Safe sanctuary for birds opens

Fremantle Ports’ Rous Head fairy tern sanctuary is now open for the new breeding season, offering a managed conservation area for the listed threatened bird species. Chick shelters are out, pest control has been in place for months and new signage has been erected, said the port authority.

Port environmental advisor Adam van der Beeke said the volunteer-run sanctuary, created by Fremantle Ports on reclaimed land at Rous Head, North Fremantle in 2013, was the most successful fairy tern breeding site in the Perth metropolitan area last summer and has been for the last few years.

“We want to ensure this vulnerable bird species has another successful breeding season this summer,” Mr van der Beeke said.

Population steady

Since the area was constructed, the adult breeding population has grown from 90 adult pairs in 2013-14 to 250 adult pairs in 2017-18 and 220 pairs in 2018-19.

Researcher Claire Greenwell, whose PhD research is on the Australian fairy tern, said the birds usually arrived for breeding at the Rous Head sanctuary in late November when bait fish are available.

Ms Greenwell explained the sanctuary’s location on reclaimed land was ideal for the terns as it was adjacent to the ocean and fenced to reduce human disturbance. Fairy terns, which make nests in the shelly sand, are also vulnerable to predators, so proactive pest management is carried out by the port authority.

“The chick production from the sanctuary is a major contributor for the whole south-west migratory population, making this a particularly important site for the species,” Ms Greenwell said.

Her research has been aided by Fremantle Ports providing sponsorship for her research project into site establishment requirements, and breeding and feeding ecology of the terns. The outcomes of this research will be used to guide management programmes for the species in the future.