NPWS Rangers Robyn Kesby (at the spotting scope) and Amy Harris (with notepad) check out endangered shorebirds with volunteers. Photo: P Collins.
If you go down to the shore today, make sure you keep an eye out for endangered shorebirds.
It’s spring breeding season, so pied oystercatchers, little terns and hooded plovers will be out on Illawarra and South Coast beaches laying their eggs in shallow nests.
However, their nests are constantly at risk of disturbance, inundation and predators, so the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program is asking beachgoers from Wollongong to Eden to be on the lookout and report sightings of shorebird nests.
The program is celebrating its 25th year of protecting endangered birds. It’s managed by NPWS with Shorebird Recovery Rangers, who coordinate recovery actions during the breeding season and manage the program’s volunteers.
Almost 150 volunteers are preparing for the breeding season when they monitor soon-to-be parents, nests and chicks. They set up fences, signs and exclusion zones to help keep the birds safe from threats.
Volunteer Peter Collins, from Pambula, has spent 25 years monitoring the local little tern population.
“Being involved in this conservation project is the most rewarding thing I do with my time and knowing I’m helping to fight the extinction crisis is very meaningful,” he said.
“There isn’t any better food for your spirit than that.
“Each season I check the temporary site fencing, count little terns and other birds at their nesting sites, and note things like fox and dog prints near the colony.”
A key part of a volunteer’s role is to educate beachgoers about the presence of the birds, particularly as the chicks are born with well-camouflaged sandy-coloured feathers and are often no bigger than a golf ball.
Residents and holidaymakers are encouraged to “share the shore” and help protect the birds by following these guidelines:
- Read and respect signage – temporary fences and signs protect nests, so tread carefully
- Keep your dog on a leash – shorebirds will recognise your dog as a predator and may abandon their nest in fright
- Walk on the wet sand – stay on the wet sand to avoid nesting birds, which typically nest in the dry-sand areas close to dunes
- Take fishing lines and rubbish with you – this prevents birds and other wildlife from ingesting rubbish or becoming tangled
- Give the birds space – we need to share the shore.
To report sightings of shorebird nests, notify your local national parks office or the National Parks Contact Centre on 1300 072 757.
Click here for more information about the South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program and identifying birds.
