Know Your Nature Parks - Spring 2024

Spring is an exciting time in nature with more sunshine energising people, plants and wildlife. It’s breeding season for many species, and migratory birds will begin arriving on our shores, including sandpipers, curlews, godwits, plovers, knots and stints. Short-tailed shearwaters also return to Phillip Island to renovate their sand dune burrows – watch for them flying overhead at sunset. 

In The Skies – Birdlife

Hooded plovers

Nesting season begins with hooded plovers forming partnerships and searching for nesting sites. Our team monitors beaches and dunes, particularly along high tide lines, to assist these threatened birds by setting up signs and roped-off areas for protection.

Image 1: A pair of hooded plovers

Image 2: A scrape at Surf Beach

Short-tailed shearwaters

Expected to return in September from their Aleutian Island feeding grounds, short-tailed shearwaters can be seen shearing above the waterline at sunset. While walking, be mindful to stick to tracks in the dunes to avoid disturbing their burrows.

Image 3: Shearwaters flocking over the surf

On Our Shores and In Our Waters

Little penguins 

There is never a dull moment for little penguins. Over the next few months, expect to see a lot of terrestrial activity, including burrow attendance, nest building, egg laying and chick raising.

• The penguins have kicked off an early breeding season with most birds sitting on eggs as we head into spring.
• Some early breeders already have chicks close to fledging, allowing plenty of time for second clutches.

Image 4: Penguins begin their dash across the Summerland beach. Photo by Allison Boehm.

Sailing drone

This amazing bit of gear maps penguin feeding grounds and has now completed a full season mapping the Bunurong Coast providing an underwater insight of little penguin prey.

You can learn more and tune in for project updates here.

Image 5: The sailing drone offshore of the Wonthaggi Desalination Plant.

Seals

Australian fur seal pups have fully moulted into their waterproof two-layered coat and are starting to explore the waters around Seal Rocks, venturing further to play and explore as they prepare for weaning and having to find their own food. This is a great time to book a Seal Rocks cruise with Wildlife Coast Cruises, book here. 

Pregnant adult females are starting to ‘show’ and huge bull fur seals are visiting to check-in before the pup births and breeding season begins in November.

If you venture out to Seal Rocks this spring in your watercraft, remember to stay 60 m away for a recreational boat and 260 m away for a jet ski.

Image 6: Bull Australian fur seal resting on Seal Rocks August 2024. Photo by Adam Yaney-Keller while on a research trip.

On The Ground with Threatened Species

30-Year Conservation Vision

The Nature Parks collaborated with the local community to re-shape the 30-Year Conservation Vision for Phillip Island (Millowl). Input from consultation sessions will guide future direction, projects and activities and inform strategic planning for the next five years.

Bush stone-curlews 

Phillip Island Nature Parks released bush stone-curlews from Odonata Foundation’s Mt Rothwell Sanctuary onto fox-free Phillip Island (Millowl). This release marks the first trial in a long-term project that researchers hope will cast a lifeline to the Critically Endangered species in south-eastern Australia.  

Image 7: One of the founder birds in an enclosure at Mt Rothwell.

The landmark reintroduction program in partnership between the Nature Parks, Odonata Foundation and The Australian National University’s (ANU) Coexistence Conservation Lab and sponsored by the Penguin Foundation, aims to improve the long-term survival of the bush stone-curlew in south-eastern Australia. 

Researchers will monitor the birds in the wild using GPS trackers carried in miniature backpacks and using unique identification bands. This will allow them to assess the birds’ survival, habitat use, movement patterns, and reproductive success.
In the early stages of release, the birds are particularly vulnerable whilst they adapt to survival in the wild. It will take time to establish a population with researchers expecting challenges and setbacks along the way.

Image 8: A founding curlew is fitted with a GPS backpack.

Phillip Island once supported a wild population of bush stone-curlews, but there have been no recorded sightings since the 1970s due to fox predation. Currently, only an estimated 50 to 100 birds remain in Victoria.   

If the trial is successful, up to 60 birds may be released over the next three years in a bid to establish a self-sustaining population on Phillip Island.  

Learn more about this ground-dwelling, nocturnal bird known for its resounding call.

