Anicee Lombal – Wedge Island, South Tasmania

The Short-tailed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris) is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and breeds mainly on small islands in Bass Strait and Tasmania.

In April 2015, I joined Natalie Bool (Ph.D. Candidate, IMAS) during one of her trip to Wedge Island, a small island (2km of length) in the South of Tasmania, where Short-tailed shearwaters currently breed. Her research focused on foraging behaviour, diet, plastic contaminants and long-term survival of Short-tailed shearwaters. I got the opportunity to learn more about this species of pelagic seabird, assist with GLS and GPS tracking, weigh chicks and carry out a population census.