Victorian Wetlands
Resource for students
Fieldwork – Marine mudflat wetlands
Department of Sustainability and Environment Department of Primary Industries Fieldwork – Marine mudflat wetlands
Introduction Are you going on a field trip to a coastal area with marine mudflats? You may find the tools and suggestions in this section useful. You can use them as they are, modify them, or create your own methods for obtaining data.
Work in small groups with one or two others and Here is a list of the tools and suggestions for decide what fieldwork activities you will complete. fieldwork provided in this section: • an Indigenous focus to your fieldwork Before you go on your field trip, you will • planning fieldwork: shorebirds, other birds and need to: marine life feeding on marine mudflats and shallow coastal waters 1. Work out what methods you will use to collect • spread of shorebirds data and design data record sheets • feeding behaviours 2. Gather equipment and reference materials to help • beak adaptations collect data • general behaviour: recording behaviour every 30 3. Write a safety strategy for use while on the field seconds trip • swan observation 4. Write a conservation code that shows how • catchment influence your group will complete the fieldwork without • crabs, worms and other critters damaging the environment or unnecessarily disturbing shorebirds. • fish • visiting an aquarium Your teacher will need to have reviewed your • habitat preparation materials and provided feedback • planning fieldwork: ecology of marine mudflat for your group. The teacher feedback may invertebrates and seagrass meadows. require your group to modify what you intend to do.
Remember, the birds and marine life that can be observed will depend on whether the tide is high, low or changing tides, and in some cases, depending on the time of year.
The fieldwork must be done so that the shorebirds are not constantly disturbed and the local habitat is not damaged. Marine parks have additional obligations, so you will need to know what you must do to protect these areas.
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1. An Indigenous focus to your fieldwork Ideas Your teacher may have booked your class to do an Aboriginal program. Aboriginal children also had to Indigenous Peoples cultural links to learn just as many kinds of things as you do. They Victoria’s wetlands. had to listen and they also joined in many activities. While you’re with the presenter, listen and join in activities like Aboriginal children would have done. Fill in a data sheets afterwards. Your challenge From the presenter, find out how the Aboriginal What was and is the relationship of Aboriginal Peoples used wetlands. Find out how wetlands peoples of Victoria to wetlands? were important, how they fitted into their seasonal movement and their cultural significance. How were tools made to collect resources? At the end of the program, divide into small groups and record some of what you learnt. Choose a few of the resources that were important to Aboriginal peoples. At school, collate the class’s information.
Aboriginal use of resource data sheet To be completed for an individual resource after presentation
What is the wetland/coastal resource used by the local Aboriginal people?
What was the resource used for?
What tools were needed to obtain the resource?
How was the resource processed?
At what time of the year is the resource available?
Does the resource have a special cultural significance?
Is the resource being threatened by current use or abuse?
Other
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2. Planning fieldwork: shorebirds, Remember: other birds and marine life feeding • Some activities may not suit your study site. on marine mudflats and shallow • Some activities may depend on the tide, and this can be tricky. For example, the tide at Swan Bay coastal waters lags two hours behind the tide at the heads of Port Phillip Bay, so find out before you go! • The activities are designed so they don’t depend on a lot of expertise. For example, the sizes of Your challenge birds to be recorded in the data is based on the To gather data about the many species of shorebirds, birds seen on the day. other birds, fish and other marine life that use the marine mudflats. 2.1 Spread of shorebirds
Equipment For most of the activities, a pair of binoculars will be Your challenge useful. Are the shorebirds spread evenly or do they prefer to remain in groups?
We suggest you do not try identifying each species, as this is a specialized skill that takes many years to learn. Ideas When collecting data, you will need to decide which are the smaller and which are the larger birds. You There are many adaptations including behavioural will need to count or make a reasonable estimation traits, that you can investigate. Investigative of the number of birds. The count does not need to questions (we call them, Your challenge) and sample be perfect, but if each person in the group counts, datasheets are provided with the tools - you can use the differences in counts should be within 10%. them or develop your own. Make sure you know which birds are shorebirds.
