On Monday 17 March, we held the first of our 8 “Tread Lightly” events supported by a QLD Government Engaging Science Grant.
After postponing our event due to Cyclone Alfred, on a perfect Noosa morning, we were finally onboard two ‘O’ Boats, under the expert and knowledgeable guidance of Russ Lamb, supported by John Bloomfield. We learnt about the amazing migratory Shorebirds who fly from Alaska and Siberia for our summer and how critical to their return journey are Sand Island and its sand-spits in the Noosa River estuary. It is so important that disturbances by boats, people, dogs must be kept to a minimum. We learnt how to ID the different Shorebird species and the ‘theory’ of how to count them. That is not something to master without LOTS of practice, even with a large Scope and Binoculars.
We learnt to conduct a survey to QWSG protocols and how to conduct a disturbance survey to HLW standard.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the immersive experience. A big thanks to our guides Russ and John.
Also thanks to Yanni Van Zijl for the photos.
