Rare seabird rescued from Sydney pub balcony

22/02/2020

An unusual seabird was recently rescued from a pub balcony in Cronulla, a suburb in the Australian city of Sydney.

The dark chocolate-brown bird transpired to be a Bulwer's Petrel, a very rare species in Australia that had never previously been officially recorded on land anywhere in the country.

The petrel, nicknamed 'Buggerlugs', was taken in to care and duly fattened up with a diet that included Southern Bluefin Tuna (at AUS $130 per kg), wombaroo (kangaroo milk), insectivore mix and sea water.

After a week or so, Buggerlugs' condition had improved considerably and he was deemed fit for release. Ornithologists decided that releasing Buggerlugs in the tropical waters off Darwin would give him the best chances.

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Sydney airport worker gouged in eye by falcon living in Qantas hangar

Exclusive: union says cleaners should not have to work in area where falcons have nested for at least 20 years

An aircraft worker has been gouged in the eye by a falcon that lives in a Qantas Sydney airport hangar, creating what the union has called an “unsafe work environment”.

Multiple peregrine falcons – including at least one small family – live, nest and hunt in the hangar.

Falcons have been there for at least 20 years and have turned it into a “known roosting site”.

But on Tuesday last week, one of the falcons attacked a worker, causing significant damage to his eyes, neck and face. The worker “may lose sight in one eye”, the Transport Workers Union said.

The birds cannot be easily removed because they are a protected species, and Qantas has allowed them to stay because they keep mice, rats and pigeons away.

Guardian Australia has obtained an internal safety warning issued by Qantas that confirmed the attack and told staff to wear safety goggles until the end of breeding season in November.

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City of Sydney's $912,000 bronze bird art installation unveiled

3:31pm Mar 21, 2018

Featuring 67 little bronze bird statues perched at various locations across the CBD, Sydney's newest public art showcase has been released into the wild.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore whipped the covers off the first of two new public art pieces at Macquarie Park this morning.

Starting with one bronze bird behind the Obelisk of Distances, the series of birds created by world famous British artist Tracey Emin stretches to all corners of the city.

Called The Distance of Your Heart, the art installation which has cost City of Sydney taxpayers $912,000 is meant to represent how close people are to each other, whether laying in bed together or at opposite ends of the world.

“The Distance of Your Heart isn’t just for literal distance, it’s literally for how your heart is feeling,” Emin said in Sydney this morning. 

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CRUELTY TO BIRDS: Elderly man charged with animal cruelty after shooting birds at Cabramatta

Updated Tue 1 Apr 2014, 10:22am AEDT

An 80-year-old man who shot at birds sitting on powerlines in Sydney's south-west has been charged with animal cruelty.

Residents called police after witnessing several birds killed on Links Avenue at Cabramatta.

Police found two dead Currawong birds and a third bird suffering a gun-shot wound when they arrived.

The injured bird was taken to the local vet for treatment.

The 80-year-old was found by police driving his car nearby.

Officers searched his home and seized two rifles, ammunition and the man's firearm licence.

The man will face court charged with aggravated animal cruelty and discharging a firearm in a public place.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-01/man-charged-after-shooting-birds-at-cabramatta/5358168