Resident Shorebirds of Cradle Coast NRM 2014/15, Stanley to Narawntapu by Cradle Coast Authority

Resident Shorebirds of Cradle Coast NRM 2014/15, Stanley to Narawntapu Report to Cradle Coast NRM Eric J Woehler, BirdLife Tasmania May 2015 Executive Summary A survey of the foreshore between Tatlows Beach at Stanley and Narawntapu NP was undertaken by BirdLife Tasmania in 2014/15. The survey was commissioned by Cradle Coast NRM and directed towards the distribution and abundance of resident shorebirds and small terns along 103km of foreshore. Focal species were Hooded and Red-capped Plovers, Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers and Fairy and Little Terns. Overall, breeding population estimates were low, reflecting generally poor foreshore habitat for resident shorebirds and small terns. Breeding population estimates comprised Hooded Plover (16 breeding pairs), Red-capped Plover (55), Pied Oystercatcher (92) and Sooty Oystercatcher (24). The Hooded Plover was listed as a Threatened Species under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in late 2014, and management efforts to protect breeding sites of Hooded Plovers will contribute to their conservation. Red-capped Plovers and Fairy and Little Terns are also listed under the EPBC Act and warrant conservation measures for their breeding sites. Council restrictions on vehicular and horse access to the foreshore on high and medium priority beaches are urgently required. Where suitable habitat was present, extensive disturbance from dogs, people, vehicles and horses reduced the ability for resident shorebirds to utilise foreshores. Six high-priority beaches were identified based on breeding resident shorebird populations and recommendations for their management to support their continued use by shorebirds are provided. Councils can use the Dog Control Act to reduce the threat to shorebirds and seabirds on foreshores.

Male Red-capped Plover, Leith foreshore. ÂŠEric J Woehler

BirdLife Tasmania Technical Report 2015/01

Â© BirdLife Tasmania 2015. Written: Reviewed: Submitted:

Dr E Woehler Dr M Newman CC NRM

May 2015

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 2

Introduction A community project to survey resident and migratory shorebirds commenced in northwest Tasmania in 2010. The project is jointly coordinated by Cradle Coast NRM (hereafter CCNRM) and H Britton, a member of BirdLife Tasmania. CCNRM compiles the data and disseminates the data digitally to counters, BirdLife Australia and DPIPWE. The project aims to collect contemporary survey data biannually, with counts typically undertaken in March and November each year. In all, 45 foreshore localities are involved in the project (Map 1). The CCNRM Shorebird Monitoring project records the numbers of individuals of each species during each count, but does not map or record the GPS locations of shorebirds, nests, breeding territories and colonies or roost sites encountered during surveys, as this would require permits as it involves greater disturbance to the shorebirds present on the foreshore. BirdLife Tasmania was commissioned by CCNRM to survey and map with GPS the distribution of breeding territories of nesting resident shorebirds on the 45 foreshore localities to provide finer spatial resolution data on the distribution of breeding sites, and to establish baseline population data for the species comparable with similar surveys currently underway elsewhere in Tasmania (Woehler 2013, Woehler & Ruoppolo 2013a, 2013b, 2014).

Map 1. Map showing positions of the 45 foreshore localities surveyed for the CC-NRM community program, 2010 onwards, north-northwest Tasmania, between Tatlows Beach, Stanley in the west and Badger Beach, Narawntapu NP in the east. Coastal council boundaries are shown: from west to east, Circular Head, Waratah Wynyard, Burnie, Central Coast, Devonport, Latrobe and West Tamar. The grid is 1Â° latitude and longitude.

The focal resident shorebirds for this survey comprised Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis, Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus, Australian Pied Oystercatcher (hereafter Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris) and Sooty Oystercatcher H. fuliginosus. In addition, two species of small terns, Fairy Tern Sternula nereis and Little Tern S. albifrons, were included as these species share many ecological requirements of the focal shorebird species, and the threats they face. Masked Lapwings were recorded during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania surveys, but were excluded from analyses (see Discussion). Methods a. 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania Surveys CCNRM provided the GPS coordinates for the foreshore localities involved in the community project (Appendix 1). The start and end positions were transferred to 1:25,000 topographical maps and to a Garmin eTrex30 12-channel GPS receiver used in all field surveys. The topographical maps were used to identify access points and routes to and from the foreshores surveyed.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 3

All GPS data were captured with a Garmin eTrex 30 12-channel GPS receiver in real time. The coordinates of breeding territoriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; centroids and any nests encountered were recorded as UTM coordinates using the WGS 84 datum. The linear distances surveyed were calculated by Garmin software for each foreshore. Shorebird surveys followed the standardised survey method used throughout Tasmania â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in brief, a linear transect is walked along the foreshore, with the centroids of breeding territories of resident shorebirds mapped as they were encountered. Foreshores were scanned with binoculars at the starting point, then frequently throughout the survey to ensure the location/s of breeding shorebirds and terns was known before their breeding territory was entered to ensure minimal disturbance to breeding shorebirds. No nest searches were made, but some nests were encountered due to the route followed along foreshores as a result of tide height, geomorphology etc, and all efforts were also made to avoid disturbing feeding shorebirds at waters edge. Where nests with eggs or chicks were encountered, the GPS coordinates of the nest were captured in preference to the breeding territory centroid on the foreshore. Non-breeding resident shorebirds were observed during the surveys, and were manifested in flocks of juvenile or adult shorebirds whose behaviour suggested no involvement in breeding. The numbers were recorded and included in foreshore locality totals, separate to the tallies of the numbers of breeding territories (= number of breeding pairs). Where non-breeding shorebirds were recorded, the total number of individuals of a species is likely to be higher than twice the number of breeding pairs recorded, as the total includes breeding and non-breeding individuals. Conversely, if only one bird of a breeding pair was observed (eg the partner was incubating or brooding), then the total number of individuals of a species will be fewer than twice the number of breeding pairs observed. The data on total number of individuals encountered are consistent and comparable with the survey data collected by the CCNRM community shorebird project. Weather conditions during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania surveys were recorded at the commencement of each foreshore survey, and any changes in conditions during the surveys were also recorded when observed (eg changes in wind strength or direction). Observations of dogs were detailed (on or off leash, responding to ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commands etc), as were observations of previous dog presence on beaches, as indicated by prints in the sand. Observations of vehicles (4WDs, adult and child quad bikes, motorcycles and mountain bikes) were recorded, as were vehicle tracks in the sand or foreshore substrate. Observations of horses were recorded, as were horse tracks. In many cases, photographs were taken of dogs, horses and vehicles observed on beaches. The presence of Sea Spurge Euphorbia paralias was recorded. In most cases, there were extensive swathes present along most or all of the surveyed localities. Sea Spurge acts to alienate the foreshore habitat for resident shorebirds, reducing or even preventing their using the foreshore to nest. These factors were included in the assessment of foreshore localities for resident shorebirds and their prioritisation (see below). The timing of the surveys coincided with the shorebird breeding season (October to March, inclusive) in Tasmania. The CCNRM surveys will contribute to the ongoing BirdLife Tasmania project that aims to GPS map and census breeding populations of resident beach-nesting shorebirds and small terns state wide to establish contemporary baseline data on breeding populations of resident shorebirds and small terns, their distribution and population status where comparable historical data exist. Synthesis reports for similar previous surveys of other coastal shorebird and small tern populations have been prepared for the west coast and King Island (Woehler and Ruoppolo 2013a), northeast coast and Flinders Island (Woehler and Ruoppolo 2013b), Moulting Lagoon (Woehler and Ruoppolo 2014) and Pitt Water Orielton Lagoon (Woehler 2013). Surveys have been undertaken for Maria Island (EJ Woehler, unpubl data) and the southeast coast (EJ Woehler and V Ruoppolo, unpubl data); these data will be published before a statewide synthesis can be undertaken. b. Historical survey data Surveys of resident shorebirds around Tasmania have been conducted and coordinated by BirdLife Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 4

Tasmania (formerly the Bird Observersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association of Tasmania [BOAT] and Birds Tasmania) between 1982 and 1996, inclusive (eg Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997). Resident shorebirds on some beaches and foreshore localities within the CCNRM region were counted during these early surveys, and these data have been included in this report to complement the CCNRM community data and the data obtained for the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey. A statewide conservation assessment for beach-nesting and migratory shorebirds and small terns was prepared in 2002 (Bryant 2002), based on surveys since the mid-1960s and the data collected specifically for the assessment. Data from Bryant (2002) for foreshore localities surveyed for the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey have been included to provide an additional historical context for the results of the 2014/15 survey. All early surveys reported individuals rather than breeding pairs, so these early data are comparable to the CCNRM community data, but less so than the 2014/15 survey of breeding populations or territories. Caution must be exercised in comparing or equating earlier counts with contemporary efforts, and in particular the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey, as earlier survey efforts were highly variable, the extents of foreshore areas surveyed may not be comparable with the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey, and a considerable number of individuals were involved in different surveys at different times, which introduced inter-observer variability to the data. These limitations are further assessed in the Discussion. c. Assessment of foreshore localities for resident shorebirds and foreshore prioritisation The foreshore localities were assessed in situ during the survey for their value as nesting habitat for resident shorebirds, based on the extent of suitable habitat, extent of Sea Spurge, and the observation of, or evidence of disturbance from vehicles, dogs and horses etc. In conjunction with this assessment, each foreshore locality was ranked as High, Medium and Low priority for further surveys, based primarily on the contemporary breeding populations of resident species, disturbance regime and locality tenure and management. No recommendations have been made for individual foreshore localities, but the threats and disturbance to resident shorebirds noted for each locality surveyed can be used to inform managers of the identified threats and management issues relevant to resident shorebirds. The prioritisation of localities can also be used by managers to inform decisions regarding on-ground management efforts. d. Estimations of populationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; significance and prioritisation of foreshores There are presently no official guidelines for assessing the level of significance of resident (ie non-migratory) shorebird populations in Australia at international or national levels, beyond their assessment for sites through the application of Ramsar criteria. These criteria use a mixture of percentages of populations and absolute numbers to identify sites of international significance holding populations that meet the criteria, including supporting 1% or more of the global population. For the present BirdLife Tasmania survey, foreshore localities that supported shorebird species at more than 0.1% of their estimated global populations are highlighted as being of national significance. Contemporary global population estimates were obtained from Wetlands International (2014). Foreshores surveyed during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey were prioritised on the basis of the total number of breeding pairs of resident shorebirds present. The presence of small terns was included in this prioritisation. Four of the six focal species are listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, they are shown in Tables 3 to 5, and the EPBC categories under which each species is listed (marine, migratory and threatened), noting that some species are listed under multiple categories.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 5

