Protecting shorebirds on Bruny Island

Name: Codi
Price range: $

Bruny Island

Protecting beach birds is not just about focusing on where they might be when they’re breeding. It's about saying – “these birds occupy many beaches.”

For example when the Hooded Plovers are getting ready to breed, you’ll find groups of them - four or five birds that haven’t paired off yet. But they’re moving up and down various beaches quite a lot, particularly at Adventure Bay, down at Cloudy Bay, or on parts of Neck Beach. There are quite a few on the island, in various places. Similarly, Oystercatchers hate human disturbance when it's a constant presence. So dogs, cars and the other many types of human disturbance can disturb and disrupt their breeding. Protecting these shorebirds is not just about thinking of where they are breeding right now, but about all of the habitat and coastline they frequent.

Pied Oystercatchter Warwick Berry — Pied Oystercatcher. One of Bruny Island's shorebirds. Image: Warwick Berry

When the Hooded plovers are getting ready to breed, you’ll find groups of them - four or five birds that haven’t paired off yet. But they’re moving up and down various beaches quite a lot.

Bob Graham

Bob Graham is a professional geographer and convenor of the Bruny Island Environment Network

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Protecting beach birds is not just about focusing on where they might be when they’re breeding. It's about saying – “these birds occupy many beaches.”

When the Hooded plovers are getting ready to breed, you’ll find groups of them - four or five birds that haven’t paired off yet. But they’re moving up and down various beaches quite a lot.