Do not include swans, ducks, gulls, or any large white birds such as ibis. Read about shorebirds in the student research centre.
Sample shorebird spread data sheet
Smallest shorebirds Larger shorebirds Spread out (total number birds) Small groups (total number birds) Large groups (number of groups) Flying as single birds (number of Flying in flocks (number of birds) Feeding (yes/no) Resting (yes/no) 4 Fieldwork – Marine mudflat wetlands
2.2 Feeding behaviours
Your challenge Do different species of shorebirds have different feeding behaviours?
Ideas When collecting data, you will need to decide which are the smaller and which are the larger birds. Pick out a small shorebird and a larger shorebird that are busy feeding. Spend at least a minute observing how each feeds. You may need to add further feeding behaviours if the list below does not describe how some of the shorebirds feed. To describe a bird’s feeding behaviour you will probably need to tick more than one box. Two suggestions are provided. One set of data compares two different sized shorebirds. The other compares different sized beaks compared to the size of the bird. Please note that there is a high chance you may not see three shorebirds with different shaped beaks.
Sample 1 Feeding behaviour
Yes or no Small shorebirds Large shorebirds Pecking mud
Pushing beak into mud
Feeling around in mud
Waiting a long time and then
Standing still while feeding
Walking to new place each time
Other
Sample 2 Feeding adaptations
Bird with shortest Bird with average Bird with long beak beak size beak Number of pecks per minute
Beak straight
Beak curved down
Beak curved up
Other
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2.3 Beak adaptations
Your challenge How do the beaks of the different species of shorebirds differ?
Ideas Binoculars will be needed. When collecting data, you will need to decide which are the smaller and which are the larger birds. This datasheet is designed for three smaller shorebirds and three larger shorebirds. It will be a challenge to observe this number of species as a class, so record what you see. There may be six species of birds at a site, but you may not be able to tell them apart.
Sample beak adaptation data sheets
Small birds Small birds Small birds Large birds Large birds Large birds
Beak same size as head Beak about twice the size of head Beak more than twice the size of Beak straight
Beak curves down Beak curved up
What the shorebird does with its beak
Small bird 1
Small bird 2
Small bird 3
Large bird 1
Large bird 2
Large bird 3 6 Fieldwork – Marine mudflat wetlands
2.4 General behaviour: Recording behaviour every 30 seconds
Your challenge How do shorebirds behave on the marine mudflats?
Ideas Choose a single bird and observe its behaviour for 4 minutes. Every 30 seconds you can record the bird’s behaviour. More than one box can be ticked for a 30 second period. Option one – only record the bird behaviour at the exact time of each time interval. Option two – record all the behaviours that occurred during each 30 second period.
Describe bird
Size ______Feather pattern ______
Beak ______
Sample general behaviour data sheet
0 sec 30 sec 1 min 1.30 2 min 2.30 3 min 3.30 4 min
Feeding
Resting
Flying
Walking
Running
Swimming
Fighting
Cleaning feathers
Other
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2.6 Swan observation
Your challenge How do swans use seagrass meadows and then rest on the marine mudflats?
Ideas Swans may be feeding on seagrass, but they come and go using many feeding grounds. Swans feed by pulling out the seagrass and only eating the rhizomes (horizontal roots).
A swan that is not pitch black and looks lightly greyish can be called a signet (young swan).
Sample swan data sheet
Total number of adult swans
Signet numbers
0 sec 30 sec 1 min 1.30 2 min 2.30 3 min 3.30 4 min Numbers swimming
Feeding Numbers resting on water Resting
Flying Numbers resting on mud/sand
Walking Numbers flying Running
Swimming Number of times one swan reaches down into water (feeding) in one Fighting Number of times one swan dabbles on Cleaning feathers the surface with bill Other Other
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2.7 Catchment influence Remember a catchment is the area of land that collects rainwater which drains to creeks, lakes, wetlands, rivers or the sea.
