National Beach-nesting Birds Conference 2015 May 15 – 16 th Point Nepean, Victoria Overview The 5 th Annual National Beach-nesting Birds Conference and Workshops were held at Point Nepean National Park on the Mornington Peninsula over two days (May 15-16 th , 2015). There were over 130 attendees from across Australia, with people travelling from New South Wales, South Australia (Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, Adelaide, SE SA), and from across Victoria (from as far east as Marlo and west as Portland). The attendees backgrounds were diverse, with land managers participating from agencies such as Parks Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Barwon Coast Committee, Phillip Island Nature Parks (PINP), Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA), City of Greater Geelong (COGG), Hobson Bay City Council, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management (AMLR NRM), South East NRM, and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) SA. Other attendees included academics from Deakin University and Victoria University, Ecology Australia, Geelong Sustainability, ecotourism operators, Beach-nesting Bird volunteers, ‘Friends of’ groups, BirdLife Australia members and the general public. The event was funded by BirdLife Australia, the State Government of Victoria and the Hugh D. T. Williamson Foundation. Attendees from the Fleurieu Peninsula were sponsored by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board. Day 1 Conference, Q & A expert panel and field trips The main objectives of the day were to provide a snapshot of research findings around coastal management for resident shorebirds from around Australia, updates on the efforts that are currently undertaken to protect beach-nesting birds, and the role of BirdLife Australia’s Beach-nesting Birds project to coordinate these efforts. The day aimed to create opportunities for networking and to build the capacity of current volunteers and land managers by exposing them to new research findings, a big picture overview of conservation direction for beach-nesters, and new ideas for on-ground and education actions. The meeting also acts as a National Hooded Plover Recovery update and facilitates adaptive management for future recovery actions. For new volunteers and members of the public, it is an opportunity to learn more about beach-nesting birds, the issues affecting them and efforts occurring to protect them.
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National Beach-nesting Birds Conference 2015
May 15 – 16th
Point Nepean, Victoria
Overview
The 5th Annual National Beach-nesting Birds Conference and Workshops were held at
Point Nepean National Park on the Mornington Peninsula over two days (May 15-16th,
2015). There were over 130 attendees from across Australia, with people travelling from
New South Wales, South Australia (Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula,
Adelaide, SE SA), and from across Victoria (from as far east as Marlo and west as
Portland).
The attendees backgrounds were diverse, with land managers participating from agencies
such as Parks Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP),
Barwon Coast Committee, Phillip Island Nature Parks (PINP), Port Phillip and Westernport
Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA), City of Greater Geelong (COGG), Hobson
Bay City Council, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management
(AMLR NRM), South East NRM, and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural
Resources (DEWNR) SA. Other attendees included academics from Deakin University and
Victoria University, Ecology Australia, Geelong Sustainability, ecotourism operators,
Beach-nesting Bird volunteers, ‘Friends of’ groups, BirdLife Australia members and the
general public.
The event was funded by BirdLife Australia, the State Government of Victoria and the
Hugh D. T. Williamson Foundation. Attendees from the Fleurieu Peninsula were
sponsored by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board.
Day 1 Conference, Q & A expert panel and field trips
The main objectives of the day were to provide a snapshot of research findings around
coastal management for resident shorebirds from around Australia, updates on the
efforts that are currently undertaken to protect beach-nesting birds, and the role of
BirdLife Australia’s Beach-nesting Birds project to coordinate these efforts. The day
aimed to create opportunities for networking and to build the capacity of current
volunteers and land managers by exposing them to new research findings, a big picture
overview of conservation direction for beach-nesters, and new ideas for on-ground and
education actions. The meeting also acts as a National Hooded Plover Recovery update
and facilitates adaptive management for future recovery actions. For new volunteers and
members of the public, it is an opportunity to learn more about beach-nesting birds, the
issues affecting them and efforts occurring to protect them.
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Conference Presentations:
Below is a summary of the key points covered:
Mr Adam Magennis, Mornington Peninsula Shire Cultural Heritage Officer, welcomed
the Beach-nesting Birds Conference attendees to Country. Adam also spoke about the
local indigenous people, the Boon Wurrung and the cultural heritage to the area. He
mentioned dreamtime stories of areas of beach (Fingal - St Andrews Beach) where
ancestors would not walk at certain times of years, and pondered whether it was to
avoid the nesting of the beach-nesting birds in the shell middens at those sites.
