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Paula
Wasiak
CONSERVATIONIST- SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR - PhD CANDIDATE
Birds, they’re on the street and in our yards, but did you know that Australia has one of the highest bird extinction rates in the world?
A self-proclaimed "bird nerd," I found my calling waddling alongside little penguins for 15 years. My work with these charismatic seabirds had me elbow-deep in burrows, coordinating and conducting data collection for projects aimed at future-proofing their survival.
Now, I'm channelling my passion for bird conservation into my PhD research, focusing on another fascinating Australian native – the bush stone-curlew. My research aims to create a recipe for reintroducing these enigmatic ground-dwelling birds to rural-urban areas in south-eastern Australia.
I’m available for media and public presentations. Please get in touch here.
A little about me
Featured in
TV:
ABC Southern Ocean Live
Podcasts:
Weekend Birder, bush stone-curlews
Weekend Birder, penguins
Radio Interviews:
ABC Protecting Phillip Island’s penguins
RRR Cancer therapies, prem babies, & penguins
ABC Is a bird in the hand really worth two in the
bush?
Presentations
Rodríguez, A., Moffett, J., Revoltós, A., Wasiak, P., McIntosh, R. R., Sutherland, D. R., & Chiaradia, A. (2017). Light pollution and seabird fledglings: targeting efforts in rescue programs. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 81(4), 734-741.
Rodríguez, A., Chiaradia, A., Wasiak, P., Renwick, L., & Dann, P. (2016). Waddling on the dark side: Ambient light affects attendance behavior of little penguins. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 31(2), 194-204.
Wasiak, P (2007), The role of shell grit ingestion in the reproductive biology of little penguins (Eudyptula minor). Honours Thesis, Monash University, Melbourne.
Science bits
I am undertaking my PhD with the Coexistence Conservation Lab at the Australian National University.
In 2007 I completed my Honours degree with Monash University where I investigated the role of calcium ingestion on the reproductive physiology of little penguins.
Prior to my Honour degree, I completed a Bachelor of Science at Monash University, majoring in Zoology & Marine and Freshwater Biology.
Wasiak, P., Renwick, L., Tucker, T., Murphy, S., (2023). The Fall and Rise of the Little Penguin on Phillip Island, Australia. 11th International Penguin Conference, Vina Del Mar, Chile.
Wasiak, P. (2022) The climate crisis and the need for immediate on-ground action: An example from Millowl (Phillip Island). 7th Island Arks Symposium, Phillip Island, Australia.
Wasiak, P., Bellet, J., Baulch, R., (2019). Is it worth it? Little penguin rehabilitation and release on Phillip Island. 10th International Penguin Conference, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Wasiak, P., Chiaradia, A., Reina, R., (2010). The role of shell grit ingestion in the reproductive biology of little penguins (Eudyptula minor). 7th International Penguin Conference, Boston, USA.
Papers