What a week – the highs and the lows have been extraordinary and I have some sweet, and some less sweet, images from last weekend that tell the story.
My youngest daughter and I headed to north west Victoria to join the Coalition Against Duck Shooting rescue team for the first weekend of the Victorian duck shooting season. We set our alarms for 5:15am, which is quite a bit earlier than usual. It was cold. The windscreen took a while to clear and we headed to the local caravan park to meet up with the other rescuers and head to our designated wetlands and lakes. It was still dark when the CADS vehicles started slowly leaving the park. They drove past me as I waited for my daughter. One after another, dozens of vehicles, so many that I lost count. It was wonderfully inspiring – you are legends, everyone of you.
When we arrived at our first lake, above, all was quiet. I photographed the idyllic scene with grebes and coot contentedly dashing around as they foraged.
In previous years duck shooters have been allowed to start shooting half an hour before sunrise, when it is still dark. For this year’s season the start time has been changed to 8am as the decision makers acknowledged that it’s impossible to identify species in the dark; though they are still allowed to shoot half an hour after sunset. Two shooters arrived. I can’t help but hear the theme music from Jaws as I look at the photograph above.
During the shooting season no one other than shooters are permitted within 25 metres of the edge of the water until after 10am – I needed my long lens. Rescuers can be heavily fined for rescuing abandoned injured birds if they breach this regulation.
At 8am the shotguns began blasting. With each shot 150-200 pellets are fired into the air. This lake is heavily wooded so we were spared the sight of birds tumbling from the sky.
The above photograph is of an unusual sight. Grebes generally dive when they are disturbed, they rarely take flight to escape danger or perceived danger. This photograph doesn’t show a bird taking off in its usual, more graceful, way. This bird was panicked by an approaching kayak and its behaviour is testament to the distress that all waterbirds experience during the shooting season.
During the day we checked various lakes and wetlands, and supported other rescuers as required. The grebe above was on a tiny pond. It was restless and swirling around on the water as you can see by the ripples but we saw no sign of shooters so hopefully its home remained safe. I have shared photographs of signs of shooters in previous years, including feather pits and spent cartridges, along with sadder images of killed and injured birds.
I photographed the beautiful White-eyed Ducks above at the lake next to the caravan park, where no shooting is permitted. I was using a long lens and the image is heavily cropped but this pair of ducks still looked a little wary. Many waterbird species mate for life, including White-eyes. The male duck is on the right, with the white eye. This species, and the Australasian Shoveler, were both taken off the ‘game’ list this season – as both species have been listed as Threatened. Arguably Pink-eared Ducks and Grey Teal should have also been taken off the list. Actually Australian Wood Ducks (Maned Duck), Chestnut Teal, Australian Shelduck and Pacific Black Ducks should also be off the list!
The final image of this post isn’t graphic but it is sad, so please close your eyes and scroll past it if you’d rather not see the second pair of ducks.
We saw some beautiful sights during the weekend, and were inspired by some beautiful people. The last lake we visited was tiny and exquisite but had not escaped the notice of shooters. The first thing my daughter found were dozens of spent cartridges, which she picked up so they could be properly disposed of. We were concerned that there could be injured birds to take back to the wonderful Wildlife Victoria vets who had set up their mobile clinic but we found no injured birds, just the two Grey Teal above that had washed up to the edge of the shore. They were very freshly killed when we found them, their eyes were still shining. By the time I photographed them their eyes were starting to change and I can’t help but feel that one of them is looking reproachful while the other looks sad. Such a shameful, brutal, inexcusable waste of their lives.
A highlight of the week has been the number of people who responded to my facebook post and others who told me they have written to the Parliamentary Inquiry at nativebirdhunting@parliament.vic.gov.au – every letter counts. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this is the last shooting season our native waterbirds have to endure? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your letter helped it to happen? I have been working on my submission today, but they don’t need to be long, just a few sentences is ample. If you haven’t yet had a chance to write please do so before 11:59pm on Monday, and please contact me if you’d like help or have questions.
