Report on the 2014 Biennial Hooded Plover Count

Joris Driessen and Grainne Maguire

Contents

Summary ................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3

Methods..................................................................................................................... 4 Coordination ......................................................................................................... 4 Survey Design ...................................................................................................... 4 Consistency and Comparability ............................................................................... 5 Use of Defined Routes ........................................................................................... 5 Threat Assessment ................................................................................................ 6 Database ............................................................................................................. 8 GIS ..................................................................................................................... 8 Analysis ............................................................................................................... 8

Results ...................................................................................................................... 10 Survey timing and effort ........................................................................................ 10 Overall Beach-nesting Shorebird numbers ................................................................ 10 Breeding terns ...................................................................................................... 18 Banded and flagged birds ....................................................................................... 18 Regional overviews ............................................................................................... 18 Hooded Plover Coverage and densities ..................................................................... 27 Threat assessments............................................................................................... 34 Invasive weeds ..................................................................................................... 39 Volunteers ........................................................................................................... 40

DISCUSSION and Recommendations ......................................................................... 42 Improving methodology ......................................................................................... 42 Habitat coverage ................................................................................................... 42 Unsuitable habitat ................................................................................................. 43 Development of an online data portal ...................................................................... 44 The value of data .................................................................................................. 45 What weed is that? ............................................................................................... 45 Surveying remote coastlines ................................................................................... 46 Flagged and banded birds ...................................................................................... 46 Targeted surveys .................................................................................................. 47

Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ 48

References .................................................................................................................. 52

APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 54

1

SUMMARY

The Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis rubricollis) Biennial Count, occurring in even

years since 1980, mobilises hundreds of volunteers across eastern mainland Australia to

survey suitable ocean beach habitat for Hooded Plovers (eastern subspecies) in a matter

of weeks. The timing and structure of this count enables us to census the Hooded Plover

(Eastern) mainland population. During this count, all other species of beach-nesting

shorebirds are recorded, enabling an assessment of the use of ocean beach habitats by

these species. Fixed routes, first established in 2010, are used so that direct

comparisons of abundance can be made across years. During the 2014 count:

2,493.5 kilometres of suitable coastline (i.e. Hooded Plover habitat) was identified

in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, of which 94% was surveyed;

A total of 1,412 Hooded Plovers (1,342 adults and 70 juveniles) were counted,

comprising approximately 47% of the world population (eastern subspecies) and

close to 95% of the mainland breeding population;

Regionally, Hooded Plover numbers were distributed as follows:

o In Victoria (84% of habitat surveyed): 585 Hooded Plovers (569 adults

and 16 juveniles).

o In South Australia (98% of habitat surveyed): 775 Hooded Plovers (722

adults and 53 juveniles).

o In New South Wales (98% of habitat surveyed): 52 Hooded Plovers (51

adults and 1 juvenile).

A comparison with the 2012 count (1,248 birds) revealed there were 164 more Hooded

Plovers during the 2014 count. This apparent increase is largely a result of increased

coverage in South Australia, where nearly full coverage of known suitable habitat was

achieved for the first time. This is why this report does not make comparisons of

numbers without adjusting for survey effort.

In comparison to the 2012 Count, there appeared to be significantly fewer Hooded

Plovers between Yambuk and Swan Lake and Discovery Bay in Victoria (both areas of

© Glenn Ehmke

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concern in the past). Areas where Hooded Plover increases were apparent, after

controlling for survey effort, included areas between the NSW Border and Point Hicks

(East Gippsland) and Queenscliff to Lorne in Victoria.

The highest densities of Hooded Plovers were recorded between between Warrnambool

and Yambuk (2.44 birds/km), the Mornington Peninsula (2.15), Kangaroo Island (1.4),

the Bass Coast, between San Remo to Inverloch (1.63), Phillip Island (1.19), Princetown

to Warrnambool (1.14), Venus Bay (1.04) and the Yorke Peninsula (0.75).

3

INTRODUCTION

The Biennial Hooded Plover Counts began in 1980, initiated by the Australasian Wader

Studies Group. It is a census-style count which occurs over a single weekend in mid-

November. The timing coincides with when most Hooded Plovers are firmly established

on their breeding territories, lessening the possibility of double counting. The Count has

always included Victorian and South Australian coastlines, and in recent years it has

expanded to include most of the NSW coastline as far north as Jervis Bay. The Count

does not include the Tasmanian coastline as BirdLife Tasmania surveys the Tasmanian

coastline, broken into regions, over varying timeframes according to logistical

constraints.

