Our mission at Tellus is to protect Australia’s environment and enable a greener, cleaner economy. And our ambition is to execute this mission on a large scale, partnering with our customers to solve Australia’s most hazardous waste challenges. But sometimes the smallest challenges can be the most satisfying.
Last month, Hoary-Headed Grebe water bird turned up at our Sandy Ridge facility.
It was discovered near the waste immobilisation plant by a team member, Brian. The bird was not moving. The grebe is a freshwater bird that is usually found on large, open waters. Now, if you were looking for large, open waters, Sandy Ridge would be about the last place to start. But a bit of research revealed that these birds are not great navigators. They can mistake roads for bodies of water and end up stranded.
Just like our surprise guest.
Sandy Ridge operates at the highest environmental standards, including where flora and fauna are concerned, and that is what drove our approach to our feathered visitor. (A side note: grebes have around 20,000 feathers—more than any other species of bird.)
Another team member, our Environmental Scientist and Fauna Handler Akila, recovered the bird to monitor overnight. Following advice from the Darling Range Wildlife Shelter, the grebe was assessed for injuries and a release strategy was determined.
The following day the grebe was released into a stormwater retention pond, where, to everyone’s surprise, it happily swam away and began diving for food. But with no small fish or insects to be had, the bird then used the water runway to take off and begin the journey back to its natural habitat.
Whether it’s on the other side of the country, or right in our own backyard, caring for the environment is what we are here to do.
