Volunteers from Palm Beach Rotary club create nesting boxes for research on little penguins

The dwindling population of little penguins on Penguin Island will be the focus of new research, in hopes to save the species from extinction.

Palm Beach Rotary Club members were enlisted with the task of building 12 nesting boxes for Rockingham’s little penguins. The boxes were placed on the island during summer and will stay out until mid March.

Led by Murdoch University researchers in collaboration with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, the two designs being tested include a double-wood panel boxes and a second design using thermal insulating composite material.

Each box has a special logger that records the temperature every 15 minutes.

The most suitable design will be replicated and the new nesting boxes will be installed ahead of the 2023 breeding season.

Rotary club member Rick Dawson, who was in charge of overseeing the construction of the nesting boxes, said he was happy to be part of the project.

“We had six volunteers from the Rotary Club working on the boxes,” Mr Dawson said.

“To date we have assisted with building 54 nesting boxes for research on Penguin Island.

“What makes these boxes unique is that we have used composite fibreglass on six of the boxes and double windows on the remaining wooden boxes, which will be used to monitor temperature and humidity on the island.

“This research will provide an insight into what more can be done to help the declining penguin colony.”

Conservation biologist and lead researcher on the project Erin Clitheroe said data gathered from the project will greatly improve the current population of the little penguin colony through further insight from the artificial habitats.

“Recent estimates indicate Penguin Island’s little penguin colony has undergone a considerable population decline of more than 80 per cent since 2007,” Dr Clitheroe said.

She said the two new box designs will channel scientific knowledge and modern building technology to create a thermally stable micro-climate for little penguins in a warming and drying climate.

“Outcomes of this project will greatly improve management measures for little penguin persistence across their range and provide further insight to provisioning of artificial habitats globally, especially seabirds,” she said.

“As a northern species, penguins on Penguin Island experience the negative effects of climate change, specifically from increasing air temperature, before southern colonies.

“Due to their unique breeding season, which extends into the summer, they are very vulnerable to increasing temperatures during breeding.”

Dr Clitheroe said that findings from the study will allow further research into climate change adaptation strategies, which will also help other colonies around Australia and New Zealand.

The conservation project comes after it was announced in August 2022 that the Penguin Island Discovery Centre would be closed at the end of the 2022-23 visitor season to be rehabilitated to provide additional habitat for the estimated 300 wild penguins that continue to use the island.

A DBCA spokesperson said the State Government is providing up to $250,000 to investigate the feasibility of locating a new facility on the mainland.

“The feasibility study is being led by Tourism WA in partnership with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the City of Rockingham,” the spokesperson said.

“DBCA will continue to care for seven captive little penguins currently at the centre until a suitable new home is found, where they can be integrated into other captive little penguin populations.”