Dr Grainne Maguire, Coast and Marine Program Manager, BirdLife Australia, presented
on the evolution of the Beach-nesting Birds Project over the past nine years. Getting
carried away with the theme of beach-nesting bird recovery being a journey, Grainne
used the analogy of the Yellow Brick Road and the characters of the Wizard of Oz
became all the key stakeholders of the project: volunteers representing the ‘heart’;
researchers providing the ‘brains’ and the baseline knowledge from which we progress
and adapt our recovery actions; policy makers needing to show ‘courage’ in their
decision making and to put the environment ahead of short-term economic gain
or misguided social pressure; community representing ‘the home’ and our need to
build ownership of coastal conservation within the community; land managers being
the ‘ruby slippers’ who facilitate recovery actions; the non-compliant being the ‘wicked
witch of the west’ and education being the ‘bucket of water’ that dispenses of the
witch! She explained that the yellow brick road, the Beach-nesting Birds project,
brings all these stakeholders together to lead us to the same destination, our goals of:
healthy and self-sustaining populations of beach-nesting bird species, healthy and
resilient coastal habitats, and responsible and caring communities. Our strength is in
being a diverse team that works towards the same goals.
Hooded Plover recovery results for Victoria and South Australia, were presented from
2006-2015 showing the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and land managers has led
to major increases in breeding success of the species, with protected nests accounting
for double to quadruple the fledgling output each season. She revealed that in the
absence of management input, pairs exposed to human impacts had as little as 0-5%
chance of fledging a chick, however, with input, this was boosted to 40-50% ; the
equivalent of success experienced by pairs occupying remote stretches of beach. Over
nine breeding seasons, 112 fledglings have come from sites that were assessed as not
requiring management (due to their remoteness). An additional 244 chicks have been
successfully produced at disturbed nesting sites by implementing breeding site
protection.
Left to right: Joris Driessen, Meg Cullen, Glenn Ehmke, Diane Lewis, James O’Connor, Rob Quinn, Grainne Maguire, Renee Mead, Stacey Maden. Photo Dan Weller.
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Diane Lewis, President of the Friends of the Hooded Plover Mornington Peninsula Inc.
spoke about how she became involved with the project: a chance meeting with a
Parks Victoria ranger who was erecting a temporary rope fence on a back beach that
her family visit regularly ignited her interest in Hooded Plovers. A phone call from
Grainne the next day, and an introduction to and consequent walks along the beach
with Val Ford and Glenn Ehmke, and she was hooked! For years Diane had spent all
her time looking out to sea watching over her kids, but she had never really noticed
what was happening on the sand. Volunteers have been involved with Hooded Plovers
as far back as 1980 when monthly counts first began on the peninsula back in 1980! It
was in 2006 when BirdLife Australia approached the group and active nest monitoring
then took off, with data collected in a standardised way. In 2010, the group became
an incorporated Friends group and has now grown to 55 members who not only
monitor and protect nests, but also produce a local newsletter, run public awareness
events and deliver education programs for local primary schools incorporating the
BirdLife Australia Education Kit. The Friends group has also been successful in
receiving CoastCare, BirdLife Australia, Parks Victoria and RACV grants to permanently
fence nesting habitat, develop signage for the SeaRoad Ferry terminals and ferries
“Surf beaches are Hooded Plover country”, and develop a ‘where can I walk my dog’
brochure. The biggest challenge for the birds on the Mornington Peninsula is the huge
influx of people visiting the National Park, with an estimated 3.5 million people visiting
every year. The Friends groups’ next project is finishing their Strategic Plan. The
group is now 5 years old and has some very experienced people on the committee and
as members. It was felt the group now need a more structured approach for the
future. The Strategic Plan includes dividing up the 20 breeding territories in the MPNP
into 4 sections, each section having a beach leader, each beach leader will be
responsible to ensure adequate monitoring of their section by volunteers. Any
management issues will be reported back to the coordinator and PV. We also aim to
have a better understanding of member’s skills and interests by setting up a survey,
and develop a wider range of communication channels to increase younger
membership and participation.
Jean Turner, Samphire Coast Icon Project Officer and Aleisa Lamanna, Samphire Coast
Icon Project Manager, BirdLife Australia, talked about BirdLife Australia’s efforts to
conserve beach-nesting birds and migratory shorebirds in the coastal areas north of
Adelaide. With the Samphire Coast being a strong hold for the Red-capped plover, the
program aims to achieve an ongoing monitoring and engagement program using the
Red-cap as the icon species for protecting that stretch of coast. With so much
available habitat, the first few years have focused on trying to determine which areas
are used for breeding by the birds and which are accessible for ease of monitoring.
The remote nature of sites, the thick sinking mud of the claypans, and the small
human population in the area mean that there are many challenges with monitoring.
One volunteer for example travelled 1,500 km in monitoring trips in 2013-14!
Jean Turner; Photo Dan Weller. Adam Magennis presenting; Photo Dan Weller.
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Moving forward, the aim will be to use this information to narrow down monitoring to
a smaller number of sites so as to improve the quality of data and not to spread
volunteers too thin on the ground. The program now uses the online MyBeachBird
Data portal to collect breeding and threat data, and the banding program is underway
after a visit from Deakin University researchers. This will facilitate more research on
the breeding statistics and movements of these gorgeous little birds, particularly as
they are semi-colonial meaning it can be very challenging to work out which parent
belongs with which nest!!
