1 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
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Recommended citation: Lees, D., Lamanna, A., Purnell, C., 2020. Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017 - 2020 Report. BirdLife Australia report for the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.
This report was prepared by BirdLife Australia with support from the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.
Cover photo: Female Red-capped Plover taken by Daniel Lees.
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2 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...... 4 Executive Summary ...... 5 Introduction ...... 6 Shorebirds, habitats, threats and Gulf St Vincent ...... 6 Global shorebird population trends ...... 7 2017-20 Shorebird Counts ...... 9 Count Methods ...... 9 Count Results ...... 12 Site reporting rates and threats ...... 15 Discussion of shorebird count results ...... 47 Events ...... 54 2017/18 ...... 54 2018/19 ...... 55 2019/20 ...... 56 BirdLife Australia Monitoring Recomendations ...... 61 References ...... 62 Appendix ...... 64
Curlew Sandpiper and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Daniel Lees
3 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS BirdLife Australia would like to thank the many people and organisations who contributed their time and energy, and shared information to assist this project. Without their help this project would not have been possible.
Firstly, we would like to thank the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board for funding this project. We also express much gratitude to Tony Flaherty for his continued leadership, support, passion and assistance throughout the project and on broader conservation initiatives.
We also acknowledge the cooperation of previous Dry Creek Saltfield owners, Ridley Corporation, and the new saltfield owners Buckland Dry Creek Pty Ltd, the Price Saltfield owners Cheetham Salt Ltd. and contractors EBS Ecology, eco Aerial and Brett Lane and Associates, for allowing access to the Dry Creek and Price Saltfields.
We would also like to thank the exceptional number of volunteers, including members of Birds South Australia and Friends of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, for taking the time to collect count data from throughout Gulf St Vincent, providing invaluable local information and access to local sites. Special thanks to Kate Buckley for coordinating the Gulf St Vincent Counts since 2017. Thanks also to members of the Victorian Wader Study Group (VWSG) and Friends of Shorebirds SE who have volunteered their time and expertise to conduct the banding expeditions since 2012.
It is with sadness that we note the death of VWSG founder Dr Clive Minton in who has been instrumental in shorebird conservation and monitoring in Australia and who played a role in the initiation of the GSV shorebird banding programme.
4 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Populations of shorebirds (also known as ‘waders’) are declining throughout the world. Their long- term survival will require managers and planners to identify and protect their habitats, identify and reduce the impacts of threats to their fitness, and identify population declines sufficiently early to limit their severity through sympathetic management. Shorebirds conservation has been recognised as a matter of national environmental significance in Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), and also in several international conservation agreements to which Australia is a signatory.
Gulf St Vincent has long been recognised as a nationally and internationally significant area for shorebirds. The area currently hosts an average of over 29,000 shorebirds each year including 14,000 migrants of 13 species. With the cumulative effects of threats throughout the East Asian— Australian Flyway driving regional declines in migratory shorebirds in the region (Table 1), the conservation and appropriate management of key terminal migration habitats in Gulf St Vincent will be crucial to the national conservation effort.
Table 1. GSV migratory shorebird populations from 3 periods; 1979-1985 (estimates from Close 2008), 2000-2008 (estimates from Close 2008) and 2009-2017 (BirdLife S2020 data) *. *Average taken from top 5 counts per species over the project period.
PERIOD 1 1979-PERIOD 2 2000-PERIOD 3 2009-% change % change Species 85 2008 2017 PERIOD 1-2 PERIOD 1-3
Bar-tailed Godwit 960 213 212 -78 -78 Black-tailed Godwit 84 0 14 -100 -84 Common Greenshank 1149 786 368 -32 -68 Curlew Sandpiper 8695 2541 400 -71 -95 Eastern Curlew 171 156 48 -9 -72 Great Knot 443 237 264 -47 -40 Grey Plover 1167 564 161 -52 -86 Grey-tailed Tattler 61 1 2 -98 -96 Marsh Sandpiper 55 77 16 40 -71 Red Knot 1167 1036 1395 -11 20 Red-necked Stint 28912 18382 8855 -36 -69 Ruddy Turnstone 289 513 85 78 -70 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 16469 4864 2095 -70 -87
The South Australian Government, Department of Environment, Water and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board in conjunction with local councils should be commended in their efforts to secure shorebird habitat values through a large portfolio of works culminating in the declaration of the formulation of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park- Winaityinaityi Pangkara and the successful listing of the site as an East Asian Australasian Flyway Network Site of significance.
This report: (a) repeats an overview of shorebirds, habitats and counting methods; (b) provides details of the 2017–18 to 2019/20 simultaneous shorebird counts and (c) reports on training and awareness events conducted in over the past 3 count seasons.
5 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
INTRODUCTION Shorebird populations throughout the world are declining (Morrison et al. 2001; Olsen et al. 2003; van de Kam et al. 2004), and a growing body of evidence describing population declines illustrates Australia as no exception (Clemens et al. 2016; Gosbell & Clemens 2006; Nebel et al. 2008). As populations continue to collapse and threats to shorebird populations are identified there has been an increased need for shorebird conservation in recent years. With this in mind, the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board (AMLR NRM) provided funding to BirdLife Australia to coordinate a complete count of the shorebirds within Gulf St Vincent, including supplementary surveys of poorly known shorebird habitat. Commencing in 2009, the project aimed to reinvigorate shorebird population monitoring and identify important shorebird habitats in the region. The resulting reports and associated GIS layers provide an inventory of shorebird habitats and highlight the distribution and abundance of shorebirds in Gulf St Vincent, as well as identifying current and potential threats to shorebirds in the region.
Gulf St Vincent has long been recognised as an internationally significant area for shorebirds (Bamford et al. 2008, Close 2008, Close & McCrie 1986, Lane 1987, Wilson 2000) and over the last 25 years, counts of migratory shorebirds throughout wetlands of the region have been conducted by volunteer counters from organisations including the Australasian Wader Studies Group, Victorian Wader Studies Group and Birds South Australia. The Gulf is known to be one of the most species diverse shorebird areas in Australia with 52 species of shorebird documented in the region. Currently the gulf regularly plays host an average of over 29,000 shorebirds each year including 14,000 migrants of 13 species (Purnell 2018).
The significance of upper Gulf St Vincent for migratory shorebirds has recently been further recognised through the listing as a site within the soon to be released National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat (Weller et. al, 2020)
Shorebirds, habitats, threats and Gulf St Vincent Shorebirds (or ‘waders’) are all members the order Charadriiformes (along with birds not classified as shorebirds such as gulls, terns, buttonquail and auks), yet despite their position in Charadriiformes they are an arbitrary group, and not defined by any agreed taxonomic or morphological definition. They instead are usually characterised by their general dependence on wetland habitats. Shorebirds are a diverse group and include pratincoles, sandpipers, plovers, dotterels, stints, oystercatchers, godwits, curlews, knots and greenshanks (Purnell 2018). In Australia, shorebirds are categorised as either:
Flyway migrants- 37 species regularly spend their non-breeding season in Australia
Resident breeding species - 18 species of breed in Australia, remaining here throughout the year (Geering et al. 2007)
Gulf St Vincent (GSV) is a highly productive and ecologically significant ecosystem. The mosaic of marine, coastal, inland and man-made habitats provides important feeding, roosting and (for resident species) breeding areas. These habitats include: expansive tidal flats, tidal creeks and estuaries, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, tidal saltmarshes, tidal and supratidal claypans and sabkhas. These natural wetlands are supplemented by
6 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
significant areas of artificial habitat including two large commercial saltfields (Price and Dry Creek), artificial stormwater detention wetlands, effluent water treatment ponds and a man-made ephemeral, freshwater lake (Purnell 2018).
The area has been identified nationally and internationally for its significance for shorebirds and waterbirds (Purnell 2018). Gulf St Vincent supports nationally and internationally significant numbers of migratory and resident shorebirds surpassing all three criteria for recognition as a wetland of international significance (Purnell 2018). At least 52 shorebird species, including 37 migratory species, have been recorded in Gulf St Vincent. The area regularly supports over 25,000 shorebirds of 36 species including 25 migratory species. Three migratory species regularly occur in internationally significant numbers.
Global shorebird population trends Shorebird population declines coincide with, among other threats, an accelerating loss and degradation of shorebird habitat (Rogers et al. 2009; Murray et al. 2013, 2014, Studds et al. 2016). In the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, a disproportionately high number of shorebird species have been classified as threatened, and many are under increasing threat from habitat destruction and over harvesting (Gallo-Cajiao et al. 2020, Murray et al. 2013, Studds et al. 2016). In alignment with these identified trends of decline, the following shorebird species which regularly occur in the Gulf St Vincent were listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act):
Critically endangered Limosa lapponica menzbieri (Bar-tailed Godwit spp. menzbieri) Calidris tenuirostris (Great Knot) Calidris ferruginea (Curlew Sandpiper) Numenius madagascariensis (Eastern Curlew)
Endangered Calidris canutus (Red Knot ssp. rogersi and canutus) Charadrius mongolus (Lesser Sand Plover)
Vulnerable Limosa lapponica baueri (Bar-tailed Godwit; spp. baueri) Charadrius leschenaultii (Greater Sand Plover) Thinornis cucullatus (Hooded Plover; ssp. cucullatus; subject to a separate conservation project)
In 2016 BirdLife Australia published the ‘Revision of the East-Asian-Australasian Flyway Population Estimates for 37 Listed Migratory Shorebird Species’, this revision, supported by the Australian Government and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board used population size, range, breeding and density data from well- studied species along with advances in our knowledge of lesser known species to craft analytical models to better predict shorebird populations. The updated figures from Hansen et al. 2016 for species occurring in the Gulf St Vincent are described in Table 2.
7 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Conserva State Scientific Name Common Name WPE5 estimate 1% EAAFP tion Listing status Pluvialis fulva † Pacific Golden Plover 120,000 1,200 RARE Pluvialis squatarola Grey Plover 80,000 800 NT Charadrius bicinctus Double-banded Plover 19,000 190 Charadrius mongolus † Lesser Sand Plover 180,000-275,000 1,800 E RARE Charadrius leschenaultia Greater Sand Plover 200,000-300,000 2,000 V RARE Gallinago hardwickii Latham’s Snipe 25,000-1,000,000 250 RARE Limosa limosa Black-tailed Godwit 160,000 1,600 V RARE Limosa lapponica † Bar-tailed Godwit 325,000 3,250 CE * / V RARE Numenius phaeopus Whimbrel 65,000 650 NT RARE Numenius madagascariensis (Far) Eastern Curlew 35,000 350 CE VUL Xenus cinereus Terek Sandpiper 50,000 500 RARE Actitis hypoleucos Common Sandpiper 190,000 1,900 RARE Tringa brevipes Grey-tailed Tattler 70,000 700 NT RARE Tringa nebularia Common Greenshank 110,000 1,100 Tringa stagnatilis Marsh Sandpiper 130,000 1,300 Tringa glareola Wood Sandpiper 130,000 1,300 RARE Arenaria interpres Ruddy Turnstone 30,000 300 NT RARE Calidris tenuirostris Great Knot 425,000 4,250 CE RARE Calidris canutus † Red Knot 110,000 1,100 E Calidris ruficollis Red-necked Stint 475,000 4,750 Calidris subminuta Long-toed Stint 230,000 2,300 RARE Calidris melanotos Pectoral Sandpiper 1,220,000- 12,200 RARE 1,930,000 Calidris acuminate Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 80,000 800 Calidris ferruginea Curlew Sandpiper 90,000 900 CE Calidris pugnax Ruff 25,000-100,000 250 RARE Table 2. List of East Asian-Australasian Flyway migratory shorebird species that visit Gulf St Vincent. WPE5 estimate is the most recent global population estimates summed across relevant subspecies for the EAAF (Hansen et al. 2016).
Conservation status refers to IUCN status listed in Garnett et al. (2010), except for bolded species which are listed in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (Department of the Environment 2016).
† These species have two or more subspecies which are recognised in the EAAF. Population estimates and thus, 1% population criterion, differ between subspecies and hence, the 1% criterion for each species is not presented here. See Waterbird Population Estimates (2016) for the most recent values. * Bar-tailed Godwit subspecies menzbieri listed as Critically Endangered and subspecies baueri listed as Vulnerable under recent (5 May 2016) EPBC Act changes.
8 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
2017-20 SHOREBIRD COUNTS Count methods Shorebird counts are conducted in line with the Shorebirds 2020 count methodology outlined at: www.birdlife.org.au/projects/shorebirds-2020/counter-resources. Counters are encouraged to contribute to simultaneous counts in which every count area within the shorebird area is covered within the smallest window of time. Counters are then asked to submit their result either by paper form or through the BirdLife Australia birdata portal (Figure 4).
The simultaneous counts during 2017-18, 2018–19 and 2019-20 count seasons were organised for July, November, January and February of each season with the exception of the third count of the 2017-18 season which was conducted in March and a fourth count in March 2020 (Tables 4-7 and Appendix Tables 1-13). The March 2020 counts are piecemeal thanks to Covid-19 restrictions; they still provide important data for the sites that were surveyed, they were however not included in the species accounts as the incomplete survey data from this count may bias population trajectories. For the same reason, although we report winter count results (in Table 7); we do not include these results in species accounts for the migratory species. Survey dates were chosen to identify temporal changes in habitats used by shorebirds. Count coverage across count areas was incomplete across all dates, but each count covered all the most significant sites where possible.
It is critical to conduct coordinated surveys within Gulf St Vincent so that multiple areas can be surveyed simultaneously. Having the surveys conducted simultaneously minimises the likelihood of birds being either completely missed or double-counted. Counts are conducted during the peak of the non-breeding period (for northern hemisphere migrants; the Austral summer) and in the same month as previous counts. Counts conducted outside the November–February window risk errors associated with birds that would have spent the summer in the gulf moving to staging sites prior to commencing migration to the northern hemisphere (Clemens et al. 2007).
The volunteers involved in the counts should be congratulated for their continued dedication and commitment to shorebird monitoring and conservation. Table 3 describes the number of counters (both volunteers and staff), the number of counts and the approximate survey effort in hours of each of the three count seasons. Although a fantastic effort over the three seasons, only 12 of 24 (50%) sites in the February 2019 count and 16 of 25 (64%) sites in the February 2020 count were surveyed and this shortfall has been identified as an area of improvement moving forward.
9 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Table 3. The number of count participants and survey effort conducted across count seasons. Number of surveys Count season Number of counters conducted 2017/18 33 99 2018/19 33 115 2019/20 32 137
Figure 4. The BirdLife Australia Birdata portal.
10 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Table 4. List of count areas described in Tables 8 – 31 (Site reporting rates and threats) and key to count area names in Appendix Tables 1-13.
