Stilt 71 (2017)
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The JournalStilt for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway AWSG Number 71 • November 2017 Australasian Wader Studies Group Conservation Officer: Dan Weller, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Vic, 3053, AUSTRALIA. Ph: (03) 9347 0757. Email: [email protected] STATE CONSERVATION OFFICERS QUEENSLAND Sandra Harding, 336 Prout Road, Burbank QLD 4156 Email: [email protected] NEW SOUTH WALES Joan Dawes, Ph: 02 9664 2546. Email: [email protected] Stilt TASMANIA ISSN 0726-1888 Eric Woehler, (South Tas), 37 Parliament St, Sandy Bay Tas © AWSG 7005. Ph: (03) 6223 1980. Email: [email protected] Ralph Cooper (North Tas), 7 Beach Rd, Legana Tas 7277. Ph: (03) 6330 1255. Email: [email protected] MISSION STATEMENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA Paul Wainwright, PO Box 255, Balhannah SA 5242 To ensure the future of waders and their habitats in Australia Ph: 0429 678 475. Email: [email protected] through research and conservation programmes and to VICTORIA encourage and assist similar programmes in the rest of the Doris Graham, 14 Falconer St, Fitzroy Vic 3068. East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Ph (03): 9482 2112. Email: [email protected] OBJECTIVES WESTERN AUSTRALIA Bill Rutherford (South WA – cutoff Onslow), 199 Daglish St, . Monitor wader populations through a programme of Wembly, Perth, WA 6014. Email: [email protected] counting and banding in order to collect data on changes Chris Hassell (North WA – cutoff Onslow), Global Flyway on a local, national and international basis. Network PO Box 3089, Broome, WA 6725. Ph: (08) 9192 . Study the migrations of waders through a programme of 8585 or 0408 954 655. Email: [email protected] counting, banding, colour flagging, collection of biometric data and use of appropriate scientific INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES instruments. Instigate and encourage other scientific studies of NEW ZEALAND waders such as feeding and breeding studies. North Island: . Communicate the results of these studies to a wide Adrian Riegen, 213 Forest Hill Rd, Waiatarua, Auckland 0612, audience through its journal Stilt and membership NEW ZEALAND. newsletter the Tattler, other journals, the internet, the Ph: (09) 814 9741. Email: [email protected] media, conferences and lectures. South Island: . Formulate and promote policies for the conservation of Rob Schuckard, 4351 Croisilles French Pass Rd RD3, French waders and their habitat, and to make available Pass 7139, NEW ZEALAND. information to local and national governmental Ph: 3576 5371. Email: [email protected] conservation bodies and other organisations to OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS encourage and assist them in pursuing this objective. Actively participate in flyway wide and international Maureen Christie, Richard Fuller, Ken Gosbell, Chris Hassell, forums to promote sound conservation policies for Marcel Klaassen, Adam Leavesley, Amanda Lilleyman, Golo waders. Maurer, Clive Minton, Kim Onton, Adrian Riegen and Inka . Encourage and promote the involvement of a large band Veltheim. of amateurs, as well as professionals, to achieve these objectives. MEMBERSHIP OF THE AUSTRALASIAN WADER STUDIES GROUP OFFICE BEARERS Membership of the AWSG is open to anyone interested in the conservation and research of waders (shorebirds) in the East Chair: Doug Watkins, 99 MacKellar Cr, Cook, 2614, Asian–Australasian Flyway. Members receive the twice yearly ACT, AUSTRALIA. Email: [email protected] bulletin Stilt, and the quarterly newsletter Tattler. Vice Chair: Phil Straw, P.O. Box 2006, Rockdale Delivery Please direct all membership enquiries to the Membership Centre NSW 2216, AUSTRALIA. Phone and fax: (02) Manager at BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester St, 9597 7765. Email: [email protected] Carlton Vic 3053, AUSTRALIA. Chair of Scientific Committee: Danny Rogers 68, Ryans Ph: 1300 730 075, fax: (03) 9347 9323 Rd, Eltham, Vic 3095, AUSTRALIA. Email: [email protected] Ph: (03) 8418 0002. Email: [email protected] Annual Subscriptions: Australia & New Zealand A$40.00 Editor: Greg Kerr, 20 Morgan Street, Port Lincoln, SA Overseas A$45.00 5606, AUSTRALIA. Institutions A$50.00 Ph: +61 (0)8 8683 4454. Email: [email protected] Secretary: Alison Russell-French, PO Box 1045 Canberra Published in January 2017 ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA. Email: [email protected] Treasurer: Birgita Hansen, Federation University Australia, PO Box 663, Ballarat, Vic 3353. AUSTRALIA. Ph: (03) 5327 9952. Email: [email protected] Stilt 71 (2017) EDITORIAL 2009). There are many local, long-term data sets sitting on the computers of individuals across the flyway that are Research into the natural history of shorebirds is tied to crying out to be analysed and published. the skills, energy, commitment and organisation of This edition of Stilt presents several papers that community members both in Australia and along the East demonstrate the best outcome of citizen science