A talk

If you happen to be in Melbourne on Thursday the 9th of February, you might be interested in going to this talk on little penguins.

"Foraging Ecology of Little Penguins" presented by Nicole Kowalczyk, PhD student, Monash University.

Where: The Green Building, Meeting Rooms 1 & 2, 60 Leicester St Carlton, Melway Ref: 2B 11D

When: Thursday 9th February 2012

Time: 8.00pm – 9.30pm

The Little Penguin Eudyptula minor has been referred to as the 'Blue' or 'Fairy' Penguin. It occupies the southern parts of Australiaand New Zealand and is not considered threatened however population declines have been recorded.

The St Kilda Penguin Research Group, managed by Earthcare has been monitoring the St Kilda penguin colony since 1986. Earthcare, a local environment group works in partnership with local government, state government bodies and researchers to improve the conditions of Little Penguin habitat. Earthcare has collected a large body of data on the local colony in terms of population size, individual life history traits and breeding numbers. These data provide valuable information on population dynamics and breeding success and identifies annual changes in population parameters.

In 2010 Nicole Kowalczyk undertook  her PhD at Monash University in partnership with Earthcare. Last year she was a recipient of Birds Australia's Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award.  The primary purpose of Nicole's study is to understand the nutritional ecology of this colony and to assess how this translates into breeding performance. By correlating the acquisition of dietary resources with reproductive success  she hopes to assess how Little Penguins respond to seasonal and annual changes in their diet. This knowledge will ascertain whether the dietary needs of Little Penguins are being met and will aid in predicting how penguins will respond to further anthropogenic alterations of Port Philip Bay.

Free parking directly outside, and the venue is a 3-minute walk to public transport. Stay afterwards to socialise and enjoy light refreshments.

Organised and hosted by the BirdLife - Victoria Committee