Speaker: Euan Moore, “Birds on Islands – How they change over time. A New Zealand case study.”
Joint talk with BirdLife Castlemaine District.
Island fauna and flora generally lacks the diversity that is found on larger land masses but compensates for this with unique and sometimes unexpected adaptions. The talk will look at how species reach islands and how they evolve after they establish a population. It will also look at some of the changes since human settlement of New Zealand where there have been extinctions alongside human and natural introductions.
We will finish with a brief look at the current conservation status of native birds such as the Blue Duck (pictured) and some areas of hope for the future.
Observations: Members and visitors are invited to share their interesting observations at the meeting. Please email any photos to illustrate your report as JPEG file(s) to Jill Williams (jilliwill33@gmail.com) by noon on the day of the meeting.
NB October Excursion – 19th October ie one week later than usual.