Hi everybody -
We have produced another information sheet in the BA series. The title is:
Sharing our Beaches with Birds. The text is below. If anyone would like a
formatted version in MS Word, I would be happy to send it as an attachment.
It is designed as a simple two-sided A4 sheet without graphics that can be
easily photocopied and distributed. If anybody wishes to make it available
to the public at appropriate venues (council offices, information centres,
beach kiosks, surf shops etc) that would be especially welcome.
Cheers,
Hugo
------------------------
Birds Australia Information Sheet No.21
SHARING OUR BEACHES WITH BIRDS
Bird-friendly beach behaviour and bird protection guidelines
Beaches - where the land meets the sea - are, unsurprisingly, places where
we can see both land-birds and sea-birds. There are also some special
kinds of birds that need beaches for at least part of their lives, for
feeding, breeding or resting, and are threatened by deprivation of their
beach habitat. Beaches are highly favoured by humans too for many reasons
- fishing, travelling along and, especially, for recreation. Where the
needs of birds and the desires of people regarding the use of beaches come
into conflict, usually the birds lose out. By following some simple
guidelines, and with public education and informed management, humans and
birds can share the special habitats that are our beaches.
BEACH BREEDERS
Birds that need beaches to breed on include Hooded Plovers, Pied and Sooty
Oystercatchers, Little Terns and Beach Stone-curlews. All these species
are now under threat in at least some parts of Australia. They lay their
eggs in scrapes on sandy or rocky beaches and incubate them until they
hatch about 30 days later. Although the newly hatched chicks can usually
run, they cannot fly until they grow their flight feathers. Eggs and
chicks have always been vulnerable to natural events such as hailstorms,
being washed away by storm tides or buried by wind-blown sand, as well as
being subject to predation by native animals. Humans have now added a new
suite of threats to birds that must use beaches, including:
· Predation by domestic, feral and introduced animals such as dogs, cats,
foxes, black rats and brown rats.
· Trampling of eggs and chicks by introduced animals such as sheep, cattle
and horses, and by humans.
· Crushing of eggs and chicks by vehicles driving on beaches.
· Disturbance by people beachwalking, or walking their dogs, which can lead
to increased opportunities for predation by gulls and ravens, death of eggs
or chicks by exposure to too much heat or cold, and reduced feeding time
for chicks causing death by starvation.
· Disturbance by other beach-based recreational activities such as fishing
and kite-flying.
· Tangling in litter, such as discarded fishing-line.
· Poisoning through oil-spills and other pollution.
PENGUIN PROBLEMS
Little Penguins breed in many places around the southern coastline of
Australia. Their nesting burrows are close to beaches that they must cross
on their way movements to and from the sea. Here they are vulnerable to
attack by foxes and roaming dogs, disturbance by humans and to being
crushed by vehicles on beach-side roads. Penguins are most vulnerable
after sunset and before sunrise when they cross the beach, something that
should be considered by people who swim, surf, walk their dogs or exercise
on beaches in the evening or early morning.
ROOSTS FOR WADERS AND TERNS
There are about thirty species of migratory waders, or shorebirds, that
breed in northern Russia, Mongolia, China and Alaska but spend at least
part of their non-breeding season in fair numbers around the Australian
coast. One species breeds in New Zealand and winters in Australia. Young
birds may spend up to four years in Australia before making their first
return journey to their breeding grounds. Many waders feed on intertidal
mudflats and, during periods of high tide, roost (rest) on beaches. They
are highly vulnerable to disturbance, especially in late summer and early
autumn when they are trying to build up their energy supplies in
preparation for migratory departure for the Northern Hemisphere.
Waders are easily disturbed at their roosts by people (especially those
walking dogs), by jet-skis and ultra-light aircraft. When the frequency of
disturbance reaches a point at which the birds cannot put on sufficient
weight for migration, the wader site (comprising the feeding grounds and
roosts) used becomes unviable. Many popular beaches have become degraded
as bird habitat through frequent disturbance.
