Shorebirds descend on Moreton Bay

A shorebird capable of making a 13,000km flight from Siberia will soon join thousands set to call Moreton Bay home for summer. Identified by its distinctive black down-curved bill, the Curlew sandpiper will join some 40,000 shorebirds that will flock to the Pumicestone Passage in the next few weeks for their annual migration. 

The tenacious traveller will eventually cover a distance equivalent to flying between the earth and moon over the course of its life and joins as many as 30 species of migratory shorebirds set to roost at any one of several sites across Moreton Bay. That includes Kakadu Beach (located within Banksia Beach), Toorbul’s Ned Bishop Park and from 

Godwin Beach to Woody Point. 

Other frequent fliers visiting the City include the Bar-tailed godwit, which takes a non-stop 11,000km one way trip from Alaska and the Eastern curlew - the world’s largest shorebird that drops in from northern China after spending their breeding season in the Amur River Valley. Another Siberian tourist, the Grey-tailed tattler, will also set up shop. 

The visitors will share the sand with some 1500 local resident shorebirds like the Pied oystercatcher and Beach stone-curlew along Pumicestone Passage to rest and recuperate before taking off again in April next year. 

The birds are here spending time resting and recovering. Residents and visitors to the Island are reminded not to disturb the shorebirds and keep dogs on leashes when out and about as disturbances can cause the feathered visitors to lose energy and prevent them from gaining the weight needed for migration. 

Council’s Environmental Operations Team conduct monthly surveys of roost sites to monitor 

numbers and works closely with the Queensland Wader Study Group to gather information on different species. Council also manages two hightide shorebird roosts at Kakadu Beach and Toorbul which provide long-term habitat for roosting shorebirds. 

Environment officers ensure the gradient of those sites is appropriate for shorebirds and conduct regular weed and vegetation management, while bollards have been erected around the roost site at Toorbul to mark the roosting area. 

For more information on migratory and residential shorebird populations, head to 

https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Environment/Moreton-Bay-Wildlife/Local- 

Wildlife/Shorebirds