Your challenge How does the larger catchment impact on the marine mudflats?
Ideas This activity can start while the bus is taking you on the field trip. Use a street directory, map or Google Earth to see if there are creeks or rivers emptying into the sea near your field trip site. Decide where your observation will start while on the bus. At the site and on the bus you can describe how our activities impacts on the marine mudflats that are being studied. Add any other impacts that you observe.
Describe How clear is the water? Noise Litter Boats and jet skis Erosion Dogs People People collecting live shellfish Trail bikes, buggies etc Beach litter tractors Large number of gulls Storm damage Rotting plants Smell Farming animals Other farming activities Other
Top 3 catchment Impacts Which three catchment activities do you think have the greatest impact? 1. 2. 3. 9 Fieldwork – Marine mudflat wetlands
2.8 Fish Piers are places where you must think about safety. Many piers do not have safety rails, and they are no place for messing about.
Your challenge How do small young fish swim around piers?
Ideas Young and smaller fish spend much of their time in shallow waters. They are probably safer from larger prowling fish. The larger fish are far more vulnerable to the many marine birds that are ready to swoop on them when they approach the surface. Schools of different size fish are common around piers and, depending on the weather, can be easy to observe.
For each species of fish, record its features and describe its schooling behaviour.
Sample data sheet: fish schooling behaviour Size of fish (are all the fish about the same size?)
Shape and colour of fish
Estimate the number of fish
Estimate the distance between each fish
How often do the fish change direction?
Describe how the school moves
Where does the school spend most of its time?
If the school of fish were attacked, describe the attack
Other observations
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2.9 Visiting an aquarium You will need to find displays that have marine animals that live in temperate waters. Adaptations
Your challenge To explain how the features of marine animals help them to survive in their environment.
Background Aquariums are useful for studying the adaptations of marine creatures. You may have studied a flathead in class. This will have increased your observation skills.
Ideas An aquarium like the Department of Primary Industries’ Marine Discovery Centre has marine tanks with animals and plants that live in and around Port Phillip Bay. The Melbourne Aquarium also has many tropical displays. In this activity choose at least three different types of animals. Only one should be a fish. If you have a digital camera, try to take a photo. If the flash goes off, cover most of the flash with your finger without touching the flash (some flashes get hot).
Sample data collection sheet: marine animal adaptation observation Name of animal
Animal group the animal belongs to
What kind of habitat might it live in?
Describe the limbs, if any, and how they are used
Describe the mouth and suggest how it might be used
Name the features on its head (if it has a head) and suggest how these features are adapted to help it survive in its habitat
How might the animal protect itself?
Other
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2.10 Habitat
Your challenge To explain how the features of marine animals help them to survive in their environment.
Ideas Most of the displays in the marine tanks will try to simulate a marine habitat. Find a tank that has a wide range of marine animals and find out how animals live together in a habitat.
Sample data collection sheet: marine animal habitat
Swims or floats Lives on or under a surface
Name of fish living in habitat
Types of molluscs (shellfish) living in habitat
Other animals living in habitat
Types of plants living in habitat
What is the surface made from?
How will tides affect the habitat?
How will waves affect the habitat?
Published by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment Disclaimer Melbourne, June 2010 This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its © The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2010 employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. Accessibility Printed by Stream Solutions. Printed on recycled paper. If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, such as ISBN 978-1-74242-586-3 (online) large print or audio, please telephone 136 186, 1800 122 969 (TTY), or email [email protected] This document is also available in PDF format For more information contact the DSE Customer Service Centre 136 186. on the Internet at www.dse.vic.gov.au Cover: Black swans, Skeleton Creek; Damselfly at artificial wetland in Point Cook (Bob Winters, Educating options).
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