MYSTERIOUS REMAINS: The severed and quite
decayed head of a crested penguin was found at Mystery Bay beach,
confounding the experts.
16 Nov, 2011
LITTLE did neighbours and local Coastcare volunteers Christina
Potts and Mandy Anderson realize how much interest and furious research
activity they were going to stir up when they discovered the severed and
quite decayed head of a crested penguin.The remains were found on the foreshore at Mystery Bay beach just south of Narooma on the Far South Coast of NSW.
“Numerous people must have walked past it and not realized the significance of such a rare visitor to our shores,” Christina said.
“The yellow crest was quite evident and the three-part bill, which is diagnostic of penguins, was in reasonable condition.
“Even the little tongue could be seen inside the gape.”
Numerous photographs were taken of the head from a variety of angles, and the remains were collected for safe storage.
The Coastcare members began a quest to try to identify the bird and to attempt to discover how it might have met its fate and ended up at Mystery Bay.
“We contacted a penguin research facility on Phillip Island and emailed Birds Australia,” she said.
“Both of these contacts passed our requests on to the same person – the man who is the foremost penguin researcher in Australia, who is based in Melbourne.
“His response further sharpened our excitement and enthusiasm, and sent us on a new path of penguin fascination.
“Each of the experts we have contacted has tentatively identified the bird as a Fjordland Penguin, an extremely rare visitor.”
These birds breed and live in the Fjordland area of New Zealand’s South Island and rarely arrive on Australian shores.
When they do, it is almost invariably the result of a severe weather event.
There have only been two recordings of this bird in NSW.
Many more photographs were taken, under expert guidance and instruction. The possibility of the bird being a Snares Penguin is also under consideration.
Ultimately the goal is for the penguin’s remains to be housed amongst the avian collection at the Australian Museum in Sydney.
“It is very exciting to think that a specimen found by volunteers such as us may end up in the Australian Museum,” Christina said.
“It just goes to show that it pays to keep your eyes open to changes in your local area.”
The discovery of this rare penguin at Mystery Bay is an example of the contribution that observant members of the public can make to our cumulative knowledge of how native animals use their environment. Observations such as this can help in the study of how patterns of habitat use change over a long time.
Citizen Science such as this type of discovery and the ongoing care and conservation work carried out by members of the public such these Coastcare volunteers can make a real and significant contribution to understanding how our local land and aquatic ecosystems function.
Mystery Bay Coastcare always welcomes interested helpers and meets at the front beach car park on the first Wednesday of each month at 9.30am.
“Numerous people must have walked past it and not realized the significance of such a rare visitor to our shores,” Christina said.
“The yellow crest was quite evident and the three-part bill, which is diagnostic of penguins, was in reasonable condition.
“Even the little tongue could be seen inside the gape.”
Numerous photographs were taken of the head from a variety of angles, and the remains were collected for safe storage.
The Coastcare members began a quest to try to identify the bird and to attempt to discover how it might have met its fate and ended up at Mystery Bay.
“We contacted a penguin research facility on Phillip Island and emailed Birds Australia,” she said.
“Both of these contacts passed our requests on to the same person – the man who is the foremost penguin researcher in Australia, who is based in Melbourne.
“His response further sharpened our excitement and enthusiasm, and sent us on a new path of penguin fascination.
“Each of the experts we have contacted has tentatively identified the bird as a Fjordland Penguin, an extremely rare visitor.”
These birds breed and live in the Fjordland area of New Zealand’s South Island and rarely arrive on Australian shores.
When they do, it is almost invariably the result of a severe weather event.
There have only been two recordings of this bird in NSW.
Many more photographs were taken, under expert guidance and instruction. The possibility of the bird being a Snares Penguin is also under consideration.
Ultimately the goal is for the penguin’s remains to be housed amongst the avian collection at the Australian Museum in Sydney.
“It is very exciting to think that a specimen found by volunteers such as us may end up in the Australian Museum,” Christina said.
“It just goes to show that it pays to keep your eyes open to changes in your local area.”
The discovery of this rare penguin at Mystery Bay is an example of the contribution that observant members of the public can make to our cumulative knowledge of how native animals use their environment. Observations such as this can help in the study of how patterns of habitat use change over a long time.
Citizen Science such as this type of discovery and the ongoing care and conservation work carried out by members of the public such these Coastcare volunteers can make a real and significant contribution to understanding how our local land and aquatic ecosystems function.
Mystery Bay Coastcare always welcomes interested helpers and meets at the front beach car park on the first Wednesday of each month at 9.30am.
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