Count Area name Count area code Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges Barker Inlet Wetlands BIW Whicker Rd Wetlands WRW Magazine Rd Wetlands MRW Section Banks (Bird Island) SnBa Torrens Island ToIs Bolivar Ponds BolSW Saint Kilda StKi Port Gawler PtGa Dry Creek Saltfields DCSf Middle Beach MiBe Light Beach LiBe Port Prime PtPr Thompson Beach South ThBS Thompson Beach North ThBN Webb Beach WeBe White’s Rd Wetland WhWe Port Parham PoPa Mutton Cove MuCo Torrens Island ToIs Northern & York Bald Hill BaHi Clinton Conservation Park ClCP Macs Beach McBe Port Arthur PoAr Port Clinton PoCl Price Saltfields PrSf Port Wakefield PoWa Tiddy Widdy TiWi
11 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Count results
Species 1% EAA* 0.1%EAA* Nov-08 Feb-09 Jan-10 Dec-10 Jan-11 Mar-11 Dec-11 Jan-12 Mar-12 Aug-12 Dec-12 Feb-13 Mar-13 Australian Painted Snipe** 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Banded Lapwing** 270 0 90 0 0 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 49 27 Banded Stilt** 2060 12062 3252 2228 110 2 0 19843 11133 10771 0 24647 11425 12856 Bar-tailed Godwit 1460 146 419 575 337 163 70 324 0 8 53 14 152 824 13 Black-fronted Dotterel** 170 25 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 2 2 2 0 2 Black-tailed Godwit 1390 139 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 Black-winged Stilt** 2660 310 99 408 7 47 0 254 218 571 460 202 95 195 Common Greenshank 1000 100 154 703 367 241 36 19 104 169 170 2 173 59 80 Common Sandpiper 500 50 1 4 27 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 Curlew Sandpiper 1350 135 228 535 259 126 3 58 16 0 63 28 476 174 278 Double-banded Plover 500 50 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Eastern Curlew 320 32 9 36 29 12 0 1 11 6 0 0 19 26 46 Great Knot 2900 290 930 203 6 800 52 750 0 40 0 22 44 70 4 Greater Sand Plover 790 79 2 8 10 8 0 2 0 0 15 0 0 3 0 Grey Plover 1040 125 164 291 122 46 47 25 19 42 73 13 68 152 36 Grey-tailed Tattler 440 44 1 4 0 1 0 9 5 0 4 0 0 5 5 Latham's Snipe 250 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lesser Sand Plover 1080 108 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 Long-toed Stint 250 25 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Marsh Sandpiper 1000 100 20 7 3 6 3 0 6 1 3 0 1 7 29 Masked Lapwing** 2870 94 148 124 23 41 15 61 73 104 11 35 101 121 Pacific Golden Plover 1000 100 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 17 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 100 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pied Oystercatcher** 110 0 23 125 118 10 7 6 14 24 22 27 43 28 43 Red Knot 990 99 1150 1637 1103 200 4 1615 0 70 1097 110 1450 1980 87 Red-capped Plover** 950 0 608 4963 2026 80 119 19 1084 616 553 164 566 649 2194 Red-kneed Dotterel** 260 0 152 121 79 0 0 0 108 5 37 4 32 74 88 Red-necked Avocet** 1070 0 555 285 27 23 0 0 424 262 481 0 317 257 48 Red-necked Stint 3150 315 8391 11791 6749 2324 2927 1372 3169 2820 3123 577 3830 2098 4619 Ruddy Turnstone 440 44 57 91 70 41 7 23 0 40 5 6 55 75 2 Ruff 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 1600 160 1205 3224 3120 74 5 0 752 218 79 0 1059 543 31 Sooty Oystercatcher** 40 0 0 160 61 0 0 3 0 1 0 26 13 5 0 Terek Sandpiper 500 50 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Whimbrel 5500 550 6 26 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Wood Sandpiper 100 10 2 2 8 0 0 9 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 . total 26580 28392 17289 4299 3436 4245 25869 15747 17223 1466 33189 18724 20811 Table 5. Simultaneous count totals November 2008 to March 2013 1% EAA = International Significance (threshold of 1% of the estimated population in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway); 0.1% EAA = National significance (threshold of 0.1% of the estimated population in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway; Clemens et al. 2010) **Resident shorebird 12 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Species 1% EAA* 0.1%EAA* Jul-13 Nov-13 Jan-14 Mar-14 Jun-14 Nov-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Nov-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Nov-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Australian Painted Snipe** 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Banded Lapwing** 270 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 2 3 4 0 0 Banded Stilt** 2060 35 0 8055 8278 8176 15901 1863 9043 7088 2406 13222 21352 9342 130 1943 Bar-tailed Godwit 1460 146 0 2 104 12 39 67 118 407 52 90 112 92 2 175 236 Black-fronted Dotterel** 170 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 4 Black-tailed Godwit 1390 139 0 0 6 53 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 32 27 0 0 Black-winged Stilt** 2660 350 0 180 1299 390 304 119 285 202 128 549 2555 46 234 250 Common Greenshank 1000 100 0 50 281 113 97 231 227 226 195 168 419 315 373 249 267 Common Sandpiper 500 50 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 2 2 1 2 1 Curlew Sandpiper 1350 135 14 0 7 6 196 8 86 261 81 24 77 289 870 523 682 Double-banded Plover 500 50 0 0 0 1 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Eastern Curlew 320 32 0 0 12 0 29 33 16 8 5 49 51 40 67 44 30 Great Knot 2900 290 0 0 2 6 0 4 11 103 2 13 7 17 1 25 276 Greater Sand Plover 790 79 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Grey Plover 1040 125 0 31 79 164 28 92 154 92 40 112 152 124 179 177 124 Grey-tailed Tattler 440 44 0 0 10 0 0 4 4 0 0 7 0 1 3 3 5 Latham's Snipe 250 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lesser Sand Plover 1080 108 0 0 1 0 0 3 8 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 6 Long-toed Stint 250 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 Marsh Sandpiper 1000 100 0 0 3 8 2 8 2 19 25 2 6 2 5 1 1 Masked Lapwing** 2870 4 42 96 29 94 82 82 127 54 77 185 54 101 181 Pacific Golden Plover 1000 100 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 12 2 Pectoral Sandpiper 100 10 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Pied Oystercatcher** 110 0 14 25 49 44 101 43 55 43 45 39 81 89 50 93 89 Red Knot 990 99 0 3 80 836 30 63 305 1109 388 77 1727 1301 230 454 824 Red-capped Plover** 950 0 332 363 349 628 1206 465 527 501 270 423 982 2301 438 344 1225 Red-kneed Dotterel** 260 0 0 28 71 83 8 57 0 0 0 51 8 0 0 36 91 Red-necked Avocet** 1070 0 0 0 80 120 1074 80 0 157 24 0 500 324 367 17 72 Red-necked Stint 3150 315 440 873 1082 3865 3311 3149 4808 6162 6129 1607 7243 7642 9209 6960 10318 Ruddy Turnstone 440 44 0 15 24 57 7 48 99 27 68 34 48 120 98 293 132 Ruff 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 1600 160 0 145 363 757 51 189 439 545 107 488 1406 1521 170 318 1062 Sooty Oystercatcher** 40 0 0 0 5 1 0 14 14 27 44 19 14 88 Terek Sandpiper 500 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 10 149 0 0 4 Whimbrel 5500 550 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 4 2 25 14 Wood Sandpiper 100 10 0 0 3 0 0 3 2 0 0 7 4 1 0 0 0 total 1197 1541 10895 16427 7983 20841 8943 19116 14892 5801 26689 38471 21559 10206 17929 Table 6. Simultaneous count totals July 2013 to February 2017.
13 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Species 1% EAA* 0.1%EAA* Jun-17 Nov-17 Jan-18 Mar-18 Jun-18 Nov-18 Jan-19 Feb-19 Jun-19 Nov-19 Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20 Australian Painted Snipe** 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Banded Lapwing** 270 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 100 0 0 0 210 0 Banded Stilt** 2060 454 7010 11608 5960 3723 1562 4000 11520 210 8000 6013 7650 502 Bar-tailed Godwit 3250 325 1 231 363 259 0 179 124 85 6 430 207 292 1 Black-fronted Dotterel** 1600 160 0 0 1 7 0 5 0 2 6 2 2 2 Black-tailed Godwit 1390 139 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 15 0 0 20 16 0 Black-winged Stilt** 2660 32 85 377 242 2243 274 122 280 11 97 122 547 226 Broad-billed Sandpiper 300 30 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Common Greenshank 1100 110 1 140 282 334 0 215 199 128 23 286 157 178 180 Common Sandpiper 1900 190 0 1 1 2 27 1 3 0 0 12 1 2 0 Curlew Sandpiper 900 90 1 286 318 579 109 171 308 141 483 260 483 116 Double-banded Plover 190 19 45 0 0 0 55 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 27 Eastern Curlew 350 35 2 75 69 35 2 74 52 63 0 32 24 76 5 Great Knot 4250 425 0 240 73 18 0 250 83 60 0 201 75 60 5 Greater Sand Plover 2500 250 0 0 6 6 1 10 8 6 0 9 7 5 0 Grey Plover 800 80 10 135 175 235 8 94 198 119 9 192 175 202 44 Grey-tailed Tattler 700 70 0 0 3 4 0 3 3 3 0 3 4 3 4 Latham's Snipe 300 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lesser Sand Plover 2275 228 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Long-toed Stint 2300 230 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Marsh Sandpiper 1300 130 0 3 10 0 0 3 10 0 0 0 0 1 0 Masked Lapwing** 2870 31 39 78 162 102 41 121 116 58 94 65 98 67 Pacific Golden Plover 1200 120 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 15750 1575 0 0 6 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Pied Oystercatcher** 110 27 60 150 131 153 93 109 115 125 76 121 48 91 Red Knot 1100 110 0 1440 1853 7586 0 2650 2753 722 40 2479 639 334 841 Red-capped Plover** 950 0 1288 952 1125 1441 2060 746 714 548 297 714 804 777 453 Red-kneed Dotterel** 260 0 36 125 141 119 74 90 48 10 21 40 59 0 0 Red-necked Avocet** 1070 0 0 158 571 580 288 408 300 4 755 253 105 0 Red-necked Stint 4750 475 528 4874 5484 7114 769 3338 2688 2339 321 3748 3360 4295 3509 Ruddy Turnstone 300 30 19 63 114 111 7 99 57 92 2 55 55 59 92 Ruff 625 63 0 0 0 412 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sanderlng 300 30 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 850 85 3 819 1144 0 135 976 1240 840 0 1970 1233 1426 98 Sooty Oystercatcher** 40 87 2 124 52 68 30 44 30 69 18 52 132 105 Terek Sandpiper 500 50 0 1 70 0 0 3 6 0 0 2 0 4 0 Whimbrel 650 65 0 0 13 0 0 9 11 0 0 27 11 16 1 Wood Sandpiper 1300 130 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 2 0 0 0 total 2565 16739 11332 13260 17339 1203 19731 13722 17022 6370 24162 25390 9825 Table 7. Simultaneous count totals July 2013 to March 2020
14 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Site reporting rates and threats Tables 8 to 31 describe species accounts (reporting rate [RR], maximum count [Max] and average count [Average]) as well as the threats (i.e. disturbances) to shorebirds detected during each survey. Areas not surveyed over the report period e.g. Whites Rd Wetland, have not been included in the above species and threat summaries. The letter ‘P’ in the row for any species in the below tables designates that the species was observed but every individual was not counted e.g. the species call may have been heard but not observed.
(a) Section Banks (Bird Island).
Latitude -34.761; Longitude 138.487. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Tenure/Principal manager(s): Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI), Flinders Ports, DEW / NR AMLR.
Section Banks (Bird Island) is an artificial island located at the northern end of the northern revetment mound (a rock breakwater), about 700 m offshore from Outer Harbour. The island was created from sediments dredged from the Port River in 1976 and is composed of shell-grit, clay and sand. The intertidal and supratidal extent of the island is growing to the north-east as accretion from the northern movement of sand along the coast continues. Although areas are occasionally flooded or breached by high tides and storms (particularly in sandy sections of the island’s central north-west) more permanent sections of dune and chenier have been colonised by coastal vegetation forming areas of; low closed shrubland, mangrove, open shrubland. The bank is a combination of intertidal flat, saltmarsh and mangrove on finer sediments on the eastern side (Purnell 2018).
Table 8. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Section Banks over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 43% 55 19
Sooty Oystercatcher 38% 84 34
Banded Stilt 10% 55 29
Black-winged Stilt 14% 15 6
Grey Plover 19% 35 20
Red-capped Plover 38% 210 106
Double-banded Plover 10% 16 14
Masked Lapwing 10% 5 4
Whimbrel 14% 5 2
15 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Eastern Curlew 14% 10 6
Bar-tailed Godwit 5% 2 2
Red Knot 10% 30 17
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 19% 300 97
Curlew Sandpiper 14% 17 7
Red-necked Stint 33% 550 247
Common Greenshank 14% 14 8
Threats to Section Bank’s (Bird Island) shorebirds: Habitat loss - Sea-level rise. Disturbance – fisherman, bait collectors and recreational activities such as day camping, picnics etc. Domestic and introduced fauna - rats, foxes, dogs. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Native vegetation - mangrove incursion. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of chicks increased by local breeding. Pollution - potential oil-spill or pollutant spill from shipping. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(b) Mutton Cove.
Latitude -34.779; Longitude 138.512. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW.
The area of Mutton Cove is one of the few areas along the edges of the LeFevre Peninsula that remains at natural surface level. Although it has been severely degraded since European settlement remains the most biodiverse area of salt marsh and Grey Mangrove woodland on the Peninsula. The saltmarsh is comprised of Beaded Samphire (Sarcocornia quinqueflora), Austral Seablite (Suaeda australis), Shrubby Glasswort (Tecticornia arbuscula) and Grey Samphire (Tecticornia halocnemoides) low shrubland and is bisected by Mutton Cove Creek. Management of the site seeks to restore flora and fauna by introducing a controlled tidal influence. The deteriorating levee bank at Mutton Cove breached in 2016, with subsequent breaches, and the area is now subject to much higher tidal levels than previously. This is drowning saltmarsh areas and has resulted in increased mangrove distribution. The creek splits into three main branches. The extent of these branches extended beyond the proposed Mutton Cove area. However, the outer limits of these branches had been blocked with earth levee banks and land fill. Currently no stormwater runoff actually enters Mutton Cove proper. There is a single council maintained Storm water drain that runs underground along the southern border of the site, within the proposed Recreation and Carpark Reserve. This storm water drain
16 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
discharges stormwater from the surrounding roads into the Port River (Purnell 2018).
Table 9a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Mutton Cove over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 45% 3 2
Sooty Oystercatcher 9% 1 1
Red-necked Avocet 9% 1 1
Black-winged Stilt 73% 20 13
Masked Lapwing 100% 6 4
Red-kneed Dotterel 73% 81 37
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 45% 132 70
Curlew Sandpiper 18% 2 2
Red-necked Stint 9% 6 6
Common Greenshank 55% 4 2
Threats to Mutton Cove’s shorebirds: Habitat loss - Sea-level rise. Disturbance - fisherman and bait collectors. Domestic and introduced fauna - Rats, foxes, dogs. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Native vegetation - Mangrove incursion. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of chicks increased by local breeding. Pollution - Potential oil-spill or pollutant spill from shipping.
Table 9b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threat at Mutton Cove over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 11 4 3 0 0 3 detections
Detection 36% 18% 18% 0% 0% 9% rate
(c) Whicker Road Wetlands (Magazine Creek Wetlands).
Latitude -34.830; Longitude 138.526. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges.
17 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Council: City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Tenure/Principal manager(s): City of Port Adelaide Enfield.
