Our friend Jeanette from Phillip Island told me on the phone last night that lots of dead mutton birds are being washed up on beaches, all around the island. Apparently the birds arrived back from the Bering Sea in September, in light condition, and haven't found sufficient food (krill) in the waters around Phillip Island to put on weight.
Add to that, a series of very severe storms and the mutton birds are dying. This is the time of year when they would normally be mating, with their large single egg laid around November 25. There will be fewer chicks this year and serious concerns about the long-term future of the birds. Will climate change mean less krill for the mutton birds to eat both in the Bering Sea and Bass Strait? If so, the future of mutton birds (and all the other creatures dependent on krill) is bleak.
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