This report details the results of the 2014 Hooded Plover Biennial Count, held on 15–16th

November 2014. The Count was successful with many regions experiencing ideal

weather conditions. A total of 426 volunteers undertook 554 surveys, totalling

approximately 1,016 hours of surveying (not including travel to and from their survey

routes), covering 2,339 kilometres (94%) of suitable coastline habitat, from 250

kilometres west of Ceduna in SA to just south of Jervis Bay in NSW.

Currently, the population of the eastern subspecies of the Hooded Plover (Thinornis

rubricollis rubricollis) which occurs in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South

Wales, is estimated at 3,000 birds, and listed as Vulnerable C1 by The State of

Australian Birds 2010 (Garnett et al. 2011). In late 2014 the species was listed on the

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act),

recognising its ongoing plight and the need for more extensive measures to improve its

conservation status.

The population in Victoria has previously been estimated at between 450 and 550 birds,

based on counts in 2006-2010. In NSW, the population is estimated at 50 birds, on the

basis of regular surveys during the breeding season, and in South Australia, estimates of

between 600 and 800 in the population have been made based on data from Biennial

Counts plus extrapolations made for areas not surveyed.

4

METHODS

Coordination

A coordinator based at BirdLife Australia manages the biennial count and they are

primarily responsible for liaising with regional coordinators, volunteers and land

managers to ensure the count occurs within the same timeframe across three states. A

major component of the coordinator’s role is to ensure all the data collected is sent in

and collated, entered, vetted, analysed and mapped; this all occurs within a short

timeframe. The coordinator then collates this information into a report. In 2014, the

coordinator was Joris Driessen.

Survey Design

No changes were made to the well-established survey methods. In summary, volunteers

were asked to survey a predefined section of beach in mid-November 2014 in suitable

weather and tide conditions, recording all observations of beach-nesting birds, including

terns. To avoid double-counting, survey routes were counted in one direction only.

Information on nesting evidence, threats and invasive weeds was also collected.

The data sheets used by surveyors in 2014 were virtually identical to those used in

previous counts, the single difference being the addition of recording space for

observations of breeding tern species.

Although changes to the data sheets were designed to reduce inconsistencies, there was

still a strong need for data vetting, especially with the GPS coordinates. There are

different datums available on hand held GPS units and the biennial count instructions

and data sheets contained examples of what the datum should look like. Decimal

degrees was used as the preferred datum (DDD.DDDDD°; -38.540903° 145.438145°) as

much of our data is collected in this datum to allow for consistency between years. Much

of the data came back with degrees minutes seconds (DDD° MM' SS.S“; -38°32'27.25"S

145°26'17.32"E), degrees and decimal minutes (DDD° MM.MMM; -38° 32.454'S 145°

26.289'E) and Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM; 55 H 363882.80 m E 5733011.78 m

S). These examples are all the same spot on a map, just written in the different datum.

Not only does this require the use of conversion calculators, where an element of

accuracy is lost during the conversion, it slows data processing dramatically.

To make matters more complex, in approximately 20% of surveys coordinates were

recorded in a different format than actually read off the GPS – e.g. GPS locations in

degrees and decimal minutes were written down in a decimal degrees format.

5

Where there was an error in transcribing the GPS coordinate onto the data sheet and

there was no marked map attached, the participant would be contacted directly.

Participants were contacted during the data entry period, December 2014 to May 2015,

by which time people did not always recall exact locations of sightings. Where insufficient

detail was available observations were plotted along the mid-point of the survey route.

All survey observations were vetted for anomalies and queried where required, ensuring

a high level of data quality.

Consistency and Comparability

Although Hooded Plover biennial counts have been undertaken since 1980, the capacity

to compare each count over time has been limited (Glover, 2008), particularly because

in earlier years there was no determination of the lengths and proportions of suitable

habitat surveyed on each count. The 2010 biennial count was the first to report the

length of suitable coastline surveyed and to relate this to the density of birds observed.

From continuing these methods, it is now possible to make further meaningful

interpretations of what these numbers might mean between years. As described in Ewers

et al. (2011) it is essential to be able to quantify the length of the coastline surveyed in

order to interpret the numbers.