Results a. Survey effort and disturbance A total of 39 of the 45 foreshore localities were surveyed between 21 October 2014 and 8 December 2014, inclusive, a total of 103km (Table 1). Six localities were not surveyed: Don Heads to Lillico [CCNRM Count Area 12], Lillico Beach [13], Three Sisters [20], Black River Beach [40], West Head beaches [1A] and Devonport [10A]. Additional details for these localities are provided below. Disturbance and threats to shorebirds observed at each locality were recorded and are detailed in Table 2. Dogs off leash, or dog tracks were observed at 24 localities. In some cases, the localities were designated ‘off-leash’ areas for dogs by Councils, but all dogs observed were up to 100m from their presumed owners (nearest person) and obviously not under control. Several dogs were seen roaming foreshores in the absence of any owners present. It is believed that dogs are present on more foreshore localities than recorded here, given the extensive areas of rocky and shingle/pebble foreshores where dog tracks are not visible. Vehicles and vehicle tracks from 4WDs, adult and child quad bikes, motorcycles and mountain bikes were observed at 23 foreshore localities, often the same areas as dogs were present. Given the high tidal range in the survey area (approaching 3m), the presence of vehicle tracks on foreshores indicate the presence of vehicle after the most recent high tide – ie, within 24 hours, and often less. Vehicle tracks were evident in shingle and pebble foreshores – as obvious paired parallel depressions, suggesting regular and frequent usage. Two horses were observed at the eastern end of Fairlands Beach at low tide. Both were carrying riders and the horses were being exercised by walking then galloping along the beach at the water’s edge, where shorebirds would be feeding, and also in the soft dry sand at the top of the beach, where shorebirds nest. The horses and riders were present for at least 30 minutes. Extensive horse tracks were also observed on Moorland Beach, immediately shoreward of stables. Horse tracks covered the entire beach for more than 200m, from the water’s edge to the top of the beach, suggesting extensive and intensive use by an unknown number of horses. Any nesting efforts on these two beaches would be destroyed by the high level of horse activity observed. Sea Spurge was present on 36 foreshore localities at varying concentrations and extents. However, even the lowest concentrations observed were extensive, with swathes alienating significant extents of foreshore for nesting by resident shorebirds. At the highest concentrations observed, the Sea Spurge was continuous from just above the High Water Mark well inland into the native vegetation, forming a dense screen for predators and removing extensive foreshore areas for use by shorebirds. It is believed that all forms of human disturbance are presently increasing within the CCNRM survey area, concomitant with the with increasing human population, increasing dog ownership resulting in an increased dog presence on beaches, an increasing ownership and use of 4WDs, and an increasing use of beaches by horses. b. Breeding population estimates The numbers of breeding territories (equal to the numbers of breeding pairs) for Hooded and Red-capped Plovers, Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers, and Fairy and Little Terns on each foreshore locality are detailed in Table 3. Numbers of the total number of individuals for these species are shown in Table 4. The number of Red-capped Plover breeding territories recorded during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey was relatively high (55), due to the extensive foreshore areas of shingle, pebble and gravel beds. Two areas of relatively high numbers were recorded, Map 2. The first was the foreshore between the Wynyard Golf Course and Cooee Beach (18 pairs) and the second was Pardoe Beach to Northdown Beach (20 pairs). The terraced foreshores of Pardoe and Northdown Beaches provides suitable breeding habitat on the upper terraces. In contrast, the number of Hooded Plover breeding territories recorded was very low; just 16 pairs were recorded during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey (Map 3). This was due to the combination of (a) extensive areas of unsuitable habitat – the rocky, shingle and pebble terraced foreshores and minimal extent of sandy beaches that are the preferred habitat for the species, (b) the very high levels of disturbance Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 6

from dogs and vehicles, and (c) the frequent proximity of coastal residences and communities providing high levels of human use of foreshores, especially at the few sandy beaches. Similarly, the number of Pied Oystercatcher breeding territories was also relatively low (92), with almost one third (28 pairs) present on just two beaches (Tatlows and Bakers Beaches), Table 3 and Map 4. As with Hooded Plovers, Pied Oystercatchers prefer sandy beaches for nesting habitat, but are capable of breeding on rocky foreshores in proximity to sandy beaches where they can forage. A total of 24 Sooty Oystercatcher breeding territories was recorded during the 2014/15 survey (Table 3 and Map 5), but this must be considered conservative for the CCNRM region given the extensive areas of rocky foreshores inside and outside of the 2014/15 survey area. Many foreshore localities surveyed supported one or two breeding pairs, with Hawley Beach to the Carbuncle supporting four pairs. Observations of Fairy and Little Terns were confined to the southern end of Tatlows Beach and the western end of Peggs Beach (Map 6). There was extensive disturbance of all of Peggs Beach by 4WDs, with deep tyre ruts in the soft dry sand for much of the length of the beach, and over much of the width of the beach at the western end where the terns were observed calling, carrying fish and landing on the beach at the water’s edge. At the southern end of Tatlows Beach, at least eight Fairy Terns and two Little Terns were observed flying overhead, calling actively and carrying fish. Carrying fish by adult terns is a sign of breeding, as the fish are offered to potential mates, or for females incubating eggs. The extensive vocalisations by individuals of both species at Tatlows Beach, in association with the observation of carrying fish and a number of attacking swoops suggest that the area was being used for nesting. There were areas of shell grit and gravel close by, but inspection by binoculars failed to locate any shorebirds on the ground indicative or suggestive of nesting. It is likely that nesting was occurring within 500m of the end point of the survey, based on the surrounding suitable habitat and the observed behaviours and vocalisations of the terns. Maps showing the recorded locations of breeding territories of resident shorebirds and observations of small terns are shown in Maps 2 to 6 below.

Map 2. Breeding territories of Red-capped Plovers, 2014/15 (n = 55, brown symbols). The scale bar shows 40km, and the grid is 1° latitude by 1° longitude. c. Comparison with previous BOAT, Birds Tasmania and CCNRM surveys Previous survey data were available from 10 beaches in the CCNRM survey area from 1982 – 1996 (BirdLife Tasmania unpublished data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997). The number of visits to these beaches varied between 1 and 4, and provides limited comparisons to the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey data. Where these data are available, the comparisons are detailed within the text for each locality below. Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 7

d. Priority localities and significant breeding populations Based on the total numbers of breeding pairs of resident shorebirds present (Table 5), five beaches were identified as High priority for shorebirds in the CCNRM. Black River Beach was added to these beaches based on a comparable survey in 2009/10 (see below). All High priority beaches supported 11 or more breeding pairs of resident shorebirds. Tatlows and Bakers Beach supported breeding populations of Pied Oystercatchers at nationally significant numbers (12 and 16 pairs respectively, Table 3). These populations represent approximately 0.2% and 0.3% respectively, of the current estimated global population for the species. Picnic Point and Forwards Beach, NE Arm to Griffiths Point and Port Sorell to Hawley Beach all supported six pairs of Pied Oystercatchers, and meet the 0.1% criterion for national significance (Table 3).

Map 3. Breeding territories of Hooded Plovers, 2014/15 (n = 16, orange symbols). The scale bar shows 40km, and the grid is 1째 latitude by 1째 longitude.

Map 4. Breeding territories of Pied Oystercatchers, 2014/15 (n = 92, red symbols). The scale bar shows 40km, and the grid is 1째 latitude by 1째 longitude. Black River Beach was not surveyed during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey, and the previous BirdLife Tasmania survey in 2009/10 recorded four pairs of Hooded Plovers and 11 pairs of Pied Oystercatchers. If the current breeding populations were similar, Black River Beach would also be classified Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 8

as a high priority beach. These localities have been previously recognised as being nationally significant for shorebirds through their identification as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) by BirdLife Australia (Map 7). Full details of the criteria and the other IBAs in Australia are available at http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/important-bird-areas The listing of the eastern population of the Hooded Plover as a threatened sub-species under the EPBC Act 1999 in late 2014 (see http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/66726conservation-advice.pdf for details) provides the basis for conservation and management in support of protecting the sub-species where it occurs in the CCNRM region (Map 3, Table 3). Priority localities for Hooded Plovers are Tatlows Beach, Black River Beach and Peggs Beach. Moorland Point was identified as a significant shorebird site for the resident and migratory shorebird present between 1991 and 1999, inclusive by Bryant (2002). No further comparisons with Bryant (2002) are possible as the tabulated data are annual maxima for each species, with no data on breeding populations of resident species.

Map 5. Breeding territories of Sooty Oystercatchers, 2014/15 (n = 24, black symbols). The scale bar shows 40km, and the grid is 1° latitude by 1° longitude. Spruzen et al. (2006) identified “Forwards and Picnic Beach” as a priority ‘site’ for resident shorebirds species but did not detail the data to support this nomination, which was recommended by the Tasmanian Government. The same list identified Moorland Point as a priority site for migratory shorebirds without providing the supporting data. Based on the 2014/15 survey results, six foreshore localities were identified as high priority/conservation value for resident shorebirds within the survey region (Table 5). In total, the six localities supported 77 pairs of resident shorebirds, approximately 40% of the total (190 pairs) located in the 2014/15 survey. The six localities each supported between 11 and 23 breeding pairs of resident shorebirds, predominantly Redcapped Plovers and Pied Oystercatchers, but two localities supported breeding Hooded Plovers; Tatlows Beach supported a nationally-significant population of four pairs. A further 10 foreshore localities were identified as medium priority/conservation value for resident shorebirds within the 2014/15 survey region (Table 5). These localities supported between six and nine pairs, inclusive. In total, the 10 localities supported 72 pairs of resident shorebirds, approximately 38% of the total (190 pairs) located in the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey. The remaining 29 foreshore localities were identified as low priority/conservation value for resident shorebirds within the 2014/15 survey region (Table 6). These localities supported five or fewer pairs of resident shorebirds, and in total supported 41 pairs. Seven sites supported no resident shorebirds.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 9

e. Presentation of observations, 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey Observations and data from the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey are presented geographically from West to East. The foreshore localities are listed sequentially from Tatlows Beach at Stanley to West Head beaches on the Tamar River. For each locality, the CCNRM data for 2010 – 2014 are presented in blue tables, previous BOAT and/or Birds Tasmania shorebird data are shown in red tables, and the 2014/15 survey data are presented in green tables. A map for each locality shows the 2014/15 survey route and the centroids of breeding territories located during the survey.