Happy birding, Kim
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This was taken on my 11th birthday!! 🤯ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
I hope you had a lovely day! With so many people caring about the ducks we will win eventually 🙂
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
The Victorian Labor Party with the support of the Liberal Party approved, supported and promoted another season of killing for the sake of killing.
On behalf of the gentle, defenceless, beautiful birds whose lives were ended by a 12 gauge shotgun, I say thank you to everyone who sent a submission demanding this abhorrent bloodfest be banned NOW and FOREVER.
Please note only a few politicians, the same ones who voted for another killing season, are on this committee. Therefore, please send your submissions (already written) to your elected politician and demand they support the ban. They will then know that their constituents do not support this cruel, barbaric, archaic, senseless and needless slaughter of our precious native waterbirds and the destruction of their unique and vital wetland home.
“Allowing this activity to continue would be an affront to conservation and contravene the commitments made in Victoria’s Animal Welfare Action Plan, tarnishing the stated aim for Victoria to be respected globally for its animal welfare practices.’ Humane Society International
Tell these politicians the world is watching.
To all those courageous, brave, committed rescuers, you are amazing, inspirational and real wildlife warriors. Stay safe
Thanks Barbara. When i emailed Dan Andrews and my local MP a month or so ago I received no response!!! I have emailed a contribution to the inquiry and also again to the Premier and MP.
They stopped replying to my emails a while ago too Fiona, so I’d phone them to make sure they’d received them, which they had. All those emails, including yours of course, are what propelled the government towards setting up this Parliamentary Inquiry – it is a huge step forward, hopefully they received enough thoughtful submissions against shooting our native birds to justify a permanent ban.
Thanks Barbara – well said. Having surgery in the morning (just elective) so I will just hope they received he emails 🙂
I hope all is straightforward with your surgery Fiona and that you have a super quick recovery.
The Inquiry has been inundated with submissions Barbara, many from shooters of course, but many from people who hope to see recreational native bird shooting permanently banned in Victoria. Your passion and enthusiasm for the ban shines through your comments. That’s a great quote from Margaret Mead, it’s one of my favourites!
Hi Kim
Your email has served as a much-needed prompt for me to put in a submission to the enquiry – and donate to CADS. Thanks you for your work.
I have posted a message on our local wildlife FB group as well as Women Birders Aus.
Regards,
Fiona
That’s brilliant Fiona, thank you heaps for all four wonderful things you mention!
Huge thanks for sharing these images and for being there to protest the carnage of our beautiful, innocent feathered friends.
I almost said ‘my pleasure’ Liz, but it’s so far from being pleasant. Hopefully our shared voices will help put a permanent stop to it in Victoria. Thank you for caring, and I hope you’ve had a chance to write your submission, Kim
Yes indeed. High in the priority list!
You’re awesome Liz!
I have so much admiration for you and all the rescuers. Your dedication to end this horrendous practice fills me with awe.
We have been waiting for decades for this barbaric execution to end. May the many hours of physical and emotional energy you all give eventually be rewarded, when the ducks, those living nearby and visitors who care about the environment can bask in the beauty of the countryside without gunshots piercing the tranquility.
They are truly amazing people Margot, I can only imagine the horror of it back in the 80s, though those who witnessed the 2017 massacre (including my daughter) were traumatised more recently. I know you have made your submission, many many thanks for being someone who cares so deeply.
Such sadness Kim, Thankyou and all the other folk involved in protesting and picking up injured ducks. I have now belatedly written. Such a sad world we live in but definitely brightened by actions of the CADS and yourself in bringing this to our attention.
I felt quite overwhelmed by the number of rescuers Alison, many of them have been doing it for over 30 years when there were tens of thousands of shooters using semi-automatics! Big thank yous for writing your submission 🙂
Huge thanks to you, and to everyone else who was there to support the ducks and our precious wildlife.
I got a response from nativebirdhunting yesterday asking whether I wanted my email to be included as a submission. Yes, and a thousand times yes.
It was so inspiring to see so many rescuers EC. I’ve had a few people tell me they’ve received the same email from the Inquiry. It seems strange considering you’ve used the email address specifically set up…