The same general argument applies to roosting groups of terns and
non-migratory waders. Frequent harassment means that the birds use more
energy and will need to feed more. If food availability is a limiting
factor for the birds, increased demand for food will lead to population
declines.
GUIDELINES FOR BIRD-FRIENDLY BEACHES
When you visit the beach
· Be alert. Watch out for signs that birds may be trying to nest, and stay
away from them. In general, the closer you stay to the water's edge,
especially at low tide, the less likely you are to disturb breeding birds.
In southern Australia, most beach-breeders nest during spring and early
summer, September-December. In northern Australia, Beach Stone-curlews
will breed mainly in July-October, and oystercatchers in June-August.
· Control your dog. Check local regulations. If you have to take your dog
to the beach during the summer breeding season, ensure that it is under
your control and do not allow it to scavenge above the high-tide line.
This usually means that it must be leashed at all times when on the beach.
Once a dog scents a nest it is very difficult to stop it investigating and,
if it finds a nest, may eat the eggs or kill the chicks. Do not allow your
dog to run off and chase groups of birds such as roosting waders. Waders
become more nervous about dogs, especially unleashed dogs, than they do of
humans. The critical period is during pre-migration - February-April.
· Take care with your recreational vehicles. Regulations vary from state
to state. Where permitted, keep dune-buggies, motorbikes and 4WD vehicles
within designated areas. During the beach-breeding season when driving
vehicles along beaches, stay below the high-tide mark. Time your journeys
to avoid driving at high tide.
· Dispose of litter properly. Never discard fishing line before chopping
it up or melting it into a blob.
· Become informed. Look out for information and warning signs. Observe
local regulations regarding sensitive areas. Learn about the birds that
are found on your favourite beach, their needs and the threats they face.
· Support community conservation. Join environmental protection, research
and monitoring programs of community conservation organisations - such as
Friends of Hooded Plovers groups or one of the wader study groups - and
help look after our beach birds.
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR BEACH MANAGERS
Beaches, or parts of them, can be assigned to one of three categories for
management of beach birds:
1. Sacrifice areas for human recreation. These areas have no special
provisions for bird management. Human beach users are encouraged to stay
within them by providing facilities and limiting access points.
2. Buffer and education areas. These areas are adjacent to, and accessible
from, the sacrifice areas but are managed to allow beach birds to persist
and breed, with signage explaining management actions and encouraging
people to behave in ways that minimise disturbance.
3. Conservation areas. These are preferably remote from casual human
visitation, such as beaches, or parts of beaches, with no road access,
including islands.
MANAGEMENT TOOLS
An important prerequisite for the environmental management of beaches used
by the public is community consultation. Management methods for protecting
beach birds include:
· Protecting nests. For example, exclusion cages for breeding Hooded
Plovers can be placed over the nests to exclude predators, through which
the birds can pass easily.
· Closing selected beaches. Excluding dogs, and sometimes people, during
breeding or pre-migration seasons.
· Exclusion of vehicles. Seasonal or permanent closure of sensitive areas
to jet-skis, power-boats, ultra-light aircraft, cars, off-road vehicles and
motorbikes.
· Predator control. Trapping, shooting and poison-baiting of foxes and
other predators, as well as using electric fencing to keep them out of tern
colonies. Removal of populations of introduced ground predators from islands.
· Habitat rehabilitation and creation. Constructing secure nesting sites
for terns and roosts for waders.
· Community education. Educating people, both visitors and the local
community, through signage, publicity, school visits and brochures.
LET'S ALLOW OUR BIRDS TO ENJOY OUR BEACHES AS MUCH AS WE DO!
----------------------------------
Hugo Phillipps
Communications Coordinator
Birds Australia
415 Riversdale Road
HAWTHORN EAST 3123, Australia
Tel: (03) 9882 2622, fax: (03) 9882 2677
Email: <>
Web site: <http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au>
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