Bass Coast Shire Council is a proud partner of the 2023 Shearwater Program launching this week alongside Phillip Island Nature Parks, Regional Roads Victoria, AusNet Services, Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, the Victorian Ornithological Research Group and our local community.
This important initiative aims to protect the Short-tailed shearwater, a mid-sized migratory bird that travels to Australia annually to breed. Each autumn, the shearwaters embark on a 16,000 km round-trip, flying from Australia to Japan, via Siberia to Alaska, and back again in under four weeks!
Shearwaters breed on Australia’s southern coastline during summer, then in April adults leave for Alaska, leaving behind their young chicks. During the chicks’ training period as they learn to fly, they often land on roads around Phillip Island, drawn to streetlights and flat road surfaces that they mistake for the moon on the water. This results in injury or worse.
What the Shearwater Program is doing
To prevent the birds from being attracted to the lights on the San Remo bridge, AusNet Services will switch off the lights for up to 10 nights during the peak departure period. Phillip Island Nature Parks has already installed advanced technology and environmentally sensitive WE-EF Lighting illumination for the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre carpark, which has resulted in fewer shearwaters landing around the carpark.
How to support the migration
There are three key actions you can take to support the short-tailed shearwater migration.
