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Published: March 29th 2014
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Monday 3rd March, 2014. Pelican Feeding at St Remo & Philp Island Coastal Walk
Before breakfast D went down to talk to the YH Warden about various trip options, bike hire, car hire etc in order to establish what we could do on our day on Philip Island. We discussed the options over breakfast. There weren't very many! A car was too costly, two bikes would cost the same as a car and pretty much everything was too far to walk. This is the only place where we really felt we had blown it completely. The YH was the most expensive one we had stayed at, we had paid two coach fares to get here from Melbourne (and travelled half a day) only to find that we couldn't do much! However the warden had told D that at 10.00 am every morning the National Parks Agency fed the local Pelican population across the bridge by the jetty in St Remo. He also said that you could often see pods of dolphns in the straits separating Philip Island from the mainland (depending on the tide).
We set across the bridge to St Remo looking out for dolphins (we didn't see
any) an arrived in time for the Pelican feeing. There were a couple of coach-loads of school kids there too which rather spolied the experience. The Marine National Park (MNP) official arrived with three large boxes of fish heads. She explained that these were what was leftover from the catch each day. The restaurants prepared the fish and donated the unwanted parts to the MNP for the pelicans. She went on to tell us about these magnificent birds with the benefit of a hands free speaker (technology is amazing).
She told us that the Australian Pelican is quite large by pelican standards, with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.6 m (7.5 to 8.5 ft). Its weight can range from 4 to 13 kg (8.8 to 28.7 lb). The pale, pinkish bill is enormous, and is the largest bill in the avian (she didn't use this word - too many kids) world. The record-sized bill was 50 cm (20 in) long. Females are slightly smaller with a notably smaller bill. Overall, the Australian Pelican is predominantly white in colour. There is a white panel on its upper-wing and a white-V on the rump set against black along their wing tips.
During courtship, the eye skin and the end quarter of the bill are orange-coloured with the pouch variously turning dark blue, pink and scarlet. The non-breeding adult has a bill and eye-ring of pale yellow, and a pale pinkish pouch . Juvenile are similar to adults, but black tips are replaced with brown and the white patch on theupper wing is reduced. The immature birds do not have the yellow around their eyes.
The MNP official took the time to point out males, females and juveniles. Australian Pelicans feed by plunge-diving while swimming on the surface of the water. They work in groups to drive fish to shallower water, where they stick their sensitive bills in to snatch their prey. Some feeding grounds in large bodies of water have included up to 1,900 individual birds. They will sometimes also forage solitarily. Their predominant prey is fish and they commonly feed on introduced species such as goldfish.
The Australian Pelican begins breeding at two or three years of age. The nest is a shallow depression in earth or sand. Breeding Australian Pelicans will lay one to four (typically two) chalky-white eggs measuring 93 mm × 57 mm (3.7 in
× 2.2 in), which often appear scratched and dirty. The eggs are incubated for 32 to 35 days. The chicks are naked when they hatch, though quickly grow grey down feathers. After they hatch, the larger one will be fed more, and the smaller one will eventually die of starvation or siblicide. For the first two weeks the chicks will be fed regurgitated liquid, but for the remaining two months they will be fed fish and some invertebrates. Feeding pods are formed within colonies when the chicks are around 25 days. The young pelicans fledge at around three months of age. The MNP guide explained that the hooks on the ends of their bills are used to groom their feathers and to stimulate the oil producing glands that keep their feathers waterproof.
It was amazing to watch these birds - they were incredibly greedy. The way they caught the fish and then juggled them around in their large bills until they were in the right position to swallow the fish head first was really comical. Sometimes they couldn't get the fish to turn in their bills so they would waddle down to the water and dip their bills in
to make the fish float (and therefore easier to turn to the perfect swallowing position). While we were watching the MNP lady explained that there were resident Manta Rays in the area and that they used to also be offered a morsel or two from the restaurant left-overs. This practise was stopped following the death of Steve Irwin in 2006 as it encourages the rays very close to shore and is considered too risky as people can't resist going in the water with them. Just as she was explaining all this a huge Manta Ray swam right up to the shoreline. She threw it a fish despite the new rules. We watched until all the fish had been devoured. Then we walked over to the little jetty. Here we were able to spot two large Manta Rays swimming at the end and under the jetty.
After the Pelican feeding and ray spotting we went for a beer in the St Remo hotel and watched some more harness racing and greyhound racing before we crossed back over the bridge to do one of the walks recommended by the YH Warden. The walk started immediately on the other side of the
bridge and followed the coast to the Churchill Island MNP which forms part of the Western Port MNP area.
Western port which is Victoria's second largest bay is a biological treasure-trove. It is recognised as internationally significant for wading birds.nWestern Port Marine National Parks consist of Yaringa MNP, Churchill Island MNP and French Island MNP. MNPs and their smaller counterparts Marine Sancturies are protected areas of the sea just like the NP's on land. They safeguard a unique and diverse range of marine plants, animals and habitats for the benefit of current and future generations. A system of MNPs and sancturies have been established in Victoria, protecting over 5% of the state's coastal waters. Marine communities in Australia's southern waters are unique with around 90% of the plants and animals found nowhere else. Victoria's marine waters are a special part of this unique realm and include towering kelp forests, seagrass meaows and an amazing variety of fish, sponges and other animals from tiny organisms to large sea mammals.
All 3 parks contain significant roosting sites and foraging areas for waders and other waterbirds. Yaringa MNP in the north of the bay protects the connection between mangroves and mudflats,
French Island MNP, on the northern coast of French Island, protects extensive seagrass beds. Churchill Island MNP protects intertidal mudflats, seagrass beds an channels. We walked along the coast and passed some guys who were just cleaning their catch - which had attracted a large flock of pelicans. The facilities were amazing. There was a large stainless steel cleaning and gutting table with running water. We watched the cleaning for a while before continuing on our way. After a while we came off the path and went down to a small marina. It was very picturesque and calm. We took some snaps before going back on ourselves and climbing back up to the coastal path. This wound its way along through many coastal settlements. Many of the properties had fantastic views across to French Island. The beaches were fantastic - unspoiled and deserted. Philip Island is deceptively big.
We walked on and on. The weather was sunny and it was warm. Eventually we came to the edge of Churchill Island NP. We could clearly see the island across the mangrove and seagrass beds. It can be reached on foot at low tide. We could see how far it was
to get there though and, as it was getting late, we decided to turn for home. We returned via the local IGA where we picked up something for dinner.
We ate our pasta and salad at the YH but had to cook in a different kitchen as two school parties had arrived. while we were out. We then returned to our luxury room and watched some TV (which was also a luxury) before retiring. We have enjoyed our time here but feel that we have missed out on a lot due to the cost of transport. Tomorrow we return to Melbourne and then straight to the airport for our flight to Tasmania.
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