The Whicker Rd Wetlands are constructed on reclaimed intertidal saltmarsh which has a very shallow water table fed by Magazine Creek. Considerable excavation and levee building has resulted in a storm water wetland with a series of freshwater ponds with complex, but often steep, shorelines (Purnell 2018). The City of Port Adelaide and Enfield is developing a Magazine Creek Wetland Management Plan (Water Technologies, April 2020), which seeks to improve water quality. A range of infill planting is also proposed. Care should be taken to maintain open areas for shorebirds and limit plantings of tall shrubs and trees.
Table 10. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Whicker Rd Wetlands over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Black-winged Stilt 100% 16 14
Black-fronted Dotterel 50% 1 1
Masked Lapwing 100% 6 4
Red-kneed Dotterel 100% 24 17
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 50% 8 8
Common Greenshank 50% 1 1
Wood Sandpiper 100% 2 2
Threats to Whicker Road Wetland’s shorebirds: Habitat loss - unsuitable hydrology. Domestic and introduced fauna - rats, foxes, dogs. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Bird Strikes - electrical wires. Pollution - pollutant run-off and rubbish from neighbouring industrial areas. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(d) Baker Inlet Wetlands.
Latitude -34.833; Longitude 138.574. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Tenure/Principal manager(s): City of Port Adelaide Enfield, SA Water.
The Barker Inlet Wetlands are currently undergoing considerable reconfiguration as part of the Northern Connector Motorway Project. Habitat extent and condition will be significantly impacted by the Southern Interchange. Prior to modification the northern basin of the Barker Inlet Wetlands (north of Salisbury Highway; managed by Pt Adelaide Enfield Council) comprised the final stages of stormwater treatment
18 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
before being debouched into tidally influenced ponds which are connected through a single weir to the mangrove forest dominated estuary of North Arm Creek. The southern basin comprises fresh water lagoons and channels. Ponds vary from deep and heavily vegetated in the south east of the wetlands to shallower with open shorelines in the south west. This water was channelled through a number of one-way weirs into the northern basin where it interacted with tidal waters originating from a tidal weir in the north east. Thus, northern basin resembles an intertidal claypan (north east), and tidal creek system (north west) supporting saltmarsh. The Northern Connector Project has significantly impacted the tidal and fresh water lagoons in the western two thirds of the wetland area. Despite these losses the Pt Adelaide Enfield Council’s development plan does have specific environmental objectives for the Barker inlet Wetlands (Purnell 2018).
Table 11. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Baker Inlet Wetlands over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Black-winged Stilt 100% 8 8
Red-kneed Dotterel 100% 6 6
Threats to Baker Inlet Wetland’s shorebirds: Disturbance - temporary disturbance from construction. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impacts from nearby industrial areas. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Bird Strikes - existing and new elevated infrastructure including roads and electrical wires. Human induced mortality - crushing and collision by works vehicles and highway traffic. Pollution - pollutant run-off and rubbish from neighbouring industrial areas. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(e) Magazine Road Wetlands.
Latitude -34.826; Longitude 138.584. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: City of Salisbury Tenure/Principal manager(s): SA Water, Salisbury Water.
Magazine Rd Wetlands was created as Stage 3 of the Greenfields wetlands complex in 1995. A storm-water treatment area, these wetlands comprise a system of freshwater channels and lagoons which vary from <10 centimetres deep in the summer to over 1 metre deep after sustained rain or local water allocation from neighbouring stormwater storage areas. The lagoons and channels have shallow edges and complex, often muddy, shorelines vegetated with low sedge, tussocks and saltmarsh (Purnell 2018).
19 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Table 12a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Magazine Road Wetlands over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Red-necked Avocet 11% 1 1
Black-winged Stilt 89% 54 33
Red-capped Plover 67% 46 14
Black-fronted Dotterel 44% 6 4
Masked Lapwing 78% 8 4
Red-kneed Dotterel 78% 33 17
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 67% 70 41
Red-necked Stint 22% 29 17
Pectoral Sandpiper 11% 3 3
Common Greenshank 11% 1 1
Wood Sandpiper 44% 6 3
Marsh Sandpiper 33% 3 2
Threats to Magazine Road Wetland’s shorebirds: Habitat loss - unsuitable hydrological input and timing. Disturbance - walkers. Domestic and introduced fauna - cats, dogs, foxes, rats. Bird Strikes - neighbouring highway and electrical wires.
Table 12b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Magazine Road Wetlands over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 4 0 0 0 0 0 detections
Detection 22% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% rate
(f) Dry Creek Saltfields; Bolivar Section (Section 2).
Latitude -34.759; Longitude 138.557. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: City of Salisbury. Tenure/Principal manager(s): Buckland Park Ltd Pty (Adelaide Resource Recovery), SA Water, DSD Mineral Resources Division.
20 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
The Dry Creek Saltfields operation has been active on several scales since the 1950s. The modern operation consisted of over 4,300ha of salinas along a roughly north south stretch of coast running 30km from Dry Creek in the south to Pt Gawler in the north. Following the decommissioning of the active saltfield in 2013 a holding pattern was instated to retain habitat values until a final management plan could be agreed upon (Purnell 2018).
With the commencement of the 2013 holding pattern high hypersaline ponds PA 6 to 12 were decommissioned. In late 2015 SA Water began using two of these ponds (PA 9 & 10) to process treated wastewater from the adjacent Bolivar Waste Water Treatment. The inundated ponds totalling 60ha have a base crust of mineral deposits which encase potential acid sulphate soils and sulphidic black ooze. The eastern sides of these ponds are shallower and are dominated by large areas of remanent mineral deposits and microbial mats. These mats sometimes grow into balls, accumulating at the edges of ponds and in other areas of shallow water, and often protrude above the water’s surface, resembling stromatolites. Gaps between these islands are often filled by sediment and spoil creating small, often vegetated islands. The freshwater input from Bolivar WWTP combined with remnant salt crusts provides slightly brackish conditions (Purnell 2018).
Table 13. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Dry Creek Saltfields (Bolivar Section) over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Banded Stilt 80% 6000 1779
Red-necked Avocet 80% 61 34
Black-winged Stilt 80% 230 93
Red-capped Plover 80% 250 138
Black-fronted Dotterel 20% 6 6
Masked Lapwing 100% 15 8
Red-kneed Dotterel 100% 41 19
Eastern Curlew 20% 7 7
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 60% 570 505
Curlew Sandpiper 60% 16 10
Red-necked Stint 80% 825 304
Pectoral Sandpiper 20% 3 3
Common Greenshank 60% 15 12
Marsh Sandpiper 20% 9 9
21 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Threats to Dry Creek Saltfields; Bolivar Section’s shorebirds: Habitat loss - inappropriate water levels. Insufficient draw down period. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby industrial areas. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Vegetation incursions onto roosting and breeding islands. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of resident chicks increased by local breeding. Bird Strikes - electrical wires. Pollution - potential effect of acid sulphate soils and sulfidic black ooze. Runoff from the town and oil spill or bilge pollution form marina. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(g) Dry Creek Saltfields; St Kilda Rd to Middle Beach (Sections 3 & 4).
Latitude -34.694; Longitude 138.459. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: City of Salisbury, Playford City Council, Adelaide Plains Council Tenure/Principal manager(s): Buckland Park Ltd Pty (Adelaide Resource Recovery), DEW, SA Water, DSD Mineral Resources Division.
Prior to decommission Sections 3 & 4 maintained a consistent salinity gradient from marine salinity to medium salinity ponds. In its current condition, the extent of salina containing permanent water has reduced to 2,500ha. Although their distribution and extent has altered, habitat types can still be classified based on their salinity (Coleman and Cook 2009, Purnell et al. 2012), which dictates floral and faunal assemblages. The habitat types identified included: • marine saltponds (39-65 g/L total dissolved salts [TDS]); • low hypersaline saltponds (65-110 g/L TDS); • medium hypersaline saltponds (110-175 g/L TDS)
Given salt is no longer produced at Dry Creek, highly hypersaline saltponds (330 g/L TDS) have not been included in the holding pattern operational plan. By not allowing salt concentrations to exceed medium hypersaline water that has passed through the system can safely be debouched into the gulf in adherence with EPA standards. These ponds held little value for shorebird populations. Marine saltponds are similar to naturally occurring intertidal wetlands, and thus resemble a marine ecosystem supporting all or most of the macro- and micro-organisms that usually occur in nearby seawater. Most of these ponds are shallow and sheltered, and they contain seagrass beds and high densities of invertebrates typical of rocky shores (Coleman and Cook 2009). In these ponds shorebirds would likely find and eat gastropods, bivalves, crustaceans, insects, worms, echinoderms and fish. Low hypersaline saltponds overlap significantly with medium hypersaline saltponds in the Saltfields. Without the strict salinity standards required for commercial salt production it is expected that classification of any one pond may shift with seasonal changes in evaporation and freshwater input. Between the two classifications there are similarities in their salinity, prey assemblages, habitat types (generally non-vegetated levee walls banks and shorelines. Not surprisingly, there is a regular interchange of shorebirds between the two types of saltponds. As salinity increases, many less-resilient aquatic species, such
22 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
as fish, occur at lower densities, while other more resilient species become more abundant: i.e. plankton, crustaceans, molluscs and insects (Coleman & Cook 2009). The most hypersaline ponds in this habitat type are often inhabited by brine shrimps, Artemia franciscana and Parartemia zietziana, along with larvae of brine flies (Ephydrella) (Coleman & Cook 2009). Shorebirds feeding in this habitat type would find a wide variety of prey to eat including: gastropods, crustaceans, insects, worms and fish. Pond XB8A is subject to a managed tidal inundation which seeks to mimic natural intertidal conditions, Carpenter (2018) indicated increased resident and migratory shorebird usage and feeding activity after connection tidal reconnection (Purnell 2018).
Table 14. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Dry Creek Saltfields (Bolivar Section) over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 50% 2 2
Sooty Oystercatcher 17% P P
Banded Stilt 100% 10,000 2,610
Red-necked Avocet 50% 200 97
Black-winged Stilt 100% 300 118
Red-capped Plover 100% 700 248
Masked Lapwing 67% 40 28
Red-kneed Dotterel 83% 25 9
Eastern Curlew 67% 14 10
Black-tailed Godwit 83% 16 7
Ruff 17% 1 1
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 100% 440 278
Curlew Sandpiper 100% 100 33
Red-necked Stint 100% 2,160 876
Common Sandpiper 17% 1 1
Common Greenshank 100% 46 27
Marsh Sandpiper 33% 6 4
Threats to Dry Creek Saltfields; Bolivar Section’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – changing hydrological regime. Disturbance – small scale temporary from construction. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impacts from nearby agricultural areas.
23 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Native plants - saltmarsh communities colonising feeding areas in dried ponds. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of resident chicks increased by local breeding. Bird strikes - electrical wires. Human induced mortality - crushing and collision by works vehicles. Pollution - potential effect of acid sulphate soils and sulfidic black ooze. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(h) St Kilda.
Latitude -34.731; Longitude 138.531. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Salisbury City Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): Buckland Park Ltd Pty (Adelaide Resource Recovery), DEW.
St Kilda historically consisted of three low-lying islands that were covered with shell grit and saltmarsh, and were surrounded by mangroves and saltmarsh. However, with the establishment of a coastal township, and associated marina and the adjacent Dry Creek Saltfields, there has been a drastic loss of natural habitat (Coleman and Cook 2003). The tidal flats of Saint Kilda are bordered by mangroves to the north, the marina breakwater to the south and constrained by the town seawall to the east (Purnell 2018).
Table 15a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for St Kilda over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 87% 37 15
Sooty Oystercatcher 87% 44 12
Banded Stilt 70% 2,350 517
Red-necked Avocet 4% 1 1
Black-winged Stilt 74% 2,100 183
Red-capped Plover 35% 920 214
Black-fronted Dotterel 4% 1 1
Masked Lapwing 87% 31 11
Red-kneed Dotterel 4% 2 2
Bar-tailed Godwit 9% 8 7
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 48% 95 26
Curlew Sandpiper 13% 20 14
24 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Red-necked Stint 52% 750 278
Pectoral Sandpiper 4% 3 3
Common Sandpiper 9% 2 2
Common Greenshank 52% 32 13
Threats to Dry Creek Saltfields; Bolivar Section’s shorebirds: Disturbance - high use recreational area (dog walkers, fisherman, bait collectors, kite flyers, drones). Domestic and introduced fauna - dogs and cats from local community and visitor. Bird Strikes - electrical wires. Pollution - runoff from the town. Oil spill or bilge pollution from marina.
Table 15b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at St Kilda over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 17 0 1 0 4 45 detections
Detection 26% 0% 4% 0% 13% 35% rate
(i) Port Gawler.
Latitude -34.641; Longitude 138.439. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW.
North of the Gawler River, west of Section 4 of the Dry Creek Saltfields and the Port Gawler Off-road Park, Port Gawler shorebird habitat area consists of vast sandy tidal flats fringed by prograding mangrove forests that are crossed by a multitude of tidal channels. Shell-grit ridges occur along a well-defined belt within the mangrove forest. The southern channel is extensively used as a boat launch which is access by driving across the tidal flat. 0ver 75% of the tidal flat is now colonised by saltmarsh and/or mangrove saplings. To the east, within 500 metres of the area, lie extensive shallow salt evaporation ponds. A saltmarsh samphire community occupies the area between the mangroves and the evaporation ponds (Coleman 2013). The Two Wells District Council and Trade Association have, in association with the WWF, identified the area as being important for shorebirds as part of a national Shorebird project supported by the Australian Government in the early 2000’s (Purnell 2018).
Table 16a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Port Gawler over the three year report period.
25 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 30% 8 2
Banded Stilt 7% 50 50
Red-necked Avocet 4% 3 3
Black-winged Stilt 11% 4 3
Grey Plover 4% 7 7
Pacific Golden Plover 4% 2 2
Red-capped Plover 59% 110 43
Masked Lapwing 67% 13 4
Red-kneed Dotterel 37% 8 4
Eastern Curlew 11% 5 3
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 48% 142 40
Curlew Sandpiper 7% 11 7
Red-necked Stint 56% 601 146
Grey-tailed Tattler 4% 1 1
Common Greenshank 26% 6 2
Marsh Sandpiper 4% 1 1
Threats to Port Gawler’s Shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicle habitat destruction. Disturbance – high intensity off-road vehicle presence. Domestic and introduced fauna – predation, crushing and disturbance from off-leash domestic dogs, horses as well as foxes and cats. Native plants- prograding mangrove forest and saltmarsh community. Human induced mortality - crushing of Red-capped Plover (chicks and nests) by off- road vehicles and horses. Pollution - fishing line entanglement, dumping of automotive parts and fluids.
Table 16b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Port Gawler over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 15 9 3 0 0 28 detections
Detection 26% 19% 7% 0% 0% 59% rate
26 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
(j) Middle Beach.
Latitude -34.609; Longitude 138.413. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
The 1.2 km long beach is enclosed by mangroves except for the mouth of Salt Creek which is used as a boating channel at high tide. Open sandy flats are more prevalent in the south around the creek. Houses are built on the foredune, and some back onto areas of low-lying saltmarsh and saltpans. The small coastal community has a population of 367 residents. Visitation to the area by tourists is quite low due to the encompassing mangroves which separate the small sandy beach from the ocean, though the boat launch is regularly used by visiting fishermen (Purnell 2018).