Joris Driessen, Biennial Count Coordinator Volunteer, BirdLife Australia gave us all an
update from the 2014 Biennial Count for Beach-nesting birds. He firstly began by
explaining that this is a population-wide Hoodie census (all mainland habitat for the
Eastern subspecies), it covers all suitable Hoodie habitat using fixed routes and occurs
in a fixed time frame, timed with the peak of territory occupation. To put this into
context, it is a massive achievement to get 400+ volunteers to survey over 2,350 km
of coastline for Hooded Plovers, Red-capped Plovers, Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers,
and breeding colonies of Terns all within a narrow window of time (75% of data
collected within one week in mid November). Volunteers spent nearly 1000 hours of
carrying out 537 surveys: the equivalent of 125 eight hour working days, and this
didn’t even include travel time or return journeys for those who had to do their routes
up and back! There were over 2,500 observations, totalling approximately 9,500 birds
of all species combined. Of these there were 676 Hoodie observations, totalling 1,406
birds (adults and juveniles). Most impressive were the 200 observations of Hoodie
bands/flags. The 2014 survey even had to add Beach-Stone Curlew to the data sheet,
now that we have a number of individuals that are occupying Victoria, and even South
Australia, more recently!
Laura Tan, Research Assistant and PhD candidate, Deakin University, presented
research by Dr Mike Weston and his team working on Red-capped Plovers at
Cheetham wetlands, Victoria. The topic of this talk was Cover and nesting Red-capped
Plovers: A trade-off between thermal environment and predator risk. Within a
landscape there can be multiple habitat types available for nesting, and within a given
habitat, there can be a range of microhabitats available. Microhabitat can have a
critical influence on breeding success and survival/condition of the incubating
parent/s. Nesting in open habitat versus under cover can have its costs and benefits.
In the open, there may be early predator detection but high thermal exposure, and
under cover, the reverse may be true. The research team investigated this using red-
capped plovers as a model. Temperature loggers were used to measure the surface
temperatures of nesting substrate in open and closed habitats; predator risk was
measured using flight initiation distances of incubating birds in open and closed
habitats plus a visual assessment of the % bird’s view from the nest, and; predator
pressure was measured in different microhabitats using remote cameras on false and
real nests. The results revealed that cover is of thermal benefit and false nests under
cover appear to have higher survival. However, vision of approaching predators is
obstructed and flight initiation distances reduced. The survival of real nests did not
seem to differ for open and closed nests. Laura also mentioned that the team no
longer use cameras to monitor real nests as they were initially used en-masse for nest
monitoring and this unfortunately taught ravens to associate cameras with a tasty
meal. Please note that BirdLife use cameras on Hooded Plover nests under strict
protocols which have been specifically developed to avoid this predator learning.
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Dan Lees, PhD candidate, Deakin University, is researching sex ratios in shorebirds.
Bias in adult and offspring sex ratios can be critical to understand when working with
small and threatened populations. Overlooking sex biases can be disastrous in terms
of conservation programs such as translocations and captive breeding. For example,
the globally threatened Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) had a male-biased adult sex
ratio in the wild. The captive breeding program kept females in average condition in
order to produce female-biased broods, as when females were in good/great condition
they would produce male-biased broods. Dan aims to explore sex ratios in populations
of three resident shorebird species: firstly to identify the mechanisms causing an
observed male sex-ratio bias in Red-capped Plovers and to then compare the sex-ratio
dynamics of this species with two other species (the Masked Lapwing and Hooded
Plover) whose adult sex-ratio is still unknown. In particular the aims are to determine:
1) if sex-ratio bias is occurring at hatching; 2) If sex-ratio bias is occurring through
sex-specific chick mortality, and; 3) if sex-ratio bias is occurring through adult
mortality. It is predicted that Red-capped plovers have a seasonal sex ratio bias, with
female chicks produced early in the breeding season, and males late in the season;
chick survival sex-bias where the male chicks are out surviving the females; and a
sex-bias settlement, females disperse with mortality.
Wouter Van Dongen, Post Doctorate Fellow from Victoria University discussed human-
wildlife conflicts, disturbance to Australia’s birds and the need for a balance between
increasing demand for open space (recreation) and the needs of wildlife in those
areas. The challenge in achieving this balance is that not all disturbances have an
equal impact, and each species has the potential to react in a different way. Wouter
then discussed research into Flight Initiation Distances, ‘FIDs’, and introduced the
database he and his team have created to assist land managers and planners in
determining appropriate buffer zones and in predicting which recreational activities
may be appropriate for a given area. The database calculates the average FID for each
of the bird species in the proposed works area and can do so for a variety of different
disturbance stimuli, including individual walkers, walkers with dogs, joggers, cars,
bicycles etc. So far the database has 9,638 FIDs for 286 species. The aim is that this
resource is used extensively to permit the co-existence between humans and wildlife.
The database is currently accessible at http://115.146.87.109/
BirdLife’s silent auction raises funds for beach-nesting bird protection; Panel of experts answer the audience’s questions; Photos Renee Mead.