Help count one of the world's rarest owls
Norfolk Island National Park staff are putting out the call for volunteers from the Norfolk community to join the island's annual morepork owl survey.
With only about 25 birds remaining, Norfolk Island moreporks (Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata) are one of the rarest owls on Earth. Their closest cousins are the New Zealand boobooks, or ruru.
Due to various historical and current threats as well as being an isolated island population, Norfolk moreporks have lost genetic diversity and have had reduced breeding success over the past decade, with only a few chicks fledged.
For the past 3 years, dedicated community volunteers have helped the national park team conduct a survey every spring to track the owls' numbers and monitor population trends.
The survey involves playing recorded morepork calls, then listening for and logging responses from nearby owls.
New volunteers will need to attend one of 2 evening training sessions, which cover using the call-playback software, estimating the direction and distance of owl calls, and recording data.
To ensure consistency, we ask that volunteers be available for at least 4 of the 5 sessions, which will begin just after sunset and last for 1-2 hours.
If you live on Norfolk Island and would like to take part, or have questions about what is involved, please call the National Park Office on 22695, or email norfolkislandnationalpark@dcceew.gov.au by 5 October.
Your participation in this survey can make a real difference in helping to conserve one of the island's most beloved and endangered species.
Important dates
Training sessions
- Tuesday 13 October 7:30 pm or
- Thursday 15 October 7:30 pm
Survey nights
- Thursday 22 October
- Thursday 29 October
- Thursday 5 November
- Thursday 12 November
- Thursday 19 November
If weather affects any of these nights, there will also be a reserve date of Thursday 26 November.
