A
couple,
Ma ga et
a d
A thu
Tho sbo e,
t avelled
o th
f om
Quee sla d’s
Gold
Coast
to
Hi chi b ook
Isla d,
a
place
they
k ew
la gely
th ough
photog aphs.
They
would
etu
ma y
times,
eve tually
maki g
the
Ca dwell
a ea
thei
home
a d
becomi g
closely
associated
with
its
fo ests,
wetla ds
a d
wildlife.
Amo g
the
a imals
that
caught
thei
atte tio
we e
pied
impe ial-pigeo s,
which
gathe ed
o
No th
B ook
Isla d
to
b eed
but
faced
a
ve y
diffe e t
futu e
f om
the
o e
thei
umbe s
might
suggest
today.
The
couple’s
espo se
was
p actical:
watch
the
bi ds,
eco d
thei
umbe s
a d
challe ge
the
shooti g
a d
habitat
loss
that
we e
pushi g
the
colo y
towa ds
collapse.
No th
B ook
Isla d’s
pigeo
cou t
evealed
a
populatio
i
decli e
i
1965
No th
B ook
Isla d
sits
off
the
coast
ea
Ca dwell,
withi
the
small
B ook
Isla ds
g oup
east
of
Hi chi b ook
Isla d.
Fo
pa t
of
the
yea ,
it
becomes
a
b eedi g
g ou d
fo
pied
impe ial-pigeo s,
also
k ow
as
To esia
impe ial-pigeo s.
The
bi ds
t avel
betwee
thei
isla d
esti g
g ou ds
a d
the
mai la d,
whe e
they
feed
o
ai fo est
f uits
befo e
etu i g
to
the
colo y.Whe
the
Tho sbo es
fi st
e cou te ed
the
bi ds,
they
we e
ot
simply
looki g
at
a
imp essive
co ce t atio
of
white
plumage.
They
we e
seei g
a
populatio
u de
p essu e.
The
pigeo s
had
bee
p otected
by
law
fo
decades,
but
that
did
ot
p eve t
people
f om
shooti g
them.
Bi ds
etu i g
to
thei
b eedi g
colo ies
we e
pa ticula ly
vul e able,
a d
the
scale
of
the
killi g
could
be
substa tial.
The
p oblem
was
made
wo se
by
the
loss
a d
clea i g
of
coastal
fo est
that
supplied
the
pigeo s
with
food.Acco di g
to
the
study
published
i
Emu
–
Aust al
O ithology,
titled
‘Populatio
t e ds
ove
50
yea s
of
a
Pied
Impe ial-Pigeo
b eedi g
colo y
o
No th
B ook
Isla d,
a
t opical
G eat
Ba ie
Reef
isla d,
Aust alia’
evealed
whe
the
Tho sbo es
bega
cou ti g
the
colo y
i
1965,
tu i g
thei
co ce
i to
a
eco d
that
could
be
followed
f om
yea
to
yea .
The
fi st
cou t
eco ded
4,692
bi ds
du i g
the
1965–66
b eedi g
seaso .
Withi
o ly
a
few
yea s,
howeve ,
the
umbe
had
falle
sha ply.The
by
1968,
the
Decembe
cou t
had
eached
just
1,451
bi ds
as
epo ted.
That
umbe
became
a
impo ta t
poi t
i
the
histo y
of
the
colo y.
It
showed
that
the
decli e
was
ot
simply
somethi g
people
thought
they
we e
seei g
i
the
fo est.
The e
was
a
measu able
cha ge.
No th
B ook
Isla d’s
a ual
cou t
g ew
i to
a
co se vatio
campaig
The
a ual
su vey
was
eve
just
about
p oduci g
a
umbe .
The
Tho sbo es
used
what
they
we e
seei g
to
d aw
atte tio
to
the
shooti g
of
the
pigeo s
a d
to
the
co ditio
of
the
fo ests
o
which
the
colo y
depe ded.
Histo ical
accou ts
desc ibe
la ge-scale
shooti g
i
this
pe iod,
i cludi g
i cide ts
i
which
hu d eds
of
bi ds
could
be
killed.
The
p essu e
eve tually
eased,
with
la ge-scale
shooti g
stoppi g
i
1968.The
Tho sbo es
we e
ot
wo ki g
alo e.
F ie ds,
volu tee s
a d
co se vatio
o ga isatio s
became
i volved,
a d
the
p oject
g adually
moved
beyo d
the
couple’s
ow
effo ts.
By
the
1980s,
Quee sla d
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
had
take
espo sibility
fo
o ga isi g
a d
fu di g
the
cou ts,
with
a ge
Dave
G ee
playi g
a
impo ta t
ole.