Map 6. Observations of Fairy Terns and Little Terns, 2014/15 (n = 3, pink symbols). The scale bar shows 40km, and the grid is 1° latitude by 1° longitude.

Map 7. High priority foreshore localities (n = 6) identified from the 2014/15 survey (Table 5). The green shading shows the locations of adjacent Important Bird Areas (North-west Tasmania Coast IBA) at Stanley and the Rubicon Estuary IBA at Port Sorell. Numbers refer to the CCNRM Community Project Count Areas.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 10

ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

Location Badger Beach Copper Cove Bakers Beach NE Arm to Griffiths Point Port Sorell to Hawley Beach Hawley Beach to Carbuncles Northdown Beach Moorland Beach Pardoe Beach Pardoe Beach to Police Point Mersey Bluff to Don Railway Bridge Don Heads To Lillico Lillico Beach Leith Turners Beach Clayton River to Fishpond Buttons Beach Picnic Point Beach West Ulverstone to Goat Island Three Sisters Area Penguin Beaches Preservation Bay/Sulphur Creek Blythe Heads Wivenhoe Beach South Burnie Bch Cooee Beach Somerset/Fairlands Beach McKenzies Beach to Burntwood Point Burntwood Point to Inglis River Wynyard Golf Course Freestone Beach Boat Harbour Beach Sisters Beach Rocky Cape NP Picnic Point/Forwards Beach Edgcumbe Beach/Crayfish Creek Brickmakers Bay/Little Peggs Beach Peggs Beach Black River Beach Tatlows Beach to East Inlet West Head beaches Devonport Howth Beach Hellyer Beach Pebbly Bay

Count Area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 1A 10A 22A 36A 36B

8 Dec 2014 8 Dec 2014 8 Dec 2014 8 Dec 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 22 Oct 2014 22 Oct 2014

Distance surveyed (km) 4.7 0.8 7.3 2.7 3.2 3.8 7.4 3.0 3.2 2.8 1.4

27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014

1.8 2.3 2.4 2.8 1.6 1.1

27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 26 Nov 2014 25 Nov 2014 25 Nov 2014 13 Nov 2014 13 Nov 2014 13 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014

2.0 3.2 0.7 1.4 0.6 3.1 3.3 5.2 3.0 1.5 0.2 0.6 3.6 0.7 4.4 2.7 0.8 4.6

13 Nov 2014

5.4

27 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014

0.9 2.6 0.6

Total (km)

103.4

Date surveyed

Table 1. Survey details for CCNRM localities surveyed during 2014/15 by BirdLife Tasmania. The Count Area label is used for all maps and data tables throughout this report.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 11

Count Area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 1A 10A 22A 36A 36B

Date surveyed 8 Dec 2014 8 Dec 2014 8 Dec 2014 8 Dec 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 21 Oct 2014 22 Oct 2014 22 Oct 2014

Dogs

Vehicles

Horses

X X X

X X X X X

27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014 27 Nov 2014

X X

X X X X X

X X X X

X X X

X X

13 Nov 2014

27 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014 12 Nov 2014

X X X

Sea-spurge X X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X

X X X

X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X

X X

Table 2. Disturbance recorded or for which evidence was observed at CCNRM foreshore localities surveyed. ‘Vehicles’ comprises 4WDs, quad bikes or other motorised bicycles. The presence of Sea Spurge E. paralias is also indicated, but with no estimate of abundance.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 12

Foreshore

RCPL (mar)

HOPL (thr) (mar)

PIOY

SOOY

FATE (mar)

LITE (mar) (mig)

Tatlows Beach Black River Beach Peggs Beach Brickmakers Bay - Little Peggs Beach Edgecumbe Beach - Crayfish Creek Hellyer Beach Pebbly Bay Picnic Pt and Forwards Beach Rocky Cape Beach Burgess Cove Sisters Beach Boat Harbour Fossil Bluff Beach (Freestone Cove) Wynyard Golf Course Burntwood Point to Inglis River Mackenzies Beach Somerset-Fairlands Beach Cooee Beach South Burnie Beach Wivenhoe Beach Blythe Heads Howth Beach Preservation Bay Penguin Beaches West Ulverstone Picnic Point Buttons Beach Clayton Rvr Turners Beach Leith Lillico Don Heads - Lillico Mersey Bluff - Don Railway Bridge Devonport Pardoe Beach - Police Pt Pardoe Beach Moorland Beach Northdown Beach Hawley Beach - Carbuncle Port Sorell - Hawley Beach NE Arm Bakers Beach Copper Cove

5.4

4.6 0.8 2.7 2.6 0.6 4.4 0.4 0.3 3.6 0.6 0.2 1.5 3 5.2 3.3 3.1 0.6 1.4 0.7 0.9 3.2 2 1.1 1.6 2.8 2.4 2.3 1.8

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 7 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2

3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 1 2 0 1 6 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 2

0 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1.4

2.8 3.2 3 7.4 3.8 3.2 2.7 7.3 0.8

2 10 6 4 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 1

1 2 3 0 2 6 6 16 2

1 0 2 0 4 1 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Badger Beach

4.7

103.4

West Head beaches Totals

Table 3. Breeding populations (pairs) of resident shorebirds and small terns, CCNRM surveys 2014/15. Abbreviations used: RCPL Red-capped Plover, HOPL Hooded Plover, PIOY Pied Oystercatcher, SOOY Sooty Oystercatcher, Fate Fairy Tern and LITE Little Tern. The species listed under the EPBC Act 1999 are shown: mar (listed as Marine species), thr (listed as Threatened) and mig (listed as Migratory). Species can be listed under more than one criterion. Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 13

Foreshore

RCPL (mar)

HOPL (thr) (mar)

PIOY

SOOY

FATE (mar)

LITE (mar) (mig)

5.4

4.6 0.8 2.7 2.6 0.6 4.4 0.4 0.3 3.6 0.6 0.2 1.5 3 5.2 3.3 3.1 0.6 1.4 0.7 0.9 3.2 2 1.1 1.6 2.8 2.4 2.3 1.8

0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 8 14 4 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 2

11 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 1 3 0 2 11 0 0 2 0 0 6 6 10 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 2

0 0 5 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1.4

2.8 3.2 3 7.4 3.8 3.2 2.7 7.3 0.8

2 30 13 9 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 3 0 0 3 4 2

2 4 5 2 3 30 11 30 2

1 0 3 0 7 1 0 0 2

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Badger Beach

4.7

103.4

121

184

West Head beaches Totals

Table 4. Numbers of individuals of resident shorebirds and small terns, CCNRM surveys 2014/15. Abbreviations used: RCPL Red-capped Plover, HOPL Hooded Plover, PIOY Pied Oystercatcher, SOOY Sooty Oystercatcher, Fate Fairy Tern and LITE Little Tern. The species listed under the EPBC Act 1999 are shown: mar (listed as Marine species), thr (listed as Threatened) and mig (listed as Migratory). Species can be listed under more than one criterion. Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 14

RCPL Priority

Foreshore

(mar)

HOPL (thr) (mar)

PIOY

SOOY

FATE (mar)

LITE (mar) (mig)

Total

High

Tatlows Beach Bakers Beach Mackenzies Beach Pardoe Beach Moorland Beach Black River Beach **2009/10 survey

5 0 7 10 6

4 1 0 0 0 4

12 16 5 2 3 11

0 0 2 0 2

1 0 0 0 0

23 17 14 12 11 15

Medium

Peggs Beach Picnic Point and Forwards Beach NE Arm to Griffiths Point Edgecumbe Beach - Crayfish Creek Burntwood Point to Inglis River Port Sorell - Hawley Beach Badger Beach Wynyard Golf Course Clayton River â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fishpond Hawley Beach - Carbuncle

0 0 0 2 3 0 0 4 4 0

3 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

5 6 6 2 3 6 5 2 2 2

0 1 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 4

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

9 9 8 7 7 7 7 6 6 6

Leith

Northdown Beach

Somerset â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fairlands Beach

Cooee Beach

Pardoe Beach - Police Point

Copper Cove

Sisters Beach

Buttons Beach

Mersey Bluff - Don Railway Bridge

Brickmakers Bay - Little Peggs Beach

Pebbly Bay

Burgess Cove

Wivenhoe Beach

Howth Beach

Preservation Bay

Penguin beaches

Picnic Point

Turners Beach

Hellyer Beach

Rocky Cape Beach

Boat Harbour

Fossil Bluff Beach (Freestone Cove)

South Burnie Beach

Blythe Heads

West Ulverstone

Low

Lillico Don Heads - Lillico West Head beaches Devonport

Table 5. Prioritised foreshore localities, CCNRM region, based on breeding populations of resident shorebirds and small terns, disturbance regime and locality tenure and management (see Methods). The species listed under the EPBC Act 1999 are shown: mar (listed as Marine species), thr (listed as Threatened) and mig (listed as Migratory). Species can be listed under more than one criterion. Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 15

