Tasmanian Twitchathon – helping save the 40-spotted Pardalote

Hey birding folk Following on from Tim Dolby’s email regarding the Victorian Twitchathon, this email is to announce that the Tasmanian Twitchathon is back! After a hiatus of 4 years, a State-wide Tasmanian Twitch has now returned. This year we are aiming to raise money for the conservation of the 40-spotted Pardalote. Not only are they facing threats from habitat destruction, competition and lack of nesting hollows, but more recently parasitic fly larvae have been shown to be the largest cause of nestling mortality. For a couple of interesting research projects, see http://www.amandaedworthy.com/research and http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-21/endangered-bird-faces-new-threat/6735504 The Twitchathon will be held on the last weekend of October, and there are two different ways to compete. The 24-hour Twitch runs from 7 am Saturday 24th October to 7 am Sunday 25th October, and the 8-hour Twitch is any consecutive 8-hour period within the 24-hour period. So if you’re keen to take part, get a few like-minded folk together and form a team, fill out a registration form, and start planning your route! The Twitchathon is open to all comers: a leisurely family outing, a few birders visiting their favourite haunts, a group of bird-watchers taking the opportunity to have a long day birding, or a tight-knit team of twitchers planning to scour the length and breadth of Tassie in order to see as many species as possible. It’s up to, but do take part! If you’d like to enter, just email me at moomin.mona@gmaill.com or phone 0439 567 630, and I can give you all the information you need to participate. Alternatively, check out the Tasmanian Twitchathon Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RareBirdSightingsTasmania/?fref=ts If you can’t or don’t want to participate but would like to contribute, you can make a donation via the Tasmanian Twitchathon 2015 “Just Giving” page: https://www.justgiving.com/TasmanianTwitchathon I’m happy to answer any questions, and am looking forward to the event! Cheers Mona