A Wader Survey of South Gippsland Beaches by WILLIAM A
48 DAVIS, A Wader Survey [ Bird Watcher A Wader Survey of South Gippsland Beaches By WILLIAM A. DAVIS, Melbourne. On February 23, 24 and 25, 1963, a trip was undertaken by four members of the Bird Observers Club in an endeavour to ascertain the wader potentiality of some of the remote South Gippsland beaches. Habitats and bird populations at each locality were noted, and all the birds S€~ on the trip were recorded. Lack of time allowed only a brief survey to be made but, in spite of this, 117 species were positively identified. The members participating in the survey were F. T. H . Smith, F. Fehrer, H . Beste and the writer. At the present time wader haunts within close proximity to Melbourne are regularly visited each season. However, there remain vast areas of suitable habitat more distant from the metro polis which, due to their remoteness, have received little or no attention from observers. The territory covered by our trip extended from Shallow Inlet on the western side of Wilson's Promontory to Jack Smith's Lake, approximately 20 miles west of Seaspray on the Ninety Mile Beach. The localities visited were as follows: Shallow Inlet: A large tidal inlet comprising extensive sand and mud-flats, ocean beach, and typical coastal bushland consisting essentially of banksias, messmate, manna gums, heathlands and open paddocks. This was possibly the best area that we encountered for general bird observation, that also had good wader potentiality although, at the time of our visit, there was a noticeable absence of the small waders. Both the east and west sides of the inlet were examined and 69 species were recorded in six hours.
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