Discussion 1. Potential limitations to 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey At a low number of localities, the 2014/15 survey effort did not match the exact extent of the survey footprint used by the CCNRM community project for the biannual counts, with four foreshore localities not included for the 2014/15 survey. This decision not to include the foreshore localities was based on in situ assessments of the foreshore geomorphology and geology (eg Rock Cape National Park CCNRM Count Area 34), where the absence of suitable habitat other than short sandy foreshores made any effort to survey the foreshore predictably irrelevant. Similar assessments were made for surveys of the foreshores at Don Heads to Lillico (CCNRM CA 12), Lillico Beach (CA 13), Three Sisters (CA 20) and West Head beaches (CA 1A). The linear extent of these foreshores not visited during the 2014/15 survey is estimated at approximately 12km, compared to the more than 103km surveyed in 2014/15. This mismatch between the 2014/15 survey extent and community project efforts did not have any effect on the outcomes of the 2014/15 survey in identifying the presence of breeding territories due to the unsuitable foreshores’ habitat, nor the identification of priority foreshore localities within the CCNRM region, as the unsuitable habitat would not have supported any breeding pairs of resident shorebirds. However, if any breeding pairs had been, or are present, they would have been so in low numbers that would not have altered the outcomes reported here. 2. Habitat quality of foreshores in the CCNRM community project The majority of the foreshore and beaches surveyed for this project is marginal to poor quality habitat for resident shorebirds, with few sandy beaches present. The predominant foreshore surveyed was comprised of a mixture of shingle, pebble, cobble and gravel (or any combination of these), often in one or more stepped terraces, and often with a steep gradient. These areas did not support high numbers of Redcapped Plovers or Sooty Oystercatchers that might be expected to be present as breeding individuals. In foreshore localities with shallower-angle foreshores, the location of the foreshore tidal wrack clearly indicated that no beach or foreshore would be present at high tides, and in many cases, the tidal wrack was present under coastal vegetation such as coastal wattle Acacia longifolia subsp. sephora), highlighting the absence of foreshore habitat during high tides. In many localities where inter-tidal terraces, reefs and shelves were present, these terraces and reefs were conspicuously devoid of shorebirds such as Sooty Oystercatchers or Ruddy Turnstones, waterbirds such as White-faced Herons or seabirds such as Silver Gulls, suggesting a depauperate inter-tidal prey fauna for all birds. The reason(s) for this depauperate fauna are unknown, but the conspicuous absence of shorebirds feeding or roosting in these areas throughout the 2014/15 survey clearly indicates the widespread extent of poor foraging habitat, and likely contributes to the overall low numbers of breeding shorebirds recorded in the 2014/15 survey. Extensive coastal erosion was observed at many foreshores localities surveyed, with steep faces in both rocky and sandy areas. There were numerous observations of local efforts to ‘stabilise’ the foreshores using loose boulder fill, concreted boulder fill, concrete sea-walls and filled geobags. These efforts will modify adjacent foreshore habitats with unknown effects on invertebrate fauna, water quality and flows, and are likely to potentially further reduce the quality of the available habitat to shorebirds and influencing coastal near-shore dynamics. 3. Species listed under the EPBC Act 1999 Four of the six focal shorebird and seabird species are protected under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999. These are: Red-capped Plover (Marine), Hooded Plover (Threatened and Marine), Fairy Tern (Marine) and Little Tern (Marine and Migratory), Tables 3 – 5. Of particular relevance to CCNRM and the coastal Councils in the survey area (Map 1) is the recent (late Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 16

2014) listing of the eastern population of the Hooded Plover as a threatened species under the EPBC Act. Tasmania is believed to be the stronghold for the eastern population of the Hooded Plover (BirdLife Tasmania unpublished survey data) but its presence as a breeding species is limited in the survey area (Tables 3 and 5). The beaches with breeding Hooded Plovers are identified as both high and medium priority (Table 5), depending on the abundance of other species of resident shorebirds. Protection of Hooded Plovers at these beaches through addressing the threats identified (Table 2) will contribute to the conservation of the species in Tasmania (see next section) and will contribute to the conservation of the other beach-nesting species present on these beaches through the conservation and management of coastal breeding and feeding habitats. 4. Disturbance and threats from human activities, and habitat alienation from invasive species Human disturbance and threats to shorebirds was widespread in the foreshore localities surveyed in 2014/15, with extensive vehicular and dog tracks present on foreshore localities. Vehicle tracks were observed on large rocky, boulder foreshores, and the majority of foreshore localities surveyed in 2014/15 are clearly subject to very high levels of human disturbance (in particular, from 4WDs and uncontrolled dogs off leash). Dogs on beaches act to disturb nesting, feeding and roosting shorebirds and seabirds. Dogs are well known as predators of shorebird and seabird eggs and chicks, and their presence on a beach, with or without their owner, adversely impacts on the breeding success of resident shorebirds and seabirds. Councils should consider using the Tasmanian Dog Control Act 2000 to prescribe restrictions on dogs in sensitive coastal areas, and in particular, the high and medium priority beaches identified in this study. Horses and 4WDs easily destroy nests, eggs and flightless chicks of shorebirds and seabirds on foreshores. The nests, eggs and flightless chicks are well camouflaged and impossible for riders and drivers to see. The chicks can be flightless for up to seven weeks after they hatch, and rely on their camouflage to reduce the risk of predation. Unfortunately, the camouflage contributes to their being crushed by vehicles and horses. Council restrictions on vehicular and horse access to high and medium priority foreshores are urgently required. Where suitable habitat such as sandy beaches were present, more often than not some form of human settlement was present – be it a ‘shack’ community, a caravan park (for example) or townships of varying sizes – the result was a source of constant disturbance to any potential resident breeding shorebirds. Extensive networks of coastal access routes through the coastal vegetation from houses onto the beaches were present at sandy foreshores, and were obviously heavily used by people, vehicles and dogs. Resident shorebirds were alienated from suitable habitat by intensive human activities and associated disturbances, particularly so on sandy beaches, but in general at most localities surveyed in 2014/15. Compounding the impacts associated with human disturbance are the adverse effects on resident and migratory shorebirds from habitat alienation due to the profusion of sea spurge in the surveyed localities. Sea spurge was observed more frequently and was present more extensively on sandy beaches, but was also present and wide spread on rocky and shingle foreshores. The vast swathes of sea spurge on foreshores and into the dune systems (when present) present a serious threat to the persistence of resident shorebirds in the foreshore localities surveyed.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 17

5. Limitations to CCNRM community shorebird monitoring project A number of limitations to the CCNRM community shorebird monitoring project were identified through the course of undertaking the 2014/15 survey, and are listed here for discussion and subsequent incorporation into the Recommendations arising from the 2014/15 survey. a. Timing of counts, potential for double-counts The CCNRM community counts are highly asynchronous, each undertaken over a period approaching one month. This extremely wide window for the counts allows non-resident species such as Ruddy Turnstones and non-breeding individuals of resident species to move between and among the count sites between and among the count visits. This raises the likelihood of individual birds being counted on multiple occasions. As a consequence of the asynchronous nature of the counts, analyses of the community data are unable to use many of the site counts of the migratory species observed during the CCNRM project beyond the identification of the maximum count per species of each of the migratory species. This maximum count can be used as the minimum estimate for the species in the region for the count window, but no more, as there can be no fewer individuals. However, all of the remaining, lower counts obtained for the species elsewhere could include some or all of the maximum flock reported. For example, counts at three sites on different dates record 26, 14 and 4 of a particular species. As the counts were on different dates, the degree of movement between and among sites is unknown. It may be that there are 44 individuals present in the CCNRM or it could be that there are just 26. There can be no fewer than 26 as this was the maximum single-site count, but the 14 and 4 birds seen elsewhere at other times could be part of this flock of 26. The appropriate, conservative approach is to only record the 26 as the minimum count for the species and assume the other counts of 14 and 4 are birds that have moved separately to other sites. Similarly, the individual sitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tallies for migratory species can not be tallied as they are at present, as this is incorrect and artificially inflating the counts with a high likelihood of individuals being double-counted, or greater. It is unknown if the Shorebirds 2020 program at BirdLife Australia has identified this significant limitation. This limitation does not devalue the existing data, but the organisers, compilers and users of the CCNRM community project count data need to recognise the critical need to treat and handle the count data for migratory species completely differently than data for resident species. Summed totals for the migratory species recorded from 45 foreshore localities visited over a three to four week window are highly likely to be incorrect due to the movements of shorebirds between and among sites over time. To overcome this significant limitation, it is highly recommended that all CCNRM community project counts be undertaken in a single day to remove the potential for double counting of migratory shorebirds and nonbreeding resident shorebirds and small terns. In light of these concerns, it is appropriate that the CCNRM shorebird program coordinator discuss the existing CCNRM shorebird program methods with the Shorebirds 2020 staff at BirdLife Australia and the shorebird count coordinators at BirdLife Tasmania. b. Non-breeding resident shorebirds The CCNRM project provides only very limited information on the status and trends of the breeding populations of the resident species in the foreshore localities included in the project. This is because the project does not differentiate between the breeding and non-breeding individuals of resident species recorded by observers. Masked Lapwings have been excluded from analyses of the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey and CCNRM community project data (this study). Although a shorebird, the species is a generalist, and the large flocks reported in the CCNRM community surveys are typically comprised of non-breeding, mobile birds. Individuals of this species form large flocks in winter, and it is unknown from where the observed flocks are drawn during each count. Thus, there is no appropriate approach to interpret any changes in winter flock sizes. Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 18

Masked Lapwings will move from inland areas to coastal and foreshore sites at low tides to feed then return ‘inland’ to roost. As no surveys have been undertaken of adjacent areas inland from the foreshore localities (such as sports grounds), and with no estimate of the rates of flux between and among coastal and noncoastal sites, it is impossible to assess the existing count data as indicative of local and/or regional populations, unable to analyse the Masked Lapwing data for local and regional population status and trends. Depending on capacity and interest, it may be worth considering extending the shorebird surveys to inland fields, farming areas and sports grounds to locate roosting flocks of masked Lapwings away from the foreshore. Similarly, the large flocks of Pied Oystercatchers recorded by the CCNRM community project in some areas are comprised of primarily non-breeding shorebirds (eg the Port Sorell - East Arm Narawntapu foreshores). The large inter-tidal mud flats in these areas provide extensive feeding habitat for high numbers of resident and migratory shorebirds, but are they unlikely to support the high numbers present as breeding populations. c. Integration with previous and national shorebird counts Currently, the CCNRM project counts are not integrated with the national Shorebirds 2020 project, despite some foreshore localities included in both projects. For example, resident and migratory shorebirds at Moorland Point and East Arm Narawntapu are both included in the Shorebirds 2020 project, and are counted twice for two different purposes within four to six weeks of each other. While the primary focus of the Shorebirds 2020 project is to survey migratory shorebirds, consideration should be given to shifting the March count for the CCNRM community project to counts coinciding with Shorebirds 2020 surveys. The asynchronous counts undertaken by the CCNRM project prevent meaningful comparisons with the available historical BOAT/Bird Tasmania data for the localities since 1982. Further, the asynchronous counts cannot be integrated with contemporary statewide breeding shorebird and small tern surveys by BirdLife Tasmania. Extreme caution must be exercised in comparing or equating earlier counts with more recent efforts, as survey effort was variable, areas surveyed may not be similar, and a number of persons were involved which introduced inter-observer variability to the data. 5. Conclusions The majority of foreshore localities included in the CCNRM community shorebird project and surveyed in 2014/15 by BirdLife Tasmania support few breeding shorebirds and small terns. With fewer than 200 breeding territories located in 103km on 39 foreshore localities, the combination of extensive areas of unsuitable habitat and high levels of human disturbance during the breeding season have contributed to a low resident shorebird and small tern breeding population overall in the CCNRM survey localities. Six foreshore localities supported more than 40% of the resident breeding shorebirds and small terns (Table 5), with the remaining breeding territories present in low numbers. Seven foreshore localities supported no breeding shorebirds and terns in 2014/15, consistent with previous CCNRM counts of low to nil breeding at these localities. The value of continuing counts on these foreshore localities is highly debatable, particularly in light of the need for community volunteer participants to receive ‘value’ for their contributions. No foreshore localities in the CCNRM region surveyed by BirdLife Tasmania in 2014/15 supported shorebirds in numbers that meet the criteria for international significance (1% of estimated species’ populations), and only a low number of sites met the criteria for national significance (0.1% of estimated species’ populations, Tables 3 and 5). Acknowledgements All surveys were conducted under DPIPWE Permit 23/2012-13 to BirdLife Tasmania, with AEC approval of research protocols and field procedures. J Bowden, R Cooper and P Porteus assisted with logistic support, accommodation and/or field surveys. Cradle Coast NRM commissioned the survey and provided financial support for the project. Comments on an earlier draft from Anna Wind improved the report.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 19

