Byron Bird Buddies

Click here to read Jan Olley's Bird Buddies report for Nov/Dec 2006.

Click here to read Jan Olley's Bird Buddies report for Sept/Oct 2006

Click here to read Bird Buddies report for July/Aug 2006

To visit Byron Bird Buddies new web site click the link here:

http://www.byronbirdbuddies.com.au

Byron Bird Buddies is a group of Byron locals, plus a few like-minded visitors, who are concerned and getting active about the very real threat of local shorebirds becoming extinct before our eyes.

Most of the Bird Buddies live near the Belongil estuary and through various means, we have become aware that the shorebirds we see whenever we visit our beach may not be around for much longer unless beachgoers' behaviour changes radically and soon. We hope to educate those who visit the beach to understand the peril that the shorebirds currently face, and hopefully to make the changes that will enable these birds to remain with us forever.

The Bird Buddies are not alone. Among those supporting us are our very generous sponsors, the Beach Hotel, and also the agencies who are responsible for regulating various elements of the beach or the birds; Byron Shire Council, Department of Environment and Conservation and the Marine Parks Authority. Much of the community guidance and support has also come from local groups BEACON and the Byron Environment Centre.

The mouth of Belongil Creek is the last functional nesting site in Byron Shire for a number of threatened shorebirds, including littleterns, pied oyster catchers and ospreys. The estuary also provides an important foraging area for the endangered pacific golden plover and beach stone curlew. The comb-crested jacana, beach thick-knee and many breeding pairs of red-capped plovers have also been recorded there.

Perhaps the most endangered shorebird commonly found at the mouth of Belongil Creek is the little tern, a migratory species which returns to Australia from as far as Siberia every summer to breed. Up to 30 breeding pairs have been recorded at the mouth during the 1990s. However, the little terns have not bred successfully at this site since 2001 despite dozens and sometimes hundreds returning each year.

Threats to the little tern and other shorebirds include human and other disturbance during their nesting and roosting periods, and predation of chicks by birds and foxes. The most critical time for bird roosting, feeding and nesting is September to March, although many shorebirds live around the mouth throughout the year.

Community support is being sought to prevent disturbance to this area, particularly throughout the breeding season. Humans, dogs, horses and foxes can potentially disrupt bird's life-cycles. Of these, unleashed dogs present the biggest single impediment to successful shorebird breeding in this area.

The Belongil Bird Buddies are spearheading a diverse program of activities in an attempt to help the shorebirds live and breed. In concert with the supporting agencies, we are:

· erecting fencing around known and predicted nesting areas.

· installing additional signage alerting people to the sensitivity of the area and asking for dogs to be walked elsewhere.

· regularly talking to dog-walkers who bring their dogs into the mouth area about the plight of the shorebirds and the part that they can play in helping the situation.

· training in non-violent communication, to enable us to engage positively with dog-walkers.

· conducting regular awareness-raising events and implementing an education strategy with the help of Council and other agencies.

· speaking to school groups and showing a DVD which has been produced by Reid Waters, one of our members.

· monitoring the birds, recording numbers and liaising with other bird groups