The wildlife rescue organisation Australian Seabird Rescue held a pelican workshop in Narooma on Friday morning to get the word out about the important work they do.
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“It’s all about local people for local birds,” ASR South Coast branch coordinator Kirsten Hort said. “We are encouraging new members to join and getting the word out about what people should do if they see an injured bird.”
Since 2005, the South Coast branch had rescued 1200 pelicans tangled in fishing line and suffering other injuries, while hundreds of other birds from albatrosses to cormorants to penguins and even the humble seagull had also been rescued.
There was quite a knack to catching an injured pelican, and the new potential rescue volunteers were shown the technique of luring in the birds with fish into a spot on the shore where a snare had been set.
The idea was for the pelican to be caught in the thick monofilament line and then brought in with a flexible pole, with safety of the volunteers being important at all time, Ms Hort said.
“Pelicans are very opportunistic and will look for a feed wherever they can get it,” she said.
Fortunately, all the pelicans spotted at Narooma this time were in good health and did not require capture or treatment, but this was not always the case as there had been numerous rescues of pelicans in the Narooma region thanks to trained volunteers such as Peter West from Tuross Head. Click here to read more
The ASR South Coast branch was on a current field trip educating and recruiting all the way down the South Coast to Eden. There would be additional pelican rescue workshop in Batemans Bay in the near future.
If you are interested in participating in an upcoming workshop or to reports an injured seabird, call the ASR hotline on 0431 282 238. It’s a great idea to enter this number in your mobile phone for quick access should you ever see an injured bird.