References Bryant S 2002. Conservation assessment of beach nesting and migratory shorebirds in Tasmania. Report to NHT, DPIPWE Hobart, 122pp. Holdsworth MC and Park P 1993. 1992 survey of the Hooded Plover in Tasmania. The Stilt 22, 37-40. Newman OMG and Patterson RN 1984. A population survey of the Hooded Plover (Charadrius rubricollis) in Tasmania, October 1982. An Occasional Stint 3, 1-6. Spruzen FL, Ehmke G, Weston MA, Woehler EJ, Blakney A 2006. A Review of Shorebirds, Their Threats and Management Needs, in Tasmania. Unpublished Report to Rio Tinto from Birds Australia, Melbourne, 94pp. Wetlands International 2014. Waterbird Population Estimates. On-line database at wpe.wetlands.org searched on 2 January 2015. Woehler EJ 2013. Resident shorebirds and seabirds of the Pitt Water Orielton Lagoon Nature Reserve and Ramsar Site. Report to NRM South and PWS, February 2013. BirdLife Tasmania Technical Report 2013-01, 26pp. Tasmanian Bird Report 36, 40-58 (2014). Woehler EJ, Park P 1997. Interim report on the status of Hooded Plovers Thinornis rubricollis in Tasmania. Birds Tasmania Technical Report 1997-01, 5pp. Woehler EJ, Ruoppolo V 2013a. Shorebird and small tern surveys 2012/13. Report to Cradle Coast NRM, May 2013. BirdLife Tasmania Technical Report 2013-03, 13pp. Tasmanian Bird Report 36, 22-29 (2014). Woehler EJ, Ruoppolo V 2013b. Distribution and abundance of shorebirds of the NRM North region, 2012/13 with estimates of regional breeding populations. Report to NRM North, May 2013. BirdLife Tasmania Technical Report 2013-04, 13pp. Tasmanian Bird Report 36, 30-39 (2014). Woehler EJ, Ruoppolo V 2014. Resident and migratory shorebirds of the Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve Ramsar Site. Report to NRM South and PWS, May 2014. BirdLife Tasmania Technical Report 201404, 29 pp.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 20

Appendix 1. Recommendations to CCNRM regarding the CCNRM Community Shorebird Project, 2015, and beyond. Based on the 2014/15 survey results obtained, and consideration of these data (see above), the following recommendations are provided to CCNRM with respect to the Community Shorebird Project for 2015 and beyond: 6.1. Shift the CCNRM Community Shorebird Project March and October counts to coincide with the national Shorebirds 2020 counts in collaboration with BirdLife Tasmania, 6.2. Undertake all CCNRM Community Shorebird Counts on a single day to avoid double counting of shorebirds, 6.3. Cease counts at the localities identified as low priority (Table 5, n = 29) in the CCNRM Community Shorebird Project, and prioritise the community effort at high-priority sites and at localities supporting nationally-significant numbers of resident shorebirds and small terns (rather than a diffused survey effort), 6.4. Consider extending the areas counted to include Anthony Beach, 6.5. Support further surveys for small terns at Peggs Beach, Tatlows Beach and the adjacent foreshores of East and West Inlets by BirdLife Tasmania. These surveys require DPIPWE research permits and Animal Ethics approval and cannot be undertaken by community volunteers. BirdLife Tasmania has all the required permits and approvals, 6.6. Reassess the aims and objectives of the CCNRM Community Shorebird Project, identify outcomes and deliverables of relevance to regional, state and national shorebird surveys and monitoring programs, particularly in light of the finding of the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey, 6.7. Support and explore options to facilitate greater restriction and enforcement of existing Council dog restrictions on foreshore localities, given the high numbers of uncontrolled dogs observed during the 2014/15 survey, 6.8. Support and explore options to facilitate greater restriction and enforcement of vehicles and horses on foreshore localities, given the wide-spread evidence of vehicles and horses observed during the 2014/15 BirdLife Tasmania survey, and 6.9. Consider supporting increasing efforts to remove sea spurge from high-priority foreshore localities identified in this survey to enhance shorebird nesting, feeding and roosting habitats.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 21

Appendix 2. Table of 45 foreshore localities with GPS coordinates of start/end pts, UTM + lat/long, as provided by CCNRM, used in all figures/maps Start ID

Location

1 2 3 4 5

Badger Beach Copper Cove Bakers Beach NE Arm - Griffiths Point Port Sorell - Hawley Beach Hawley Beach Carbuncles Northdown Beach Moorland Beach Pardoe Beach Pardoe Beach - Police Pt Mersey Bluff - Don Railway Bridge Don Heads - Lillico

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Lillico Beach Leith Turners Beach Clayton R - Fishpond Buttons Beach Picnic Point Beach West Ulverstone - Goat I Three Sisters Area

6 7 8 9 10 11

Count Easting Area

1 2 3 4 5

475884 470360 469439 463457 463266

Northing

5453100 5448824 5447759 5444681 5442440

End Easting

472820 470013 463483 464388 461575

Northing

5449975 5448457 5444742 5443333 5444322

Start Lat

-41.0729 -41.1112 -41.1207 -41.1482 -41.1684

End Lon

146.7129 146.6470 146.6360 146.5645 146.5621

Lat

-41.1009 -41.1145 -41.1477 -41.1604 -41.1514

Lon

146.6763 146.6428 146.5648 146.5755 146.5421

6 461575 5444322 461486 5447062 -41.1514 146.5421 -41.1267 146.5412 7 8 9 10 11

460031 454365 451721 448921 445722

5446383 5443240 5443064 5441889 5443202

454365 451721 448921 446828 443959

5443240 5443064 5441889 5441617 5442855

-41.1327 -41.1607 -41.1622 -41.1726 -41.1606

146.5238 146.4561 146.4245 146.3911 146.3530

-41.1607 -41.1622 -41.1726 -41.1749 -41.1636

146.4561 146.4245 146.3911 146.3661 146.3320

12 443930 5443218 441393 5443271 -41.1603 146.3317 -41.1596 146.3015 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

441269 438930 437116 434480 432859 430077 428932 426510

5443270 5443660 5442957 5443708 5444155 5444626 5445206 5447200

439000 437254 434852 432942 430265 428932 427182 425795

5443486 5442883 5443384 5444082 5444228 5445206 5445769 5447455

-41.1596 -41.1559 -41.1621 -41.1552 -41.1510 -41.1465 -41.1412 -41.1230

146.3000 146.2721 146.2505 146.2191 146.1998 146.1667 146.1532 146.1246

-41.1575 -41.1628 -41.1581 -41.1517 -41.1501 -41.1412 -41.1360 -41.1207

146.2730 146.2521 146.2235 146.2008 146.1689 146.1532 146.1324 146.1161

21 Penguin Beaches 22 Preservation Bay/Sulphur Creek 23 Blythe Heads 24 Wivenhoe Beach 25 South Burnie Bch

21 422830 5447977 421565 5449110 -41.1157 146.0808 -41.1054 146.0659 22 420337 5449430 417602 5450666 -41.1024 146.0513 -41.0910 146.0189

26 Cooee Beach 27 Somerset/Fairlands Beach 28 McKenzies Beach Burntwood 29 Burntwood Pt - Inglis Rvr

26 405269 5456265 402576 5456262 -41.0392 145.8730 -41.0389 145.8409 27 402433 5456247 400384 5457063 -41.0390 145.8392 -41.0314 145.8150

30 Wynyard Golf Course

30 393323 5462054 393427 5462435 -40.9856 145.7319 -40.9822 145.7332

31 32 33 34 35

36 37 38 39 40 42 41 43 44 45

Freestone Beach Boat Harbour Beach Sisters Beach Rocky Cape NP Picnic Pt/Forwards Beach Edgcumbe Beach/Crayfish Ck Brickmakers Bay/Little Peggs Bch Peggs Beach Black River Beach Tatlows Beach - East Inlet Devonport West Head beaches Howth Beach Hellyer Beach Pebbly Bay

23 414667 5452410 413905 5452825 -41.0749 145.9842 -41.0711 145.9752 24 410858 5453234 409644 5453327 -41.0671 145.9390 -41.0661 145.9246 25 409566 5453325 409042 5453846 -41.0662 145.9236 -41.0614 145.9175

28 399663 5457604 396416 5460829 -41.0265 145.8065 -40.9970 145.7684 29 396416 5460829 393924 5461879 -40.9970 145.7684 -40.9872 145.7390 393271 383877 380753 377061 372492

5462641 5467932 5469703 5471162 5474948

393125 383018 377448 373588 369157

5462853 5468433 5470555 5475921 5474062

-40.9803 -40.9314 -40.9150 -40.9013 -40.8665

145.7313 145.6207 145.5840 145.5404 145.4870

-40.9784 -40.9267 -40.9068 -40.8579 -40.8739

145.7296 145.6106 145.5449 145.5002 145.4472

37 366383 5475492 364236 5476582 -40.8606 145.4146 -40.8504 145.3894 38 362647 5476475 361159 5476529 -40.8511 145.3705 -40.8504 145.3529 39 361159 5476529 357882 5477458 -40.8504 145.3529 -40.8415 145.3142 40 357343 5477521 355943 5479802 -40.8408 145.3079 -40.8200 145.2918 41 354156 5481858 355754 5485951 -40.8012 145.2711 -40.7646 145.2910 10A 1A 22A 36A 36B

447059 477343 417287 369101 368990

5440150 5452643 5450840 5474328 5473858

446918 476447 416638 366804 368931

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

5440615 5453338 5451377 5475235 5474204

-41.1881 -41.0770 -41.0894 -40.8715 -40.8757

146.3687 146.7303 146.0152 145.4466 145.4452

-41.1839 -41.0707 -41.0845 -40.8630 -40.8726

146.3671 146.7197 146.0075 145.4196 145.4446

Page 22

Appendix 3. GPS shorebird survey data. Data provided to CCNRM in digital format only, in UTM coordinates, WGS 84 datum (see Methods). Appendix 4. Foreshore site summaries. Pro-forma reporting on each foreshore locality as detailed in Methods (see above).

