Hi Everyone,
Below is an informal report which I write to a range of people,
particularly council staff, every month after our Noosa shorebird
surveys. The purpose of the email is to keep council staff
conversant with their estuary, so that when issues arise, they
will be able to fit those issues within a local context. Every so
often I forward one of these reports to birding-aus, for those
with an interest in shorebirds and terns. Photos have been
removed.
Cheers,
Jill
On 10/09/2010 2:48 PM, Jill Dening wrote:
Hi Everyone,
Our September survey was such a pleasure, without any
particularly unusual sightings. It was a very high tide; the
weather was superb in the morning (wind came up later), the
water was crystal clear. We were such a happy team: Barb
Dickson, Josh Walton, Kane Ransome and myself, all doing what we
love to do. The tidal range was so high that we almost got into
trouble on the dropping tide, which quickly disappeared under
our anchored boat, and tested all our combined strength to
refloat ourselves. I have to hand it to my shoulder surgeon: he
did a good job, as yesterday demonstrated.
A few migrant shorebirds have begun to return, and we
reconfirmed that the Hooded Plover and all of the Double-banded
Plovers have definitely left. (A few Double-banded Plovers are
still present at the Gold Coast and Inskip Point.) Some Crested
Terns are showing breeding plumage, and are beginning to display
courtship. We had a very young begging Caspian Tern with adult
on the high tide roost, causing me to ponder where this juvenile
bird may have been born. As far as I know, all the coastal
breeding takes place in the spring, but offshore (Cap bunker,
Swain reefs, etc) there is winter breeding, so perhaps it came
in from one of those far offshore places. Same story with a very
young Silver Gull; offshore island, or perhaps inland? The
recent astonishing breeding event of Banded Stilts (200,000
chicks) in inland South Australia would also have attracted
breeding gulls. The gulls are known to feed their chicks on the
chicks of the Banded Stilts. I can speculate, but it doesn't
answer my question.
During our mid-tide break we took two NICA people, Joan Heavey
and Stephanie Haslem, across to the sand island where the Beach
Stone-Curlews live and attempt to breed. We showed them the weed
infestation which I mentioned in my last report, and they
regarded it as a very easy weeding job. If their plans go ahead,
by next survey the infestation will have been cleared away.
Thank you to their team in advance, as I shan't be around during
October to thank them.
The resident Pied Oystercatchers don't have a chick running
after them, which would have been the case had their August
incubation been successful. Another failure. We found a pair of
Red-capped Plovers displaying breeding distraction behaviour on
the sand island, but couldn't find a nest.
We saw numerous examples of driving on the north spit. Roosting
birds were sitting in the tyre tracks of vehicles which had been
through earlier. We watched from afar as vehicles drove down the
spit. The man paddling with his three big dogs last month was
again out there exercising them, with birds roosting in the same
area. You can see how much he and the dogs enjoy their fun in
the sun, but it isn't fair to the birds.
At the end of the day our spirits were lifted by the courage of
a Pacific Black Duck as it transported its hatchlings across the
busy navigation channel to Munna Point. The duck was swimming
low in the water with neck stretched forward to elongate its
body, and ten ducklings were sitting along the back of the bird,
just above the waterline. This was indeed a hazardous journey,
during which the family was harassed by predatory gulls and a
Brahminy Kite, all looking for an easy meal.
There were no migratory terns present during the evening tern
survey, or none that we saw. Crested Terns flew in as usual at
sunset. During the day we saw a lone immature Common Tern on one
of the jetty pillars along the river.
Numbers are below. I'm rushing to finish this, so please let me
know if anything is left off or doesn't make sense. Happy
weekend to all,
Cheers,
Jill
| Survey_Date |
Tide_Position |
Species_Id |
Common_Name |
Sum Of Number_Seen |
TOTALS |
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
1 |
Caspian Tern |
4 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
3 |
Crested
Tern |
350 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
8 |
Silver
Gull |
26 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
10 |
Eastern
Curlew |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
11 |
Whimbrel |
28 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
12 |
Bar-tailed
Godwit |
26 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
17 |
Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
21 |
Red-necked
Stint |
10 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
22 |
Grey-tailed
Tattler |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
24 |
Masked
Lapwing |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
27 |
Red-capped
Plover |
20 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
29 |
Pacific
Golden Plover |
14 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
31 |
Pied
Oystercatcher |
2 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
38 |
Pied
Cormorant |
9 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
40 |
Little
Black Cormorant |
100 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
44 |
Egret
spp (Little) |
15 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
45 |
Ibis
spp |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
48 |
Whistling
Kite |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
49 |
Brahminy
Kite |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
50 |
Osprey |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
51 |
White-bellied
Sea-Eagle |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
55 |
Sacred
Kingfisher |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
1 |
57 |
Pacific
Black Duck |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
HIGH 1 |
58 |
Beach
Stone-Curlew |
2 |
617 |
High |
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
3 |
Crested Tern |
560 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
8 |
Silver
Gull |
18 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
10 |
Eastern
Curlew |
3 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
11 |
Whimbrel |
16 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
12 |
Bar-tailed
Godwit |
27 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
17 |
Sharp-tailed
Sandpiper |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
21 |
Red-necked
Stint |
9 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
22 |
Grey-tailed
Tattler |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
27 |
Red-capped
Plover |
25 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
29 |
Pacific
Golden Plover |
11 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
36 |
Australian
Pelican |
2 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
38 |
Pied
Cormorant |
32 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
40 |
Little
Black Cormorant |
27 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
44 |
Egret
spp (Little) |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
48 |
Whistling
Kite |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
51 |
White-bellied
Sea-Eagle |
1 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
3 |
57 |
Pacific
Black Duck |
13 |
|
|
| 09-Sep-10 |
LOW 3 |
58 |
Beach
Stone-Curlew |
2 |
750 |
Low |
| 09-Sep-10 |
5 |
3 |
Crested Tern |
1835 |
1835 |
Evening |
--
Jill Dening
PO Box 362
10 Piat Place
Beerwah Qld 4519
Australia
(All mail to PO box please)
26° 51' 41"S 152° 56' 00"E
07 5494 0994
0419 714405
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