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The Eastern Curlews are preparing for their epic migration to the Northern Hemisphere.
Photo: Dave Newman
By Lisa Gilbert, Phillip Island Nature Parks
AS AUTUMN settles in, on Phillip Island (Milawul) the busy shorebird breeding season begins to wind down. While some devoted parents are still tending eggs or guiding their fast-growing chicks, many birds are already starting to gather into winter flocks. Before long, these fledglings along with their parents will begin moving off the island in search of new feeding grounds.
AS AUTUMN settles in, on Phillip Island (Milawul) the busy shorebird breeding season begins to wind down. While some devoted parents are still tending eggs or guiding their fast-growing chicks, many birds are already starting to gather into winter flocks. Before long, these fledglings along with their parents will begin moving off the island in search of new feeding grounds.
At the same time, our long-distance travellers are getting ready for the journey of a lifetime. Shorebirds that rely on the incredible East Asian-Australasian Flyway can now be spotted darting across the low tide mudflats, feeding with urgency to fuel up for their epic migration to the Northern Hemisphere.
The largest is the critically endangered Far Eastern Curlew which has evolved to store enough fuel to fly from here to China.
You can spot them around Rhyll Inlet where they are often joined by others such as Bar tailed Godwits, Red Knots and the smallest of the shorebirds, Red-Necked Stints, weighing in at just 25-50g. Their determination is a powerful reminder of just how extraordinary these birds are.
The largest is the critically endangered Far Eastern Curlew which has evolved to store enough fuel to fly from here to China.
You can spot them around Rhyll Inlet where they are often joined by others such as Bar tailed Godwits, Red Knots and the smallest of the shorebirds, Red-Necked Stints, weighing in at just 25-50g. Their determination is a powerful reminder of just how extraordinary these birds are.
The beach nesters
The ‘Sharing Our Shores’ campaign runs until April 30 and continues to raise community awareness about the importance of working together to protect the natural environment and vulnerable species like the hooded plover.
The 2025-26 hooded plover breeding season results so far are positive with nine fledglings recorded by mid-March with one nest remaining with two chicks.
The ‘Sharing Our Shores’ campaign runs until April 30 and continues to raise community awareness about the importance of working together to protect the natural environment and vulnerable species like the hooded plover.
The 2025-26 hooded plover breeding season results so far are positive with nine fledglings recorded by mid-March with one nest remaining with two chicks.
Photo: Phil Johnstone, Phillip Island Nature Parks
To help the hooded plover throughout the 2025-26 breeding season, staff and volunteers carefully monitor nesting sites and collect vital data. When eggs are found, a nest refuge is installed, complete with signage, rope fences and in some locations shelters for chicks and nest monitoring cameras.
Autumn marks the end of the season for our beach nesters. Many pairs begin forming winter flocks and with fledglings may move off the island to the Mornington Peninsula /west coast or east to the Bass Coast.
Autumn marks the end of the season for our beach nesters. Many pairs begin forming winter flocks and with fledglings may move off the island to the Mornington Peninsula /west coast or east to the Bass Coast.
In the water
As we move towards the end of the little penguin breeding season on Phillip Island (Milawul), only a few late Little Penguin chicks remain in their burrows. Analysis of the breeding season is currently underway.
Many adult penguins have returned to sea to forage, building up vital body reserves in preparation for the annual moult, and across the colony, we’re now seeing penguins in various stages of the moult process, some looking scruffy and puffed-up with swollen flippers as new feathers push through, while others are already showing off a complete set of beautiful new blue feathers ready for the year ahead.
Although not all penguins breed every year, every adult penguin must undergo what is known as a ‘catastrophic moult’. The moult is a complete replacement of all their roughly 10,000 feathers over a period of a few weeks. For a species that spends 80% of their lives in the water it is a vital process to replace worn feathers and to maintain waterproofing.
As we move towards the end of the little penguin breeding season on Phillip Island (Milawul), only a few late Little Penguin chicks remain in their burrows. Analysis of the breeding season is currently underway.
Many adult penguins have returned to sea to forage, building up vital body reserves in preparation for the annual moult, and across the colony, we’re now seeing penguins in various stages of the moult process, some looking scruffy and puffed-up with swollen flippers as new feathers push through, while others are already showing off a complete set of beautiful new blue feathers ready for the year ahead.
Although not all penguins breed every year, every adult penguin must undergo what is known as a ‘catastrophic moult’. The moult is a complete replacement of all their roughly 10,000 feathers over a period of a few weeks. For a species that spends 80% of their lives in the water it is a vital process to replace worn feathers and to maintain waterproofing.
A breeding pair in one of our study site nest boxes. The male on the right is in the early stage of moult and the female is almost complete. Photo: PINP
Because the penguins lose waterproofing during this time, the birds must remain on land and cannot feed. They spend several weeks beforehand at sea, fattening up and in some cases nearly doubling their weight before coming ashore. This shift in season is reflected in our nightly parade counts, which have dropped from an average of 885 penguins per night in January to 389 per night in February.
1 Comments
Thank you for this report Lisa, and thanks to Phillip Island Nature Parks staff and volunteers who monitor and assist these all of these extraordinary bird species we are privileged to share the island with.