Use of Defined Routes

For the purposes of organising such an extensive census, the entire coastline of the

south-eastern mainland of Australia was divided into 24 regions. These regions are

based on historical count regions, and often land management or NRM boundaries. They

are not equal in size or habitat availability.

In 2010 there were 23 regions, and in 2012 it was decided to separate the Eyre

Peninsula and Far West South Australia (Ceduna and West) due to the vastness and

remoteness of these locations, creating a 24th region. These regions will remain the

same for future counts. Each region was assigned one to two coordinators (local land

managers or volunteers) who organised participants to survey the routes in their region.

In many cases coordinators have fulfilled the same role for several biennial counts,

providing much needed local knowledge and consistency across years. Regional

coordinators were asked to assign people to survey as many of the routes as possible,

and to inform the count coordinator if any routes were not covered.

Using the 2012 set of route start and finish points, each regional coordinator was

provided with maps for the routes in their region. Each map covered what appeared to

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be suitable Hooded Plover habitat based on historical range, expert knowledge and

assessment of habitat features (typically high energy/surf beaches backed by dunes). In

2010, extensive feedback from regional coordinators was collated to modify routes to

exclude non-suitable habitat. These have become the established set of routes for all

future counts.

The benefits of following this process were:

1) Simplified coordination. Having clear maps and a corresponding set of start- and

finish-coordinates for each route will make it easier for coordinators to match-up

volunteers with survey routes. It also made it clearer and simpler for volunteers

to survey their routes. In 2014 route start and end points were superimposed on

snapshots of Google Maps aerial images to create basic survey maps.

2) Routes not surveyed twice or overlooked. This potential problem was particularly

relevant at the boundaries of neighbouring regions during earlier counts, but is no

longer considered an issue.

3) Standardised surveys. It is easier to get meaningful data from the survey results

when using the same routes for each count. If a route is not surveyed in a

particular year, then at least we will know which routes were not surveyed and

we can take this into consideration when determining temporal changes and

explaining discrepancies in numbers.

This was the third count where fixed routes have been used, and with feedback from

participants and regional coordinators, minor changes were made to routes, and several

new beaches added in regions with less historical knowledge of the species range (e.g.

Eyre Peninsula). In some areas there is probably a case to be made for removing certain

beaches from the standard list or to reduce survey effort in areas of low habitat quality,

and very low bird densities (see Discussion).

Threat Assessment

Of as much value as understanding the abundance and distribution of Hooded Plovers

and other beach-nesters on ocean beaches is having an understanding of the threat

levels to which each site where these birds occur (observation location) is exposed.

Effective conservation management is built around mitigating threats at breeding sites,

so that it is critical to know what these threats are and how threatened sites are relative

to one another.

7

While a proportion of the mainland population is monitored intensively during the

breeding season and threats are recorded during each visit using the MyBeachBird online

portal, for other sites that are rarely visited, the biennial count provides an opportunity

to assess the range and relative severity of threats that the birds may be encountering.

Volunteers were asked to note all of the key threats present on the beach whenever a

beach-nesting bird was observed within 100m distance of the observation. This data is

used to devise a crude scoring system for threats at sites and to devise heat maps to

signal how threatened the birds at these sites are.

The threat score was calculated on the basis of the presence and type of threat:

5= Vehicles/

Horses/Stock/Deer

4= Dogs off leash/

Dune use

3 = Dogs on leash/

Evidence of People/Dog

prints/Cats/Foxes

Threat types are scored individually and summed to provide an overall score for a

particular observation. In case of vehicles, for which three subtypes exist (4WD, trail

bike, quad bike), the presence of each of these is scored separately. Similarly, ‘evidence

of people’ consists of two subtypes: presence of human prints above the high tide line

and presence of people on the beach.

Threats given a score of higher than 3 are rated as having a greater impact because

they:

a. have multiple impacts on the birds, their eggs and chicks;

b. are generally present across a greater cross-section of the birds’ habitat (i.e.

water’s edge, beach and dunes);

c. are more difficult to mitigate (e.g. roaming deer, unregulated horse or vehicle

access), and;

d. are known to inhibit successful breeding.

Five score categories were used, in line with the 2012 Biennial Count (Mead et al. 2013),

ranging from very low threat levels (green) to extreme threat levels (purple, generally

only encountered in a suburban beach context or at a recreational hotspot):

Green, score of 3;

Yellow, score of 4-8;

Orange, score of 9-13;

8

Red, score of 14-23; and,

Purple, score of 24 or more.

