Stilt 58 Oct 2010
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The JournalStilt for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway AWSG Number 58 • October 2010 Australasian Wader Studies Group Stilt 58 ( 2010) STATE CONSERVATION OFFICERS QUEENSLAND Joyce Harding, PO Box 1530, Cleveland Qld 4163. Email: [email protected] Sandra Harding, 336 Prout Road, Burbank QLD 4156 Email: [email protected] NEW SOUTH WALES Joan Dawes Ph: 02 9664 2546 Email: [email protected] TASMANIA Stilt Eric Woehler (South Tas), 37 Parliament St, Sandy Bay Tas ISSN 0726-1888 7005. Ph: (03) 6223 1980 Email: [email protected] © AWSG Ralph Cooper (North Tas) 7 Beach Rd, Legana Tas 7277. Ph: (03) 6330 1255 Email: [email protected] MISSION STATEMENT To ensure the future of waders and their habitats in Australia SOUTH AUSTRALIA through research and conservation programmes, and to Paul Wainwright Ph: 0408 954655 encourage and assist similar programmes in the rest of the Email: [email protected] East Asian–Australasian Flyway. VICTORIA OBJECTIVES Doris Graham, 14 Falconer St, Fitzroy Vic 3068. • To monitor wader populations through a programme of Ph (03): 9482 2112 Email: [email protected] counting and banding in order to collect data on WESTERN AUSTRALIA changes on a local, national and international basis. Bill Rutherford (s. WA – cutoff Onslow), 199 Daglish St, • To study the migrations of waders through a Wembly, Perth 6014. Email: [email protected] programme of counting, banding, colour flagging and collection of biometric data. Chris Hassell (n. WA – cutoff Onslow), Global Flyway Network • To instigate and encourage other scientific studies of PO Box 3089, Broome, WA 6725. Ph: (08) 9192 8585 waders such as feeding and breeding studies. Email: [email protected] • To communicate the results of these studies to a wide INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES audience through Stilt , the Tattler, other journals, the NEW ZEALAND internet, the media, conferences and lectures. North Island: • To formulate and promote policies for the conservation Adrian Riegen, 213 Forest Hill Rd, Waiatarua, Auckland 0612, of waders and their habitat, and to make available New Zealand. Ph: (09) 814-9741 Email: [email protected] information to local and national governmental conservation bodies and other organisations to South Island: encourage and assist them in pursuing this objective. Rob Schuckard, 4351 Croisilles French Pass Rd RD3, French • To encourage and promote the involvement of a large Pass 7139, New Zealand. Ph: 35765371 band of amateurs, as well as professionals, to achieve Email: [email protected] these objectives. ASIA Doug Watkins, Manager Wetlands International – Oceania , PO OFFICE BEARERS Box 4573, Kingston ACT 2604 AUSTRALIA. Chairman: Ken Gosbell, 17 Banksia Ct, Heathmont Vic 3135, Ph: +61 2 6260 8341. AUSTRALIA. Ph: (03) 9729 5524. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]. Vice Chairman: Phil Straw, P.O. Box 2006, Rockdale Delivery OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS Centre NSW 2216, AUSTRALIA. Maureen Christie, Peter Collins, Chris Hassell, David Milton, Ph and fax: (02) 9597 7765. Clive Minton, Adrian Riegen, Jennifer Spencer, Paul Email: [email protected] Wainwright and Doug Watkins. Chair of Research Committee: Danny Rogers, 340 Ninks Rd, St Andrews Vic 3761, AUSTRALIA. MEMBERSHIP OF THE AUSTRALASIAN WADER Ph: (03) 9710 1345. Email: [email protected] STUDIES GROUP Editorial: see inside back cover. Membership of the AWSG is open to anyone interested in the Liaison Officer: Hugo Phillipps, 20 Waterview Close, conservation and research of waders (shorebirds) in the East Queenscliff Vic 3225, AUSTRALIA. Asian–Australasian Flyway. Members receive the twice yearly Email: [email protected] bulletin Stilt , and the quarterly newsletter The Tattler . Please Secretary: Penny Johns, PO Box 227, Flinders Vic 3929, direct all membership enquiries to the Membership Manager at AUSTRALIA. Birds Australia (RAOU) National Office, Suite 2-05, 60 Ph: (03) 5989 0792. Email: [email protected] Leicester St, Carlton Vic 3053, AUSTRALIA. Treasurer: Brian Speechley, 132a Wooloowara Rd, Burraneer Ph: 1300 730 075, fax: (03) 9347 9323. NSW 2230, AUSTRALIA. Ph: (02) 9544 3430. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Annual Subscriptions: Australia & New Zealand A$35.00 Conservation Officer: Ann Lindsey, 37 Long Cres, Shortland Overseas A$40.00 NSW 2307, AUSTRALIA. Ph: (02) 4951 2008. Institutions A$45.00 Email: [email protected] AWSG WEB SITE : awsg.org.au Cover Illustration : Annie Rogers. Stilt 58 ( 2010): 1–9 Seasonal migration by Australian Painted Snipe EVIDENCE OF REGULAR SEASONAL MIGRATION BY AUSTRALIAN PAINTED SNIPE ROSTRATULA AUSTRALIS TO THE QUEENSLAND TROPICS IN AUTUMN AND WINTER. 