Secrets At Sunrise – Western Ground Parrot Project
Western Ground Parrot (Photo: Jennene Riggs)
Secrets At Sunrise is a documentary that tells the story of Western Australia’s rarest bird, the Western Ground Parrot, and the people who are trying to save it from extinction. The film follows a team of passionate scientists from the Parks and Wildlife Service as they conduct field work in remote Cape Arid National Park and the Fitzgerald River National Park, monitoring the birds and trying to lessen the threats to their survival. It shows how this dedicated and determined team work collaboratively with a non-profit community group, the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot, to conduct listening surveys, conduct feral predator mitigation work, and combat the difficulties of working in such a rugged area with an incredibly cryptic species.
The documentary is receiving widespread praise for its moving story, educational value, and spectacular quality of vision. Producer / Director Jennene Riggs says the film features sensitive footage of work that the specialist group of bird breeding experts at Perth Zoo are doing to establish a captive breeding program, as an insurance against extinction. There are many emotional moments as they work through the teething trials of setting up this world first program. The drama builds even further when a series of bushfires tear across the Cape Arid landscape, destroying 90% of the bird’s last known habitat.
Friends of the Western Ground Parrot Organisation
There has been close collaboration between the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot and the producer of the film and half of all proceeds from the film and any screenings go straight back into the recovery program for the species. It is hoped that the film will spread the word and raise awareness of the beautiful biodiversity of WA’s National Parks and the endemic wildlife that resides here. Details of the making of the film can be found here – Making of Secrets at Sunrise
The film has been selected to screen during the South Coast Festival of Birds in Albany in March and as part of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival in July 2018. You can watch the trailer for the film here.
Secrets at Sunset Documentary (Photo:Dan Paris)
