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How to participate in Wings on King 

STEP BY STEP

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• Register as a Wings on King Participant

  • Click on the yellow button on the left to Register on line

  • After we have received and confirmed your registration, you will be contacted by  one of our WOKA (Wings on King Assistant) and Part A of the Survey Kit will be sent to you by email for your information.

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•  Register with BirdLife Australia as an Atlasser 

  • At least one member of your party needs to be registered as a BirdLife Australia Atlas member.  

  • If you aren’t already a Registered BirdLife Atlasser, then becoming one is easy click here 

  • If you are a registered Birdlife Atlasser but have forgotten or lost your login details, then please contact the BirdLife Atlas managers directly: T (03) 9347 0757 or Email: atlas@birdlife.org.au

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• Book Accommodation

  • There is a range of accommodation available on the Island. You need to book this directly with the providers.

  • Your WoKA can advise if you are unsure

  • For more about accommodation click here. 

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• Book Flights to King Island

  • King Island can only be reached by air (unless you arrange your own boat).  There are no passenger ferries to the Island.

  • For more about flights and how to get here click here 

  • For larger groups it is possible and may be cheaper to charter a flight.

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• Arrange Transport on King Island: 

  • To get around King Island, you will need a vehicle. There is no public transport. You can:​

    • hire vehicles on the Island or arrange for a car to be brought over by boat on a weekly cargo shipping service. This is only worth considering if you intend to be on King Island for several weeks.

  • Vehicle Requirements   The type of car you need will depend on:

    • -your fitness and health and

    • -the sites you survey. Some sites are remote and require a 4WD. Some require a high clearance vehicle, but not necessarily a 4WD and some are suitable for a sedan.

  • Both 4WD and 2WD High Clearance vehicles are available on KI, however they are in limited supply so the sooner you book the better. For more about car hire click here.

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• Ensure your Mobile will work on King Island

  • The best method of data entry is via the Birdata App.  You may need to download this if you don't already have it.  Its free click here.

  • As a safety precaution, Wings on King needs to have a mobile phone number for at least one person in your group.

  • NOTE: Your mobile phone may not work on King Island.  As at August, 2017, the only mobile phone networks that work on the Island are Telstra 3 and 4G.  (You can see if this has changed when you register with Wings on King, but it is not expected to change.) 

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• Meeting your WoKA:  

  • If you are coming to an organised survey weekend, you will meet your assigned WoKA at the opening meeting usually on a Thursday evening.  If you are coming at another time, arrangements need to be made to meet your WoKA on your arrival.  The airport is a good place.

  • At this meeting your WoKA will:

    • give you a Wings on King Kit which contains your Field Plan and sites you will visit, a First Aid Kit and various useful information for your time on the island

      • obtain the signatures we need for you to visit survey sites on private land.  These signatures are necessary both to comply with the BirdLife Insurance criteria, and to safeguard the landowners and their property. 

      • if you are travelling alone, arrange for you to contact your WoKA each day to make sure all is well;

      • arrange to meet with you again after your surveys but before you depart, to collect the Kit and see how you got on​

 

• Appoint a group leader 

  • Each group needs to nominate a Group Leader. Ideally this person should be a Registered Atlasser. The Leader is responsible for ensuring:

    • the data is collected as specified for each site​

    • that it is submitted to the BirdLife Birdata Portal against each site. NB: Instructions for this are included in your Survey Kit.  Please follow these, even if you are a regular contributor to Birdata, it is important that you undertake the surveys within the designated area rather than just enter individual co-ordinates.  If you would prefer to submit data by hand rather than on-line this can be arranged, but you need to discuss it with your WoKA at your meeting.

    • record the bird lists for each project survey undertaken;

    • ensure all group members understand and comply with the Occupational Health and Safety requirements included in the WoK Kit

    • that the Kit is returned to your WoKA before departure 

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• Enjoy your visit to King Island

  • King Island has a vibrant, friendly and welcoming community who love to welcome, and share their island with visitors. They will go out of their way to help you.   Let them know that you are here to help the island by collecting data about the island's birds and they will be interested and highly appreciative. Talking about birds also helps local residents understand just how valuable the birds of King Island are. 

  • There are many interesting things to do and see on King Island, as well as surveying our wonderful birds, so plan a few extra days if you can. Find out more...

  • Let us know about your experiences and how we did. We love constructive feedback here.

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​We look forward to welcoming You…