The far eastern curlew is a Critically Endangered migratory shorebird. Each year it travels from breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere, through eastern Asia, to spend the southern summer feeding on the intertidal flats of Australia. Around Darwin Harbour, the Larrakia Land and Sea Rangers are working to protect the curlew and the coastal habitat it depends on.
For the Larrakia Rangers, this coastline holds a long history. The shell middens scattered through the saltpans are evidence that Larrakia people have been custodians of Darwin Harbour for millennia, and those same coastal areas overlap with the habitat the curlew uses. Working with researchers from Charles Darwin University, and with Darwin Port as a project partner, the Rangers have helped track the birds and identify the saltpans, mangroves and roosting sites that matter most to them, so those places can be protected.
Nicolas travelled to Darwin to film this work, documenting the Rangers on their saltwater Country. The finished video draws on footage captured on location alongside additional material provided for the edit.
The photographs shown here are stills taken from the video.