Shorebird research
Sep 16 2013
The story of Guwayi goes viral
Book reading by Maxine Charlie, author and illustrator of Guwayi the Bar-tailed Godwit. © Kandy Curran
The feature article about Maxine Charlie’s wonderful book Guwayi is being read across the world 🙂
Thanks Maxine Charlie and Global Flyway Researcher Chris Hassell for your outstanding efforts to look after this remarkable international travellers. Here is the feature article that is on Science Network WA, in the Broome Advertiser and Partnership for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway »
May 15 2013
Toxic Lyngbya
Worms are the most abundant invertebrate in Roebuck Bay.© Peter Strain
A UWA ecologist says most invertebrate populations in the mud of Roebuck Bay’s intertidal zone have decreased significantly after blooms of the toxic blue-green Lyngbya. Read the story in Science Network WA »
Apr 30 2013
Roebuck Bay’s shorebirds reach China
To learn about Roebuck Bay’s remarkable shorebird’s perilous flight to the Arctic, read the book, Invisible Connections. The photos by Jan van der Kam are incredible. © Jan van der Kam
Roebuck Bay Working Group’s shorebird experts, Chris Hassell and Adrian Boyle are on the shores of Bohai in China along with Matt Slaymaker and Ginny Chan. As in previous years, the primary aim of their trip is to scan the shorebirds that are passing through on their migration to their northern breeding grounds. To read about their fascinating adventures, the challenges the birds and scientists face on mudflats that are being industrialised, and their sightings, read their regular reports »
Feb 8 2013
Free Mini Mag on Shorebirds for Kids
The book Invisible Connections is wonderfully illustrated and tells the amazing story of shorebird’s migration from Roebuck Bay to the arctic to breed each year. Jan van der Kam
Broome is the shorebird capital of Australia, so Broome’s youth should have a copy of a new mini mag on shorebirds. The mag is an activity booklet designed for kids aged 5-12. It is easy to read and full of fun activities that explain the incredible migrations of shorebirds. The mag covers shorebird ecology and surprisingly, Geography and Maths, and in doing so, gives a ‘bigger picture’ view of our world.
Contact shorebirds@birdlife.org.au for a free copy or contact Birdlife if you need a larger consignment for your school or classes. You can download a pdf of the mini mag below.
P.S. Don’t forget the competition to win a pair of binoculars
Nov 21 2012
Interested in Roebuck Bay’s migratory shorebirds? Enjoy volunteering?
The Australasian Wader
North West shorebird expedition working on Roebuck Bay © Jan van der Kam
Studies Group (AWSG) are looking for new members to get involved in their expeditions to Broome and 80 Mile Beach? If you are already a volunteer, but not a member, then consider the next step and seeing the fruits of your labour in notes, articles, reports and scientific papers.
Click on this AWSG Brochure to enable you to join. The price has just gone up but not on this brochure so if you join now you’ll be $5 better off! For more information, visit the Global Flyway Network »
May 9 2012
Shorebirds in trouble
Roebuck Bay Working Group member Chris Hassell, an enthusiastic researcher for the Global Flyway Network, is currently in China to find shorebirds that began their annual migration from Roebuck Bay in April and May this year. Global Flyway Network researchers spend two months in Bohai Bay each spring to monitor the Red Knot and other species using the mudflats on their annual migration from Roebuck Bay to Alaska and Siberia.
Invisible Connections tells the epic story of shorebird migration across our busy & increasingly populated world, through 240 brilliant photos and text that is in both Chinese & English. © Jan van der Kam
Migratory shorebirds from Roebuck Bay fly up to 10,000km each year from Roebuck Bay to Arctic breeding grounds, however they cannot do this long flight in one long haul. The need to stopover at the Yellow Sea bordering China and Korea to feed before heading to Alaska or Siberia to mate and nest. There are however serious difficulties for many of these migrating shorebirds, as very large areas of intertidal mudflats in the Yellow Sea are being industrialised at an ever increasing rate, taking away their vital feeding grounds.
This means they are not able to stop and get the food they need to make their journey as successfully as they have done in the past and even in some cases to survive the journey at all. The result is major reductions in many species, particularly the Great Knot and Red Knot, the Curlew Sandpiper and several other species.
Chris Hassell, whose work is funded by WWF-Nederland, WWF-China and Beijing Normal University and Matt Slaymaker and Adrian Boyle have been documenting their work on Bohai Bay in Northern China if you wish to read more…
- Bohai 2012 – Update 1 »
- Bohai 2012 – Update 2 »
- Bohai 2012 – Update 3 »
- Bohai 2012 – Update 4 »
- Bohai 2012 – Update 5 »
- Bohai 2012 – Update 6 »
To learn more about Roebuck Bay’s migratory shorebirds, their migration to the northern hemisphere and the difficulties they are currently facing getting food on the Yellow Sea, you can purchase the wonderful book Invisible Connections. The book’s editor Ms Jan Lewis said some birds faced extinction if their feeding grounds continued to be destroyed. The book contains 240 superb photos by renowned wildlife photographer Jan van de Kam.
The book Invisible Connections is available from Broome Bird Observatory and the Kimberley Bookshop.
Apr 26 2012
Industrialisation of China – a problem for migratory birds
Researchers on 80 Mile Beach WA say numbers of migratory shorebirds visiting Australia’s west coast this year is worryingly low and development in China could be to blame.
Each year millions of birds make a stopover in China during their journey from Australia to breeding grounds in Artic Siberia.
Ornithologist, Dr Clive Minton, has been studying migratory birds at the 80 mile beach south of Broome for over 30 years, says the loss of habitat in parts of Asia is causing a major drop in numbers visiting Australia.
“Due to development in China and particularly industrial development, very large areas of inter-tidal mud flats around the Yellow Sea have been reclaimed at an ever-increasing rate and that’s taken away vital feeding habitats for these birds,” he said.
“So they’re not able to stop and get the food they need to make their journey as successfully as they’ve done in the past and even in some cases to survive the journey at all.
“So we’re seeing major reductions in many species, particularly the Great Knot and Red Knot, the Curlew Sandpiper and several other species.”
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