Table 17a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Middle Beach over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 39% 3 2
Banded Stilt 6% 3 3
Black-winged Stilt 11% 4 3
Red-capped Plover 17% 46 20
Black-fronted Dotterel 6% 3 3
Masked Lapwing 83% 7 3
Red-kneed Dotterel 6% 2 2
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 28% 11 5
Red-necked Stint 11% 4 3
Common Greenshank 28% 5 3
Threats to Middle Beach’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – intertidal habitat damage by ORV & boat launching. Disturbance – off-road vehicles & boat launching, dog walking. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impacts from nearby agricultural areas. Native plants - mangrove incursion. Pollution- boat bilge and fuel spills.
Table 17b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Middle Beach over the three year report period.
27 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 37 9 8 3 9 17 detections
Detection 50% 22% 17% 17% 17% 67% rate
(k) Light Beach.
Latitude -34.544; Longitude 138.347. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
Light Beach is the most southerly stretch of shellgrit sandy beach that remains open to the gulf (not bound by mangrove) on the samphire coast. It is bordered to the south by the dense mature mangrove forests which line the tidal creeks of the Light River delta. Mangroves at the southern end of the beach create a small sheltered bay which is dotted with small islands and sand ridges which extend into the intertidal area. Some of these islands are covered in low saltmarsh. Accumulations of seagrass wrack become denser to the northern end of Light Beach. A large island of wrack which extends over 3km north to Pt Prime blanketing the intertidal 800m from the dune into the tidal flats. Light Beach’s extensive network claypans of southern claypans are fed by both evaporative pumping and tidal influence. Direct access to Light Beach is restricted by a locked gate on Light Beach Road, however fences and gates are regularly cut for access by off-road vehicle users. Access by the coast, via Pt Prime, is restricted by an impenetrable band of sea wrack (Purnell 2018).
Table 18. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Light Beach over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 89% 54 25
Banded Stilt 56% 1,550 738
Red-necked Avocet 11% 4 4
Grey Plover 33% 41 18
Pacific Golden Plover 22% 6 4
Red-capped Plover 100% 252 95
Double-banded Plover 11% 1 1
Masked Lapwing 78% 17 6
Red-kneed Dotterel 11% 30 30
28 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Great Knot 11% 2 2
Red Knot 11% 352 352
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 44% 150 42
Curlew Sandpiper 33% 24 12
Red-necked Stint 100% 1,030 262
Grey-tailed Tattler 11% 1 1
Common Greenshank 89% 34 15
Threats to Light Beach’s shorebirds: Disturbance – recreational off-road vehicle drivers, crabbers and bait collectors have accessed the beach by illegally cutting access locks. Native vegetation – prograding mangroves may limit shorebird foraging habitat. Human induced mortality – off-road vehicle crushing of nesting Red-capped Plover. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(l) Port Prime.
Latitude -34.513; Longitude 138.318. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
Port Prime is a shellgrit sandy beach accessible by gravel road. The extensive tidal flat is a mix of fine sand and muddy substrate. The northern section of the dune is cross- cut by two tidal creeks the northern of which, Third Creek forms the border to Thompson Beach. The southern section of tidal flat and beach is dominated by a large accumulation of seagrass wrack which forms an island. Depending on conditions this island can exceed 6 hectares in extent. Third Creek, and the unnamed creek 1km to its south, feed an extensive network of tidal claypans. Still further claypans (sabkhas) are fed by evaporative pumping (Purnell 2018).
Table 19a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Port Prime over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 82% 70 31
Sooty Oystercatcher 9% 2 2
Banded Stilt 18% 300 151
Grey Plover 64% 124 54
Pacific Golden Plover 9% 1 1
29 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Red-capped Plover 100% 255 113
Masked Lapwing 91% 35 10
Eastern Curlew 73% 29 17
Bar-tailed Godwit 27% 180 72
Ruddy Turnstone 45% 16 8
Great Knot 45% 50 15
Red Knot 64% 6,000 1,496
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 82% 79 22
Curlew Sandpiper 73% 22 9
Red-necked Stint 100% 1,150 460
Common Greenshank 27% 3 2
Threats to Port Prime’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicles; Cars accessing intertidal and beach, motorbikes readily access claypans. Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna – dogs accompanying recreational visitors. fox and cat impacts from nearby agricultural areas. Human induced mortality- crushing of Pied Oystercatcher and Red-capped Plover nests / chicks by off-road vehicles.
Table 19b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Port Prime over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 8 1 0 0 0 3 detections
Detection 27% 9% 0% 0% 0% 18% rate
(m) Thompson Beach South.
Latitude -34.490; Longitude 138.286. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
Thompson Beach is a small coastal town with a semi-permanent population of around 300. The local Progress Association is involved in advocacy, on-ground actions and awareness raising related to shorebird conservation. Thompson Beach is a flagship
30 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
location for the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary and is a well-recognised fishing and crabbing destination. The town is accessed by a public paved road. Thompson Beach is split into 2 count areas for logistical purposes. Thompson Beach South is bordered by Third Creek in the south and Ruskin Road boat ramp in the north. The extensive sandy tidal flats and shellgrit beach are largely open, however can be subject to large deposits of seagrass wrack which regularly accumulate around a small stand of mangroves. Mangroves in the area are <2m high and sparsely dispersed. An extensive system of claypans receives an intermittent tidal exchange through Third Creek. On neap tides or in dry conditions many of these sabkhas remain connected to tidal hydrology via evaporative pumping. Vehicle access to the southern claypans is restricted by maintained fences and bollards funded via NRM. The southern tidal flats and claypans can be accessed via the Third Creek interpretive trail which has been maintained by the Adelaide Plains City Council in association with AMLR NRM Board and the local Progress Association. The trail area is now incorporated into the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park managed by DWENR (Purnell 2018).
Table 20a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Thompson Beach South over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 35% 70 25
Sooty Oystercatcher 29% 5 3
Banded Stilt 16% 340 230
Black-winged Stilt 3% 2 2
Grey Plover 71% 24 6
Pacific Golden Plover 3% 1 1
Red-capped Plover 65% 100 34
Double-banded Plover 13% 35 13
Lesser Sand Plover 3% 2 2
Masked Lapwing 65% 43 10
Eastern Curlew 13% 1 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 35% 65 44
Black-tailed Godwit 3% 13 13
Ruddy Turnstone 45% 33 12
Great Knot 23% 200 60
Red Knot 48% 1,365 697
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 52% 134 30
31 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Curlew Sandpiper 48% 70 20
Red-necked Stint 77% 550 204
Common Sandpiper 3% 1 1
Common Greenshank 64% 75 36
Marsh Sandpiper 3% 2 2
Threats to Thompson Beach South’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicles: cars accessing intertidal and beach. Motorbikes readily access claypans. Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna – horses and dogs accompanying recreational visitors. Fox, rat and cat impacts from nearby agricultural areas. Human induced mortality - crushing of Pied Oystercatcher and Red-capped Plover nests / chicks by – off-road vehicles. Pollution - entanglement or ingestion of fishing refuse.
Table 20b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Thompson Beach South over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 118 4 14 0 9 42 detections
Detection 61% 6% 19% 0% 16% 52% rate
(n) Thompson Beach North.
Latitude -34.479; Longitude 138.267. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
Intertidal and beach substrates at Thompson Beach North are predominantly sandy. Volume and extent of seagrass wrack in the tidal zone are variable dependant on local and regional conditions but does form small islands around tidal creeks and small inlets. An extensive system of claypans receives an intermittent tidal exchange through Baker Creek and a small inlet which is regularly gouged open by spring tides and storm surges. On neap tides or in dry conditions many of these sabkhas remain connected to tidal hydrology via evaporative pumping (Purnell 2018).
Table 21a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Thompson Beach North over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
32 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Pied Oystercatcher 55% 15 3
Banded Stilt 24% 30 11
Red-necked Avocet 16% 17 7
Black-winged Stilt 3% 12 12
Grey Plover 37% 27 6
Red-capped Plover 53% 69 17
Double-banded Plover 5% 4 3
Lesser Sand Plover 3% 1 1
Banded Lapwing 3% P P
Masked Lapwing 21% 2 2
Bar-tailed Godwit 16% 135 56
Ruddy Turnstone 58% 65 20
Great Knot 5% 6 4
Red Knot 26% 600 171
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 42% 60 20
Curlew Sandpiper 29% 47 16
Red-necked Stint 74% 350 134
Common Greenshank 50% 70 18
Threats to Thompson Beach North’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicles: cars accessing intertidal areas and beach. Motorbikes readily access claypans. Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna – horses and dogs accompanying recreational visitors. Fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas. Human induced mortality - crushing of Red-capped Plover nests / chicks by off-road vehicles. Pollution - entanglement or ingestion of fishing refuse.
Table 21b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Thompson Beach North over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 121 3 10 1 7 54 detections
Detection 69% 29% 13% 3% 16% 61%
33 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
rate
(o) Webb Beach.
Latitude -34.450; Longitude 138.260. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
Webb Beach is a small settlement accessed via Parham which is located to its immediate north. Intertidal and beach substrates at Webb Beach are predominantly sandy. Sand spits are associated with mangrove-lined creeks to the north and south of the town. Baker Creek feeds a small claypan and an extensive area of low saltmarsh on its northern bank. An extensive claypan system to the south east of the town is regularly filled with local run-off and can remain full throughout the summer period (Purnell 2018).
Table 22a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Webb Beach over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 50% 11 4
Sooty Oystercatcher 45% 6 3
Banded Stilt 14% 350 183
Grey Plover 41% 18 9
Pacific Golden Plover 5% 1 1
Red-capped Plover 41% 110 40
Masked Lapwing 55% 9 5
Ruddy Turnstone 23% 16 5
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 50% 220 106
Curlew Sandpiper 23% 35 13
Red-necked Stint 68% 300 74
Sanderling 5% 2 2
Common Sandpiper 5% 4 4
Common Greenshank 41% 16 8
Threats to Thompson Beach North’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicles: Cars accessing intertidal and beach. Motorbikes readily access claypans.
34 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna – dogs accompanying recreational visitors. Fox, rat and cat. Human induced mortality- crushing of Red-capped Plover nests / chicks by off-road vehicles. Pollution - entanglement or ingestion of fishing refuse.
Table 22b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Webb Beach over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 21 4 2 2 3 11 detections
Detection 36% 9% 9% 9% 9% 36% rate
(p) Port Parham.
Latitude -34.428; Longitude 138.255. NRM region: Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges. Council: Adelaide Plains Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Adelaide Plains Council.
Port Parham and Webb beach have a joint population of around 200 residents. Intertidal and beach substrates at Webb Beach are predominantly sandy. Although there is no physical change in habitat or topography, public access to the north is restricted by the southern border of the Port Wakefield Proof and Experimental Establishment (Purnell 2018).
Table 23a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Port Parham over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 44% 14 7
Sooty Oystercatcher 22% 5 3
Red-necked Avocet 6% 3 3
Grey Plover 22% 8 6
Red-capped Plover 39% 67 25
Masked Lapwing 28% 13 7
Whimbrel 6% 5 5
Bar-tailed Godwit 6% 2 2
35 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Black-tailed Godwit 6% 20 20
Ruddy Turnstone 11% 9 6
Red Knot 11% 91 81
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 28% 200 45
Curlew Sandpiper 11% 19 11
Red-necked Stint 56% 765 205
Common Sandpiper 6% 1 1
Common Greenshank 22% 22 15
Threats to Port Parham’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicles: Cars accessing intertidal and beach. Motorbikes readily access claypans. Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna – horses and dogs accompanying recreational visitors. Fox, rat and cat disturbance and predation. Human induced mortality - crushing of Red-capped Plover nests / chicks by off-road vehicles and horses. Pollution - entanglement or ingestion of fishing refuse.
Table 23b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Port Parham over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 26 1 1 0 0 16 detections
Detection 17% 6% 6% 0% 0% 3% rate
(q) Port Wakefield (Proof and Experimental Establishment; PWPEE).
Latitude -34.395; Longitude 138.242. Council: Adelaide Plain’s Council, Wakefield Regional Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW (GSV Marine Park), Australian Government (Department of Defence).
The townships of Parham and Wakefield are separated by a stretch of undeveloped coast 18.5 kilometres long, which is reserved for the Australian Defence Force Proof Range and Experimental Establishment. Habitat in this stretch of coastline is largely consistent with that found at Parham with large bare sandy tidal flats 1-1.5km wide backed by an extensive network of claypans and saltmarsh. The coast is uniform throughout with no tidal creeks or channels and is backed by a thin band of vegetated beach ridges (degraded in places), behind which lies stranded samphire and bare flats,
36 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
extending several kilometres inland. There is one small island of intertidal saltmarsh towards the southern border. This area has a public exclusion zone which extends beyond the tidal flats into the waters of Gulf St Vincent. Regular access has now been permitted to Birds SA although the PWPEE area is not included in the Flyway Site Network boundary.
Table 24. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Port Wakefield over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 100% 5 4
Sooty Oystercatcher 67% 2 2
Grey Plover 67% 31 21
Red-capped Plover 100% 300 103
Masked Lapwing 67% 16 9
Ruddy Turnstone 67% 18 10
Red Knot 33% 30 30
Curlew Sandpiper 33% 4 4
Red-necked Stint 100% 800 423
Common Greenshank 100% 70 31
Threats to Port Wakefield’s (PWPEE) shorebirds: Disturbance – off-road vehicles. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby areas. Pollution - unknown impacts of ordinance detonation. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(r) Bald Hill (Sandy Point).
Latitude -34.269; Longitude 138.149. NRM region: Northern & Yorke . Council: Wakefield Regional Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW (GSV Marine Park), Australian Government (Department of Defence).
Bald Hill is a low energy beach on the southern bank of a large point at the northern border of the Port Wakefield Proof and Experimental Establishment. Vast tidal flats have formed on the southern and western banks of the point where fine sediment has accumulated. The south facing shellgrit beach is carpeted in seagrass wrack which forms small islands on the tidal flat. Shellgrit ridges extend into the tidal flat and several have been colonised by low saltmarsh. The beach is bordered to the east by a
37 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
sparse stand of mangrove and to the west by a dense forest which extends north to Port Wakefield. Inland of the mangrove forest a small number of tidally fed claypans are fringed by low saltmarsh and receive an intermittent tidal exchange (Purnell 2018).
Table 25. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Bald Hill over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 82% 6 4
Sooty Oystercatcher 59% 11 4
Grey Plover 65% 40 26
Red-capped Plover 82% 80 47
Double-banded Plover 24% 14 7
Greater Sand Plover 6% 1 1
Masked Lapwing 41% 5 3
Eastern Curlew 12% 17 11
Bar-tailed Godwit 65% 18 9
Ruddy Turnstone 71% 11 8
Great Knot 29% 10 5
Red Knot 41% 220 100
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 59% 95 58
Curlew Sandpiper 65% 57 31
Red-necked Stint 82% 350 108
Common Greenshank 35% 6 3
Threats to Bald Hill’s shorebirds: Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby areas. Pollution - unknown impacts of ordinance detonation. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(s) Clinton Conservation Park.
Latitude -34.136; Longitude 138.086. NRM region: Northern & Yorke. Council: Yorke Peninsula Council, Wakefield Regional Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW.
