Conservation assessment of beach nesting and migratory shorebirds in Tasmania Dr Sally Bryant Nature Conservation Branch, DPIWE Natural Heritage Trust Project No NWP 11990 Tasmania Group Conservation assessment of beach nesting and migratory shorebirds in Tasmania Dr Sally Bryant Nature Conservation Branch Department Primary Industries Water and Environment 2002 Natural Heritage Trust Project No NWP 11990 CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT OF BEACH NESTING AND MIGRATORY SHOREBIRDS IN TASMANIA SUMMARY OF FINDINGS Summary of Information Compiled during the 1998 –1999 Shorebird Survey. Information collected Results Survey Effort Number of surveys undertaken 863 surveys Total number of sites surveyed 313 sites Number of islands surveyed 43 islands Number of surveys on islands 92 surveys Number of volunteers 75 volunteers Total number of participants 84 participants Total number of hours spent surveying 970 hours of survey Total length of all sites surveyed 1,092 kilometres surveyed Shorebird Species No of shorebird species observed 32 species No of shorebird species recorded breeding 13 species breeding Number of breeding observations made 294 breeding observations Number of surveys with a breeding observation 169 surveys Total number of sites where species were breeding 92 sites Highest number of species breeding per site 5 species breeding Total number of species records made 3,650 records Total number of bird sightings 116,118 sightings Site Disturbance Information Number of surveys with disturbance information recorded 407 surveys Number of individual sites with disturbance information 147 sites Percentage of sites with No to Low impact disturbances 37.4 % of sites Percentage of sites with High to Very High impact disturbances 62.6% of sites Number of breeding sites with disturbance information collected 68 sites Percentage of all sites with No to Low impact disturbances on 26.5% breeding shorebirds Percentage of sites with High to Very High impact disturbances 73.5% on breeding shorebirds Priority Sites for Beach Nesting and Migratory Shorebirds in Tasmania Site Shorebird Value Boullanger Bay / Robbins Very high species diversity – stronghold for 17 species, priority Passage which includes Bird site for resident species, priority site for Little Tern, Fairy Tern, Point, Five Islets, Mosquito Inlet long term monitoring site (Robbins Island), Shipwreck Point (Perkins Is), Kangaroo Island, Montague Is, Wallaby Is, Seven Mile Beach (Anthony’s Beach – east and west end) Cape Portland / Little Musselroe Very high species diversity – priority site for resident species, stronghold for Double-banded Plover, Sooty Oystercatcher, Little Tern, long term monitoring site George Town / Tamar Estuary Very high species diversity, good site for Eastern Curlew, priority site for resident species, long-term monitoring site Conservation Assessment of Beach Nesting & Migratory Shorebirds in Tasmania 1 Site Shorebird Value Derwent region including Very high species diversity, priority site for resident species, long- Lauderdale, Clear Lagoon, term monitoring site, priority site for Eastern Curlew, Whimbrel Mortimer Bay, Pipeclay Lagoon, Calvert’s Lagoon, South Arm Neck, Barilla Bay, Iron Creek, Carlton River, Five Mile Beach, Seven Mile Beach, Orielton / Sorell, Waterview Sanctuary Policeman’s Point (includes The Very high species diversity, priority site for resident species Gardens & the mouth of Anson’s Bay) Patriarch Inlet (Flinders Is) Very high species diversity, priority site for resident species Little Boomer Very high species diversity, priority site for resident species Steels Beach High species diversity, priority site for resident species, priority site for breeding species, priority breeding site for Little Tern Beaumaris Beach High species diversity, priority site for resident species, priority breeding site for Little Tern Lisdillon High species diversity, priority site for resident species, priority site for breeding species including Little Tern, Fairy Tern Great Musselroe High species diversity Ocean Beach (inc. mouth of High species diversity, priority site for resident species, priority site Henty) for Sanderling Orford Spit High species diversity, priority site for resident species, priority site for breeding species, significant site for Fairy Tern Scamander Spit & Barway & Priority site for breeding species, priority site for Little Tern river mouth Cameron Inlet / Logan’s Lagoon High species diversity, priority site for resident species, significant (Flinders Is) site for Fairy Tern Cowper Point (King Is) High species diversity, priority site for resident species, priority site for Little Tern Moulting Lagoon High species diversity, priority site for resident species Marion Beach including Marion High species diversity, priority site for resident species Bay causeway Adelaide Bay (Flinders Is) High