Whales going north

From Bonville Headland it appeared like a Humpback whale blowing. A boat was speeding towards it to get a good view. The whale disappeared. The Themeda Grasslands and Headland Paper Daisies (Xerochrysum bracteatum) are trampled and driven on. Pandanus blocking the 'view' from the car park are vandalised. More fishermen than White-bellied Sea-Eagles.
#whales #Sawtell #NSWHeadland #SadHeadlands #cars #dogs #careless #NSW #flora #birds #conservation

Lifeless rock pools at Sawtell

After cyclone Alfred whipped up a 'bacteria smoothy' along Australia's east coast the sea foam then merged with a 'flush' from the suburbs. Dislodged smelly sponges at Sawtell beach made breathing and contact impossible. Even without fossil fueled disasters the intertidal zone at the north end of the beach is barren. The rock pools and crevices no longer house sea anemones, crabs, black nerites, limpets, sea stars, mulberry oyster borers, algae, sea anemones, sponges, tube worms, sea stars, oysters, and fish.

Still good enough for hosting 'sports' and advertising events amplified by megaphone so they can be heard at Lord Howe Island too.

#FossilFuels #disasters #runoff #eutrophication #Seafoam #pollution #Nocardiae #sewage #SewageTreatment #NSW #Sawtell #beach #EventSpace #erosion #IntertidalZone #MarineLife #loss #biodiversity

Sea foam - You wouldn’t go swimming in sewage

"Research shows people should not go in the sea when it is foaming. These bacterial smoothies can contain more harmful pathogens than a sewage treatment plant – and you wouldn’t go swimming in sewage."

"If the water is polluted with floating fats and grease as well as asphaltene, motor oil and hydrocarbons, these spores soon form bacterial colonies or biofilms that go forth and multiply."

"Reducing stormwater pollution will reduce the growth of sea foams. As long as humanity continues to produce pollution, the problem will increase. It will also worsen as the world warms, because sea foams like it hot."
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https://theconversation.com/dozens-of-surfers-fell-ill-after-swimming-in-seas-that-turned-into-a-bacterial-smoothie-of-sea-foam-what-was-in-it-252506
#pollution #ocean #coast #sewage #floods #runoff #surfing #swimming #MarineLife #FossilFuels #ImperviousSurfaces #Sawtell #NSW #beach

Replacing native birds with an invasive species of birds

"The Invasive Species Council has raised concern about the spread of the Indian myna in country Australia. When Indian mynas move into an area they force native birds out of their wood hollows and kill their chicks, leading to a decline in native bird numbers."

"People in rural areas are seeing them spread along the highways...They like well-manicured gardens, they like grass and lots of places they can sit. So planting native trees is something people can do to help our native birds out."

Any council actions in Bellingen and Sawtell?
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-31/indian-myna-spread-rural-australia-invasive-species-council/103404894
#birds #NativeBirds #InvasiveSpecies #NSW #Bellingen #Sawtell #WaterfallWay #ChurchSt #HydeSt #roads #impacts #BellingenShire #monoculture #landscapes

Beach safety for humans in a more-than-human world
Have drones at the beach, repel birds

Beachgoers are warned with larges signs of a drone operating at Sawtell beach. The warning posters for the aerial operations states that they have the rationale to keep human beings safe. The unmanned aerial vehicle makes an irritating buzzing sound while flying over the heads of beachgoers.

The beauty of Sawtell beach is usually to share the ambience with shorebirds, birds of prey and little terns. With the loud gadget droning up and down the beach no bird or endangered shorebird was visible or audible. The scarecrow in the sky, the jet skis and car on the sand make sure the beach is just for one species alone.

Drones are disturbing critically endangered shorebirds in Moreton Bay, creating a domino effect
https://theconversation.com/drones-are-disturbing-critically-endangered-shorebirds-in-moreton-bay-creating-a-domino-effect-209391

Human safety, The Civil Aviation Safety Authority
https://www.casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone

Sawtell - Threatened Shorebirds. The Threatened Shorebirds program shares the plight of these incredible shorebirds, including Little terns, Pied oyster catchers and Beach stone curlews
https://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Eventbrite/Threatened-Shorebirds-767985383957

#Sawtell #SawtellBeach #UAVs #regulation #drones #gadgets #CASA #SLSA #SurfLifeSaving #safety #IndustrialisedBeaches #birds #Shorebirds #ThreatenedShorebirds #wildlife #ShareTheBeach