Project Description

Background
Australian coastal and freshwater waterways host about 2 million migratory shorebirds annually. Bundaberg serves as a major feeding/roosting ground for shorebirds, receiving 42 species of migratory shorebirds along our shoreline from September – April.

Issue
Throughout the East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF) shorebird nesting and roosting sites are being significantly impacted by coastal development affecting their ability to reproduce, feed, and migrate.

Solution
The Shorebirds Artificial Floating Roosts Trial aims to expand upon the existing habitat within the Bundaberg region by installing roosting sites in Barubbra Island Lagoon.

Scope
This project will trial the use of long-line oyster bags as a low-cost, low-impact, semi-permanent alternative to previous methods as well as supporting Birdlife Bundaberg to undertake bird monitoring. The benefits of this project will be twofold; the first being the provision of additional habitat on known feeding grounds, and secondly it will allow for easier monitoring, as more birds will roost in a known area.

Work Done to Date

  • Monitoring from September 2021 – May 2022

Future Work

  • Continued shorebird monitoring in
  • Construction of roosts

Collaborating Partners

  • Gladstone Port Corporation
  • Gidarjil Development Corporation
  • Birdlife Bundaberg

This project is funded by the Gladstone Port Authority