38 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Clinton Conservation Park is situated at the head of Gulf St Vincent between Port Wakefield and Clinton. The Park covers over 19 km² of mainly low lying, coastal fringe habitats including mangrove, samphire and chenopod shrublands and borders on intertidal mudflat protected under the Upper Gulf St Vincent Marine Park. The tidal currents of Gulf St Vincent carry fine suspended sediments that settle in the upper reaches creating large expanses of shallow mudflat and seagrass beds at the head of the gulf. The mangrove/samphire estuarine area is cut through by many large tidal channels fringed by mangroves. The River Wakefield is the only major drainage channel in the area and the only major input of freshwater into the tidal flat-Gulf system. The wide mangrove tidal flats are backed by rolling plains or by low scarps. The hinterland consists of alluvial fan deposits which are incised with small creek gullies. These creeks either fan out onto the tidal flats, depositing red clay loam and gravel on the surface, or continue across to the sea. The tidal creeks that connect a network of claypans and sabkhas, up to 1km inland, to potential inundation. Claypans vary in hydrology and (therefor ecology) depending on tidal connectiveness, tidal conditions, surface water availability and evaporative pumping. Prior to the establishment of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, Clinton CP was the largest reserve in Gulf St Vincent and remains one of the most significant sites in terms of shorebirds (Close & McCrie 1986; Watkins 1993). Clinton Conservation Park is listed as a wetland of national significance. It is classified in the Directory of Important Wetlands as comprising Marine and Coastal Zone Wetlands types A1, A2, A6, A7, A8 and A9 (Purnell 2018).
Table 26a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Clinton Conservation Park over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 62% 4 1
Sooty Oystercatcher 76% 26 11
Banded Stilt 19% 100 80
Red-necked Avocet 10% 2 2
Black-winged Stilt 5% 1 1
Grey Plover 81% 70 35
Red-capped Plover 100% 300 92
Greater Sand Plover 29% 5 3
Banded Lapwing 5% 40 40
Masked Lapwing 10% 3 3
Red-kneed Dotterel 48% 43 18
Eastern Curlew 57% 35 21
39 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Great Knot 14% 30 12
Red Knot 29% 60 17
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 62% 125 53
Curlew Sandpiper 81% 400 53
Red-necked Stint 100% 1,292 386
Pectoral Sandpiper 14% 2 1
Terek Sandpiper 81% 7 3
Common Greenshank 90% 42 17
Marsh Sandpiper 5% 3 3
Threats to Clinton Conservation Park’s shorebirds: Disturbance – off-road vehicles, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas.
Table 26b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Clinton Conservation Park over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 1 0 0 0 0 3 detections
Detection 5% 0% 0% 0% 0% 10% rate
(t) Port Arthur.
Latitude -34.149; Longitude 138.063. NRM region: Northern & Yorke. Council: Yorke Peninsula Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Yorke Peninsula Council.
Port Arthur is part of the continuous coastal fringe of samphire, mudflats and sandflats the make up the larger Clinton Conservation Park. It is the only break in the intertidal mangrove forest between Port Clinton and the head of the Gulf. Mid and low samphire slope directly into the tidal flat which is fringed by prograding mangroves (Purnell 2018).
Table 27a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Port Arthur over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
40 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Red-necked Avocet 23% 46 17
Black-winged Stilt 15% 1 1
Red-capped Plover 62% 47 18
Masked Lapwing 77% 4 2
Red-necked Stint 23% 10 7
Common Greenshank 8% 3 3
Threats to Port Arthur’s shorebirds: Disturbance – given the small area and proximity to the rest stop, birds are particularly susceptible to disturbance. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas. Native plants - there is a risk that mangrove may enclose the remaining open intertidal area.
Table 27b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Port Arthur over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 2 0 0 0 0 5 detections
Detection 8% 0% 0% 0% 0% 23% rate
(u) Port Clinton.
Latitude -34.226; Longitude 138.020. NRM region: Northern & Yorke Council: Yorke Peninsula Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Yorke Peninsula Council.
Port Clinton is a small coastal settlement between Price Saltfields and Pt Arthur with a population of around 350, 250 of which are permanent. The towns’ foreshore is largely open, bordered by mangroves to the south west and north east. The vast tidal sandflats are only interrupted by a small dense stand of mangroves near the eastern boat ramp. East of the boat ramp intertidal saltmarsh and sparse prograding mangrove dot the sandflat and a small tidal creek feeds a community of shrubby saltmarsh. Towards the southern end of the town a small point and associated sandpit and rocky reef are partially vegetated by low saltmarsh. The coast south of this area is dominated by intertidal saltmarsh and small inlets and lagoons (Purnell 2018).
Table 28a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Port Clinton over the three year report period.
41 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 78% 19 8
Sooty Oystercatcher 83% 20 8
Banded Stilt 6% 1 1
Red-necked Avocet 6% 8 8
Grey Plover 39% 60 8
Red-capped Plover 86% 120 36
Double-banded Plover 17% 3 2
Greater Sand Plover 33% 8 6
Masked Lapwing 47% 5 3
Eastern Curlew 33% 33 20
Bar-tailed Godwit 17% 34 16
Ruddy Turnstone 47% 16 9
Great Knot 11% 22 16
Red Knot 11% 160 62
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 42% 50 19
Curlew Sandpiper 42% 32 13
Red-necked Stint 67% 720 291
Sanderling 11% 38 26
Terek Sandpiper 3% 1 1
Grey-tailed Tattler 47% 4 3
Common Greenshank 64% 43 16
Marsh Sandpiper 3% 2 2
Threats to Port Clinton’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – off-road vehicles; cars accessing intertidal zone and beach. Disturbance – walkers, dogs, crabbers, bait collectors and fisherman as well as the proximity of the esplanade road. Domestic and introduced fauna – dogs accompanying recreational visitors. Fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas. Human induced mortality - crushing of Red-capped Plover nests / chicks by off-road vehicles and walkers.
Table 28b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Port Clinton over the three year report period.
42 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 50 33 11 109 9 23 detections
Detection 53% 42% 25% 75% 14% 28% rate
(v) Price Saltfields.
Latitude -34.316; Longitude 137.996. NRM region: Northern & Yorke Council: Yorke Peninsula Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Cheetham Salt Ltd.
The Price area (including Wills Creek Conservation Park) supports sandflat and mudflat areas, associated with saltmarsh both above and between the tide line, and intertidal mangroves. Commercial salt production by solar evaporation of seawater has occurred at Price Saltfields since the Gulf Salt Co. Ltd began production in 1919 with the capture of seawater at high tide by a dam across Willis Creek. In the following decades a number of different owners expanded the field to 1064 hectares of evaporators and crystallisers. A processing plant produces salt for industrial and household use (Hough 2008). The Price saltfields operation maintains a system of salt evaporation fields and access tracks. Levees preclude tidal inundation to the ponds however adjacent areas are dominated by saltmarsh and dendrital tidal creeks. With ongoing contracts for provision of salt, Price Saltfields will maintain operational hydrology. The greater Price area is subject to regular inundation by seawater and has two tidal creeks (Wills Creek and Shag Creek) which form shallow estuaries at Mangrove Point. Mangrove forests line the coast and are dissected by numerous small tidal channels, which provide drainage when the tide recedes. Much of the area lies below high tide level, and is therefore subjected to daily inundation. The coastline adjacent to the Price Saltfields is dominated by mangrove forest which extend to Port Clinton in the north and Macs Beach in the south (Purnell 2018).
Table 29. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Price Saltfields over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 100% 20 11
Sooty Oystercatcher 9% 1 1
Banded Stilt 100% 10,000 3,350
Red-necked Avocet 100% 500 235
Black-winged Stilt 100% 90 23
Grey Plover 73% 75 33
Red-capped Plover 100% 200 66
43 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Masked Lapwing 100% 21 10
Red-kneed Dotterel 64% 10 4
Whimbrel 82% 13 10
Eastern Curlew 64% 29 7
Bar-tailed Godwit 82% 210 136
Black-tailed Godwit 9% 1 1
Ruddy Turnstone 73% 31 15
Great Knot 45% 240 91
Red Knot 91% 1,089 351
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 82% 486 248
Curlew Sandpiper 100% 250 125
Long-toed Stint 18% 2 2
Red-necked Stint 90% 737 289
Pectoral Sandpiper 9% 1 1
Common Sandpiper 64% 4 2
Common Greenshank 91% 76 49
Marsh Sandpiper 45% 2 1
Threats to Price Saltfield’s shorebirds: Habitat loss – changing hydrological regime. Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Native plants - saltmarsh communities colonising feeding areas in dried ponds. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of resident chicks increased by local breeding. Bird Strikes - electrical wires. Human induced mortality - crushing of nests / chicks and collision by works vehicles. Pollution - potential effect of acid sulphate soils and sulfidic black ooze. *Inadequate disturbance data for inclusion of a summary table.
(w) Macs Beach.
Latitude -34.363; Longitude 137.993. NRM region: Northern & Yorke Council: Yorke Peninsula Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Yorke Peninsula Council.
Macs Beach is a sandy shellgrit beach with large deposits of seagrass wrack. The intertidal area consists of a rocky reef platform amongst bare sandflat (Purnell 2018).
44 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Table 30a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Macs Beach over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Red-necked Avocet 17% 10 10
Grey Plover 33% 1 1
Red-capped Plover 83% 6 3
Masked Lapwing 17% 1 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 33% 18 13
Ruddy Turnstone 67% 15 7
Red Knot 50% 220 137
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 67% 49 27
Curlew Sandpiper 67% 39 20
Red-necked Stint 100% 300 146
Sanderling 17% 5 5
Common Greenshank 17% 1 1
Threats to Macs Beach’s shorebirds: Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Native plants - saltmarsh communities colonising feeding areas in dried ponds. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of resident chicks increased by local breeding. Bird Strikes - electrical wires. Human induced mortality - crushing of nests / chicks and collision by works vehicles. Pollution - potential effect of acid sulphate soils and sulfidic black ooze.
Table 30b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Macs Beach over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 1 0 0 0 1 2 detections
Detection 17% 0% 0% 0% 17% 33% rate
(x) Tiddy Widdy Beach.
45 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Latitude -34.398; Longitude 137.943. NRM region: Northern & Yorke Council: Yorke Peninsula Council. Tenure/Principal manager(s): DEW, Yorke Peninsula Council.
Tiddy Widdy Beach is a sandy shellgrit beach with large deposits of seagrass wrack. The intertidal area consists of a rocky reef platform amongst bare sandflat (Purnell 2018).
Table 31a. Shorebird species list, reporting rate (RR), and the maximum and average counts for Tiddy Widdy Beach over the three year report period.
Common name RR (%) Max Average
Pied Oystercatcher 29% 2 2
Red-capped Plover 71% 10 4
Bar-tailed Godwit 14% 1 1
Red-necked Stint 29% 5 4
Common Greenshank 14 1 1
Threats to Tiddy Widdy Beach’s shorebirds: Domestic and introduced fauna - fox, rat and cat impact from nearby agricultural areas. Invasive plants - invasive weed incursion from neighbouring unmanaged lands. Native plants - saltmarsh communities colonising feeding areas in dried ponds. Native birds - Silver Gull predation of resident chicks increased by local breeding. Bird Strikes - electrical wires. Human induced mortality - crushing of nests / chicks and collision by works vehicles. Pollution - potential effect of acid sulphate soils and sulfidic black ooze.
Table 31b. Occurrences and the detection rate of disturbance threats at Tiddy Widdy Beach over the three year report period.
People Dogs Off Dogs On Watercraft Watercraft Vehicles Lead Lead At Anchor Moving Number of 20 0 0 0 2 7 detections
Detection rate 43% 0% 0% 0% 29% 71%
46 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Discussion of shorebird count results Over the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 simultaneous count seasons several sites within the Gulf St Vincent were observed to support nationally (>0.1% EAA) and internationally (>1% EAA) significant number of shorebird species. Notable sightings include: internationally significant numbers of Red Knot seen at Port Prime and Thompsons Beach South across seasons, nationally significant numbers of Eastern Curlew seen at Port Clinton, nationally significant numbers of Ruddy Turnstone at Thompson Beach North and Thompsons Beach South across multiple seasons, nationally significant numbers of Terek Sandpiper at Magazine Rd Wetlands across multiple seasons and nationally significant numbers of Red- necked Stint at Clinton Conservation Park, Dry Creek Saltfield and Port Clinton. Further, with sites combined, Gulf St Vincent held internationally significant numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and numerous non-migratory species were seen to occur in significant numbers at sites throughout the Gulf St Vincent; of particular note were separate sightings of between 5,000 to 10,000 Banded Stilt at Price and Dry Creek Saltfields.
Species accounts for significant populations The count results and trends reported across time that we present here should be interpreted with care, while stable (or increasing) population trends are encouraging they cannot be used as justification to become complacent in monitoring, enforcement, habitat restoration or protection. Similarly, unstable or extremely variable population trends such as those of the Marsh Sandpiper, Banded Stilt and other species that may be more nomadic / irruptive may be artefacts of their utilisation of inland freshwater and wetland habitats or alteration of migratory routes.
Stable population trends in Gulf St Vincent may be artefacts of increased survey effort over the years, better knowledge of species specific habitat preferences, changes in site selection by the birds themselves (perhaps in response to historic sites no longer being suitable) and are likely to mask overall population declines especially in the case on the Red Knot below. The following are accounts of significant populations occurring within Gulf St Vincent.
(i) Red Knot Calidris canutus The latest combined 1% threshold for the two subspecies of Red Knot is 1,100 birds. This threshold was exceeded in 9 of the last 12 count seasons including all three seasons this report covers (Table 34). With the Red Knot’s EPBC status as Endangered, an IUCN listing of Near Threatened and a population declining at approximately 4.4% annually (Studds et al. 2017), it is encouraging to see a positive trend in the Gulf St Vincent for this species (Figure 5). As previously mentioned these results should be interpreted carefully; by the same token whether the positive trend is an artefact of increased monitoring effort, increased knowledge of the birds or a change in site preferences by the birds the increasing trend in the Gulf St Vincent is one to be optimistic and proud of.
Table 34. Maximum population count data for Red Knot in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
Summer Max Count Date 2008/09 1,637 02/2009
47 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
2009/10 1,103 01/2010 2010/11 1,615 03/2011 2011/12 1,095 02/2012 2012/13 2,055 12/2012 2013/14 836 03/2014 2014/15 1,109 02/2015 2015/16 1,291 02/2016 2016/17 824 02/2017 2017/18 7,586 03/2018 2018/19 2,753 01/2019 2019/20 2,479 11/2019
Figure 5. Population count data for Red Knot in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
(ii) Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis The latest 1% threshold for Red-necked Stint is 4,750 birds. The threshold was exceeded in 6 of the last 12 years (Table 35). Despite a large amount of variation across the last decade the population trend of Red-necked Stint in Gulf St Vincent appears stable; however the notable decreases in maximum counts from the 2016/17 season to the 2019/20 season for this species is troubling and warrants close attention in coming count seasons (Figure 6).
Table 35. Population count data for Red-necked Stint in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
Summer Max Count Date 2008/09 11,791 02/2009 2009/10 6,749 01/2010 2010/11 2,927 03/2011 2011/12 3,123 11/2011 2012/13 4,070 12/2012 2013/14 3,865 03/2014
48 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
2014/15 6,162 02/2015 2015/16 7,834 02/2016 2016/17 10,3018 02/2017 2017/18 7,114 03/2018 2018/19 3,338 11/2019 2019/20 4,295 02/2020
Figure 6. Population count data for Red-necked Stint in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
(iii) Sharp-tailed Sandpipers Calidris acuminata The latest 1% threshold for Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is 800 birds. The threshold was exceeded in 8 of the last 12 years (Table 36). Like the Red-necked Stint above, when all counts across seasons are combined the population trend of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Gulf St Vincent appears stable (Figure 7); however the notable absence of counts exceeding 3,000 birds in the last decade when compared to the 2008/09 and 2009/10 count seasons is of some concern.
