ML602076871
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Juvenile, Unknown sex - 1
- Tags
- In-hand
Media notes
A chick found during the harvest that was about to emerge. Held by researcher Michael Kigl. I believe they allow these chicks to go when found, but it is possible they could be injured in the process. Since they dig carefully to avoid damaging eggs, I think the chicks are OK when released. But there are dogs hanging about when they are harvesting, so quite possibly the chick will not get far.
Observation details
See also checklist notes. I was visiting the megapode "rookery" where geothermal heated sands incubate eggs. There were about 40 megapodes in the bit of forest near the nesting area, which is probably an important staging, resting, (mating?) area, Megapode eggs are an important food resource for the people of Lou, but it looked to me that the harvest is not sustainable as it was. Based on the number of people harvesting, how much is harvested at a time, and few shells dug up of hatched birds. They pulse main harvests about every 30 days, which is longer than the incubation time, so probably only a few missed eggs are hatching. Dogs kill hens and probably chicks, cats reported to kill chicks. At the time there was no management plan or regulation of the take other than informal rules by the landowners. But it is seen as a community resource, so hard for any one or a few to really regulate. I don't know if anyone got to help develop a management plan. I was unable to get funds to go back more. One student, Michael Kigl, went back and I have his report somewhere. But the funding for our work was pulled by WCS who said at the time PNG was no longer a priority for them. I do know they came back and started some work in Manus, but mostly I think planting mangroves.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon PowerShot G3
- Focal length
- 7.2 mm
- Flash
- Flash fired, auto, red-eye reduction
- f-stop
- f/2.5
- Shutter speed
- 1/60 sec
- Dimensions
- 2272 pixels x 1704 pixels
- Original file size
- 1.56 MB