The western ground parrot, a critically endangered species, has gained international attention and investment from a German-based environmental group. The Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots e.V. (ACTP), a non-profit organisation, has committed $200,000 over two years and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) to support the ongoing protection of the species. Chair of the South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Team Sarah Comer said she welcomed the ACTP’s investment in assisting with recovery efforts for the western ground parrot. “The funding will help to support the western ground parrot program at Perth Zoo, and ongoing recovery of wild populations on the South Coast, both of which are important in improving our knowledge of western ground parrots,”…

Recreation river users and fishers are being asked to please avoid the Point Walter Spit as there are presently an estimated 60 breeding pairs of fairy Terns making use of the vegetation and shoreline at the end of the spit. The City of Melville has erected signage discouraging access to the site. It is estimated that there are less than 1600 breeding pairs of fairy terns left in Western Australia. These tiny birds nest between October and January and like many shorebirds will nest above the high-tide mark on sandy beaches, where they lay one or two specked eggs in a shallow scrape in the sand. The eggs and chicks are highly vulnerable to disturbance as well as predators. Other birds, including pied oyster catchers…