Do you want to help count shorebirds and monitor habitats?
IF YOU don't mind getting muddy, then the Birds Without Borders free shorebird habitat workshop at Maaroom on December 15 might be worth a look.
The Burnett Mary Regional Group said Birds without Borders was a new shorebird initiative that aimed to develop a community monitoring program that can be run in conjunction with wader counts to provide an assessment of wader habitat condition.
Being championed by Queensland Wader Study Group in conjunction with the University of Queensland and Fauna & Flora International, the project will provide an advance warning system of potential issues in order to inform land managers, such as the Queensland and local governments, which may need to implement intervention measures to secure the future of these species.
The initiative will also increase understanding and awareness of the region's wader population, both resident and migratory birds, and their ecological significance for the Burnett Mary Region.
The project pilot study is being undertaken in the Great Sandy Ramsar Wetland.
If successful, the program could be extended beyond our region to other areas of Queensland and Australia and could also be extended internationally to locations on the east Asian-Australasian flyway to increase international collaboration between shorebird communities and enhance conservation outcomes for our migratory waders.
Participants will need clothes and shoes that they don't mind getting muddy, hat, sunscreen and sunglasses plus of course a scope and/or binoculars to catch a spectacular 4.06m high tide before the workshop starts.
Leading the workshop will be associate professor Greg Skilleter from the University of Queensland and Dr David Milton from Queensland Wader Study Group.
Lunch will be provided at the event, to be held at Maaroom Community Hall on Granville Rd from 1pm to 5pm, so for catering numbers and special dietary needs, RSVP to Sue on 4181 2999 ext 204 or sue.sargent@fauna-flora.org.
