The short-tailed shearwater, a lovely smaller cousin of the stately albatross, is the longest studied of all Australian bird species. Known as the Tasmanian muttonbird, it has been harvested for food since the early days of white settlement. Even then people were fascinated by its numbers, and by its extraordinary life history. Matthew Flinders recorded sailing through a flock forty miles long.
After World War Two Dominic Serventy (the author's brother) began the research program that became one of the great success stories of Australian conservation. Here is a bird "saved by slaughter", as sustainable production was the key. Today, Australia's twenty-three million short-tailed shearwaters are increasing their range north and west from their original stronghold of the islands of Bass Strait.
The incredibly restricted egglaying season astonished the early harvesters. They also wondered at the chicks - lovingly reared by both parents, then deserted when they set off on an immense migratory flight to Alaskan waters - that were able to follow a few weeks later, with no parents to guide them.
The story of the birds, and of the people who took part in this project, is told in this book. The work continues, a wonderful example of what can be done to conserve Australia's wildlife, it we care enough.