Through grouping the threat scores into fixed categories for each biennial count

approximate trends in threat levels across regions and years emerges. This is useful

both as a high level indicator – i.e. trends in threat levels across different states – as

well as a local conservation management aid.

Database

A Microsoft Access database was custom-built to manage the count data and standardize

data entry, thereby reducing any potential for data entry errors. Count data were

entered directly into the database by the national coordinator. The intention is for

historical data (in excel formats) to be amalgamated into the database in the future.

GIS

All existing survey routes were digitised in a GIS (Geographic Information System)

environment, using ArcGIS 10.3. Existing spatial coastline data was used to provide an

accurate basis for the complexity of the coastline along each route – i.e. each route was

digitised in accordance with the layout of the landscape, not ‘as the crow flies’.

Subsequently all surveyed and non-surveyed routes (or sections thereof) were similarly

digitised in GIS, providing an overview of regional coverage.

Count data (observations) were imported into ArcGIS to allow for the creation of maps

as well as spatial querying of the dataset.

Analysis

Bird densities were calculated for each region using a Generalised Linear Modelling

(GLM) approach with a quasi-Poisson error distribution and log-link function (Crawley

2007). The choice of error distribution aimed to account for the moderately high number

of zero counts, which meant that data were over-dispersed. The null model was fitted to

the individual route count, with the surveyed length for each route included as an offset,

so that output was in terms of densities (i.e. number of birds per unit length, kilometres)

rather than simply counts. The null model includes no explanatory variables and simply

fits the intercept to the route counts, and so gives the mean value with the associated

standard error. The GLM was run twice, once weighted by transect length so that shorter

transects make a smaller contribution to the calculation of the mean than longer

9

transects, and once without weights so that all routes in a region contribute equally to

the mean. Although the latter is less robust, these values were used in the report to

enable comparison with previous biennial counts and use our limited time and resources

as efficiently as possible. Future analysis of historical data should ideally use weighted

mean calculations. Mean densities with 95% confidence intervals and standard errors

were calculated across routes for each region. These analyses were carried out in the R

statistical software package (version 3.1.1; R Core Team 2014).

10

RESULTS

Survey timing and effort

Two of the key aspects of the Biennial Count are the timing of the count and the time

span within which data is collected. As the count is timed to coincide with the peak of the

breeding season – or at least that part of the season during which territory occupancy is

highest – bird movements are likely to be minimal. However, if the survey window were

to be particularly wide, the risk of such movements would increase (e.g. as a result of

failed breeding for example). It is therefore particularly important that the bulk of the

census is undertaken in as short a time frame as possible.

The vast majority of surveys were undertaken in the second and third week of

November, coinciding with the count target weekend (Figure 1). In fact, during the count

weekend 42% of all data was collected. Within four days – the day before to the day

after the count weekend – 56% of all data was collected, while 75% of all biennial count

data was collected within 8 days. This remarkable effort across the three states resulted

in 95% of all data being collected during November.

Figure 1. Distribution of 2014 biennial count surveys in time.

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Overall Beach-nesting Shorebird numbers

A total of 1,412 Hooded Plovers were counted (1,342 adults and 70 juveniles) across

94% of suitable coastline of south-eastern mainland Australia (Table 1). The 2014 count

covered approximately 95% of the mainland population, providing the most complete

11

picture of Hooded Plover population size across all three states to date. In a global

context, counts for Hooded Plover, Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus), Sooty

Oystercatcher (Haematopus fuliginosus) and Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus

longirostris) represent internationally important numbers (Table 1). While the count is

not intended to census the populations of the latter three species, it does reveal that

ocean beach habitats on the eastern mainland provide important habitat, in particular for

nearly 20% of the population of both oystercatcher species.

Table 1. Overview of 2014 biennial count results in an international context.

Hooded Plover Red-capped

plover Pied

oystercatcher Sooty

oystercatcher

Victoria 585 378 627 139

South Australia 775 3,676 1,293 552

NSW 52 103 110 54

Total 1,412 4,157 2,030 745

Global population* 3,000 95,000 11,000 4,000

Importance 47% 4% 18% 19%

*population estimates from BirdLife International (2015)

A regional and state breakdown of total counts for these four species for the 2014 count

is presented in Table 2.

