Chris, I don't think I have seen any replies to this question.
And I can't tell you about what shorebirds do in cyclones. However, I
have observed shorebirds responding to very strong winds when the tail
end of a cyclone has an effect in Caloundra, SEQ.
Normally birds choose to roost on intertidal sandbanks in the
Pumicestone Passage at Caloundra. Bribie Island is the sand barrier
island which protects the mainland between Brisbane and Caloundra to the
north. The tip of Bribie island is very narrow for a couple of kms, and
has come and gone many times over time. Birds, which wouldn't normally
do so, choose the sheltered sand dunes on Bribie and hunker down amongst
the spinifex grasses, looking very uncomfortable indeed. These dunes may
be a couple of hundred metres from the shore, and well above the normal
tide line. I have also seen them gathering in depressions behind the
dunes. I also noticed that they were so concentrated on survival that
one can approach them quite closely in such circumstances. They don't
want to fly. I made this observation back in the early 90s.
Cheers,
Jill
Jill Dening
Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
26° 51' 41"S 152° 56' 00"E
On 1/02/2011 4:26 PM, Chris Sanderson wrote:
Hi all,
A question has occurred to me with Cyclone Yasi bearing down on Cairns and
Townsville. Does anyone know what migratory shorebirds do when Cyclones are
on their way? Do they move inland, or try and ride it out at their normal
roosts? I'd particularly be interested in any research/papers on the
subject, but would also love to hear peoples' observations if anyone has
seen something firsthand.
My own personal experience with this is from Broome. We observed shorebirds
during migration season in 2005. In late March a cyclone formed in the
Coral Sea, and around the same time birds in Broome stopped migrating. A
week later and the cyclone had moved all the way across the top end and hit
the Kimberley. It wasn't til after the wild weather died down that the
shorebirds started leaving again. We had 10,000 shorebirds go the day after
the cyclone finally fizzled out! So in my mind they clearly can work out
when a cyclone is headed their way, but I have no idea what birds directly
in the path of a monster like Yasi would do.
Regards,
Chris
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