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 23

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Tatlows Beach - East Inlet, CCNRM Count Area 41 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 13 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 5.4 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off lead, 4WD tracks along beach, motorcycle and quad bike tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 41, Tatlows Beach to East Inlet. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols, Red-capped Plover (brown) and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Observations of Fairy and Little Terns flying overhead are shown with pink symbols, but these are not breeding sites. Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Highest numbers of breeding shorebirds were present farthest from Stanley and other access points, indicating human/dog/vehicle disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: High Proposed Management Options: • Consider removal of sea spurge. • Restrict use of foreshore by vehicles and dogs, especially during the shorebird breeding season (1 October – 31 March, inclusive) and ideally year-round to minimise disturbance to resident shorebirds. • Prioritise efforts towards southern extent of beach (from first cluster of territories). • Further surveys for small tern nesting sites by BirdLife Tasmania under permit. Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 24

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

101

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Tatlows Beach to East Inlet from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Tatlows Beach 18-Oct-92 4.5 11 Tatlows Beach 18-Oct-94 4.5 7 Tatlows Beach 7-Oct-96 4.5 6 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Tatlows Beach [CCNRM 41] 13-Nov-14 5.4 5 4 12 0 1 1 Tatlows Beach [CCNRM 41] 13-Nov-14 5.4 13 13 23 0 8 2 Survey data, Tatlows Beach to East Inlet 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 25

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Black River Beach, CCNRM Count Area 40 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: Not surveyed Distance surveyed: N/A Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Coastal weeds observed:

CCNRM Count Area 40, Black Creek Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project. Survey data for 2009/10 shown: locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 4km.

Other shorebird species observed: N/A (2014/15) Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: N/A Proposed/assessed priority: High (based on 2009/10 survey). Proposed Management Options: â&#x20AC;˘ Consider removal of sea spurge. â&#x20AC;˘ Further surveys for small tern nesting given proximity to Tatlows Beach (see previous) and suitable habitat presence. Further surveys undertaken by BirdLife Tasmania under permit.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 26

Date

RCPL Juv Ch 2

Ad 10

HOPL Juv Ch 5

PIOY Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

1 27 0

2014.03 0 0 0 13 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Black River Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Black River Beach 1-Nov-92 6 16 Black River Beach 29-Oct-02 6.5 11 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 27

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Peggs Beach, CCNRM Count Area 39 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 12 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 4.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 39, Peggs Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Observations of Fairy and Little Terns flying overhead are shown with pink symbols, but these are not breeding sites. Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Disturbed foreshore with extensive vehicle tracks. Highest numbers of breeding shorebirds observed at north-western end of beach where beach is widest, potentially minimising human and vehicle disturbance to shorebirds. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 28

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 2 2

2014.03 11 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Peggs Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Peggs Beach 16-Oct-92 3 7 Peggs Beach 1-Dec-94 3 11 Peggs Beach 20-Dec-96 3 0 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Peggs Beach [CCNRM 39] 12-Nov-14 4.6 0 3 5 0 1 0 Peggs Beach [CCNRM 39] 12-Nov-14 4.6 0 11 9 0 2 0 Survey data, Peggs Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 29

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Brickmakers Bay - Little Peggs Beach, CCNRM Count Area 38 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 12 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.8 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 38, Brickmakers Bay â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Little Peggs Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Pied Oystercatchers are shown by red symbols. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive dog prints. Minimal shorebirds were present, indicating human/dog disturbance limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 30

Date

2010.03

2010.11

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Brickmakers Bay to Little Peggs Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Brickmakers Bay - Little Peggs Beach [CCNRM 38]

12-Nov-14

0.8

Brickmakers Bay - Little Peggs Beach [CCNRM 38] 12-Nov-14 0.8 0 0 1 0 0 0 Survey data, Brickmakers Bay to Little Peggs Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 31

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Edgcumbe Beach - Crayfish Creek, CCNRM count area 37 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 12 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.7 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD and quad bike tracks on beach, dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 37, Edgcumbe Beach - Crayfish Creek. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Few shorebirds were present, indicating human/dog/vehicle disturbance is preventing/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 32

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

2010.03

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2 2

2014.03 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Edgcumbe Beach to Crayfish Creek from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Edgcumbe Beach - Crayfish Creek [CCNRM 37]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

12-Nov-14

2.7

Edgcumbe Beach - Crayfish Creek [CCNRM 37] 12-Nov-14 2.7 4 0 3 5 0 0 Survey data, Edgcumbe Beach to Crayfish Creek 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 33

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Hellyer Beach, CCNRM count area 36A Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 12 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD and bike tracks, dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 36A, Hellyer Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Absence of shorebirds indicating extensive human/dog/vehicle disturbance is preventing shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 34

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

3 1

2 2

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Hellyer Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Hellyer Beach 19-Oct-92 3.5 2 Hellyer Beach 18-Oct-94 2 0 Hellyer Beach 26-Oct-02 5 2 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Hellyer Beach [CCNRM 36A] 12-Nov-14 2.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hellyer Beach [CCNRM 36A] 12-Nov-14 2.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, Hellyer Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 35

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Pebbly Beach, CCNRM count area 36B Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 12 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed:

CCNRM Count Area 36B, Pebbly Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Pied Oystercatcher is shown by the red symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive dog prints. Absence of shorebirds indicating extensive human/dog disturbance is preventing shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 36

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

4 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Pebbly Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Pebbly Bay [CCNRM 36B] 12-Nov-14 0.6 0 0 1 0 0 0 Pebbly Bay [CCNRM 36B] 12-Nov-14 0.6 0 0 2 0 0 0 Survey data, Pebbly Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 37

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Picnic Point - Forwards Beach, CCNRM count area 35 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 12 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 4.4 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD and quad bike tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 35, Picnic Point - Forwards Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks. Absence of shorebirds suggests human and vehicle disturbance may be preventing shorebird use of beach. Vehicles may be accessing beach from adjoining farm. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 38

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

6 2

2014.03 0 0 0 7 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Picnic Point to Forwards Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Forwards Beach 19-Oct-92 6 2 Forwards Beach 19-Oct-94 3 3 Forwards Beach 8-Oct-96 3 4 Forwards Beach 17-Oct-02 11 10 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997. Foreshore Picnic Pt and Forwards Beach [CCNRM 35]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

12-Nov-14

4.4

Picnic Pt and Forwards Beach [CCNRM 35] 12-Nov-14 4.4 0 4 11 2 0 0 Survey data, Picnic Point to Forwards Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 39

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Rocky Cape National Park, CCNRM count area 34 Municipality: Circular Head Date of survey: 13 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.7 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 34, Rocky Cape National Park. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Sooty Oystercatcher is shown by the black symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Poor resident shorebird habitat, absence of shorebirds reflects rocky foreshore and lack of suitable nesting habitat. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 40

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 17 2

2014.03 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Rocky Cape NP from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Rocky Cape Beach [CCNRM 34] part

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

13-Nov-14

0.4

Rocky Cape Beach [CCNRM 34] part 13-Nov-14 0.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 Burgess Cove [CCNRM 34] part 13-Nov-14 0.3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Burgess Cove [CCNRM 34] part 13-Nov-14 0.3 0 0 0 2 0 0 Survey data, Rocky Cape NP 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 41

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Sisters Beach, CCNRM count area 33 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 13 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD and dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 33, Sisters Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Pied Oystercatcher are shown by red symbols and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Near-absence of shorebirds indicates human/dog/vehicle disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 42

Date 2010.03

Ad 13

RCPL Juv Ch 2

Ad 2

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

7 4

5 6

2014.03 5 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Sisters Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Sisters Beach [CCNRM 33] 13-Nov-14 3.6 0 0 1 1 0 0 Sisters Beach [CCNRM 33] 13-Nov-14 3.6 0 0 2 1 0 0 Survey data, Sisters Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 43

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Boat Harbour Beach, CCNRM count area 32 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 13 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD and dogs on beach. Coastal weeds observed:

CCNRM Count Area 32, Boat Harbour Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Absence of shorebirds indicating human/dog/vehicle disturbance preventing shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 44

Date

2010.03

2010.11

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 1

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Boat Harbour Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Boat Harbour Beach Oct-92 1 0 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996 (Holdsworth and Park 1993). Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Boat Harbour [CCNRM 32] 13-Nov-14 0.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Boat Harbour [CCNRM 32] 13-Nov-14 0.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, Boat Harbour Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 45

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Freestone Cove, CCNRM count area 31 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.2 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 31, Freestone Cove. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Absence of shorebirds indicating human/dog/vehicle disturbance preventing shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 46

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

3 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Freestone Cove from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Fossil Bluff Beach (Freestone Cove) [CCNRM 31]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

25-Nov-14

0.2

Fossil Bluff Beach (Freestone Cove) [CCNRM 31] 25-Nov-14 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, Freestone Cove 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 47

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Wynyard Golf Course, CCNRM count area 30 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 25 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 1.5 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs on beach. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 30, Wynyard Golf Course. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Redcapped Plover are shown by brown symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive dog use. Human/dog disturbance from golf course and adjacent houses limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 48