Table 36. Population count data for Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020)
Summer Max Count date 2008/09 3,224 02/2009 2009/10 3,120 01/2010 2010/11 0 03/2011 2011/12 79 11/2011 2012/13 1,103 12/2012 2013/14 757 03/2014 2014/15 545 02/2015 2015/16 1,530 02/2016 2016/17 1,062 02/2017 2017/18 1,144 01/2018
49 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
2018/19 1,240 01/2019 2019/20 1,970 11/2019
Figure 7. Population count data for Sharp-tailed Sandpiper in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
(iv) Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica The latest 1% threshold for Bar-tailed Godwit is 3,250 birds. The threshold for international significance is not reached in any of the last 12 years; however, the 0.1% threshold of 325 individuals designating national significance was eclipsed in 6 of the past 12 years (Table 37). Figure 8 shows a plot of Bar-tailed Godwit detected throughout all simultaneous counts in the Gulf of St Vincent, although there is substantial variation among surveys there does appear to be a slight downward trajectory for this species in the Gulf.
Table 37. Population count data for Bar-tailed Godwit in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020)
Summer Max Count date 2008/09 575 02/2009 2009/10 337 01/2010 2010/11 324 03/2011 2011/12 53 03/2012 2012/13 824 02/2013 2013/14 104 01/2014 2014/15 407 02/2015 2015/16 110 01/2016 2016/17 236 02/2017 2017/18 363 01/2018 2018/19 179 11/2018 2019/20 430 11/2019
50 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Figure 8. Population count data for Bar-tailed Godwit in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
(v) Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus The latest 1% threshold for Banded Stilt is 2,060 birds. The threshold was exceeded in 11 of the last 12 years, with a maximum count of 24,647 birds in December 2012 (Table 38). Figure 9 describes all GSV count totals across the 12 years of monitoring, and describes a stable trend. However, a lack of counts above (or even close to) 15,000 individuals from the 2016/17 season to the 2019/20 season warrants close attention moving forward.
Table 38. Population count data for Banded Stilt in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020)
Summer Max Count date 2008/09 12,062 11/2008 2009/10 2,228 01/2010 2010/11 110 12/2010 2011/12 19,843 12/2011 2012/13 24,647 12/2012 2013/14 8,278 03/2014 2014/15 15,901 11/2014 2015/16 21,352 02/2016 2016/17 9,342 11/2016 2017/18 11,608 01/2018 2018/19 11,520 02/2019 2019/20 8,000 11/2019
51 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Figure 9. Population count data for Banded Stilt in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
(vi) Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus The latest 1% threshold for Red-capped Plover is 950 birds. The threshold was exceeded in 8 of the last 12 years (Table 39). Of concern however, is a noticeable decline in Red-capped Plover population across the Gulf St Vincent as evidenced by the decreasing population trend in Figure 10.
Table 39. Population count data for Red-capped Plover in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2019)
Summer Max Count date 2008/09 4,963 02/2009 2009/10 2,026 01/2010 2010/11 119 01/2011 2011/12 1,084 12/2011 2012/13 2,194 03/2013 2013/14 1,206 06/2014 2014/15 527 01/2015 2015/16 2,301 02/2016 2016/17 1,225 02/2017 2017/18 1,441 03/2018 2018/19 746 11/2018 2019/20 804 01/2020
52 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Figure 10. Population count data for Red-capped Plover in Gulf St Vincent (2008-2020).
53 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
EVENTS
2017/18
Beginner and Experienced workshops In November 2017, two shorebird workshops were held in collaboration with the AMLR NRM Board. The two workshops were conducted targeting 1) beginners and general public and 2) experienced counters, land managers and those who attended the first session and were keen for more. Both workshops had good attendance of between 22 and 27 people and consisted of a field component to coincide with the high tide and best viewing of the shorebirds and then a 1 hr - 1.5 hour presentation with question and answers component. The beginners workshop aims to educated and excite participants about migratory shorebirds and their conservation while also providing an opportunity to learn about future shorebirds related act ivies to advance their knowledge and skills including becoming members of the Friends of Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary (FAIBS). The advanced/experienced workshop focused on up skilling through improving identification skills and learning more about the survey methodologies necessary to contribute to the Gulf St Vincent Population Monitoring Project.
The two workshops were also advertised as part of the National Parks, ‘Park of the Month’ Program. The Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary and Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary were chosen to be Park of the Month for November 2018. Through the marketing and promotion of the Park of Month program, the workshop advertisements reached a much larger audience which meant many new participants in the Beginners Workshop (13 out of 22 were new).
Birds n’ Bickies In the 2017/18 season the first Birds n’ Bickies Shorebirds sessions were held. These were run by BirdLife Australia with support from AMLR NRM Board and through the Sharing our Shores with Coastal Wildlife Project. This was a new engagement approach for the region with a particular focus on three key aspects: 1. Providing a mentorship aspect for those wanting to develop their shorebird count and ID skills with the aim of recruiting volunteers to contribute to the Gulf St Vincent population counts; 2. Creating a fun and casual atmosphere to meet and learn from other shorebirders (less intimidating, new people welcome, encouraging local community involvement and enjoying a delicious morning tea together put on by the local community group.); 3. Three consecutive monthly sessions (Jan, Feb, Mar) in the same location to increase exposure to a top shorebirding site in SA and allow participants to experience the changing bird dynamics over the summer months. (Birds numbers at peak in January, birds starting to fatten up in February, birds in breeding plumage in March).
The mentoring aspect of Birds n’ Bickies was assisted through skilled and knowledgeable members of Birds SA and the Friends of AIBS.
All three session in 17/18 had great attendance with participant numbers of 18, 23, and 25 respectively.
54 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Birds n’ Bickies, January 2018, Thompson Beach. Emma Stephens
2018/19
Shorebird Introduction and Advanced workshops In November 2018 two workshops were held in conjunction with the Adelaide Shorebird and Dolphin Festival - Park of the Month November 2018 program. The two workshops were run by BirdLIfe Australia with funding support from AMLR NRM Board and support from the Australian Government's National Landcare Programme. The Shorebird Introduction workshop focused on ecology, theory & practice of Shorebird Identification. While the Advanced workshop, run the following day, focused on theory & practice of Shorebird Identification and S2020 Counts. Both workshops had a field and presentation component and good attendance with 26 (21 were new) attending the ‘Intro’ workshop and 21 (18 new) the ‘Advanced’ workshop.
A guided shorebird walk at Magazine Road wetland was also run by BirdLife Staff through the Sharing our Shores with Coastal Wildlife Project (AMLR NRM Board funded) and as part of the November Park of Month Program.
Birds n’ Bickies The three-part Birds n’ Bickies was back for the 18/19 shorebird season due to the positive feedback received from the previous season and the desire to continue a mentoring program to aid in the recruitment of skilled shorebird counters. These sessions had the same format and aims as the previous season however we made a point to encourage participants to register for more than one session so they could get the full benefits of heading viewing the shorebirds each month at the same site and have the opportunity to reinforce what they learned in a previous session, especially in regards to species identification. We also added an informal focus activities to each session by using laminated shorebirds to
55 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
help with I.D., discussing and showing how to do a shorebird count using the paper form as well as in Birdata, and discussing the Grey Plover satellite tracking program.
The interest in these sessions grew from the previous season with participation numbers increasing to 26 (January), 28 (February) and 24 for the March session.
In October 2018, BirdLife, Sharing our Shores Project Staff gave a presentation titled ‘Birds n’ Bickies - a successful method for shorebird engagement’ to the biennial AWSG National Shorebirds Conference in Hobart.
Birds n’ Bickies participants enjoying morning tea back at the Thompson Beach Shed. Emma Stephens
2019/20
Shorebirds 101 Two workshops were held during the 19/20 season; a ‘Shorebirds 101’ Introduction to Shorebirds’ workshop and a ‘Shorebirds for Junior Rangers’ session. Both of these sessions were run by BirdLife Australia Staff in collaboration with AMLR NRM Board and with funding provided through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. These workshops were advertised and included as part of the Adelaide Shorebird and Dolphin Festival - Park of the Month November 2019 program.
Two other shorebird related workshop/activities were planned for the AIBS & ADS Festival / Park of Month but were cancelled due to in climate weather or low registration numbers. These workshops were: 1 - A guided Kayak trip to Bird Island, Outer Harbour; and 2 - The Flock Oz: presentation and painting bird stencil workshop.
56 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
A third workshop was planned for March 2020 however had to be postponed due to the restrictions placed around Covid-19. The March workshop was titled ‘A Morning with the Shorebirds, including a Mudflat Bioblitz’ and was focused on general shorebird ecology and conservation with an option to join in on a mudflat condition monitoring activity at the end of the workshop presentation. Promotional flyer (right) for the workshop. It is hoped we can run in the 2020/2021 season with funding provided through the Australian Governments National Landcare Program.
Birds n’ Bickies Popular demand and keen interest from the participants in the November Shorebirds 101 workshop brought back Birds n’ Bickies for the third year. The three-session format and location remained the same however a specific theme was added to each session: General Wader Info & ID, test your ID skills, and citizen science. This time around, participants were asked before the session if they would like to be paired up with a mentor on the day. Several participants took up with opportunity and were matched with a skilled member of Birds SA or Friends of AIBS for the field component. The registration and attendance at these sessions continued to grow and a limit to 30 people was put in place. In 2019/2020, the Birds n’ Bickies was booked out with waiting lists for each session. There was also good participation from the local communities of Thompson Beach, Parham and Webb Beach. Attendance numbers for this season were 31 (Jan), 35 (Feb), and 28 in March.
Birds n’ Bickies 2020, participants testing their ID skills. Emma Stephens
From the three years of running Birds n’ Bickies there have been 4 new volunteers who have registered as counters
57 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
and have contributed to the National Shorebird Monitoring program (formally Shorebirds 2020). Although this does not appear to be a high level of recruitment of shorebird counters it has been enough to help fill some gaps in sites that were not being counted regularly and also assist with partnering with other counters so the remote and challenging sites are not left to be done by a single counter. It also signifies the level of skill, confidence and commitment required for shorebird counting in Gulf St Vincent. Several other Birds n’ Bickies participants expressed interest in contributing to population counts however did not feel their skills were up to the challenge but with continued practice they would soon be able to join.
As in the previous years, the Birds n’ Bickies program was supported by skilled and knowledgeable members from both Birds SA and Friends of AIBS. Of particular mention is Kate Buckley and Mary-Ann Van Trigt for their assistance in finding the best location to view the birds, helping with shorebird identification in the field and mentoring participants.
For the third year, the Birds n’ Bickies sessions were run by BirdLife Australia Staff in collaboration with AMLR NRM Board through the Sharing our Shores with Coastal Wildlife Project.
2017 - 2020 The Flock Oz Originally created in New Zealand by the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, ‘The Flock’ has become an excellent engagement tool to bring awareness to shorebirds and help spread the message about the threats the face. With permission from the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board embarked on creating an Australian version, The Flock Oz.
The Flock Oz is a shorebird community art project which brings together many different groups not typically associated with ‘birding’ such as Men’s Shed and Wood Working Groups to create shorebird stencils that can then be brightly painted. Painting can be done at workshops, Festivals, in class rooms and the result is a fun, and creative, community driven project to spread the word about the threats facing our migratory and resident shorebirds.
Several workshops were run through the AMLR NRM Board’s Coastal Program during the 2017/18 season including a ‘Fun in the Sun Day’ at Middle Beach during school holidays where kids were able to learn about shorebirds and paint their own bird to join The Flock Oz.
The Flock Oz on display at St. Kilda. Tony Flaherty
58 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
The Flock Oz has been installed and on display at various locations since 2016 including, The Adelaide International Shorebird Festival at St Kilda, on the grounds of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 2016, during the Oz Asia Festival Moon Lantern Parade in 2017 & 2018 and south of Adelaide at the Aldinga Washpool Open day in 2018. Most notably though, in 2019 The Flock Oz spread its wings and completed a migration to Alaska to celebrate the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. The painted birds were put on display and more birds were painted and sent back to Adelaide to join The Flock Oz and complete the migration. The AMLR NRM Board and Sharing Our Shores project has assisted the spread of the flock concept across Australia with local Flocks established in most states.
2017 - 2020 Oz Asia Festival, Moon Lantern Parade and Workshop Since 2014 the AMLR NRM Board in collaboration with BirdLife Australia have supported and enjoyed being part of the Oz Asia Moon Lantern Festival. This Festival celebrates cultural diversity and Australia’s strong linkages with Asia. In 2014 the AMLR NRM Board commissioned one of the Festivals Artists to paint a Red Knot, representing the ‘Moon Bird’ on a large lantern to be carried in the Moon Lantern Parade. Since then, each spring a workshop is held and participants are invited to come along and learn about shorebirds while making their own small shorebird lanterns to be carried alongside the Red Knot Moon Bird Lantern.
As this is a cultural, community arts, engagement activity there is a broader reach in the community and every year there are many new participants keen and interested to learn more about shorebirds.
The 2019 Oz Asia Festival Moon Lantern Parade was watched by more than 38,000 people at Elder Park.
The Red Knot ‘Moon Bird’ Lantern (left) and participants carrying the large and small shorebird lanterns in the Parade. Tony Flaherty.
59 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Volunteers wait to parade with the Red Knot ‘Moon Bird’ Lantern in the Oz Asia Moon Lantern Parade. Workshop participants in the workshop and carrying the large and small shorebird lanterns in the Parade. Photos Sam Bywaters.
60 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
BIRDLIFE AUSTRALIA MONITORING RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Continue to conduct simultaneous surveys a minimum of three times across the Austral summer (Nov, Jan, March). This ensures adequate survey frequency without placing undue burdens on volunteer counters, while the simultaneous nature of counts minimizes the chance of double counting, or missing birds.
2. Continue to foster good count and identification techniques among counters through workshops and mentoring.
3. Continue to conduct awareness raising events to bolster the profile of shorebird conservation and to recruit / train new volunteer surveyors.
4. Where possible, shortfalls in volunteer survey coverage should be corrected through the allocation of trained staff enabling better estimates of shorebird populations in the Gulf St Vincent and EAAF overall. This is especially noticeable this season as there are large gaps in site coverage across the February 2019 and 2020 simultaneous counts.
5. Continue to develop an understanding of how monitoring informs adaptive management, and optimise monitoring to inform threats as our understanding of the severity and the distribution of threats increases.
6. With a notable decline in Red-capped Plover counts since 2018/19 and the possibility of local extinctions of this species from sites, it is recommended to continue to resource and support the Red-capped Plover monitoring program along the Samphire Coast and northern Adelaide Metro beaches (West Beach to North Haven).
7. Continue to resource and implement actions within the Migratory Shorebirds National Conservation Action Plan (MC CAP) to assist with species recovery and conservation outcomes. These may include, habitat restoration work, feral animal control and compliance related to disturbance to shorebirds feeding and roosting sites.
