Montague Island Nature Reserve is a critical habitat for several species of unique Australian birds, unfortunately some of which are critically endangered. I was extremely lucky to be chosen to do some work on the island in April, pulling out introduced weeds that are threatening the birds that need this protected breeding ground.
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Before travelling to Montague Island Nature reserve, I knew very little about it. I was aware that there are penguins on the island, that it has a role in Aboriginal culture, and that people generally do not go there. That was about it.
This was the learning experience of a lifetime, and a rare opportunity to understand a unique and special place that exists to conserve native wildlife, not to function as a tourist Mecca.
Montague Island is home to endangered sea birds including shearwaters, penguins, and petrels. It is also home to invasive weed species such as kikuyu and morning glory, which can be removed by poison or by hand.
Both methods are used on the island, but in some places the weeds have taken such a thick hold on the area that the volunteer group found baby birds that strangled in the weeds before they could fledge. Nesting boxes were crushed by trees that had died and fallen under the weight of the weeds that consumed them.
In a boon to the island, the National Parks and Wildlife Service secured some funding to help to remove some of these weeds, and to replant the area with native plant species that will provide beneficial nesting habitats.
Sacred to the local Yuin people as a place of ceremony and connected to Gulaga mountain, Montague Island has had a difficult history over the last few centuries. Introduced species including goats and rabbits destroyed much of the native flora, and native trees were burned for firewood. Visitors to the island brought alcohol, guns, and dogs, making the island a peril for the weary migratory birds that relied on it for respite and protection while breeding.
Thankfully today the island is again a place of peace and stillness, where the critically endangered Gould's Petrel can nest, the fur seals can swim, and the penguins can shelter without fear of human interference. There is, however, still lots of work to be done to secure the island from invasive introduced species and to maintain a safe environment for the native wildlife. Let's hope the funding for ongoing conservation efforts keeps coming. – Lucy Norman
