There are currently 119 sites of international importance to migratory shorebirds recognized in Australia. These are sites where 20,000 or more shorebirds have been recorded, or sites where 1% or more of the individuals of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway population of one species or sub-species of shorebird have been recorded.

However, we still know relatively little about many of these 119 sites, or about:

• Inland ephemeral freshwater wetlands
• Coastal areas of the Northern Territory
• Wetlands in remote regions of Australia

It is very likely that there are many more sites yet to be discovered - we need your help to find these sites.

Eastern Curlew

Identifying new sites – conduct a shorebird inventory of your site
If you live close to a site that you suspect may be important for shorebirds and it’s not listed as one of the 119 sites, then we need your help to understand how important this site may be - internationally, nationally, in your State or region.

Conducting a shorebird inventory: what you need

• Assistance from Someone who is Competent at Identifying and Counting Shorebirds
• A Field Guide
• Ideally a Spotting Scope, but Binoculars may work (depending on how large your site is and how close you can approach the birds without disturbing them)
• Access to a Tide Chart (if the wetland is tidal)
• Preferably Fine Weather (better conditions will make counting and identifying the birds MUCH easier!)
• A Recording Sheet – these can obtained from the Australasian Wader Studies Group, your State Wader Study Group or local Birdwatching Club .

Conducting a shorebird inventory: when

• Generally, migratory shorebirds arrive in Australia during September/October and depart again in March/April. Summer is therefore a good a time to conduct an inventory of your site – as most of the birds will be around at this time.
• To understand how the birds are using your site, it would also be worthwhile to conduct a survey close to the arrival and departure times of any migratory species, to find out if your site is used more during southward or northward migration?
• Winter surveys also provide useful information on what birds remain in Australia (during their normal breeding season).

Conducting a shorebird inventory: how

• The best time to conduct a survey is at High Tide while when the birds are congregated at roosting (resting) sites and generally easier to see. If the site is non-tidal, counts can be conducted during any period of fine weather.
• Before the count, identify a good hide or location with cover from where you can clearly view the roosting birds while not disturbing them.
• If your site is large, you’ll need to divide it into sub-sites for the counts.
• There should be at least 2 counters for each site/sub-site, both counting while 1 also records. It is beneficial to be able to confer counts. If your counts differ, re-count to obtain more accurate counts.
• Counting should happen concurrently across sub-sites so you don’t count the same birds more than once.
• If birds depart or arrive during the count, the time and number of arrivals/departures should be recorded and cross-checked with records at other sub-sites, to avoid double-counts. If this is impossible, a re-count will be required.

Note: Each State Wader Study Group will have established protocols for counting shorebirds. It is important to ensure that you consistently follow these protocols. Seek their advice and expertise – it will make your job of counting your site more enjoyable and more productive.