As in previous counts the regions supporting particularly important numbers of Hooded

Plover are Warrnambool to Yambuk (VIC), Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and Eyre

Peninsula (all SA) (Table 2, Figures 2a and b).

Juvenile Hooded Plovers made up approximately 4.9% of the count total. Given the

timing of the count within the breeding season, only August to mid September nesters

would have flying juveniles by mid November. These would be the earliest nesting

attempts and so the proportion of juveniles is not unexpected. Interestingly, Kangaroo

Island (10.5% of count made up of juveniles) and Eyre Peninsula (7.3% of count made

up of juveniles), had a higher proportion of juveniles than elsewhere. This may indicate

that perhaps more pairs begin nesting earlier in the season in these regions, or that

survival of chicks is higher in these regions.

The relative number of Red-capped Plovers on ocean beaches of South Australia is

considerably higher than on Victorian ocean beaches (Table 2, Figures 3a and b). The

species occurs in its thousands on ocean beaches between Ceduna and Yorke Peninsula

(SA) compared to being infrequent inhabitants of ocean beaches along the Victorian

coastline.

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Pied Oystercatcher distribution is strongly biased towards South Australia and east

Victoria (Corner Inlet), areas which individually support internationally important

numbers (exceeding 1% of the global population) (Table 2, Figures 4a and b). Sooty

Oystercatcher distribution is most concentrated around the western coast of South

Australia and the rocky coastline between Waratah Bay and Wilsons Promontory in

Victoria, albeit at much lower densities than Pied Oystercatchers (Table 2, Figures 5a

and b).

A Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) was recorded in East Gippsland, out of its

normal breeding range. There have been reports of Beach Stone-curlews in four different

locations in VIC and SA during 2014 and 2015, and it is therefore likely a number of

individuals have dispersed south.

13

Table 2. Results of the 2014 Biennial Count for beach-nesting bird species (by state and region).

REGION Hooded Plover Red-capped Plover Pied Oystercatcher Sooty Oystercatcher

Adult Juv. Total Adult Juv. Total Adult Juv. Total Adult Juv. Total

Victoria

1. NSW Border to Point Hicks 28 2 30 41 1 42 41 0 41 8 0 8

2. Mueller River to Lake Tyers 34 2 36 49 0 49 102 3 105 4 0 4

3. Lake Tyers to Seaspray 5 0 5 0 0 0 14 0 14 0 0 0

4. Seaspray to Corner Inlet 20 0 20 99 0 99 242 2 244 1 0 1

5. Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay 50 2 52 8 0 8 10 0 10 45 0 45

6. Venus Bay 42 0 42 1 0 1 5 0 5 20 1 21

7. Inverloch to San Remo 55 1 56 4 0 4 3 0 3 8 0 8

8. Phillip Island 45 0 45 15 4 19 16 0 16 17 0 17

9. Mornington Peninsula 42 2 44 11 0 11 3 0 3 14 0 14

10. Queenscliff to Lorne 41 2 43 54 3 57 3 0 3 2 0 2

11. Lorne to Princetown 24 4 28 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 1

12. Princetown to Warrnambool 19 1 20 38 0 38 2 0 2 0 0 0

13. Warrnambool to Yambuk 122 0 122 40 0 40 35 0 35 15 0 15

14. Yambuk to Swan Lake 33 0 33 5 0 5 36 0 36 3 0 3

15. Discovery Bay 9 0 9 5 0 5 107 0 107 0 0 0

VIC Total 569 16 585 370 8 378 621 5 626 138 1 139

South Australia

16. South East SA 45 2 47 194 0 194 85 4 89 14 0 14

17. Coorong 21 0 21 67 18 85 109 0 109 0 0 0

18. Fleurieu Peninsula 42 0 42 37 7 44 20 0 20 9 0 9

19. Kangaroo Island 179 21 200 48 0 48 171 5 176 55 0 55

20. Yorke Peninsula 236 12 248 933 75 1,008 125 1 126 77 0 77

21. Eyre Peninsula 165 13 178 672 63 735 414 13 427 235 0 235

22. Far West SA 34 5 39 1505 57 1,562 335 1 336 162 0 162

SA Total 722 53 775 3,456 220 3,676 1,259 24 1,283 552 0 552

New South Wales

23. NSW South 24 0 24 79 5 84 83 3 86 16 0 16

24. NSW North 27 1 28 19 0 19 24 0 24 38 0 38

NSW Total 51 1 52 98 5 103 107 3 110 54 0 54

Grand Total 1,342 70 1,412 3,924 233 4,157 1,987 32 2,019 744 1 745

14

Figure 2. Hooded Plover counts and densities by region (adult birds only) for the 2014

Biennial Count. Densities are unweighted, 95% confidence limits are also provided. Regions

are arranged from west to east for ease of interpretation.