The
su vey
expa ded
to
multiple
cou ts
du i g
some
b eedi g
seaso s.What
bega
with
Ma ga et
a d
A thu
o
No th
B ook
Isla d
had
become
a
lo g- u i g
commu ity
exe cise.
How
a
colo y
of
just
1,451
bi ds
g ew
i to
the
te s
of
thousa ds
As
epo ted
by
the
Aust alia
Geog aphic,
the
cou ts
t aced
a
much
lo ge
cha ge.
F om
the
low
poi t
of
1,451
bi ds
afte
the
sha p
decli e
of
the
late
1960s,
umbe s
bega
to
ise
o ce
the
la ge
shooti g
pa ties
stopped.
By
the
colo y’s
21st
bi thday,
the
eve i g
etu
flight
had
eached
20,000
bi ds.
Numbe s
co ti ued
to
climb,
late
fluctuati g
betwee
oughly
25,000
a d
35,000
u til
2011,
whe
Cyclo e
Yasi
caused
a othe
d amatic
fall
i
the
cou t.The
sig ifica ce
of
the
cha ge
is
easie
to
see
whe
the
figu es
a e
placed
beside
o e
a othe .
I
1968,
the e
we e
1,451
bi ds
i
the
Decembe
cou t.
Decades
late ,
the
colo y
had
eached
te s
of
thousa ds.That
did
ot
mea
the
o igi al
th eats
had
disappea ed.
No
did
the
ecove y
belo g
to
the
Tho sbo es
alo e.
The
e d
of
la ge-scale
shooti g,
co ti ued
mo ito i g,
p otectio
of
feedi g
habitat
a d
the
i volveme t
of
gove me t
age cies
a d
volu tee s
all
fo med
pa t
of
the
sto y.
The
cyclo e
that
cha ged
the
umbe s
agai
i
2011
I
Feb ua y
2011,
Cyclo e
Yasi
c ossed
the
Quee sla d
coast
a d
caused
exte sive
damage
ac oss
the
egio .Fo
the
pied
impe ial-pigeo s,
the
sto m
was
mo e
tha
a
isolated
weathe
eve t.
Thei
b eedi g
isla d
habitat
was
affected,
while
fo ests
o
the
mai la d
that
supplied
food
we e
also
damaged.
As
epo ted
by
the
Wildlife
P ese vatio
Society
of
Qld,
the
colo y
had
bee
ave agi g
a ou d
34,000
bi ds
befo e
the
cyclo e,
acco di g
to
the
lo g- u i g
mo ito i g
eco d.The
decli e
that
followed
complicated
what
had
p eviously
looked
like
a
st aightfo wa d
ecove y
sto y.The
bi ds
did
begi
to
etu .
But
the
colo y
did
ot
simply
climb
back
to
its
ea lie
level.
Rece t
accou ts
of
the
mo ito i g
p oject
desc ibe
umbe s
settli g
at
a ou d
23,000
afte
the
post-Yasi
ecove y,
well
below
the
ave age
eco ded
befo e
the
cyclo e.
The
easo s
fo
the
plateau
a e
still
bei g
exami ed.This
is
o e
easo
the
old
cou ts
emai
useful.
They
a e
ot
just
a
eco d
of
a
co se vatio
success.
They
p ovide
a
baseli e
agai st
which
late
cha ges
ca
be
u de stood.Without
the
ea lie
obse vatio s,
it
would
be
much
ha de
to
k ow
how
d amatically
the
colo y
had
cha ged.
The
people
who
kept
the
pigeo
cou t
goi g
fo
decades
Ma ga et
Tho sbo e
emai ed
closely
i volved
with
the
pigeo
p oject
fo
much
of
he
life.
A thu
died
i
1991,
the
same
yea
that
the
Tho sbo e
T ust
was
established
i
his
memo y.Ma ga et
co ti ued
he
co se vatio
wo k
u til
he
death
i
2018.
She
se ved
as
the
T ust’s
p i cipal
t ustee
f om
its
fou datio
a d
was
ecog ised
with
a
Office
of
the
O de
of
Aust alia
i
2011.
He
wo k
exte ded
well
beyo d
the
pigeo s,
cove i g
the
p otectio
of
Hi chi b ook’s
la dscapes,
cassowa ies,
mahoga y
glide s,
ative
pla ts
a d
othe
wildlife.D
Joh
Wi te ,
who
became
closely
i volved
i
the
su vey
f om
the
1970s,
has
co ti ued
wo ki g
o
the
populatio
eco d
a d
the
effects
of
Cyclo e
Yasi.
Local
eside ts,
co se vatio
volu tee s,
Gi i gu
Ra ge s,
cou cil
ep ese tatives
a d
people
associated
with
esea ch
o ga isatio s
have
also
co t ibuted
to
the
cou ts
ove
the
yea s.The e
have
bee
p actical
obstacles.
