Approaching the mouth of the Shoalhaven River near Nowra on a day excursion to survey shorebirds, a group of Siberian migrant LBJs (little brown jobs) wheeled off to the opposite shoreline. Rich in invertebrates, the seagrass beds of the Shoalhaven delta are a hotspot for many wading birds that migrate to Australia over summer.

“They’re just over there” said legendary birder, Darryl McKay, “in the dunes…” Following the path of his finger, I couldn’t make out what he was talking about until we got closer to the entrance of the Shoalhaven. In the distance, festooned by ribbons, barricades and warning signs, sat a little Pied Oystercatcher mummy resolutely on her eggs. “This is a bit of a special pair” he explained. “They’ve been trying for eight years to fledge a chick”. A combination of inexperienced parenting and multiple threats, this pair had lost their chicks on every one of their attempts to breed.

Once an uninhabited safe haven, the sandy realm of New South Wales’ coastal dune systems is now under threat. Foxes, pushed to the fringes of communities in burgeoning coastal developments, now regularly patrol dune scapes searching for food. People walking unleashed dogs in protected areas of dune grasses and four wheel drivers keen to take on some sandy driving challenges all threaten the vital habitat of dune dwelling shorebirds like Pied Oystercatchers, Red-capped and Hooded Plovers. Over summer migratory Little Terns from Japan also use our coastal sandy spots to breed.

On any given January day, The Entrance on the Central Coast of New South Wales is packed with crowds hauling a bevy of surfboards, kids, towels and sunscreen to enjoy a day out on the beach in a quintessential Australian rite of summer. Embracing the southern end of the beach is an area cordoned off with signage and fencing that is littered with rubbish like tin cans, disposable nappies, old sunglasses and plastic bags. This fenced area provides one of the best vantage points to watch the fireworks display on New Year’s Eve. It is quite large and appears to fence off a void. On closer inspection, the area within the perimeters of this fencing is home to nesting Little Terns, a highly threatened coastal breeding species whose winter home is in Asia. Despite the rubbish, crowds and noise, endangered Little Terns choose this area to rear their young. Barely the length of a finger joint, Little Tern chicks camouflage well with the sand. It’s an evolutionary survival tactic that blends them well into their surroundings. Sadly it now works against them. People too lazy to walk around the fenced area have climbed the fence to walk through trampling eggs and many remaining nesting spots have been raided by foxes. How long they will persist in using this area to breed is unknown. Their numbers have decreased over the last few years.

Further north at Stockton, the largest coastal dune mass in New South Wales stretches north of Newcastle. Unpatrolled access for quad bike riders and four-wheel drivers has created a new landscape for the Pied Oystercatchers and Red-capped Plovers that call Stockton’s sandy massif home. Without any secured areas, specified 4WD access points or public education, both of these species often struggle to find a suitable spot to breed. Chick rearing is done by parents who now shepherd their offspring to forage on the shoreline, dodging the relentless summer traffic that screams along the beach.

On the South Coast, two devoted Shorebird recovery coordinators Michael Jarman and Jillian Keating work tirelessly to improve the conditions of shorebirds that breed on beaches and coastal lakesides. Involving surveys, weed removal, fox eradication and predation protection measures, their work, which has been funded in part by FNPWS, is proving fruitful. This year has been one of the best on record for endangered Hooded plovers whose numbers in 2004 had dropped to just over 40 in New South Wales. During that year, I spent a day with Mike on Island Beach that runs south of Bawley Point. At the end of a pristine stretch of sand Mike exclaimed “You little rippers!” as we watched an adult pair of “Hoodies” shepherding their three fledgling chicks around the shore. A result of persistent predator eradication and habitat protection, these three had effectively increased the numbers of Hooded Plovers in NSW by 9%.

The Foundation is hoping to provide funding for community awareness campaigns and habitat security that will evenly span the entire coast of New South Wales affording greater protection to sensitive coastal dune systems. At the end of last summer, Darryl reported that our pair of Pieds on the mouth of the Shoalhaven had finally raised a chick. Over a period where they hatched two and lost one, one had successfully survived to adulthood. I wonder if they had any idea that humans were toasting their momentous outcome with a glass of red?

Seabirds on Lord Howe Island Little Shearwater on Lord Howe Island The Black-winged Petrel Pterodroma nigripennis is a recent colonizer of Lord Howe Island. It was first confirmed breeding in the early 1970s and has increased in numbers each year, particularly since removal of cats from the Island. The Little shearwater Puffinus assimilis was thought to have disappeared from Lord Howe Island in the early 1900s and has only recently been recorded breeding on the main Lord Howe Island when a small colony was discovered at Blinky Headland. The Foundation is looking for support to fund research into the size and extent of the breeding colony of Black-winged petrels and Little shearwaters at Blinky Headland, the breeding success and the competition between the two species. The survey will also investigate if rats are having an impact on the breeding success of Little Shearwaters at Blinky headland, by examining their breeding success on Roach Island, which is rat free. This will provide a baseline for future population changes, especially as there is a proposal for rodent eradication on Lord Howe Island. A total of 56 days is estimated for field work. A piece of equipment known as a “burrowscope” will aid in detection of birds/eggs in deep burrows. This is basically a camera lens and LED lights on a 2 metre piece of hose attached to an LCD monitor. Funding will go directly towards the project.

If you can help us give this species a chance, please make your donation by cheque or online and we will direct 100% of your donation to the wildlife emergency fund to go towards the species featured in this newsletter.

• Click here to donate online
• Mail to: (Click here to print a donation form)
  Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
  "Wildlife Emergency Fund"
  GPO Box 2666
  Sydney NSW 2001

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