A story of the Eden Burrows
Wheel Cove may have been a nicely sheltered spot with an easy belly landing for the average penguin but it lacked a critical ingredient – soil to dig a burrow in. The area where the birds were likely to make their first breeding attempts was just sea washed stones and large rocks with two big ancient iron wheels. All pretty useless to a penguin used to digging a metre long burrow in some soft sand soil and grass.
So back to the drawing board for some kind of cheap, simple, artificial burrow that we could attach to the rocks near the sound system. There was also a bit of concern that the local goannas might scale the fence proceed to dine out on takeaway penguin chicks. We settled on a simple concrete box with an entrance that was a tunnel down one side with 180° turn leading to a nest chamber.
Designing a burrow was the easy part who would make the mould and pour the concrete for a dozen burrows? No commercial organisation would touch the job without some big money and most community organisations did not want to work with cement until we found The Fix It Sisters Shed (Fixits).
The Fix it Sisters Shed is a not-for-profit in Southern Sydney, empowering women of all ages with practical and creative skills. Read more about their projects here @fixitsistersshed
The Fixits immediately set about working with the mould, learning about concrete and putting in a lot of time until we had enough burrows to take down to Eden. Before the new burrows made it onto the pallet they were hijacked to replace sand burrows on Lion Island north of Sydney which had been damaged by that island’s first bushfire. And so the ‘Eden Burrow’ was launched by the Minister on an island 700 kilometres from the intended site.
Read the article here New fireproof huts installed on Lion Island in bid to save Little Penguin population - ABC News
Graham Fry explaining how the burrows are used to the Fixit Sisters
The Fixits quickly poured some new burrows, then COVID struck leaving them stranded in various Fixits backyards. If Eden penguins doubted their importance they got proof when special permission was granted for a team to transport and install the burrows in Wheel Cove during the lockdown. Even with the official piece of paper we all felt a bit strange travelling on empty roads, staying in an empty caravan park and then shipping burrows, sound equipment, tools and batteries in a small rubber duck while trying to stay two metres from each other. The equipment was all installed and operating and we figured it would be at least a couple of years before the penguins took advantage of their new real estate.
Meanwhile the Eden Burrows took on a life of their own and the Fixits started getting orders from up and down the coast. This gave the sisters a chance to improve the design and the method of manufacture with the result that we are now making Eden Burrow Mark 3 which is stronger, lighter and with less parts. Eden Burrows can now be found on Lion, Montague and Snapper Islands and in Wheel Cove. Five burrows were even shipped to Tasmania for the Burnie Penguin Centre to trial on their new site on the city’s waterfront.
Read the article here Burnie Penguin Centre – Come and see the Little Penguins in Burnie!! burniepenguins.com
Burrows on the beach to be installed on Lion Island
The most successful site for the burrows has been Snapper Island in the Eurobodalla. Dozens of burrows have been installed with almost all occupied and breeding over three seasons. Spare burrows stored on the beach by the council were too tempting for the penguins and were occupied before they could be installed. The Fixits went on to make burrows for Storm Petrels and even a floating island for swans to breed on.
Read the article here Floating Haven for Botany Native Wildlife | Bayside Council | NSW
There was just one problem while our sound system brought the penguins into Wheel Cove in increasing numbers and the birds started looking for nesting material and the mating rituals. One pair got on with the job and bred. None, however, showed any interest in burrows that were built, lovingly carried ashore and installed by the team especially for them! The Eden Burrow was a successful part of the project – just not for where it was designed. Ungrateful birds these penguins.
Written by Chris Lloyd
Images provided by Chris Lloyd from various projects mentioned in the post.
Eden Burrow installed at Wheel Cove
