Citizen scientists sharpen their shorebird identification skills for the National Shorebird Count

Citizen scientists Ash, Anne, Gavin and Drew at Erskine during the 2021 annual National Shorebird Count

The season where migratory shorebirds are spending time in our wetlands is upon us and so a band of dedicated community volunteers are again honing their waterbird identification skills ahead of the annual National Shorebird Count. The count  has taken place at our Ramsar Site 482 every year since 2008, as part of BirdLife Australia’s National Shorebird Monitoring Program. Expressions of interest are open for training opportunities to join this community of citizen scientists!

Each summer since 2008, teams of dedicated birdwatchers gather on a single day to count the waterbirds of the Peel-Yalgorup Wetlands System (Ramsar Site 482), including migratory shorebirds. The 2022 edition of the shorebird count will take place on Sunday 30 January 2022 across Ramsar Site 482, which includes the Peel-Harvey Estuary, Yalgorup Lakes, and Lake Mealup and Lake McLarty. The annual count is part of BirdLife Australia’s citizen science initiative the National Shorebird Monitoring Program (formerly called Shorebirds 2020).

Shorebirds are notoriously challenging birds to identify, and so PHCC are again offering our intensive two-day training course for new volunteers to the count. The course is facilitated by expert ornithologist Bill Rutherford of Ornithological Technical Services in Mandurah on 13 and 14 January. If you are interested in taking part please express your interest in joining the training via this link (please note the workshop is currently full, however you may join the waiting list).

In preparation for the 2022 count, a group of existing volunteers are also about to take part in an intensive training and mentoring program led by BirdLife WA’s Shorebirds Coordinator Dr Jeremy Ringma and mentors Alfred and Hidi Lau, Bill Russell, Jim Campbell and Robert Wroth. Through this mainly field-based program, this group,most of whom have volunteered at several previous counts, are further increasing their shorebird identification skills to work towards leading teams for the count.

The Peel-Yalgorup Wetlands supports an impressive diversity of waterbirds with 104 species identified at the site, made up of resident species that live here all year round and migratory shorebirds that visit during our summer. These winged travellers fly here along the East-Asian Australasian Flyway, a migratory journey for some stretching all the way from the edge of the Arctic Circle to Australia and New Zealand, passing through many countries including Russia, the USA, China, Korea, Japan and Indonesia along the way.

Shorebirds face increasing threats due to changes in the use, quality and availability of wetlands along their migration route. The data we collect locally contributes to a global understanding of how the populations are surviving, and provides vital information to advocate for the protection of the wetlands upon which these birds depend. This information is also important to demonstrate whether  Ramsar Site 482’s continues to meet the criteria under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland system of international importance.

If you are interested in learning more about how to become involved in monitoring shorebirds please contact Charlie Jones, PHCC’s Community Engagement Coordinator – Wetlands and People at birds@peel-harvey.org.au

This project is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, and in close collaboration with BirdLife WA