Corner Inlet Fox Control Project

Victoria SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION PROTECTING SHOREBIRDS FROM INTRODUCED PESTS: The Corner Inlet Fox Control Project.

Where Who

Corner Inlet, located 200 km south east of The Victorian Wader Study Group (VWSG) consists Melbourne, is the most southerly area of tidal of a team of approximately 100 dedicated and flats in mainland Australia. It is bounded to the enthusiastic volunteers. The group was formed north and west by cleared agricultural land and to in 1978 and has been involved in long term the south by Wilson’s Promontory National Park. banding and monitoring of migratory and resident At the eastern entrance to the inlet lie a series shorebirds and terns. The objectives of the group of barrier islands, tidal channels and mudflats. are to build an accurate and comprehensive The conservation significance of Corner Inlet for picture of shorebird biology and ecology in shorebirds has been recognised and the area is Australia, including gaining an understanding listed as a wetland of international importance of migration routes, reproduction rates and under the Ramsar convention. Most of the barrier monitoring of populations. The group has worked islands are covered by the Nooramunga Marine closely with state land management agencies, and Coastal Park and parts of the inlet have been notably the Department of Sustainability and recently declared as a marine park. Environment (DSE) and Parks Victoria (PV).

The Birds

Due to its size, diversity of habitats and relatively low levels of disturbance, Corner Inlet is of outstanding significance to shorebird conservation on an international scale. Over 30 000 shorebirds use this area. The area is especially important for migratory species such as the eastern curlew, bar-tailed godwit, red knot and grey plover. Some of the more common resident shorebirds present include the pied and sooty oystercatcher. Corner Inlet has the highest concentration of breeding pairs of pied oystercatchers in Australia. Other birds breeding in the area include the caspian, crested and fairy tern and hooded plover.

Pied oystercatcher Images © Mike Weston/Aquila Cooperation with DSE and PV has allowed More work needs to be carried out before the full members of the VWSG to gain access to a wide extent of the success of this project is revealed. range of experts and professionals, as well as For example, it is still uncertain whether the facilitating access to the islands. Without this increased numbers of nests found are an effect partnership, the VWSG would not have been of reduced foxes or an increase in the observer’s able to undertake the fox control program ability to find nests. It is unknown whether any and likewise, the government agencies would of the chicks fledged successfully from the not have had the resources to carry out the nests which were found and very few nests of subsequent monitoring program which the other species, such as the hooded plover, were VWSG has undertaken. located.

Outcomes for the environment

• Foxes have been controlled and in some cases removed from areas of important shorebird habitat.

• A major threat to shorebirds has been reduced and, in some cases, eliminated.

• A regular monitoring program of bird numbers, breeding success and signs of fox activity is

Hooded plover chick. Outcomes for the participants Problems and challenges Solutions • The cooperative relationship between the Due to their geography, the barrier islands The barrier islands present unique opportunities VWSG and state agencies has been reinforced. of Corner Inlet do not suffer from human for studying the impacts of fox predation on disturbance and habitat degradation to the same shorebirds. Some islands are fox free while • Participants have gained experience in a © Mike Weston/Aquila Images © Mike Weston/Aquila extent as some other shorebird sites closer to others support fox populations. The Fox control wide range of skills, including field skills, and Sooty oystercatcher main population centres. That is not to say that project sought to eradicate foxes from some communication, negotiation and planning skills shorebirds on these islands are immune to all islands and to compare subsequent breeding through their involvement with this project. threats. One of the most serious conservation success with islands known to be fox free. issues facing shorebirds on these islands is predation by introduced animals, notably the red The VWSG obtained funding through the Measures of success Future strategies and directions fox. Coastcare/Coast Action grants scheme (only available to community groups) to organise A wide range of information has been gathered For the project to be successful in the long Fox predation is a major potential threat to and carry out a fox-baiting program on several by the VWSG, DSE and PV that can be used term, a number of actions have been planned or shorebirds. Especially at risk are locally breeding islands. Funds were used for the purchase of to measure how successful this project has proposed; species which nest on the ground such as the baits and to cover salaries of personnel carrying been. Some of the outcomes which have been oystercatchers and the threatened hooded out the work. The program was carried out in measured include; • PV will continue baiting, as there is a possibility plover. While adult birds may be able to avoid close cooperation with DSE and PV, with the that foxes may recolonise from the mainland, foxes, eggs and young are vulnerable and VWSG’s role being to monitor the breeding • Over 700 fox baits were taken and it is to ensure that cleared islands remain fox free. continued predation can jeopordise the long term populations and breeding success of shorebirds estimated that over 230 foxes may have been viability of populations. on the islands. The program commenced in 1997 destroyed. • Alternative fox control methods may need to be and following three years of baiting, two of the trialed to eliminate the foxes which do not take The same geography which has protected islands were deemed to be fox free. • Evidence of foxes (e.g. footprints on beaches) baits. the area from disturbance also presents major has declined on islands which were baited. logistical challenges in terms of access. The To determine whether the baiting program had a • Monitoring of the breeding populations and islands can only be visited by boat, therefore positive outcome for shorebird conservation, the • Following fox eradication, the number of Pied nesting success of a range of bird species will access is limited by boat availability, weather VWSG conducted surveys of nesting success Oystercatcher nests found has increased. continue in the long term. conditions and suitability of tides. All these on an island which had recently become fox free factors combine to present a small window of (Dream Island) and on an island which had been opportunity in which work and research can be fox free for several years (Box Bank). carried out. success ofshorebirds inthelongterm. Continue monitoringnumbersandnesting works asnecessary. activity ontheislandsandcarryoutcontrol Continue monitoringoffoxnumbersand future willbeto; Important objectivesfortheproject inthe agencies andexperiencedvolunteers. Successful cooperationbetweenstate poses amajorthreat toshorebirds. Tackling apotentiallydifficultproblem that contribution toshorebird conservationby; This project hasmadean important Summary The shorebird case studieswere developed by Birds Australiaaspart of theShorebirds ConservationProject whichisfundedbythe Hooded ploveradult Natural HeritageTrust andmanagedby WWFAustralia Environment, Yarram Office Department ofSustainabilityand Website: www.parkweb.vic.gov.au Tel 131963 Parks Victoria, Fosteroffice Email: [email protected] Website: www.home.vicnet.net.au/~vwsg Victorian Wader StudyGroup Website: www.wwf.org.au Freecall 1800032551 Project and Threatened SpeciesNetwork) WWF Australia (ShorebirdConservation Website: www.birdsaustralia.com.au Email: [email protected] Tel (03)98822622 Birds Australia Key contactsandgroups Website: www.tasweb.com.au/awsg/ Australasian Wader StudiesGroup database/ Website: www.deh.gov.au/water/wetlands/ Australian Wetlands Database Department oftheEnvironmentandHeritage Website: www.dse.vic.gov.au Tel: 0351839100

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