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 3 4 0

2014.03 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Wynyard Golf Course from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Wynyard Golf Course Oct-92 1 0 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996 (Holdsworth and Park 1993). Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Wynyard Golf Course [CCNRM 30]

25-Nov-14

1.5

Wynyard Golf Course [CCNRM 30] 25-Nov-14 1.5 12 0 6 0 0 0 Survey data, Wynyard Golf Course 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 49

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Burntwood Point - Inglis River, CCNRM count area 29 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.0 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off lead, 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 29, Burntwood Point - Inglis River. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 50

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

5 4 0

2014.03 2 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Burntwood Point to Inglis River from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

East Wynyard [CCNRM 29] 26-Nov-14 3.0 3 0 3 1 0 0 East Wynyard [CCNRM 29] 26-Nov-14 3.0 8 0 6 1 0 0 Survey data, Burntwood Point to Inglis River 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 51

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Mackenzies Beach to Burntwood Point, CCNRM count area 28 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 5.2 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks, dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 28, Mackenzies Beach to Burntwood Point. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Rocky foreshore with evidence of 4WDs on foreshore, extensive dog prints on sandy areas. The high numbers of two species of resident shorebirds are likely due to relative inaccessibility of much of the foreshore. Proposed/assessed priority: High. Proposed Management Options: • Consider removal of sea spurge. • Restrict use of foreshore by vehicles and dogs, especially during the shorebird breeding season (1 October – 31 March, inclusive) and ideally year-round to minimise disturbance to resident shorebirds.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 52

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

1 0

2014.03 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Mackenzies Beach to Burntwood Point from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Mackenzies Beach [CCNRM 28] 26-Nov-14 5.2 7 0 5 2 0 0 Mackenzies Beach [CCNRM 28] 26-Nov-14 5.2 14 0 10 4 0 0 Survey data, Mackenzies Beach to Burntwood Point 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 53

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Somerset - Fairlands Beach, CCNRM count area 27 Municipality: Waratah - Wynyard Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.3 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks, dogs off leash, 2 horses on beach. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 27, Somerset - Fairlands Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbols and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks, horses and dog prints. Human/dog/vehicle/horse disturbance limiting shorebird use of beaches and reducing numbers present. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 54

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Somerset to Fairlands Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Somerset-Fairlands [CCNRM 27] 26-Nov-14 3.3 2 0 0 2 0 0 Somerset-Fairlands [CCNRM 27] 26-Nov-14 3.3 4 0 0 3 0 0 Survey data, Somerset to Fairlands Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 55

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Cooee Beach, CCNRM count area 26 Municipality: Burnie Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.1 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 26, Cooee Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Redcapped Plover are shown by brown symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Few shorebirds present, indicating human disturbance from adjacent communities determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 56

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

6 2 0

2014.03 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Cooee Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Cooee Beach [CCNRM 26] 26-Nov-14 3.1 2 0 2 0 0 0 Cooee Beach [CCNRM 26] 26-Nov-14 3.1 3 0 3 0 0 0 Survey data, Cooee Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 57

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: South Burnie Beach, CCNRM count area 25 Municipality: Burnie Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dog off leash, 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 25, South Burnie Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Nil shorebirds present, indicating human/vehicle/dog disturbance preventing shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 58

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.03 2010.11

2011.03 2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, South Burnie Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

South Burnie Beach Oct-92 1.0 0 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996 (Holdsworth and Park 1993). Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

South Burnie Beach [CCNRM 25] 26-Nov-14 0.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 South Burnie Beach [CCNRM 25] 26-Nov-14 0.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, South Burnie Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 59

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Wivenhoe Beach, CCNRM count area 24 Municipality: Burnie Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 1.4 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 24, Wivenhoe Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Red-capped Plover is shown by the brown symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Few shorebirds present, indicating human disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 60

Date

2010.03

2010.11

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2011.03 2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Wivenhoe Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Wivenhoe Beach [CCNRM 24] 26-Nov-14 1.4 1 0 0 0 0 0 Wivenhoe Beach [CCNRM 24] 26-Nov-14 1.4 1 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, Wivenhoe Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 61

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Blythe Heads, CCNRM count area 23 Municipality: Burnie Date of survey: 26 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.7 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks, dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 23, Blythe Heads. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 62

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Blythe Heads from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Blythe Heads [CCNRM 23] 26-Nov-14 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 Blythe Heads [CCNRM 23] 26-Nov-14 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, Blythe Heads 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 63

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Howth, CCNRM count area 22A Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.9 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 22A, Howth. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Red-capped Plover is shown by the brown symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 64

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.03 2010.11

2011.03 2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Howth from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Howth Beach [CCNRM 22A] 27-Nov-14 0.9 1 0 0 0 0 0 Howth Beach [CCNRM 22A] 27-Nov-14 0.9 2 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, Howth 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 65

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Preservation Bay - Sulphur Creek, CCNRM count area 22 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.2 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off leash. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 22, Preservation Bay - Sulphur Creek. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Pied Oystercatcher is shown by the red symbol. Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Few shorebirds present, indicating human and dog disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 66

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

4 2

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Preservation Bay to Sulphur Creek from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Preservation Bay [CCNRM 22] 27-Nov-14 3.2 0 0 1 0 0 0 Preservation Bay [CCNRM 22] 27-Nov-14 3.2 0 0 1 0 0 0 Survey data, Preservation Bay to Sulphur Creek 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 67

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Penguin beaches, CCNRM count area 21 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.0 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off leash, bicycle tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 21, Penguin beaches. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Sooty Oystercatcher is shown by the black symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 68

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 1 2

2014.03 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Penguin beaches from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Penguin Beaches [CCNRM 21] 27-Nov-14 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Penguin Beaches [CCNRM 21] 27-Nov-14 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Survey data, Penguin beaches 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 69

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Three Sisters, CCNRM count area 20 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: N/A. Distance surveyed: Nil. Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: N/A. Coastal weeds observed: N/A.

CCNRM Count Area 20, Three Sisters. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: N/A. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: N/A Proposed/assessed priority: N/A.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 70

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.03 2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Three Sisters from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 71

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: West Ulverstone to Goat Island, CCNRM count area 19 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 1.1 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off leash. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 19, West Ulverstone to Goat Island. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Nil shorebirds present, indicating human and dog disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 72

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2 3

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

2010.11

PIOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, West Ulverstone to Goat Island from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

West Ulverstone [CCNRM 19] 27-Nov-14 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 West Ulverstone [CCNRM 19] 27-Nov-14 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Survey data, West Ulverstone to Goat Island 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 73

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Picnic Point Beach, CCNRM count area 18 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 1.6 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks, bicycle tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 18, Picnic Point Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Sooty Oystercatcher is shown by the black symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Few shorebirds present, indicating human/vehicle disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 74

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

7 0

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 10 5 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Picnic Point Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Picnic Point [CCNRM 18] 27-Nov-14 1.6 0 0 0 1 0 0 Picnic Point [CCNRM 18] 27-Nov-14 1.6 0 0 0 1 0 0 Survey data, Picnic Point Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 75

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Buttons Beach, CCNRM count area 17 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.8 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off leash. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 17, Buttons Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Pied Oystercatcher (red symbol) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black symbol). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Few shorebirds present, highest numbers of breeding shorebirds were present farthest from access points indicating human and dog disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 76

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Buttons Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Buttons Beach [CCNRM 17] 27-Nov-14 2.8 0 0 1 1 0 0 Buttons Beach [CCNRM 17] 27-Nov-14 2.8 0 0 1 1 0 0 Survey data, Buttons Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 77

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Clayton River - Fishpond, CCNRM count area 16 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.4 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 16, Clayton River - Fishpond. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbol and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 78

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

3 6 2 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Clayton River to Fishpond from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Clayton Rvr [CCNRM 16] 27-Nov-14 2.4 4 0 2 0 0 0 Clayton Rvr [CCNRM 16] 27-Nov-14 2.4 4 0 2 0 0 0 Survey data, Clayton River to Fishpond 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 79

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Turners Beach, CCNRM count area 15 Municipality: Central Coast Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.3 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: eg dogs/4WDs, quad bikes, horses Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 15, Turners Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Nil breeding territories were present during the 2014/15 survey. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Nil shorebirds present, indicating human/vehicle/dog/horse disturbance preventing shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 80

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

1 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Turners Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Turners Beach [CCNRM 15] 27-Nov-14 2.3 0 0 1 0 0 0 Turners Beach [CCNRM 15] 27-Nov-14 2.3 0 0 1 0 0 0 Survey data, Turners Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 81

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Leith, CCNRM count area 14 Municipality: Central Coast + Devonport Date of survey: 27 Nov 2014 Distance surveyed: 1.8 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 14, Leith. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Poor quality foreshore for resident shorebirds, with human and dog disturbance likely limiting shorebird use of foreshore. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 82

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 2 0

2014.03 3 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Leith from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Leith [CCNRM 14] 27-Nov-14 1.8 2 0 2 1 0 0 Leith [CCNRM 14] 27-Nov-14 1.8 2 0 2 1 0 0 Survey data, Leith 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 83

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Lillico Beach, CCNRM count area 13 Municipality: Devonport Date of survey: N/A. Distance surveyed: N/A. Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: N/A. Coastal weeds observed: N/A.

CCNRM Count Area 13, Lillico Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: N/A. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: N/A. Proposed/assessed priority: N/A

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 84

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

6 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Lillico Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 85

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Don Heads to Lillico, CCNRM count area 12 Municipality: Devonport Date of survey: N/A. Distance surveyed: N/A. Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: N/A. Coastal weeds observed: N/A.

CCNRM Count Area 12, Don Heads to Lillico. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: N/A. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: N/A Proposed/assessed priority: N/A

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 86

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.03 2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Don Heads to Lillico from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 87

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Mersey Bluff to Don Railway bridge, CCNRM count area 11 Municipality: Devonport Date of survey: 22 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 1.4 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 11, Mersey Bluff to Don Railway bridge. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. The location of the breeding territory for Pied Oystercatcher is shown by the red symbol. Scale bar shows 2km.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 88

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

9 0

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Mersey Bluff to Don Railway bridge from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 89

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Devonport, CCNRM count area 10A Municipality: Devonport Date of survey: N/A. Distance surveyed: N/A. Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: N/A. Coastal weeds observed: N/A.