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Peninsula (MOR) is based on pair monitoring data, no CLs are presented.

15

Figure 3. Red-capped Plover counts and densities by region (adult birds only) for the 2014

Biennial Count. Densities are unweighted, 95% confidence limits are also provided. Regions

are arranged from west to east for ease of interpretation.

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Figure 4. Pied Oystercatcher counts and densities by region (adult birds only) for the 2014

Biennial Count. Densities are unweighted, 95% confidence limits are also provided. Regions

are arranged from west to east for ease of interpretation.

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Figure 5. Sooty Oystercatcher counts and densities by region (adult birds only) for the 2014

Biennial Count. Densities are unweighted, 95% confidence limits are also provided. Regions

are arranged from west to east for ease of interpretation.

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18

Breeding terns

A total of 48 observations of four breeding tern species were recorded: Caspian Tern

(Hydroprogne caspia), Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii), Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis) and

Little Tern (Sternula albifrons). Other non-breeding tern species were casually recorded

but are not considered here as these are not the focus of the count. A breakdown of

nesting evidence is provided in Table 3.

Table 3. Total number of terns and numbers for which nesting evidence was recorded

Species Total Chicks Eggs Scrape Suspect nest

Caspian tern 195 50 100 - -

Crested tern 789 - 700 - -

Fairy tern 93 - 14 10 38

Little tern 64 - 12 40 -

Banded and flagged birds

A total of 242 observations of banded or flagged beach-nesting birds were received. Of

these 208 observations were of Hooded Plovers, 24 of Pied Oystercatchers and 5 of

Sooty Oystercatchers. Approximately 75% of observations involved fully read flag codes

or band combinations. This type of data is invaluable and contributes towards an ever

increasing understanding of bird survival and movements.

Regional overviews

Region 1 – NSW Border to Point Hicks (East Gippsland), VIC

Surveys in Region 1 achieved full coverage in the span of eight days. Special thanks to

Tony Mitchell for coordinating this difficult to access zone and organizing boat access/car

shuffles to remote sites. A total of 30 Hooded Plovers (including two juveniles) were

recorded, compared to 20 adult birds in 2012 (99% coverage). The well-established

breeding pair at Mallacoota airport managed to breed successfully again. The other three

species were present in similar numbers in comparison to the 2012 count. A flagged

Hooded Plover from the NSW population was recorded in the east of the region.

19

Region 2 – Mueller River to Lake Tyers, VIC

Despite logistical difficulties associated with the remoteness of this coastline, surveys in

Region 2 achieved 90% coverage in the span of two weeks, particularly as a result of

Len and Jacquie Axen tireless efforts and Tony Mitchell’s coordination of access to sites

with a number of authorities in the area. A total of 36 Hooded Plovers (including two

juveniles) were recorded, compared to 27 birds in 2012 (40% coverage). The other

three species were present in similar numbers in comparison to the 2012 count. A

particularly exciting find was a Beach Stone-curlew, a first for the region during a

biennial count.

Breeding Little Terns were recorded along Corringle Beach to Snowy River Mouth and

Tamboon Inlet to Sydenham Inlet (three and two pairs, respectively).

Region 3 – Lake Tyers to Seaspray, VIC

As a result of logistical issues with quad bike access on 90 Mile Beach, survey coverage

in Region 3 was poor, the only region in 2014 to have lower coverage compared to the

previous count.

A total of five Hooded Plovers were recorded. There were 14 birds in 2012 when 89%

coverage was achieved and 8 birds in 2010 when 55% was achieved. If numbers are

assumed stable in the region, we can assume that 10-12 birds were missed this count.

The other three species were present in similarly low numbers in comparison to the 2012

count. This region tends to have the lowest densities of beach-nesting birds along the

southeastern Australian coastline.

Region 4 –Seaspray to Corner Inlet, VIC

Despite the difficult logistics of this region, consisting of long remote stretches of

coastline in the east as well as a number of uninhabited islands requiring access by boat,

coverage in Region 4 was excellent, particularly as a result of Park Victoria’s Jonathon

Stevenson’s enduring efforts.

