Shorebird Ecology, Conservation and Identification workshops this Summer

Upcoming workshops

This summer there will be a series of shorebird ecology, conservation and identification workshops.

For now three dates have already been confirmed.

These workshops will be held in the following areas:

Lake Corrangamite Area VIC, on Friday the 20th of January in Colac. Participants are welcome to join the the annual summer count on the Saturday the 21st of January.

Spencer Gulf  SA, on Saturday the 21st of January in Pt Germain

Greater Adelaide SA, on Sunday 22nd of January in St Kilda

For details please see:

http://www.shorebirds.org.au/counting-shorebirds/workshops/

The Shorebirds 2020 Spring Newsletter is out now!

Please let me know if you would like to receive the newsletter automatically by e-mail as soon as it comes out. Just send me an e-mail to shorebirds@birdsaustralia.com.au

The Spring 2011  Shorebirds 2020 newsletter can be found here.

Shorebirds 2020 Web App for iPhone, iPods and Androids

The shorebirds 2020 Identification booklet is now available as an I Phone Application. It has been developed by Neil Shelley, one of our volunteers, to be made available for free to everyone interested in our migratory and resident shorebirds.

• Download the iPhone Web App that helps you identify and learn more about shorebirds

1. Point Safari on the iPhone at http://www.penboc.org.au/shorebirds/
2. Tap on the “+” or ‘forward arrow’ on the toolbar at the bottom of the Safari screen
3. Tap on “Add to Home Screen” and change the name to “Oz Shorebirds”
4. Tap on “Save”or “Add”
5. You should now have an icon on your home screen (of a Hooded Plover) that you can tap on to run the app
6. You can also use it on a Mac or PC via Safari or Google Chrome (and some other browsers, but not Internet Explorer or Firefox).

For I Pod users

• The iPod Touch has Wi-Fi capability, so if you have a Wi-Fi network you can get the web app on your iPod.
• Go into Settings, turn on Wi-Fi and connect to the Wi-Fi network.
• Then do the following on the iPod Touch:
  1. Point Safari at http://www.penboc.org.au/shorebirds/
  2. Tap on the “+” on the toolbar at the bottom of the Safari screen
  3. Tap on “Add to Home Screen” and change the name to “Oz Shorebirds”
  4. Tap on “Save”
  5. There should now be an icon on the home screen (of a Hooded Plover) that you can tap on to run the app
• Then go back into Settings and turn off Wi-Fi
• While in Settings check that Bluetooth and Location Services are turned off (you don’t need any of these on for an iPod Touch and they just drain the battery).
• Even though the app is a website (ie. a web app), the content should be cached on the iPhone/iPod Touch so that it is accessible when the Internet isn’t available.

Time is running out for migratory shorebirds

Show that you care about shorebirds and write to politicians to urge them to help save the Yellow Sea.

Globally, shorebirds are in trouble; serious trouble. In almost half the populations with known trends, shorebird numbers are declining. Nowhere is this decline more pronounced than in our own region where shorebirds migrate via the Australasian East-Asian Flyway.

A recent article in Birds Australia’s Wingspan magazine provides the facts on the plight of shorebirds and lists the addresses of people to send your letters to. Click here to download the article.

http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/images/stories/publications/wingspan/Yellow-Sea-article.pdf

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This website aims to:

• Provide information and resources on the Shorebirds 2020 national shorebird population monitoring program
• Increase awareness and understanding of shorebirds and their conservation needs
• Improve the sharing of information between shorebird research and conservation groups and the broader community
• Provide resources to assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of shorebird conservation projects around Australia.

About the Shorebirds 2020 Program

There is increasing evidence that migratory shorebird populations throughout the world are declining. Shorebirds using the East-Asian Australasian Flyway are under threat from widespread habitat destruction, especially prevalent at staging areas in East Asia. Australia, home to 38 species of migratory shorebird during the non-breeding season, is uniquely placed to assess the impacts of these threats on shorebird numbers.

SHOREBIRD MONITORING has been carried out by various groups at key sites around the country since 1981. Shorebirds 2020 is a program designed to reinvigorate and coordinate national shorebird monitoring in Australia in order to detect population trends nationally and at individual areas. We need to conduct annual counts at over 150 key shorebird areas in order to detect national population trends. We also hope to be able to discover what is driving any population changes, both locally and throughout Australia.

Shorebird Monitoring Volunteers Needed

There is already a large, dedicated group of volunteers involved in shorebird monitoring in Australia, however more volunteers are needed to reach the target of regular monitoring at 150 sites. We would like to hear from anyone with an interest in shorebirds conservation, and who would like to assist with population counts in their local area. Shorebird identification and counting training resources can be found on this website or accessed through Shorebirds 2020 training workshops. Getting in touch with existing shorebird contacts in your area is the best way to find out about existing counting activities as well as get support from experienced shorebird counters whilst learning.

What’s on this site?

On this website you will find:

• Information about the Shorebirds 2020 program, methods, sites and contacts
• Program updates, other shorebird conservation related news and a forum to communicate with other people interested in shorebird conservation
• Count forms, instructions, schedules, site maps and links to online data entry
• Shorebird identification and counting training resources and information about upcoming workshops
• Information about shorebirds, migration, habitats, threats and declines
• Information about shorebird conservation frameworks & management
• Resources and case studies to assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of shorebird conservation projects

This project is managed by Birds Australia and the Australasian Wader Studies Group, through partial funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.