CCNRM Count Area 10A, Devonport. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: N/A. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: N/A. Proposed/assessed priority: N/A.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 90

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.11 2011.03 2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Devonport from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 91

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Pardoe Beach to Police Point, CCNRM count area 10 Municipality: Devonport + Latrobe Date of survey: 22 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.8 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Dogs off leash. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 10, Pardoe Beach to Police Point. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Red-capped Plover are shown by brown symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: 30 Ruddy Turnstone. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Few shorebirds present, indicating human and dog disturbance limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 92

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

2 1 0

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 27 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Pardoe Beach to Police Point from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Pardoe Beach - Police Pt [CCNRM 10]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

22-Oct-14

2.8

Pardoe Beach - Police Pt [CCNRM 10] 22-Oct-14 2.8 2 0 2 1 0 0 Survey data, Pardoe Beach to Police Point 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 93

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Pardoe Beach, CCNRM count area 9 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 21 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.2 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WDs on beach, dog tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 9, Pardoe Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Redcapped Plover are shown by brown symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: 5 Ruddy Turnstone. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and dog prints. Highest numbers of breeding shorebirds were present farthest from access points, indicating human/dog/vehicle disturbance limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: High. Proposed Management Options: • Consider removal of sea spurge. • Restrict use of foreshore by vehicles and dogs, especially during the shorebird breeding season (1 October – 31 March, inclusive) and ideally year-round to minimise disturbance to migratory and over-wintering migratory shorebirds.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 94

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2 2

2014.03 25 2 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Pardoe Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Pardoe Beach [CCNRM 9] 21-Oct-14 3.2 10 0 2 0 0 0 Pardoe Beach [CCNRM 9] 21-Oct-14 3.2 30 0 4 0 0 0 Survey data, Pardoe Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 95

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Moorland Beach, CCNRM count area 8 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 21 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.0 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WDs on beach, 4WD tracks, dog tracks, horse tracks, quad bike and motorcycle tracks, dogs off leash. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 8, Moorland Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Redcapped Plover are shown by brown symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: 60 Ruddy Turnstone. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and horse and dog prints. Highest numbers of breeding shorebirds were present farthest from Stanley and other access points, indicating human/dog/vehicle disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: High. Proposed Management Options: • Consider removal of sea spurge. • Restrict use of foreshore by vehicles, dogs and horses, especially during the shorebird breeding season (1 October – 31 March, inclusive) and ideally year-round to minimise disturbance to migratory and over-wintering migratory shorebirds. • Restrict collection of beach-cast seaweed from foreshore to reduce disturbance and to reduce removal of invertebrate prey for shorebirds.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 96

Date

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

3 1

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

Ad 4

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

8 4

2014.03 13 2 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Moorland Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Moorland Beach [CCNRM 8] 21-Oct-14 3.0 6 0 3 2 0 0 Moorland Beach [CCNRM 8] 21-Oct-14 3.0 13 0 5 3 0 0 Survey data, Moorland Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 97

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Northdown Beach, CCNRM count area 7 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 21 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 7.4 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD on beach. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 7, Northdown Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by the orange symbol and Red-capped Plover (brown). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Disturbed foreshore, vehicle tracks seen; generally poor resident shorebird habitat. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 98

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

2 7

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 12 0 0 9 3 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Northdown Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Northdown Beach Oct-82 6 4 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996 (Newman and Patterson 1984). Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Northdown Beach [CCNRM 7] 21-Oct-14 7.4 4 1 0 0 0 0 Northdown Beach [CCNRM 7] 21-Oct-14 7.4 9 3 2 0 0 0 Survey data, Northdown Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 99

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Hawley Beach to Carbuncles, CCNRM count area 6 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 21 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.8 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 6, Hawley Beach to Carbuncles. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Pied Oystercatcher are shown by red symbols and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Heavily disturbed foreshore, Shorebirds were observed farthest from access points, indicating human disturbance limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 100

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03 2010.11

Ad 4

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

4 0

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

1 0

FATE Tot

2011.03 2011.11

SOOY Juv Ch

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Hawley Beach to Carbuncles from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Hawley Beach - Carbuncle [CCNRM 6]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

21-Oct-14

3.8

Hawley Beach - Carbuncle [CCNRM 6] 21-Oct-14 3.8 0 0 3 7 0 0 Survey data, Hawley Beach to Carbuncles 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 101

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Port Sorell to Hawley Beach, CCNRM count area 5 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 21 Oct 2014 Distance surveyed: 3.2 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 5, Port Sorell to Hawley Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Pied Oystercatcher are shown by red symbols and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: human/dog/vehicle disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 102

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

2010.03

PIOY Juv

4 2

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

110

2010.11

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 129 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Port Sorell to Hawley Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Port Sorell - Hawley Beach [CCNRM 5]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

21-Oct-14

3.2

Port Sorell - Hawley Beach [CCNRM 5] 21-Oct-14 3.2 0 0 30 1 0 0 Survey data, Port Sorell to Hawley Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 103

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: NE Arm to Griffiths Point, CCNRM count area 4 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 8 Dec 2014 Distance surveyed: 2.7 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 4, NE Arm to Griffiths Point. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks. Highest numbers of breeding shorebirds were observed farthest from access points, indicating human/vehicle disturbance determining/limiting shorebird use of beach. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 104

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

130

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

219

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

149

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

14 7 2

2014.03 29 0 0 7 1 0 180 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, NE Arm to Griffiths Point from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore NE Arm Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 4]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

08-Dec-14

2.7

NE Arm Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 4] 08-Dec-14 2.7 0 3 11 0 0 0 Survey data, NE Arm to Griffiths Point 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 105

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Bakers Beach, CCNRM count area 3 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 8 Dec 2014 Distance surveyed: 7.3 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 3, Bakers Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Disturbed foreshore with several camp grounds close by in Narawntapu NP with access paths to beach. Proposed/assessed priority: High. Proposed Management Options: • Consider removal of sea spurge. • Assess levels of human visitation and disturbance during breeding season (1 October – 31 March).

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 106

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

HOPL Juv Ch 2

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

14 16

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 2 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Bakers Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Baker Beach 1-Nov-92 7 3 Baker Beach 13-Oct-94 7 3 Baker Beach 15-Oct-96 6 2 Baker Beach 28-Oct-02 7 5 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Bakers Beach, Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 3]

08-Dec-14

7.3

Bakers Beach, Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 3] 08-Dec-14 7.3 0 4 30 0 0 0 Survey data, Bakers Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 107

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Copper Cove, CCNRM count area 2 Municipality: Latrobe Date of survey: 8 Dec 2014 Distance surveyed: 0.8 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: Nil. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 2, Copper Cove. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols, Pied Oystercatcher (red) and Sooty Oystercatcher (black). Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Some disturbance associated with walkers from Badger and Bakers Beach track. Short sandy beach at southwestern end of cove, otherwise poor resident shorebird habitat. Proposed/assessed priority: Low.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 108

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.03 2010.11

2011.03 2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Copper Cove from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available. Foreshore Copper Cove, Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 2]

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

08-Dec-14

0.8

Copper Cove, Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 2] 08-Dec-14 0.8 0 2 2 2 0 0 Survey data, Copper Cove 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 109

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: Badger Beach, CCNRM count area 1 Municipality: West Tamar Date of survey: 8 Dec 2014 Distance surveyed: 4.7 km Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: 4WD tracks. Coastal weeds observed: Sea-spurge.

CCNRM Count Area 1, Badger Beach. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project, and the yellow line is the 2014/15 survey route. Locations of breeding territories for Hooded Plover are shown by orange symbols and Pied Oystercatcher (red). Scale bar shows 3km.

Other shorebird species observed: Nil. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Disturbed foreshore, extensive vehicle tracks and people present fishing. Shorebirds were observed farthest from access points, suggesting human /vehicle disturbance limiting shorebird use of beach. Generally poor resident shorebird habitat for much of the foreshore. Proposed/assessed priority: Medium.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 110

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

2010.03

2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

9 0

2014.03 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, Badger Beach from March 2010 (2010.03) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Foreshore

Date

HOPL

Badger Beach 27-Oct-02 4.5 8 Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Sources: unpublished BirdLife Tasmania data, Newman and Patterson 1984, Holdsworth and Park 1993, Woehler and Park 1997. Foreshore

Date

RCPL

HOPL

PIOY

SOOY

FATE

LITE

Badger Beach, Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 1]

08-Dec-14

4.7

Badger Beach, Narawntapu NP [CCNRM 1] 08-Dec-14 4.7 0 3 8 0 0 0 Survey data, Badger Beach 2014/15. The upper line is the number of breeding territories (=breeding pairs) recorded for each species, the lower line is the number of individuals observed for each species.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 111

CCNRM beach/foreshore area: West Head beaches, CCNRM count area 1A Municipality: West Tamar Date of survey: N/A. Distance surveyed: N/A. Disturbance observed, evidence of disturbance: N/A. Coastal weeds observed: N/A.

CCNRM Count Area 1A, West Head beaches. The green symbols are the start and end points used by CCNRM community project. Scale bar shows 2km.

Other shorebird species observed: N/A. Beach/foreshore synthesis and assessment: Very low numbers of shorebirds observed during CCNRM community shorebird project over five years. Poor resident shorebird habitat is likely responsible, unknown disturbance regime for foreshore but believed to be significant during the summer months. Proposed/assessed priority: N/A.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 112

Date

RCPL Juv Ch

HOPL Juv Ch

PIOY Juv Ch

SOOY Juv Ch

FATE Tot

LITE Tot

SMTE Tot

2010.03 2010.11

2011.03

2011.11

2012.03

2012.11

2013.03

2013.11

2014.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 CCNRM community survey data, West Head beaches from November 2010 (2010.11) to March 2014 (2014.03). Abbreviations used: Red-capped Plover (RCPL), Hooded Plover (HOPL), Pied Oystercatcher (PIOY), Sooty Oystercatcher (SOOY), Fairy Tern (FATE), Little Tern (LITE) and small tern – Fairy and/or Little Tern (SMTE). Counts are of adults (Ad), Juveniles (Juv) and Chicks (Ch). Data provided by CCNRM, 2014. Previous BOAT/Birds Tasmania survey data, 1982 – 1996. Nil available.

Cradle Coast NRM Resident Shorebirds, BirdLife Tasmania Report

Page 113