8. Finally, investigation by volunteers and staff throughout these/previous counts and other birdwatching/photography activities has allowed the identification of subspecies rogersi and canutus of the Red Knot and menzbieri and baueri of the Bar-tailed Godwit occurring in Gulf St Vincent. Differences between sub-species are subtle (see Marchant & Higgins 1996), especially in count situations / non-breeding plumage and we recommend investment in research into how the subspecies use Gulf St Vincent and into further training of counters and photographers in identifying subspecies.
61 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
REFERENCES Bamford, M.J., Watkins, D.G., Bancroft, W., Tischler, G. and Wahl, J. (2008). Migratory Shorebirds of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway: Population Estimates and Important Sites. Wetlands International, Oceania, Canberra.
Carpenter, G. (2018). Waterbird surveys at St Kilda Saltfields, XB8A and adjacent ponds – summer 2017-18. A report prepared for DEW Coast Management.
Clemens, R., Rogers, D. I., Hansen, B. D., Gosbell, K., Minton, C. D. T., Straw, P., Bamford, M., Woehler, E. J., Milton, D. A., Weston, M. A., Venables, B., Wellet, D., Hassell, C., Rutherford, B., Onton, K., Herrod, A., Studds, C. E., Choi, C.-Y., Dhanjal-Adams, K. L., Murray, N. J., Skilleter, G. A., and Fuller, R. A. (2016). Continental-scale decreases in shorebird populations in Australia. Emu 116, 119-135.
Clemens, R., Rogers, D. and Priest, B. (2007). Shorebird Habitat Mapping Project: West Gippsland. BirdLife Australia report to the WWF–Australia and the Australian Government’s Department of Natural Heritage and Environment, Canberra.
Close, D.H. (2008). Changes in wader numbers in Gulf St Vincent, 1979–2008. Stilt 54, 24–27.
Close, D.H. and McCrie, N. (1986). Seasonal fluctuations of waders in the Gulf St Vincent, 1976–1985. Emu 86, 145–154.
Coleman, P. (2013). Risk and opportunities: A Briefing Paper on Coastal Habitat and Shorebird Conservation in the Light of Potential Closure of the Ridley Dry Creek Salt Fields. Prepared for the AMLR NRM Board.
Coleman, P. and Cook, F. (2009). Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRMB: Shorebird Management and Conservation. Report by Delta Environmental Consulting for the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, Adelaide.
Coleman, P. and Cook, F. (2003). Saint Kilda — Restoration Options. Report by Delta Environmental Consulting for the St Kilda Progress Association, Adelaide.
Gallo-Cajiao, E., Morrison, T. H., Woodworth, B. K., Lees, A. C., Naves, L. C., Yong, D. L., Choi, C.-Y., Mundkur, T., Bird, J., Jain, A., Klokov, K., Syroechkovskiy, E., Chowdhury, S. U., Fu, V. W. K., Watson, J. E. M., and Fuller, R. A. (2020). Extent and potential impact of hunting on migratory shorebirds in the Asia-Pacific. Biological Conservation 246, 108582.
Geering, A., Agnew, L., and Haarding, S. (2007). Shorebirds in Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Gosbell, K. and Clemens, R. (2006). Population monitoring in Australia: some insights after 25 years and future directions. Stilt 50, 162–175.
Hansen, B. D., Fuller, R. A., Watkins, D., Rogers, D. I., Clemens, R. S., Newman, M., Woehler, E. J., and Weller, D. R. (2016). Revision of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway population estimates for 37 listed migratory shorebird species. Unpublished report for the Department of the Environment. BirdLife Australia, Melbourne, Vic.
Hough, J. (2008). Salt production in South Australia, (Geological Survey Branch, PIRSA) in MESA Journal, 50, September 2008, pp 32 – 34 34,
62 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/93803/mj50_salt_production.pdf
Lane, B. and Davies, J.N., (1987). Shorebirds in Australia. Nelson, Melbourne. Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.J. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds; Oxford University Press: Melbourne, Australia, 1993; Volume 2.
Morrison, R.I.G., Aubry, Y., Butler, R.W., Beyersbergen, G.W., Donaldson, G.M., Gratto-Trevor, C.L., Hicklin, P.W., Johnston, V.H. and Ross, R.K. (2001) Declines in North American shorebird populations. Wader Study Group Bulletin 94, 34–38.
Murray. N.J. Clemens, R.S., Phinn, S.R., Possingham, H.P. and Fuller, R.A. (2013). Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12, 267–272.
Murray, N.J., Ma, Z. and Fuller, R.A. (2015). Tidal flats of the Yellow Sea: A review of ecosystem status and anthropogenic threats. Austral Ecology 40, 472-481.
Nebel, S., Porter, J.L. and Kingsford, R.T. (2008). Long-term trends in shorebird populations in eastern Australia and impacts of freshwater extraction. Biological Conservation 141, 971–980.
Olsen, P., Weston, M., Cunningham, R. and Silcocks, A. (2003). The State of Australia’s Birds 2003. Wingspan 13 (Supplement), 1–21.
Purnell, C., Peter, J., Clemens, R and Herman, K. (2012). Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2010 to June 2011 Annual Report. Birds Australia report for the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board and the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Purnell, C. (2018). Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report. BirdLife Australia report for the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.
Rogers, D., Hassell, C., Oldland, J., Clemens, R., Boyle, A. and Rogers, K. (2009). Monitoring Yellow Sea Migrants in Australia (MYSMA): North-western Australian Shorebird Surveys and Workshops, December 2008. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Studies, Melbourne.
Studds, C. E., Kendall, B. E., Murray, N. J., Wilson, H. B., Rogers, D. I., Clemens, R. S., Gosbell, K., Hassell, C. J., Jessop, R., Melville, D. S., Milton, D. A., Minton, C. D. T., Possingham, H. P., Riegen, A. C., Straw, P., Woehler, E. J., and Fuller, R. A. (2017). Rapid population decline in migratory shorebirds relying on Yellow Sea tidal mudflats as stopover sites. Nature Communications 8, 14895.. van de Kam, J., Ens, B., Piersma, T. and Zwarts, L. (2004). Shorebirds: An Illustrated Behavioural Ecology. [Translated into English by P. de Goeij and S.J. Moore]. KNNV Publishers, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Weller, D., Kidd, L., Lee, C., Klose, S., Jaensch, R and Driessen, J. (2020). Directory of Important Habitat for Migratory Shorebirds in Australia. Unpublished report prepared for Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy by BirdLife Australia, Melbourne.
Wilson, J. (2000). The northward movement of immature Eastern Curlews in the austral winter as demonstrated by the Population Monitoring Project. Stilt 36, 16–19.
63 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
APPENDIX
C o unt A rea BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe M aBe MRW M iBe M uCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 6 4 0 10 0 3 4 27
Banded Lapwing 0
Banded Stilt 4 450 454
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 1
Black-fronted Dotterel 0 Black-tailed Godwit 0
Black-winged Stilt 30 2 32
Common Greenshank 1 1
Common Sandpiper 0
Curlew Sandpiper 1 1 Double-banded Plover 45 45
Eastern Curlew 2 2
Great Knot 0
Greater Sand Plover 0
Grey Plover 10 10 Grey-tailed Tattler 0
Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 0
M arsh Sandpiper 0
M asked Lapwing 4 1 2 6 2 4 6 6 31 Pacific Golden Plover 0
Pectoral Sandpiper 0
Red Knot 0
Red-capped Plover 87 16 62 10 1100 13 1288
Red-kneed Dotterel 22 14 36 Red-necked Avocet 0
Red-necked Stint 45 4 143 180 120 23 13 528
Ruddy Turnstone 3 16 19
Ruff 0
Sanderling 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 3 3
Sooty Oystercatcher 1 2 21 48 15 87
Terek Sandpiper 0
Whimbrel 0 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 202 0 0 0 0 53 2 0 28 254 212 0 0 1735 23 0 29 27 0 0 2565
Appendix Table 1. Simultaneous count results July 2017.
64 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Count Area BIW WRW MRW M uCo SnBa ToIs BolSW StKi PtGa DCSf M iBe LiBe PtPr ThBS ThBN WeBe PoPa PoWa BaHi ClCP PoAr PoCl PrSf GSV Australian Painted Snipe** 0 Australian Pied Oystercatcher** 24 8 21 2 2 3 3 Banded Lapwing** 0 Banded Stilt** 6 4 7000 7000 Bar-tailed Godwit 2 38 191 191 Black-fronted Dotterel** 0 Black-tailed Godwit 0 Black-winged Stilt** 22 32 12 19 19 Broad-billed Sandpiper 0 Common Greenshank 1 4 17 12 15 27 64 91 Common Sandpiper 1 0 Curlew Sandpiper 2 11 38 43 192 273 Double-banded Plover 0 Eastern Curlew 10 33 32 65 Great Knot 240 240 Greater Sand Plover 0 Grey Plover 33 2 1 18 6 24 34 17 75 Grey-tailed Tattler 0 Latham's Snipe 0 Lesser Sand Plover 0 Long-toed Stint 0 Marsh Sandpiper 2 1 1 Masked Lapwing** 4 6 4 2 2 21 23 Pacific Golden Plover 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 0 Red Knot 350 1 1089 1090 Red-capped Plover** 28 162 320 181 10 4 22 109 116 247 Red-kneed Dotterel**14 33 30 43 5 48 Red-necked Avocet**2 156 156 Red-necked Stint 29 279 700 1030 300 200 27 170 110 1292 737 2139 Ruddy Turnstone 30 2 31 33 Ruff 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 50 27 6 150 14 125 447 586 Sooty Oystercatcher** 2 2 Terek sandpiper 1 0 Whimbrel 0 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 39 0 180 0 539 6 0 1048 0 0 0 1444 0 714 262 49 176 0 212 1709 0 32 10329 12282 Appendix Table 2. Simultaneous count results November 2017.
65 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Count Area BIW WRW MRW M uCo SnBa ToIs BolSW StKi PtGa DCSf M iBe LiBe PtPr ThBS ThBN WeBe PoPa PoWa BaHi ClCP PoAr PoCl PrSf GSV Australian Painted Snipe** 0 Australian Pied Oystercatcher** 3 57 1 1 2 32 25 2 1 5 4 8 9 26 Banded Lapwing** 0 Banded Stilt** 750 500 58 300 10000 10000 Bar-tailed Godwit 180 135 15 33 48 Black-fronted Dotterel** 1 0 Black-tailed Godwit 2 0 Black-winged Stilt** 17 23 20 2 65 230 20 20 Broad-billed Sandpiper 0 Common Greenshank 8 1 2 12 42 5 20 51 2 19 20 17 23 60 120 Common Sandpiper 1 1 Curlew Sandpiper 2 55 5 4 10 100 22 120 256 Double-banded Plover 0 Eastern Curlew 4 14 17 31 3 34 Great Knot 17 6 50 50 Greater Sand Plover 6 6 Grey Plover 35 12 4 9 11 1 31 35 15 3 19 103 Grey-tailed Tattler 3 3 Latham's Snipe 0 Lesser Sand Plover 0 Long-toed Stint 0 Marsh Sandpiper 9 1 1 Masked Lapwing** 6 2 2 5 3 8 2 8 2 3 10 4 3 5 2 5 8 20 Pacific Golden Plover 1 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 2 3 1 1 Red Knot 1500 103 250 250 Red-capped Plover** 2 210 31 200 86 120 4 22 67 3 40 20 120 200 383 Red-kneed Dotterel** 24 30 43 1 41 2 2 Red-necked Avocet** 1 20 550 550 Red-necked Stint 25 350 345 670 87 400 125 220 120 600 800 120 1000 562 60 2542 Ruddy Turnstone 7 4 65 1 9 10 18 38 Ruff 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 9 3 77 3 9 570 1 3 1 5 220 4 60 60 19 100 239 Sooty Oystercatcher** 84 5 4 2 1 1 26 1 29 Terek sandpiper 6 61 3 3 Whimbrel 13 13 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 14 59 122 149 418 8 0 1194 393 2364 10 286 2597 134 600 379 697 865 299 1273 2 782 11517 14738
66Appendix TableShorebird 3. Simultaneous Population Monitoring count within resultsGulf St Vincent: January 2017/18 2018 to 2019/20. Annual Report.
Total Count Area BIW WRW MRW M uCo SnBa ToIs BolSW StKi PtGa DCSf M iBe LiBe PtPr ThBS ThBN WeBe PoPa PoWa BaHi ClCP PoAr PoCl PrSf GSV
Australian Painted Snipe** 0 Australian Pied Oystercatcher** 1 7 15 70 2 7 4 4 2 11 8 29 Banded Lapwing** 0 Banded Stilt** 2350 60 1550 2000 2000 Bar-tailed Godwit 30 5 34 190 229 Black-fronted Dotterel** 1 6 0 Black-tailed Godwit 0 Black-winged Stilt** 8 12 18 2 112 80 10 10 Broad-billed Sandpiper 1 1 Common Greenshank 1 3 32 20 3 11 3 70 1 70 42 43 35 190 Common Sandpiper 2 0 Curlew Sandpiper 1 18 2 35 24 10 1 40 400 12 36 488 Double-banded Plover 0 Eastern Curlew 9 21 5 5 Great Knot 2 2 2 12 12 Greater Sand Plover 6 6 Grey Plover 41 10 11 10 34 56 3 70 173 Grey-tailed Tattler 1 3 3 Latham's Snipe 0 Lesser Sand Plover 0 Long-toed Stint 0 Marsh Sandpiper 0 Masked Lapwing** 2 2 2 6 6 6 16 2 6 35 17 2 8 13 16 5 3 4 11 39 Pacific Golden Plover 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 0 Red Knot 352 6000 1100 30 4 100 134 Red-capped Plover** 76 700 252 130 69 58 6 46 25 79 156 Red-kneed Dotterel** 6 10 81 4 18 0 Red-necked Avocet** 80 500 500 Red-necked Stint 750 601 2160 4 375 1150 550 50 125 46 170 80 300 693 60 1303 Ruddy Turnstone 16 27 2 18 8 15 25 66 Ruff 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 95 16 19 150 11 5 12 130 45 40 50 50 185 Sooty Oystercatcher** 1 8 11 2 2 2 4 18 4 28 Terek sandpiper 0 Whimbrel 13 13 Wood Sandpiper 2 0 total 14 28 2 202 0 23 0 3312 708 3334 20 2614 7442 1848 92 339 68 326 271 887 0 973 3113 5570
Appendix Table 4. Simultaneous count results March 2018.
67 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
C o unt A rea BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe M aBe MRW M iBe M uCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 2 1 9 2 2 16 31 10 31 2 45 2 153
Banded Lapwing 0
Banded Stilt 80 100 1180 2 50 1 250 1050 10 550 450 3723
Bar-tailed Godwit 0
Black-fronted Dotterel 0
Black-tailed Godwit 0
Black-winged Stilt 120 2 6 2 13 2100 2243
Common Greenshank 7 13 1 6 27
Common Sandpiper 0
Curlew Sandpiper 1 6 62 37 3 109
Double-banded Plover 14 1 5 35 55
Eastern Curlew 2 2
Great Knot 0
Greater Sand Plover 1 1
Grey Plover 3 5 8 Grey-tailed Tattler 0
Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 0
M arsh Sandpiper 0
M asked Lapwing 14 1 3 4 4 8 15 4 3 29 8 9 102 Pacific Golden Plover 1 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 0
Red Knot 0
Red-capped Plover 36 100 125 196 5 56 102 30 8 255 920 20 40 4 110 2007
Red-kneed Dotterel 20 2 43 6 71
Red-necked Avocet 1 50 1 5 15 3 3 195 1 14 288
Red-necked Stint 11 60 14 37 20 119 130 5 81 16 250 22 4 769
Ruddy Turnstone 1 6 7
Ruff 0
Sanderling 0
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 25 110 135
Sooty Oystercatcher 11 7 1 8 35 6 68
Terek Sandpiper 0
Whimbrel 0 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 75 0 0 258 457 1429 31 4 11 50 67 338 234 16 372 0 524 4440 40 714 6 18 685 0 9769
Appendix Table 5. Simultaneous count results July 2018.
