Turtle

Cleanup Australia Day 2020

by BIEPA March 3, 2020

BIEPA again participated in Clean-Up Australia Day and, as last year, our site was White Patch.
Some 16 volunteers went to work along the foreshore and the adjacent streets.  It was pleasing to see that there was considerably less rubbish than last year, in particular a sharp reduction in the number of bottles and cans, undoubtedly as a result of the Container Recycling Scheme.

A stranded Juvenile Green turtle was released by a Bribie Turtle Carer, after being found by BIEPA Clean Up Australia Day volunteers (Ali and Ron) entangled in fishing line that was snagged to a branch in the mangroves along the White Patch foreshore. The young turtle was attached to the branch, exhausted and stranded in the mud on the low tide. If BIEPA’s  Clean Up Australia Day volunteers and our Turtle Carer had not been collecting rubbish along the White Patch foreshore,  this young Green may not have been rescued.  See the happy ending on the video below.  

BIEPA asks that recreational fishers learn how to unsnag their lines without losing the hook and, if necessary, dispose of their waste fishing line and tackle responsibly.  Please do NOT leave it floating in our waterways.

 

See the happy ending on this video.


Thank you to Ali King for sharing her video of this rescue with BIEPA

Koalasign

Finally declare our precious koalas as endangered

by BIEPA February 26, 2020

Please sign this petition:


Sussan Ley: Finally declare our precious koalas as endangered and help by adding your name.

Our goal is to reach 200,000 signatures and we need more support.

You can read more and sign the petition here

http://chng.it/rsmmhP59Vs

Thanks Vanda (aka Wanda) Grabowski, President/Secretary, Koala Action Inc.

BIEPA FEEDBACK ON BIRDS QUEENSLAND OUTING TO BRIBIE ISLAND 2019

by BIEPA November 1, 2019

Dear BIEPA Members, Affiliates and Friends

We thought you would enjoy this feedback from BIEPA member, Anne Bradley, on a wonderful day out birding with Birds Queensland.
Anne also regaled the attendees at Monday night’s BIEPA meeting.

Just click on the heading below and you will see some of Anne’s wonderful photos.

from BIEPA Management Committee.

Birds Queensland outing to Bribie 2019

To view a few photos from the day, please use ‘control click’ on the title above.  When the photos come up, you can click on the first one to enlarge it and then click on the ‘i’ icon at the top right of the screen to view my titles.  I hope that I haven’t made any mistakes!

 

Members of Birds Queensland have visited Bribie 35 times since 1975.  They go to a wide variety of habitats on the island to take a census of the birds: Buckley’s Hole, Red Beach, the road to the sewage works (off First Avenue), Kakadu bird hide, Wright’s Creek, White Patch, Star Marina and Bibimulya.  It is a matter of honour for them to be able to see over 100 different species in a day.  This year and last, BIEPA has been invited to participate and I have gone along, last year with only one other member, this year with several.  They make us very welcome and even supply us with good quality binoculars for the day.

 

I am enormously impressed by the ability of members of the group to spot birds that I would never have found by myself.  Believe me, it is amazing!  Sometimes, they identify the calls first and then find the birds.  Often, I can’t even see them when they are pointed out to me.  This year, over 90 different species were identified in the first three hours and 121 during the day, with 6 others heard but not seen.

 

The highlight for many people was the Common Sandpiper that was spotted at Star Marina towards the end of the day.  This is not at all a common bird here, despite its name.  Of course, this was one of the birds that I failed to see, despite the earnest attempts of other people to point it out to me, so, sadly, I can’t include a photo of it.

 

It was a very rewarding and busy day but one doesn’t have to stay for all of it, one can ‘slope off’ at any time.  Do come along next year, it is a great day out.

 

Anne Bradley

28th October 2019

Birds Queensland outing to Bribie 2019

Impact of Fireworks and Litter Pollution

by BIEPA October 21, 2019
BIEPA received a photo of litter picked up along Spinnaker Sound beach after a New Year’s Eve fireworks event at the Sandstone Point Hotel.
BIEPA sent the following letter to the Minister for Environment asking the Minister to act on this noise and litter pollution affecting the migratory shorebirds and marine life in the Pumicestone Passage and Moreton Bay Marine Park.
Warning: you may find some photos distressing

A Wander through the Wallum – Spring 2019

by BIEPA September 9, 2019

Some 100 Members and Visitors joined BIEPA’s annual “Wonders of the Wallum” Wildflower Walk on Sunday, 1 September, through heathland at the top of Cotterill Avenue, Bongaree. 

We were again blessed with good weather and, although the long dry period had had an impact on some of the species, there were still many beautiful flowers to be seen. 

We would like to thank Allan Carr of Native Plants Queensland who, as every year, shared his knowledge with the group and had prepared the tags to identify the different plants. 

Thanks also to our photographers and to everyone who contributed to the success of this event, which again attracted enthusiasts not only from the local area but from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and elsewhere.

We look forward to welcoming you all again next year!