of the regular Friend members along for this week, with a variety of weeding activities. – Edie’s Glen restoration; removal of Sea spurge from the Lagoon dunes, some Ground asparagus on Transit Hill. For a new project, the group went by boat out in the Lagoon to Blackburn Island where […]
Birdweek March 19 to 26 2017
A small group joined in to experience March on Lord Howe Island. This is the month it is possible to see all seabird species that breed on the island, and that was achieved with good sightings of all. Many of the waders were starting to change into their brighter breeding plumage before heading off for […]