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Friday, September 27, 2019

SPEAKERS REPORT: Friday 06 September : Christmas Island Bird ‘n’ Nature Week, 2018

Deb and Mike Ford gave a detailed presentation about their week on Christmas Island from 28 August to 04 September 2018. Commencing with general information about the island’s people, climate, geology, and history, the illustrated talk covered the various activities in which they had participated. Members were introduced to the expert guides who took small groups around the island, giving them insights and access to locations and information not available to the self-guided tourist. Each evening the guides spoke about their own particular research interest, association with Christmas Island, and ongoing conservation programs. 
Seabirds were a big drawcard, in particular the endangered, endemic, golden morph of the White-tailed Tropic-bird and the rare, endemic, Christmas Island Frigate bird and Abbott’s Booby. Great and Lesser Frigate birds, Red-tailed Tropicbirds, Red-footed Boobies, Brown Boobies, and the Common Noddy were all available in their hundreds.
There are only a few land bird species on the Island, but participation in the endemic Christmas Island Goshawk Research Program was an enormous privilege. Some birds, such as the endangered Emerald Dove are local sub-species of larger groups, others like the Christmas Island Hawk Owl are endemic, and a few, for example the White-faced Heron, are self-introduced to the Island. 
Although not on the Island at the time of the famous Red Crab migration, they were readily seen in the forests, as were Robber Crabs and freshwater Blue Crabs. The interesting breeding requirements of all three crabs were described, and their importance to the Island’s ecology. 
As with many small islands, there are threats from introduced species: Yellow Crazy Ants, Giant Centipedes, Giant African Land Snails, cats, rats, and snakes. The CI Blue-tailed Skink and Lister’s Gecko are extinct in the wild and they are the subject of active breeding programs, but the last CI Pipistrelle Bat, whose extinction was predicted, was recorded in 2009. The single most serious threat to the Island is from Yellow Crazy Ants.  They have reduced the Red Crab population from 100 million to 50 – 60 million and are slowly killing rain-forest trees through their farming of scale insects. Forming super-colonies with multiple queens they are probably impossible to eradicate, and the best that can be hoped for is to restrict their spread.
A fascinating destination: Chinese, Malay and mainland Australian cultures live happily side-by-side on this remote island now hoping to be able to rely on tourism with the winding back of phosphate mining and the closure of the detention centre. Try and get there!
(Report by Deb Ford)

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