With support from Hunter Local Land Services through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, HRLN hosted another successful shorebird training workshop on Saturday, March 19th, and here are the outcomes;
The Port Stephens workshop was booked out. Of these attendees there were Hunter Bird Observers Club (HBOC) members and Landcarers from local groups- Friends of Tomaree NP and Mambo Wetlands. After presentations from Birdlife’s Milly Formby, AKA. ‘Microlight Milly’, these attendees reported “A better general knowledge of shorebirds and the need to protect their habitat. An appreciation of the great distance migrating birds travel in the breeding season and the difficulties they can face for survival. “
That afternoon attendees took a cruise around the Port Stephens estuary system to spot, ID and count shorebirds with Mr Greg Little, of HBOC. We were fortunate enough to avoid patches of coastal storms, and our persistence was rewarded – spotting the critically endangered Eastern Curlew and Bar-Tailed Godwit feeding on intertidal mudflats.
“It fed my passion for shorebirds & confirmed how important wetlands are..” One participant commented after attending the workshop.
To get involved with Shorebird Conservation in your local area, please contact us at HRLN, your local Landcare network or Hunter Bird Observers Club.
Photos captured by Gordon Arthur
