Please join in the coast counts for the 2016-2017 PIP season.
Pick your own date in November, December of January or synchronise with Birdlife NQ on 19 November 2016.
Count guidelines have been updated. Please see count details for the current season.
Please keep an eye out for the first PIPs of the season!
When you spot the first PIPs in your area, please send in the details here.
If you can, please plan ahead for the new season’s coast counts.
Green Island counters Gerry and Carolyn reported their highest count on 16 January with a total of 10,925 PIPs, then a substantial decrease to 3,821 on 21 February.
At Low Isles the count teams reported exceptionally high numbers for both months: 35,243 for January and 35,848 for February.
Many thanks to everyone who counted PIPs during the 2015 season! The real value of this data series INCREASES with every additional season, so please plan ahead for the 2016 season if you can.
Experienced counters might like to go straight to the count_guidelines_and_data_sheets
count_guidelines_and_data_sheets here.
Read on below if you’d like to know what’s involved
We need more help cover as many places as possible. Any time in November, December and January is great. If you can do mid-November that is extra good.
Easy to do: choose your own site on the coast (anywhere from Gladstone to Cape York) and watch from 4 to 6 pm on any afternoon.
PIPs/TIPs are easy birds to identify, and you only need to count those that fly out to sea from the coast.
Just one count at your chosen site is fine, more are extra good! The aim is to cover as much of Queensland’s “PIP-coastline” as possible, and it would be ideal if you can ask friends to count at other sites near yours. Follow-up counts add value. If you have time to count more than once that will be hugely appreciated.
Get details and data sheets HERE.
If you want to ask additional questions please contact Julia Hazel.
Low Isles Preservation Society (LIPS) will host an evening in Port Douglas to focus on Far North Queensland’s “Flying Superstars” a.k.a Torres Strait Pigeons / Pied Imperial Pigeons.
When: Wednesday 2 December, starting 7 PM
Where: The Clink Theatre, Port Douglas
There will be a screening of a new documentary “Coming of the White Birds”, about the conservation effort started 50 years ago, when Torres Strait Pigeons were almost wiped out at some of their breeding colonies. The film will be followed by an update about the pigeons at Low Isles, recent counts, research and monitoring.
This will be an informal evening with time for discussion and catching up with friends of Low Isles and its wonderful wildlife. All welcome.
The latest Birdlife NQ count of PIPs/TIPs flying out from the mainland in the Mission Beach area was conducted on 21 November 2015 with wonderful help from 20 volunteers.
For the four long-term sites, the grand total was 3,736. This is the highest total since 2009, a most welcome result. Of concern, there was possibly some overlap in sightings (see below).
Site totals were: Garners Beach 1122, Bingil Bay 742, Wongaling 468, South Mission Beach 1404.
Special thanks to three energetic volunteers who travelled the extra distance to count at Kurramine. This site, a more recent addition to the count program, was missed last year due to insufficient participants.
The Kurramine team reported a total of 1325 birds flying SE (potentially toward the Brook Islands) but some of these birds were thought to have crossed the coast further north. Thus the latest Kurramine total is not directly comparable with prior counts of birds observed to fly out across the coast.
The Kurramine counters also recorded an additional 3015 birds, all flying well out over the sea (not crossing the coast) and heading northwards, a remarkable observation.
The Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation (C4) group very kindly allowed us to use their conference room at Mission Beach for a meeting before the count. We began with a screening of the new documentary film “Coming of the White Birds” that was enjoyed by additional visitors as well as count volunteers. The movie was followed by interesting discussions and suggestions for future improvements in communicating with new counters.
Another need for improvement is in the definition of site boundaries, to avoid possible double counting that could occur if the same birds were seen concurrently from two adjacent sites, in cases where both sites have keen-sighted observers and binocular users. It seems this could possibly occur between South Mission Beach and Wongaling, and between Garners and Kurramine. We aim to clarify between-site boundaries for next year.
I’m sorry we have no pictures for this report as yet. However, two kind photographers have offered to send contributions. I will add photos when received.
Once again, many thanks indeed to all particpants!
Julia Hazel
Starting 1.30pm at C4 Centre, Mission Beach, includes a film screening: “The Coming of the White Birds” (read more here) and information session for count volunteers. Everyone is welcome. Participating as a counter is optional. All help will be much appreciated. Please see below to register.
Following the briefing, all counters disperse to their allocated sites and watch from 4 pm to dusk, counting any pigeons flying out from the shoreline towards island roosting sites.
After the count there is an informal get-together over dinner. Most counters stay overnight and of course Mission Beach offers plenty of accommodation options.
If you can help with counting, please register with Trish.
Coastal counts: all through November and December
Count at your own site, choose an afternoon that suits you, read more here.
PIP/TIP evening event at Port Douglas on 2 December, all welcome, details here.
New sightings have been trickling in throughout September as arriving PIPs spread southwards.
First-of-season birds were sighted early in September at Coquette Point (thanks to Yvonne and Ruth, who had already heard the first coos in August), by mid-month in Townsville (thanks to Jenny, Malcolm, Cecily, Elizabeth) and towards the end of the month near Bowen and at Slade Point (thanks to Terry and friends).
The first PIP breeding activity of the new season was observed in Cairns during the second week of September, with one PIP seen flying with nesting material (thanks Brian). Later in month some of the PIPs at Low Isles built nests and began incubation (thanks to Wayne). By the end of the month Cairns had several occupied nests and some unsuccesssful starts (again thanks to Brian).
Final update for September: a pair of PIPs looks to be interested in the same tree that hosted a nest previously (see photo below, thanks to Jenny) although last season was unsuccessful there.
A wonderful new film was recently launched! “The Coming of the White Birds” celebrates an amazing half-century of conservation effort on behalf of PIPs at the Brook Islands near Hinchinbrook.
Read about the film and the launch event here.
There will be a public screening of the film at the Birdlife Mission Beach PIP count in November – see here for details and please join in if you can.
Above: Late arriving PIPs fly in towards North Brook Island while counters on the boat keep a running tally of PIP numbers. Photo courtesy of D. Dickson, a longstanding member of the dedicated count team.