Central Gippsland Bird Studies

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There are three research projects in which the Wellington Bird Study Group is participating at the present time, involving the banding and observation of birds. Currently research is being conducted in the Lakes National Park on or in the near vicinity of Rotamah Island and in the Lake Wellington Wetlands. 
The first is a longstanding study of over twenty years of the bush bird population of Rotamah while the second is a specific study into aspects of the breeding biology of the striated fieldwren which involves colour banding and nest observation.

The Lake Wellington Study involves site specific colour banding and monitoring of the bird populations of the fragmented habitat adjacent to the Western end of Lake Wellington and along the Latrobe River between Lake Wellington and Sale.

Project supervisor "A" Class bander Don Ripper
Associate banders include "A" Class bander  Jim Reside and several Trainee Banders and assistants. 

1. Any person who seeks to participate in the projects conducted on Rotamah or in the Wellington Wetlands will undertake to comply in every respect with ABBBS, Parks Victoria and Environment Australia regulations rules and guidelines in respect to bird banding projects and will operate under the oversight of the project supervisor.

2. "A" and "R" Class licenced banders and "C" Class licenced banders as trainees under supervision are both welcome and encouraged to participate in these research projects. As these are not co-operative banding sites only bands issued to the project supervisor are to be used in these projects. All records and unused bands will be returned immediately subsequent to the completion of any banding activity to the project supervisor.

3. All required reporting will be undertaken by, and banding data sheets remain in the custody of, the "A" Class bander who is the project supervisor. 

4. No person who is not appropriately licenced and authorised or supervised will be permitted to participate in any aspect of mist-netting, trapping or processing as part of these projects.

5. Reporting to ABBBS and the State Authority will be undertaken as banding is undertaken and records are accrued. Reporting should never fall behind banding or band recovery by more than 12 weeks. Data generated by the Wellington Bird Study projects are freely available to any interested researcher either from ABBBS or directly from the Project.

6. No equipment, which is not of a quality and state of repair which is satisfactory to the project supervisor, will be permitted to be used in the conduct of the project.

7. No equipment, which is not the property of the Project, or a nominated associate "A" or "R" class bander, will be permitted to be used without the knowledge and express written permission of the project supervisor.

8. No person will be permitted to allow or cause nets to remain erected or traps set when not attended, and under no circumstances will any nets ever be allowed to remain erected whether furled and secured or not, overnight.

9. No unfurled net will be left unattended for a period of more than 30 minutes and no bird is to be held captive for processing purposes for more than 45 minutes. 

10. All mistnets used in these projects will be tagged with the current  DNRE permit number whilst in use. 
 

For further information on participating in Banding Projects in the Lake Wellington Wetlands or Rotamah Island contact the Project Supervisor