species diversity Little Swanport (lagoon mouth) High species diversity, priority site for resident species Meredith River (river mouth) High species diversity, priority site for resident species Moorland Point Priority site for migratory species, significant site for Ruddy Turnstone Lades Beach Priority site for species diversity, significant site for many Tern species, monitoring site Maurouard Beach (Peron Dunes) Priority site for Fairy Tern and species diversity Forwards & Picnic Beach Priority site for resident species Dianas Beach inc. Basin Priority site for resident species, past site for Little Tern Friendly Beaches Priority site for resident species, priority site for Little Tern Bruny Island - Great Bay, The Priority site for resident species Neck, Adventure Bay, Cloudy Bay, Lighthouse Bay Sandspit, Rheban Priority site for resident species Australia Point Priority site for resident species Bakers Beach Priority site for resident species Below Pollys Bay Priority site for resident species Horseshoe Bank Priority site for resident species Nye Bay Priority site for resident species Pebbly Bay Priority site for resident species Pirates Bay Priority site for resident species Baynes Island Priority site for breeding species including Fairy Tern Lachlan Island Priority site for breeding species Conservation Assessment of Beach Nesting & Migratory Shorebirds in Tasmania 2 Site Shorebird Value Saltworks Beach Priority site for breeding species Green Island Priority site for breeding species Barren Island Priority site for breeding species Macleans Bay, Spike Bay Priority site for Little Tern (Clarke Is) Bioregional representation of Protection for the Hooded Plover beach nesting sites Shorebird Species in Tasmania of Conservation Concern. Species Status in Tasmania Little Tern TSPA = Endangered, status appropriate Fairy Tern TSPA = Rare, status requires review White-fronted Tern TSPA = Rare, status requires review Eastern Curlew TSPA = Endangered, status appropriate Hooded Plover Conservation Concern – declining pop’n, requires TSPA assessment Pied Oystercatcher Conservation Concern – declining pop’n, requires TSPA assessment Pacific Golden Plover Conservation Concern – declining pop’n, requires TSPA assessment Red-necked Stint Conservation Concern – declining pop’n, requires TSPA assessment Caspian Tern Conservation Concern – very low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Whimbrel Conservation Concern – very low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Great Knot Conservation Concern – very low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Terek Sandpiper Conservation Concern – very low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Grey-tailed Tattler Conservation Concern – very low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Banded Lapwing Conservation Concern – low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Black-fronted Dotterel Conservation Concern – low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Sooty Oystercatcher Conservation Concern – low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Grey Plover Conservation Concern – low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Lesser Sand Plover Conservation Concern – low numbers, requires TSPA assessment Pacific Gull Requires Monitoring – small population size with threats occurring Red Knot Requires Monitoring – small population size Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Requires Monitoring – small population size Common Greenshank Requires Monitoring – small population size Sanderling Requires Monitoring – small population size Bar-tailed Godwit Requires Monitoring – small population size Double-banded Plover Requires Monitoring – small population size Ruddy Turnstone Requires Monitoring – national declines recorded Conservation Assessment of Beach Nesting & Migratory Shorebirds in Tasmania 3 CONTENTS Page Summary of Findings 1 NHT Project outline 6 Acknowledgements 6 Introduction 7 Tasmania’s beach nesting and migratory shorebirds 7 Responsibilities for coastal management in Tasmania 7 The East Asian-Australasian Flyway 8 Ramsar sites in Tasmania 8 Shorebird surveys and research in Tasmania 9 Requirements of beach nesting and migratory shorebirds in Tasmania 10 Threats to coastal shorebirds in Tasmania 11 Methods 12 Shorebirds covered by this project 12 How information was collected 13 Co-ordination and participation of volunteers 13 Shorebird survey form 14 Survey boundary and regions 15 Survey period 15 Treatment of observer information 15 Shorebird database 15 Survey locations 15 Results 17 Part 1: Survey Period Information 17 Survey effort 17 Site visits 18 Coverage of the State 18 Species records 19 Species diversity at sites 20 Site disturbance 22 Breeding information 23 Breeding site diversity 23 Disturbance during breeding 24 Summary of information collected during 1998-1999