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Raft Count – Marina Team

August 26 @ 5:35 pm - 7:35 pm

Join us in counting Little Penguins in St Kilda and learn from our dedicated volunteers about this unique colony!

As a citizen scientist, you’ll join one of two small teams – each made up of five participants and one team leader. You’ll help manually count the number of penguins in each raft (a group of penguins in the water) as they return home at sunset. This non‑intrusive study collects valuable long‑term data on penguin arrival patterns and population trends. Your observations directly contribute to protecting and understanding the Little Penguin colony in St Kilda.

 

 

 

 

What’s Involved

  • Manually count penguin rafts (groups of penguins in the water) from the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Marina as they arrive at sunset
  • Contribute valuable data to long‑term monitoring of arrival patterns and population trends
  • Support the conservation of Melbourne’s unique Little Penguin colony through hands‑on citizen science
  • Experience these remarkable birds up close while learning from trained Earthcare volunteers

Program details

  • Duration: Approximately 2 hours 
  • When: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings 
  • Start Time: Begins 15 minutes before sunset (exact time varies with season) 
  • Where: Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Marina
  • What to bring: warm clothes, closed toe shoes, water, binoculars (optional). 

Site Information

Location: End of the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Marina 

  • You’ll be stationed on a floating platform surrounded by water. The platform may move slightly due to its floating nature 
  • From this position, you’ll get an excellent view of the penguins in the water as they make their way to the breakwater to nest.
  • You will also be able to spot penguins on the breakwater using a red light torch provided by your team leader

Earthcare St Kilda gratefully acknowledges the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron for providing access to the marina, enabling this important citizen science program to take place. 

Requirements

  • No experience needed  
  • Must be 18 years or older

Registrations through Earthcare St Kilda are ESSENTIAL.

As this event takes place on RMYS property, your registration details may be shared with the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron in the event of an emergency or incident to confirm who accessed their site.

Bird Flu Protocols

In response to recent detections of H5 bird flu in Australia, we are introducing additional biosecurity protocols to reduce the risk of spread during our events. It is a requirement that all participants adhere to these protocols. If you would like a copy of these protocols prior to your session, please email research@earthcarestkilda.org.au.

As a part of these measures, if any dead wildlife is observed, the session will be immediately cancelled. Additionally, with the recent detection of H5 bird flu in Victoria, we all citizen‑scientist participation on the Breakwater Team has been suspended.

If you have any questions, please contact research@earthcarestkilda.org.au

REGISTER HERE

Registrations open 5pm Monday 10th August

Earthcare St Kilda acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters where this program takes place. We pay our respects to Elders past and present

Details

  • Date: August 26
  • Time:
    5:35 pm - 7:35 pm