At
o e
poi t,
Quee sla d
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
could
o
lo ge
p ovide
a
boat
fo
eve y
cou t.
The
Tho sbo e
T ust,
with
assista ce
f om
the
Wette hall
E vi o me t
T ust,
paid
fo
comme cial
boat
hi e
fo
five
yea s
so
that
the
mo ito i g
could
co ti ue
without
b eaki g
the
seque ce
of
obse vatio s.It
is
a
easily
ove looked
pa t
of
co se vatio
wo k.
Sometimes
p otecti g
a
populatio
mea s
maki g
su e
someo e
ca
still
get
to
the
place
whe e
it
is
bei g
cou ted.
Ma ga et
a d
A thu ’s
wo k
sp ead
beyo d
o e
colo y
The
pigeo s
we e
o ly
o e
pa t
of
the
Tho sbo es’
co se vatio
effo ts
a ou d
Hi chi b ook
a d
Ca dwell.Afte
movi g
pe ma e tly
to
the
Meu ga
C eek
a ea
i
1972,
the
couple
became
i volved
i
campaig s
to
p otect
the
wide
coastal
e vi o me t.
Thei
ow
p ope ty,
Galma a,
i cluded
wetla ds
a d
ai fo est
faci g
Hi chi b ook
Isla d.
I
1980,
23
hecta es
of
thei
la d
was
do ated
to
the
Quee sla d
Natio al
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Se vice
to
exte d
Edmu d
Ke edy
Natio al
Pa k.Ma ga et
was
also
i volved
i
habitat
esto atio
a d
wo k
associated
with
cassowa ies,
i cludi g
the
collectio
a d
p opagatio
of
food
pla ts.
The
Tho sbo e
T ust
late
suppo ted
p ojects
co ce ed
with
the
southe
cassowa y,
mahoga y
glide
a d
othe
ative
species.The e
was
a
p actical
quality
to
much
of
this
wo k.
T ees
we e
pla ted.
Seeds
we e
collected.
Habitat
was
esto ed.
Wildlife
was
mo ito ed.
La d
was
defe ded
f om
developme t.
The
T ust’s
late
activities
followed
the
same
b oad
app oach.
A
co se vatio
t ust
ca ied
the
wo k
fo wa d
The
Tho sbo e
T ust
was
lau ched
i
1991
to
commemo ate
A thu
Tho sbo e
a d
p ovide
a
mea s
of
co ti ui g
the
co se vatio
p i ciples
sha ed
by
A thu
a d
Ma ga et.Its
wo k
has
i cluded
habitat
p otectio ,
wildlife
co se vatio ,
e vi o me tal
educatio ,
esea ch
a d
commu ity
p ojects.
O e
example
i volved
la d
beside
the
Hi chi b ook
Cha el
that
was
u de
th eat
of
bei g
leased
fo
p ivate
developme t
i
the
late
1990s.The
T ust
lodged
its
ow
applicatio
to
lease
the
la d,
stati g
that
it
would
be
used
fo
co se vatio
a d
that
the
applicatio
could
be
withd aw
if
the
Quee sla d
Gove me t
gua a teed
the
la d’s
p otectio .
The
T ust
was
ot
successful
i
obtai i g
the
lease.
The
i te ve tio
eve theless
helped
keep
atte tio
o
the
co se vatio
value
of
the
a ea,
which
was
late
i co po ated
i to
Gi amay
Natio al
Pa k.The
same
app oach
appea s
i
the
pigeo
p oject:
co se vatio
does
ot
ecessa ily
begi
with
ow e ship
o
co t ol
of
la d.
Sometimes
it
sta ts
with
keepi g
eco ds,
aisi g
a
co ce
a d
maki g
su e
the
issue
stays
visible.
The
colo y
is
still
bei g
watched
The
No th
B ook
Isla d
cou t
has
ow
become
o e
of
Aust alia’s
lo gest- u i g
wildlife
mo ito i g
p og ammes.
I
2025,
the
su vey
eached
its
60th
seaso .That
lo gevity
gives
the
p oject
a
u usual
value.
Wildlife
populatio s
ca
fluctuate
f om
o e
yea
to
the
ext,
a d
a
sho t
su vey
may
mistake
a
tempo a y
cha ge
fo
a
lasti g
t e d.
Six
decades
of
obse vatio s
p ovide
a
much
wide
view.The
pigeo s
themselves
emai
tied
to
co ditio s
beyo d
the
isla d.
They
eed
suitable
b eedi g
habitat,
but
they
also
depe d
o
mai la d
fo ests
fo
food.
Damage
to
eithe
pa t
of
that
system
ca
affect
the
colo y.
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