Latham’s Snipe project goes to Canberra!

December 05, 2016

On Sunday 27th November, Rich and Birgita drove up to Canberra to help Lori Gould and the Jerrabombera team catch snipe at their wetlands. The Woodlands and Wetlands Trust (Jerrabombera wetlands) have invested in satellite transmitters to deploy on their snipe, to complement their conservation work. Birgita and Rich spent 3 days in Canberra checking out the site, working out where to catch birds and finally putting nets, over 2 consecutive nights, in Kelly’ Swamp near the wetlands centre. Face fulls of insects and wading through floating grass paid off – the team caught 1 bird the first morning, and 5 birds the second morning. Everyone was thrilled to have catch success so early on, and it demonstrated the level of experience the Port Fairy team has gained in the 15 months of catching snipe.

Unfortunately, none of the birds was heavy enough to fit a transmitter, so the team will return again at the end of January to make another attempt. However, the time was not wasted. The team learnt a lot about the birds’ behaviour at Jerra, and also got the opportunity to speak to ABC Canberra about the project, see the news article Latham’s Snipe Conservation Project.

Thanks to Lori and her family for putting us up, and to Michael and Mark for sharing their knowledge about the birds and the area.