Why did NatureFiji-MareqetiViti hold a beach clean-up event? It was all for the birds!
On Saturday, 10 August, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti members and friends removed 50 kilos of rubbish from the Nasese foreshore to help prepare for the return of Fiji’s original tourists—migratory shorebirds. This strip of shore, opposite Corpus Christi Teacher’s College, is the best place in Fiji to view migratory shorebirds as it’s an excellent feeding spot for them.
Twenty people, including several children, spent an hour gathering rubbish at the foreshore during low-tide to help ensure the birds will not have to dig through garbage to find their food when they begin to arrive in September. Annually, Fiji receives feathered visitors who come all the way from Alaska and Siberia to spend their winters in the South Pacific, and who are very hungry when they get here. We expect the Pacific Golden Plover (Dilio), Bar-tailed Godwit (Batibalavu) and the Wandering Tattler (Doli) to be among the first migratory shorebirds to show up next month. You can find out more about the birds and our Migratory Bird Campaign in the latest issue of Explore Fiji.
This was NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s first-ever clean-up action. It was led by one of our members, Monica Raghwan, who made a pledge to take action at our World Migratory Bird Day event in May. We plan to hold more clean-ups during the months when the migratory birds can be found in Fiji. Please save the date so you can join us for our next foreshore clean-up event on the morning of September 7th. For more information on this and other Nature Fiji events, contact us at [email protected] .