1ROBERT BLACK, 1WAYNE HOUSTON AND 2ROGER JAENSCH 1Centre for Environmental Management, C Q University, Building 7, Bruce Hwy, Rockhampton, QLD 4702. Ph 4923 2075 or 0427534420. E-mail [email protected] E-mail [email protected] 2Chief Executive, EAAFP [[email protected]] 1905 Get Pearl Tower Songdo, Yeonsu, Incheon City Republic of Korea. We report a series of sightings of Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis in the marine plain wetlands of tropical Queensland, including two breeding records. Ten records from nine locations were all in the autumn and winter, the period when records of Australian Painted Snipe in south-eastern Australia are extremely rare. Examination of historical records of Australian Painted Snipe confirmed this pattern for coastal Central and North Queensland. We suggest that there may be a regular seasonal migration of a significant part of the Australian Painted Snipe population between south-eastern Australia and wetlands of central and north coastal Queensland, to exploit the favourable seasonal conditions. INTRODUCTION and September, the period when records in south-eastern Australia are rarest. From these observations, it was The Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis is a rare hypothesized that the apparent rarity in south-eastern endemic shorebird which is mostly found in shallow, muddy Australia could be explained by movement of Australian wetlands with some dense low cover (Rogers et al. 2005). Painted Snipe to wetlands of coastal central Queensland Optimum conditions for Australian Painted Snipe appear to during the autumn-winter period (March-August). occur as temporary wetlands are drying. The inundation of To verify this pattern of seasonal presence, Queensland ephemeral wetlands triggers a surge of production of the records from WildNet (EPA 2009) were examined along benthic organisms on which they feed, and subsequent with other Queensland records for evidence of the location drying makes this accessible to feeding birds (Rogers et al. of Australian Painted Snipe in autumn and winter. The 2005). pattern of seasonal occurrence and its relationship to habitat The reporting rate of Australian Painted Snipe in availability in various regions was also examined. Australia has declined greatly since the 1970s, beyond the decline of waterbirds in general with current rates at about METHODS 10% of those before 1970 (Lane and Rogers 2000). A current revision of their status recommends a change from Surveys vulnerable to endangered. Most historical records are from south-eastern Australia, Central Queensland University and Wetlands International but there are also scattered records from northern Australia conducted surveys of waterbirds in the Fitzroy Delta, Fitzroy Lagoons and Broad Sound wetlands of Central Queensland (Marchant & Higgins, 1993). In south-eastern Australia from March 2003 to December 2008, a period of nearly six (including south-eastern Queensland), almost all sightings years. These were carried out regularly throughout these occur between September and March and little is known of years, and surveying effort was similar across the seasons. the location of Australian Painted Snipe in the autumn and winter months (Threatened Bird Network 2008, Lane & Surveys of wetlands north to Townsville occurred in May Rogers 2000). Ninety percent of the Australian Painted and June 2005, and late September 2008. Incidental sightings of Australian Painted Snipe in the region during this period Snipe records of Birds Australia’s Threatened Bird Network were also recorded. in south-eastern Australia were between September and Wetlands were surveyed from the margins using March (Threatened Bird Network 2008). In 2002 the Australian Painted Snipe group of the Threatened Bird binoculars and spotting scopes, and by systematic walking Network called for volunteers to survey wetlands in winter through flooded areas. Some wetlands were surveyed only once or twice while seeking new Capricorn Yellow Chat to help solve the question of whether Australian Painted populations, while others were repeatedly searched during Snipe migrated away from south-eastern Australia in winter, Yellow Chat or waterbird monitoring surveys (Jaensch et al. or simply became much more cryptic. Despite a determined 2004b, Houston et al. 2004). effort, these surveys failed to find any Australian Painted Snipe (Chris Tzaros pers. comm.). Database Records We conducted a series of surveys of the marine plain wetlands of Central Queensland studying Capricorn Yellow Records from Wildnet (EPA Wildlife Database) of Chats and other wetland birds between March 2003 and Australian Painted Snipe in Queensland were examined. In December 2008. An outcome of this was ten sightings of total 3,037 records were evaluated for evidence of seasonal groups