Shorebirds and Seabirds on and off the Port Stephens Coastline
By Ewa Meyer Forum Co-ordinator.
This year, EcoNetwork’s annual bird forum focussed on shorebirds and seabirds, and our local community had a rare opportunity to hear from experts and researchers who outlined their latest bird monitoring and recovery programs. The forum was held at the Tomaree Community Centre and over 70 people came together on Sunday 4 August for an afternoon of engaging presentations about the incredible diversity of birds in beautiful Port Stephens.
Forum attendees were concerned about ongoing human-induced threats which could further impact the decline of seabirds and shorebirds, including the endangered Gould’s Petrel.
Forum Coordinator, Ewa Meyer, had many people to thank for making this such an informative and enjoyable forum and, on behalf of EcoNetwork, she acknowledged the speakers, volunteers, venue staff and the forum attendees for supporting this special community event, each in their own important way.
Feedback following the forum was very positive with attendees saying they absorbed lots of new information, and will now be better equipped to identify more species, and above all, understand and act on the challenges that seabirds and shorebirds face today and in the future.
Dr Yuna Kim’s research findings considered the top 3 threats to the Gould’s Petrel at sea were fisheries, followed by light pollution as well as potential offshore wind farms. Undeniably climate change is the most serious and difficult threat overall.
“Seabirds like Gould’s Petrel face threats both at sea and on land. We are fortunate to have a dedicated team from the Australasian Seabird Group of BirdLife Australia and strong support from the National Parks and Wildlife Services at the Hunter Coast Area Office to protect their breeding habitat.
Despite significant conservation efforts, there is still concern about the population of Gould’s Petrels on Cabbage Tree Island, with recent declines in the number of nesting pairs and fluctuating breeding success. We believe the causes for these declines are occurring at sea, where the birds spend most of their time and acquire all their food resources.
Our recent tracking study showed that the core foraging areas of Gould’s Petrel are not sufficiently protected by the Australian Marine Parks. This leaves Gould’s Petrel exposed to various threats at sea, such as fisheries. Additionally, there is growing concern over the recent proposal of offshore wind farms, which could pose significant threats to seabirds, including collision mortality. Flight height is a critical factor in determining collision risk, and there is currently a lack of understanding of how Gould’s Petrel flies at different heights under various environmental conditions. I’m hoping to research its flying behaviour using GPS trackers equipped with altitude loggers. Along with continued monitoring of breeding grounds, the fine scale data will enable us to understand and mitigate these impacts on populations of Gould’s Petrel and other seabirds that forage in the proposed areas.”
You can download Dr Yuna Kim’s Phd thesis from Macquarie University: Breeding and Foraging Ecology of the Threatened Gould’s Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera.
If you missed the forum, here is an outline of the main themes and research that was presented.
Bird Forum Program & Speakers August 2024
Join EcoNetwork on Sunday 4 August 2024 for our second Annual Bird Forum. In August 2023, we brought you Woodland Birds and this year it’s the tern of the seabirds, shorebirds and other wetlands species!
Enjoy an afternoon of engaging presentations about the incredible diversity of coastal birds in beautiful Port Stephens. This will be a rare opportunity to hear from experts and researchers and find out about the latest bird monitoring and recovery programs they are working on.
Did you know that the endangered Gould’s Petrel breeds almost exclusively on Port Stephens islands?
We hope our forum will inform and excite bird enthusiasts, and supply you with some basic knowledge to identify bird species, observe their behaviours and above all, appreciate their existence.
Read the program below and register!
Sunday 4 August Program
1.30pm: Pelagic surveys off the Port Stephens Coast: Presented by Mick Roderick.
Mick’s talk will focus on the wide variety of seabirds, and other ‘sea monsters’, he and his fellow enthusiasts have encountered during these trips which take him to the ‘edge of Australia’: the continental shelf.
2.15pm: Ecology and Recovery of the Gould’s Petrel – Australia’s Rarest Endemic Seabird: Presented by Dr Yuna Kim.
Dr Kim will introduce us to the endangered Gould’s Petrel, outline the processes putting them at risk and the recovery actions which are bringing them back from the brink.
3.00pm: Tea Break
3.30pm: Migration, shorebirds and the Port Stephens Connection: Presented by Neil Fraser.
Both migratory and endemic shorebird species are present in the Port Stephens estuary which is the second most important site for these birds in NSW. Neil will give us the lowdown on some of these birds, their migratory journeys and how they bind like-minded communities 8,500 km apart. He will also discuss how these birds are protected and what we can do to help ensure their survival.
4.15pm: Our charismatic coastal birds – a photographic experience: Presented by Mat Spillard.
Mat will share some tips and techniques he uses when out in the field and he’ll let us into his secret spots for great bird photography! We will also get to see many of Mat’s stunning images, both in print and on the screen – and no doubt we’ll enjoy a few laughs too!
5.00pm: Finish
Optional Field Outing on another day
TBC – email your interest to the Forum Coordinator.
Our Forum Presenters
Mick Roderick
Mick Roderick joined BirdLife Australia’s Woodland Birds Team in 2012 and is now the Woodland Bird Program Lead as well as the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator. You might be wondering what this woodland bird guru is doing at a water bird forum – come along and find out!
Mick is based in Newcastle and is the current vice president (and former president) of the Hunter Bird Observers Club, and is a member of the NSW Ornithological Records Appraisal Committee. Since 2010 he has been leading pelagic birding trips off Port Stephens and openly admits to being a ‘petrel-head’.
Dr Yuna Kim
Dr Yuna Kim is a passionate seabird conservationist with 15 years of dedicated work in the field. She earned her PhD from Macquarie University in Sydney, focusing on the conservation of Gould’s Petrel, Australia’s rarest petrel.
Yuna’s work extends beyond Australia, including research on Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel in Korea, where she is originally from, and various Antarctic birds on King George Island. She specialises in investigating foraging ecology using tracking devices, providing scientific evidence to support conservation actions.
Yuna was also a seabird-fisheries consultant for Birdlife International and is a member of Birdlife Australia and the Australasian Seabirds Group.
Neil Fraser
Neil Fraser is a retired geologist who has a passion for studying and documenting avian activity in and around Port Stephens. He has been actively monitoring species populations in Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Reserve, Worimi Conservation Lands at Stockton Beach, Swan Bay and Broughton Island for many years, and has published a number of related research articles.
Neil has been a member of Hunter Bird Observers Club for over 20 years and is a joint-editor of the Club’s journal, The Whistler. As a member of the Tomaree Birdwatchers (a branch of NSW Bird Atlassers), Neil is our local ‘go to man’ for all things BIRD!
Mathew Spillard
Since moving to Port Stephens 12 years ago, photography became a great form of escapism for Mat and the perfect way to explore the local area. Enjoying the beautiful landscapes, Mat soon found himself drawn to the bush and lagoon systems throughout the area, where he got to observe a large variety of birdlife, many species for the first time. Over the past few years he has photographed many of our regular Port Stephens birds as well as our seasonal visitors.
Mat believes that ‘spending time in the bush you really get to appreciate to importance of conserving and protecting our local habitats to safeguard them for the wildlife’s future. I often think when I have photographed a new species to me, that I really hope I see that again. The more interest we get in the ecosystem the better it will be for our future generations.’
Your donation towards resources and refreshments would be much appreciated!
This event is organised by EcoNetwork Port Stephens with the kind support from members of BirdLife Australia and the Hunter Bird Observers Club.