Fairy terns

Our team will monitor the Critically Endangered fairy tern at Observation Point this spring.  Rejuvenation of their habitat has taken place through the partnership of the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and with the support of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Nature Fund, the Penguin Foundation and Melbourne Water. Fairy terns nest above the high-tide mark on sandy beaches, laying one or two speckled eggs in shallow scrapes.

Image 9: Careful spraying of marram grass to benefit spinifex.

Flora

The warm weather of spring brings a flush of new plant growth, with a display of flowers and an increase in pollinating bugs within the reserves.

Creepers that go unnoticed throughout most of the year, such as small-leaved clematis, wonga vine and love creeper, drape trails of flowers over other trees and shrubs providing splashes of yellow, pink and purple.

Image 10: Wonga Vine

Many of the lilies and orchids flower in spring. Look out for patches of pink fairy orchids, often found growing under coast tea tree. Ground flora is threatened by herbivores, so you may see wire cages and coops around the reserves protecting vulnerable orchids, lilies and trigger plants.

The woodlands are full of common brown butterflies, jezebel butterflies, gnats, honey brown beetles, green jewel beetles and ubiquitous flies and mosquitoes. These insects play a crucial role as pollinators for many plants and food sources for birds.

Image 11: Green jewel beetle on a prickly tea tree

Image 12: Look out for these Spring bloomers

Reserves

During May and June, the Nature Parks trained fire crew worked alongside Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (BLCAC) and Country Fire Authority (CFA) to conduct a controlled burn across approximately 0.5 ha of the Kitty Miller Bay foreshore reserve. This provided a great opportunity for learning and collaboration between the organisations. The Nature Parks will continue to monitor the recovery of the burn and conduct weed control as required.

Images 13 and 14: Kitty Miller Bay foreshore ecological burn

In The Trees

Koalas 

If you take a springtime walk among the gum trees at the Koala Conservation Reserve and the nearby Oswin Roberts Reserve look out for:

• A koala joey in the Koala Boardwalk. This joey is now out of mum’s, Trixie’s, pouch and exploring.
• One male koala, named Sir Truffles, from Ballarat Wildlife Park has arrived on loan.
• Two wild koalas, a male and a female were spotted in Oswin Roberts Reserve in July.

Infrastructure projects

The Infrastructure and Planning team has been working to provide upgraded facilities and amenities around the Nature Parks, including:

• A new accessible toilet amenity at Pyramid Rock.
• In partnership with the Bass Coast Shire Council, upgrading the Cowes-Rhyll Trail to be a shared path with improved accessibility.
• Restoration works to the historic buildings at Churchill Island Heritage Farm.
• Works to occur in the coming months on upgrading the Forrest Caves stairway.
• Work to continue reinvigorating the boardwalks and viewing stands at the Penguin Parade.

Image 15: Replacing the roof on the historic Amess house with a traditional profile.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

• A review was taken of the rehabilitation of seabirds to look at current practices and update to align with global standards. The review was conducted by Zoos Victoria who engaged with the Nature Parks staff and outside entities to develop the new Standards of Care for Seabirds and Waterbirds. This document will be used as a reference for the ongoing rehabilitation of seabird species that come into care at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

• A ‘Passive Disease Risk’ project has commenced in collaboration with Melbourne University to help establish a data bank of disease risk to little penguins. Samples will be collected from deceased penguins to analyse diseases prevalent in the species. The project is set to run for three years.

• With the arrival of spring, baby birds are on the move. As they leave the nest, they may need to spend some time on the ground to help develop. If you see a baby bird on the ground, keep your distance and observe from afar. The parents are likely nearby and may swoop if you get too close. If you are concerned the chick has injuries or has been abandoned, please seek advice from Wildlife Victoria on 03 8400 7300.

• With summer is just around the corner and water becoming scarcer for wildlife, consider leaving a shallow dish of water in your garden. Place a stick in the water to provide an escape route for any creatures that might get stuck. Remember to make it accessible for echidnas and bandicoots as well!

Image 16: A penguin completes a swim test while in care

Keeping wildlife wild – the greatest thing you can do for wildlife is to keep it wild. Always maintain a safe distance and remember how fortunate we are to share our beautiful island home with them.

Take care when driving on Phillip Island especially at dawn, dusk and at night when wildlife is most active. To report injured wildlife, call Wildlife Victoria on (03) 8400 7300.

For more information on living with wildlife please visit https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/protecting-wildlife/protecting-wildlife.

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