68 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
C o unt A rea BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe M aBe MRW M iBe M uCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 4 1 20 2 8 2 15 37 2 2 93
Banded Lapwing 0
Banded Stilt 100 600 850 12 1562
Bar-tailed Godwit 35 144 179
Black-fronted Dotterel 2 0
Black-tailed Godwit 2 2
Black-winged Stilt 100 43 14 90 27 13 274
Common Greenshank 11 21 5 14 5 76 28 9 37 9 215
Common Sandpiper 1 1
Curlew Sandpiper 25 40 3 2 18 11 8 64 171
Double-banded Plover 0
Eastern Curlew 26 5 14 29 74
Great Knot 50 200 250
Greater Sand Plover 8 2 10
Grey Plover 24 52 3 2 13 94 Grey-tailed Tattler 3 3
Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 2 2
M arsh Sandpiper 1 1 1 3
M asked Lapwing 2 4 2 6 2 2 6 9 6 1 1 2 41
Pacific Golden Plover 0
Pectoral Sandpiper 2 2
Red Knot 1200 65 20 1365 2650
Red-capped Plover 52 100 100 61 6 2 46 94 110 50 40 6 33 2 44 746
Red-kneed Dotterel 28 2 2 56 2 21 90
Red-necked Avocet 200 46 150 12 408
Red-necked Stint 70 600 1120 124 200 2 433 73 250 80 110 226 50 3338
Ruddy Turnstone 11 5 13 8 42 16 4 99
Ruff 1 1
Sanderling 5 5
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 48 100 255 20 50 132 27 52 28 150 12 10 16 76 976
Sooty Oystercatcher 2 7 5 10 4 2 30
Terek Sandpiper 2 1 3
Whimbrel 9 9 Wood Sandpiper 1 1 total 238 943 1905 216 236 99 50 208 48 644 267 1654 1528 970 224 1894 2 6 200 38 11332
Appendix Table 6. Simultaneous count results November 2018.
69 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: 2017/18 to 2019/20 Annual Report.
Count Area BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe MaBe MRW MiBe MuCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 2 1 1 54 2 2 6 7 18 12 4 109 Banded Lapwing 40 40 Banded Stilt 3000 1000 4000 Bar-tailed Godwit 8 18 28 2 43 25 124 Black-fronted Dotterel 5 5 Black-tailed Godwit 2 2 Black-winged Stilt 80 20 12 10 122 Common Greenshank 8 33 1 4 4 16 1 1 60 17 52 2 199 Common Sandpiper 1 1 1 3 Curlew Sandpiper 43 4 3 39 12 22 80 30 40 35 308 Double-banded Plover 0 Eastern Curlew 29 17 5 1 52 Great Knot 10 20 3 50 83 Greater Sand Plover 8 8 Grey Plover 26 49 1 3 85 8 1 18 7 198 Grey-tailed Tattler 3 3 Lesser Sand Plover 2 2 Long-toed Stint 1 1 M arsh Sandpiper 3 3 2 2 10 M asked Lapwing 2 25 5 4 6 6 2 2 8 12 6 1 35 2 5 121 Pacific Golden Plover 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 3 3 Red Knot 115 220 18 1300 100 1000 2753 Red-capped Plover 64 80 30 36 4 4 1 25 66 9 27 225 40 40 3 58 2 714 Red-kneed Dotterel 14 3 29 2 48 Red-necked Avocet 300 300 Red-necked Stint 170 400 158 150 200 6 551 21 22 400 80 250 200 80 2688 Ruddy Turnstone 9 3 6 6 7 25 1 57 Ruff 0 Sanderling 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 95 60 250 10 49 70 8 3 22 62 2 21 200 95 55 48 190 1240 Sooty Oystercatcher 3 8 1 10 16 2 2 2 44 Terek Sandpiper 6 6 Whimbrel 11 11 Wood Sandpiper 6 6 total 547 694 3561 289 535 144 21 17 33 769 95 61 2106 1974 184 367 1536 2 4 321 13260 Appendix Table 7. Simultaneous count results January 2019.
70 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.
C o unt A rea BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe M aBe MRW M iBe M uCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 2 2 41 8 22 38 2 115
Banded Lapwing 100 100
Banded Stilt 10000 900 280 340 11520
Bar-tailed Godwit 10 10 65 85
Black-fronted Dotterel 0 Black-tailed Godwit 15 15
Black-winged Stilt 120 160 280
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Common Greenshank 46 1 1 20 1 53 6 128
Common Sandpiper 0 Curlew Sandpiper 56 1 29 11 36 7 1 141
Double-banded Plover 0
Eastern Curlew 12 33 18 63
Great Knot 4 3 53 60 Greater Sand Plover 6 6
Grey Plover 22 6 70 7 14 119
Grey-tailed Tattler 3 3
Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 0 M arsh Sandpiper 0
M asked Lapwing 2 40 17 4 2 4 15 20 2 2 8 116
Pacific Golden Plover 1 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 0
Red Knot 105 67 130 420 722 Red-capped Plover 80 160 8 24 49 104 15 70 38 548
Red-kneed Dotterel 10 10
Red-necked Avocet 4 4
Red-necked Stint 95 500 453 546 210 165 40 110 200 20 2339 Ruddy Turnstone 11 12 32 33 4 92
Ruff 0
Sanderling 2 2
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 90 440 4 30 16 16 28 40 134 42 840
Sooty Oystercatcher 4 1 13 2 2 4 4 30 Terek Sandpiper 0
Whimbrel 0 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 481 11346 1429 5 809 279 557 528 235 1422 6 242 17339 Appendix Table 8. Simultaneous count results February 2019.
71 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.
Count Area BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe McBe MRW MiBe MuCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf SeBa StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV Australian Pied Oystercatcher5 3 0 44 30 1 35 2 120 Banded Lapwing 0 Banded Stilt 210 210 Bar-tailed Godwit 6 6 Black-fronted Dotterel 2 2 Black-tailed Godwit 0 Black-winged Stilt 11 11 Broad-billed Sandpiper 0 Common Greenshank 21 2 23 Common Sandpiper 0 Curlew Sandpiper 0 Double-banded Plover 9 9 Eastern Curlew 0 Great Knot 0 Greater Sand Plover 0 Grey Plover 1 8 9 Grey-tailed Tattler 0 Lesser Sand Plover 0 Long-toed Stint 0 Marsh Sandpiper 0 Masked Lapwing 2 20 1 5 25 1 4 58 Pacific Golden Plover 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 0 Red Knot 40 40 Red-capped Plover 45 17 25 112 36 42 20 297 Red-kneed Dotterel 1 18 2 21 Red-necked Avocet 0 Red-necked Stint 85 17 15 120 24 15 45 321 Ruddy Turnstone 2 2 Ruff 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 0 Sooty Oystercatcher 2 60 3 4 69 Terek Sandpiper 0 Whimbrel 0 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 151 0 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 44 0 84 0 0 574 122 106 0 6 69 0 1198
Appendix Table 9. Simultaneous count results July 2019.
72 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.
Count Area BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe McBe MRW MiBe MuCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf SeBa StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV Australian Pied Oystercatcher4 2 6 2 2 2 18 6 6 1 18 5 4 76 Banded Lapwing 0 Banded Stilt 6000 1000 1000 8000 Bar-tailed Godwit 1 7 1 210 210 1 430 Black-fronted Dotterel 6 6 Black-tailed Godwit 0 Black-winged Stilt 54 7 18 18 97 Broad-billed Sandpiper 0 Common Greenshank 1 40 34 1 5 70 70 9 49 7 286 Common Sandpiper 4 4 4 12 Curlew Sandpiper 16 40 12 3 8 200 200 3 1 483 Double-banded Plover 0 Eastern Curlew 24 7 1 32 Great Knot 1 100 100 201 Greater Sand Plover 1 8 9 Grey Plover 21 52 10 3 80 9 9 1 5 2 192 Grey-tailed Tattler 3 3 Lesser Sand Plover 0 Long-toed Stint 0 Marsh Sandpiper 0 Masked Lapwing 15 2 8 2 4 3 4 3 10 16 16 7 4 94 Pacific Golden Plover 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 0 Red Knot 1 150 300 1000 1000 8 20 2479 Red-capped Plover 58 80 135 34 46 3 69 50 11 86 50 50 16 14 12 714 Red-kneed Dotterel 8 5 5 22 40 Red-necked Avocet 61 340 340 14 755 Red-necked Stint 80 300 825 93 100 514 7 765 320 320 15 310 5 94 3748 Ruddy Turnstone 7 6 14 8 8 8 3 1 55 Ruff 0 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 38 30 545 5 4 42 41 16 1 16 19 486 486 56 185 1970 Sooty Oystercatcher 2 8 1 1 1 2 3 18 Terek Sandpiper 2 2 Whimbrel 5 11 11 27 Wood Sandpiper 2 2 total 226 0 0 559 7598 184 267 163 4 75 6 671 53 44 1294 0 3849 3849 72 487 6 7 317 0 19731
Appendix Table 10. Simultaneous count results November 2019.
73 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.
Count Area BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe McBe MRW MiBe MuCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf SnBa StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 6 2 10 3 14 20 15 22 2 25 1 1 121
Banded Lapwing 0
Banded Stilt 1000 5000 13 6013
Bar-tailed Godwit 10 7 190 207
Black-fronted Dotterel 2 2
Black-tailed Godwit 20 20 Black-winged Stilt 20 40 6 26 30 122
Broad-billed Sandpiper 0
Common Greenshank 6 15 23 2 4 28 8 55 1 15 157
Common Sandpiper 1 1
Curlew Sandpiper 57 4 5 5 150 16 23 260 Double-banded Plover 0
Eastern Curlew 7 1 11 4 1 24
Great Knot 3 22 50 75
Greater Sand Plover 7 7
Grey Plover 31 1 3 8 124 5 3 175
Grey-tailed Tattler 3 1 4 Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 0
M arsh Sandpiper 0
M asked Lapwing 4 2 1 6 1 11 2 13 8 4 6 7 65
Pacific Golden Plover 2 2 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 1
Red Knot 75 41 500 23 639
Red-capped Plover 60 250 1 4 5 63 64 32 70 26 150 54 25 804
Red-kneed Dotterel 10 21 28 59
Red-necked Avocet 3 250 253
Red-necked Stint 140 350 58 5 6 10 720 320 300 607 170 250 30 250 2 142 3360 Ruddy Turnstone 8 4 9 4 10 4 16 55
Ruff 0
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 55 400 32 23 142 200 79 200 12 30 60 1233
Sooty Oystercatcher 19 5 11 12 3 2 52
Terek Sandpiper 0 Whimbrel 11 11 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 451 0 0 0 2059 0 64 106 1 48 15 910 546 592 939 0 6644 439 80 55 469 4 8 292 0 13722
Appendix Table 11. Simultaneous count results January 2020.
74 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.
Count Area BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe McBe MRW MiBe MuCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf SnBa StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV Australian Pied Oystercatcher 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 48
Banded Lapwing 4 2 14 46 13 35 19 2 70 2 3 210
Banded Stilt 2000 5000 650 7650
Bar-tailed Godwit 11 18 208 55 292
Black-fronted Dotterel 2 2
Black-tailed Godwit 16 16 Black-winged Stilt 300 52 16 6 1 170 2 547
Broad-billed Sandpiper 0
Common Greenshank 18 26 1 22 1 16 5 2 75 12 178
Common Sandpiper 1 1 2
Curlew Sandpiper 23 20 100 6 240 17 20 6 45 6 483 Double-banded Plover 0
Eastern Curlew 17 3 16 29 3 8 76
Great Knot 7 30 8 15 60
Greater Sand Plover 5 5
Grey Plover 28 70 5 7 4 61 9 5 9 4 202
Grey-tailed Tattler 3 3 Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 0
M arsh Sandpiper 1 1
M asked Lapwing 30 4 7 6 4 3 3 4 18 12 7 98
Pacific Golden Plover 0 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 1
Red Knot 70 20 160 80 4 334
Red-capped Plover 50 73 300 22 46 53 14 150 18 21 30 777
Red-kneed Dotterel 0
Red-necked Avocet 10 95 105
Red-necked Stint 130 300 650 530 98 677 550 500 150 410 300 4295 Ruddy Turnstone 8 16 1 7 23 4 59
Ruff 0
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 80 60 320 1 4 1 2 400 300 60 6 42 150 1426
Sooty Oystercatcher 2 18 80 15 17 132
Terek Sandpiper 4 4 Whimbrel 11 5 16 Wood Sandpiper total 433 0 0 604 3760 0 0 61 11 26 0 849 159 0 818 0 6728 1117 955 215 749 0 22 515 0 17022
Appendix Table 12. Simultaneous count results February 2020.
75 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.
Count Area BaHi BIW BoISW CICP DCSf LiBe McBe MRW MiBe MuCo PoAr PoCl PtGa PoPa PtPr PoWa PrSf SnBa StKi ThBN ThBS TiWi ToIs WeBe WhWe GSV
Australian Pied Oystercatcher 2 3 16 10 8 30 22 91
Banded Lapwing 0
Banded Stilt 2 500 502
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 1
Black-fronted Dotterel 0
Black-tailed Godwit 0 Black-winged Stilt 10 1 15 200 226
Broad-billed Sandpiper 0
Common Greenshank 5 23 1 14 5 7 33 92 180
Common Sandpiper 0
Curlew Sandpiper 19 6 1 17 73 116 Double-banded Plover 5 1 12 9 27
Eastern Curlew 4 1 5
Great Knot 2 3 5
Greater Sand Plover 0
Grey Plover 24 7 13 44
Grey-tailed Tattler 4 4 Lesser Sand Plover 0
Long-toed Stint 0
M arsh Sandpiper 0
M asked Lapwing 2 2 2 1 12 2 31 4 11 67
Pacific Golden Plover 1 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 0
Red Knot 220 91 30 500 841
Red-capped Plover 45 15 29 128 47 39 150 453
Red-kneed Dotterel 0
Red-necked Avocet 0
Red-necked Stint 130 100 765 551 550 240 373 800 3509 Ruddy Turnstone 7 9 2 62 12 92
Ruff 0
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 10 26 50 8 4 98
Sooty Oystercatcher 1 17 60 18 9 105
Terek Sandpiper 0 Whimbrel 1 1 Wood Sandpiper 0 total 458 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 12 0 186 3 949 713 0 0 781 1026 549 1686 0 0 0 0 6368 Appendix Table 13. Simultaneous count results March 2020.
76 Shorebird Population Monitoring within Gulf St Vincent: July 2016 to June 2017 Annual Report.