• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Vol. 3 OCTOBER 31, 1970 No.8 The Sanderling on Wilson's Promontory by Roy P. Cooper*, Melbourne Although overseas books on ornithology have described the Sanderling, Calidris alba, as being "common on almost every ocean beach in the world", this does not apply, from the published records, to Australia. On this continent they are classed as rare species and they appear to return each year to a favourite area, where they may be seen in small flocks varying from five to two hundred birds. The main areas are at Boat Harbour, south of Sydney; several places from Port Phillip to Portland, in western Victoria : Goolwa Beach (200 birds) and at Pondalowie Bay in South Australia; also recorded in Western Australia and in Queensland. In the Australian Bird W ate her, 3:243, some of the observations recorded by the team who is carrying out the Survey of the Birds of Wilson's Promontory, were published, revealing the occurrence of the Sanderling in that area; the first records for eastern Victoria. This distribution is somewhat similar to that of the nesting groups. An Arctic breeder, the Sanderling nests within the Arctic Circle, in the tundra climatic zone. Although this zone extends around the Arctic Ocean, in northern Canada, Greenland, Europe and Asia, and the bird nests "within a mile or two of the coast", it appears to breed in very selected areas, and there are large gaps between the groups. It breeds on some of the Arctic islands of Canada; also along the north-western and north-eastern coasts of Greenland; in Spitsbergen; and in Siberia on Taymyr Peninsula, New Siberian Islands and Liakof Island. The Sanderling stays barely more than two months on its breed­ ing grounds, this being the only time that the areas are free of snow, and then becomes "one of the greatest migrants among the world's birds". From the Arctic Circle it travels down to Chile and Argentina, including the Falkland Islands; to South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. However, not all of these birds move so far south, many spending the northern winter in the tropics, southern United States of America, Indonesia, Hawaiian Islands, Philippines etc. Although it prefers sandy shores and flats, there are many inland records. This particularly applies to America and Africa, *Chairman, Committee of Management, Wilson's Promontory National Park. 248 COOPER, Sanderling at Wilson's Promontory r Bird L Watcher where numbers are found on the shores of the large freshwater lakes. At Wilson's Promontory the first record of the Sanderling was of four birds on the sandy mud-flats of Shallow Inlet, on March 5, 1967. The next sighting was of twelve birds, in one party, at the north end of Darby Beach, on October 5, 1968. They kept close together and fed along the edge of the waves. On March 29, 1970, four birds were observed at Shallow Inlet, but on April 11, 1970, no birds were seen on some four miles of the eight mile long Darby Beach. As the published records of the Sanderling in the southern states of Australia indicated that these birds were present during the months between September and April only, no further search for these or other waders was to be carried out by the Survey Group until the following spring. On June 14, 1970, we began to search the beaches for washed up specimens of migrant sea-birds from the Antarctic. One party had the south end of Darby beach included in their survey and, as some of the members were carrying out certain investigations, F. Fehrer decided to walk a few miles northward along the beach. It was a cloudy, but fine day, with moderate winds, and it appeared from the lack of specimens on the beach, that the pelagic migrants had not yet arrived in these waters. Hooded Dotterels, Charadrius rubricollis, and Red-capped Dot­ terels, C. alexandrinus, the resident dotterels of the area, were present in numbers of 28 and 4 respectively, also one Double­ banded Dotterel, C. bicinctus, that had arrived recently from New Zealand. Suddenly, Fehrer saw a party of 19 small, whitish waders moving very rapidly as they fed on the edges of the waves, on the flat beach. The sighting of the black feathering on the bend of the wing, with the black bill and legs, also the actions of the birds, confirmed their identity as Sanderlings. Back at the Trustees' cottage that night Fehrer was subjected to a critical analysis of his observation. Every reference was checked and confirmed; although he knew the species from previous observations, including the sighting of the twelve birds on October 5, 1968. It was absolutely necessary to be certain of this sighting as, on