Asian-Australasian Flyway. This involvement long endeavour through collecting and analysing local long- preceded the recent increase in projects involving citizen term data sets. Alan Stuart looks at a fifty years data set scientists (Silvertown 2009). Because of their very nature on Red-necked Avocet in the Hunter Estuary to show the and extent of distribution it would be impossible to estuary provides important non-breeding habitat, effectively monitor shorebirds in the medium to long- probably as a drought refuge. Liz Crawford and Chris term without the efforts of thousands of community Herbert working on Red Knot data from the same estuary members. Indeed, citizen scientists underpinned – and show its important role as a migratory stopover and continue to underpin – the efforts of the Australasian staging site during southward migration. K. M Aarif et Wader Studies Group since its inception. The mission al. analyse a long-term data set from a Community and objectives of Stilt recognise this. Reserve in India show its conservation significance. Importantly there has been a trend of late for many Mike Newman and Eric Woehler show benefits of a of the leading amateurs in this field to publish papers in long-term banding project and demonstrate survival of higher profile international journals, either independently Australian Pied Oystercatchers of over 34 years, but their or in collaboration with professional researchers. This analysis suggests that current accepted generation time reflects the importance of work being carried out and the for this species may be anomalously high. Andrew significant level of threat to shorebirds. Because of the Crossland working with other authors demonstrates that growing ability to analyse large data sets and through the existing distribution maps exaggerate the distribution of involvement of professional researchers, analysis of data Grey-tailed Tattlers by including Sumatra, and with A. collected by citizen scientists from across the flyway is Sinambela provides important data from Papua Province leading to a detailed understanding of populations and in New Guinea, a region with few surveys, to show it is their habitat use. Such studies must continue as they likely to be a key area for waders on the north coast of underpin conservation efforts. New Guinea. Despite the growing effort to monitor shorebirds and An important note from Clive Minton et al. collect data throughout the flyway the number of papers demonstrates for the first time the possibility of small- written by community members that analyse and report scale regular overseas migratory movements of White- on local shorebird ecology and population dynamics is headed Stilts from north-western Australia. declining. This is reflected in the medium-term decline in I’m looking forward to receiving manuscripts – that manuscripts being submitted to Stilt. Consequently, it has emulate these papers – from those who have been again been necessary to reduce the production of Stilt to involved in collecting data over many years at local sites one issue in 2017. Furthermore, the AWSG committee they now know well. has decided to reduce the publication of Stilt to one issue in November of each year from this year onwards. REFERENCES It is critical to the ongoing understanding of shorebird natural history that the local long-term data sets Silvertown, J. 2009. A new dawn for citizen science. Trends collected by the many groups of amateurs around the in Ecology and Evolution 24:467-471. flyway are analysed and published to complement the higher-level publications. A citizen scientist is a Greg Kerr volunteer who collects and / or processes data (my Editor emphasis) as part of a scientific enquiry (Silvertown 1 Stilt 71 (2017) TREASURER'S REPORT FOR 2016 At the end of 2016, invoices pending amounted to $27,273.95. The balance of $59,271.95 carried forward at 31 December 2016 includes commitments for 2016 contract expenditure of $23,917.21. Australasian Wader Studies Group Income and Expenses 1 January 2016 - 31 December 2016 INCOME EXPENSES Item 2016 2015 Item 2016 2015 $ $ $ $ Balance brought forward 54,027.52 68,066.78 Printing 2,789.30 4,057.10 Subscriptions 8,337.43 8,077.46 Postage/courier 3,789.22 3,563.68 Contracts - State Govts. 23,328.47 38,205.86 Surveys/reports/monitoring 11,429.83 41,582.16 Contracts - Other Donations 500.00 Donations 8,728.00 32,142.37 Travel/accommodation/meals 8,197.43 14,819.82 Conference/meetings Conference/meetings Other income 1,383.31 667.77 Equipment/consumables 8,000.00 26,353.41 Consultant fees Other expenses 1,827.00 2,756.55 Total income 41,777.21 79,093.46 Total expenses 36,532.78 93,132.72 Total accumulated funds 95,804.73 147,160.24 95,804.73 147,160.24 Balance carried forward 59,271.95 54,027.52 Membership statistics: Membership at the end of the year was: 2016 2015 Australia/New Zealand 231 264 Overseas (excl. NZ) 16 21 Institutions 12 18 Complimentary 77 85 Total 336 388 This summary of income and expenses for the past year The AWSG is a special interest group of BirdLife is not an audited statement.