this day, the Sanderlings should have been in the Arctic Circle selecting their nesting sites. Their presence at Wilson's Promontory indicated a wintering group of these rare waders, something that has not been recorded previously in Australia, below the Tropic of Capricorn. Even in the northern part of this country there is only one definite winter record of two birds, from North-West Cape, in Western Australia, in July, 1894. Darby Beach is a long, almost straight, stretch of sand on the western side of Wilson's Promontory. It separates the Yanakie sand-dunes, the Darby River Flats and, at the southern end, the October ] COOPER, Sanderling at Wilson's Promontory 249 1970 first granite outcrops of the Promontory, from the waters of Bass Strait. It is a somewhat flat beach, 40 to 75 yards wide at low tide, and in places it is almost covered at high tide, as the big waves lap the edges of the sand-dunes and sand-cliffs. Several streams, including Darby River, cross the beach during the wet weather, but they are dammed by the sand-dunes in the dry season. The beach lies in a north-west direction and is approx­ imately eight miles long, to where it joins with the sand-flats, some three miles wide, through which pass the waters of Shallow Inlet. There is a good foot-track at the south end near Darby River, but access to the beach at other points is difficult. On the following day, June 15, 1970, the Survey party went to Darby Beach, entering it some three miles from the southern end, by the flooded track across Cotter's Lagoon. It was on this part of the beach that the Sanderlings were seen on the previous day. However, an unbroken stretch of eight miles of an almost straight beach allowed plenty of room for the small flock of Sanderlings to feed. A search was made for a mile or two in the area where they had been observed, without any success. Sixteen Sooty Oyster-catchers, Haematopus unicolor, were recorded in a scattered flock, and the Hooded Dotterels had increased to above 50, with about a quarter of them being in the immature plumage. Many other species were seen, but it was not until we returned to our entry point that we saw a small party of Sanderlings in a compact group, standing quietly by the waves, obviously apprehensive of our arrival. By this time the wind had increased in velocity, and it was difficult to stand on the beach and hold field-glasses steady to study the birds. Some of our party had stayed in the sand-dunes while we had walked along the beach. Shortly after our departure, a group of 35 birds had flown in quietly from the south, apparently being disturbed by our presence on the beach. As they came in, gliding a few feet above the beach, they displayed a wide white wing-bar, and were very white on the under parts and head. They settled in a group, parallel to the waves and facing into the strong wind, and moved steadily northward, feeding by rapidly probing the wet sand. The body was tilted down and forward, and the head was moved up and down as the bill probed the sand. Generally, their stance gave them the appearance of being dumpy, but they were very quick in all their movements. The upper parts were pale grey with darker markings, while the side of the head and all the under parts were white; wings darker on the primaries; a blackish marking on the bend of the wing, which was sometimes concealed by the breast feathers; a wide white wing-bar, very conspicuous while in flight; rump dark in centre with white sides; legs and bill black. Some of the birds had a buffish wash on the upper plumage. 250 COOPER, Sanderling at Wilson's Promontory [ Bird Watcher The flock consisted of 32 Sanderlings and three Red-capped Dotterels, and it was shortly joined by two Red-necked Stints, Calidris ruficollis. In size the graduation was Red-necked Stints, Red-capped Dotterels and then Sanderlings. Some of the Sanderlings flew almost vertically upward on several occasions, and the white wing-bar was very prominent. Several of the Sanderlings and one Red-necked Stint had a sand /water bath on the damp sand on the edge of the waves. The birds settled their bodies on to the sand and splashed water and sand over them by the rapid movement of their wings. They were not heard to call; probably due to the heavy cross wind preventing us from hearing anything, other than the wind and waves. A search of the entire beach was made on July 11, 1970. Unfortunately, it was a very cold, stormy day, with many rain squalls. The fierce north-west winds were blowing straight down the beach, and the survey members who were working up from the southern end had an uncomfortable time.

Load more

  5

Copy Link