A total of 20 Hooded Plovers were recorded, compared to 24 birds in 2012. Red-capped

Plovers and Pied Oystercatchers appeared in strong numbers within the region. Sooty

Oystercatchers were present in very low numbers, comparable to the 2012 count.

20

Little Terns (six pairs) were recorded breeding on Dream Island, while known colonies of

Crested Terns (200 nests) and Caspian Terns (15 nests) were counted on Clonmell

Island.

Region 5 –Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay, VIC

Despite the access difficulties of this region due to the rough terrain, a joint coordination

effort between Parks Victoria and BirdLife Australia managed to achieve 92% coverage, a

first in the history of the biennial count. With the help of several volunteers, including

the Friends of the Prom and Parks Victoria staff, suitable habitat was surveyed within

four days. The northeast side of the Prom - 3 Mile Beach and north - required an

overnight hike and was formally surveyed for the first time as part of the biennial count.

Making the effort particularly rewarding was the discovery of six Hooded Plover breeding

pairs (including a flagged bird) in this section.

A total of 52 Hooded Plovers (including two juveniles) were recorded. In 2012, lower

coverage was achieved and 44 birds were recorded. The other three species were

present in similar numbers in comparison to the previous count.

A pair of Caspian Terns was recorded in the northeast of the national park.

Region 6 – Venus Bay, VIC

Surveys in Region 6 achieved full coverage in the span of 6 days. A total of 42 Hooded

Plovers were recorded, compared to 33 birds in 2012 (95% coverage). The other three

species were present in similar numbers in comparison to the 2012 count.

Region 7 – San Remo to Inverloch, VIC

Surveys along the Bass Coast achieved full coverage in the span of 5 days. A total of 56

Hooded Plovers (including one juvenile) were recorded, up from 47 birds in 2012 (97%

coverage). The three other shorebird species were present in similar numbers in

comparison to the 2012 count.

Region 8 – Phillip Island, VIC

Surveys on Phillip Island achieved near full coverage in the span of a single day. Phillip

Island Nature Park undertakes regular whole-island surveys, and worked the biennial

count into their schedule. A total of 45 Hooded Plovers were recorded, up from 43 birds

in 2012 (100% coverage). Slightly lower numbers of Sooty Oystercatcher were recorded,

21

while the other species were present in similar numbers in comparison to the 2012

count.

Region 9 – Mornington Peninsula, VIC

Surveys along the Peninsula achieved very good coverage (96%) in the span of one day,

with only Weerona Bay not surveyed. Quarterly Hooded Plover counts are undertaken on

the Peninsula by local volunteers, with the biennial count routinely fitted in with the

ongoing monitoring.

A total of 44 Hooded Plovers (including two juveniles) were recorded, substantially down

from 71 birds in 2012. This is the one region where we know that this is not a real

decline, based on our intensive breeding monitoring within the park that reveals a stable

population of 34 pairs. Instead, on one route, insufficient time was spent counting birds

while on another route count protocols were overlooked. This underlines the importance

of collecting data in a consistent and well-organised manner. The other three species

were present in similar numbers in comparison to the 2012 count. Data analysis in this

report used the breeding monitoring data (from November 2014) to calculate Hooded

Plover densities on the Peninsula.

Region 10 – Queenscliff to Lorne, VIC

Surveys on the Bellarine Peninsula achieved very good coverage (89%) in the span of

eight days. A total of 43 Hooded Plovers (including two juveniles) were recorded, up

from 31 birds in 2012. This is known to be a genuine increase, as 2015 saw the

appearance of five new breeding pairs in what is a heavily monitored region during the

breeding season (BirdLife Australia’s MyBeachBird database). Red-capped plover

numbers increased slightly since the last count, while other beach-nesting shorebird

species were present in similar numbers in comparison to 2012. No data was received

from one route, although this is along a stretch which has not yielded Hooded Plovers in

2010 or 2012 and therefore it is unlikely that a significant number of birds was missed.

Region 11 – Lorne to Princetown, VIC

Surveys in Region 11 resulted in excellent coverage (93%) in the span of four days, with

a single beach surveyed in early December. A total of 28 Hooded Plovers (including four

22

juveniles) were recorded, compared to 23 birds in 2012 (62% coverage). The other

three species were present in very similar numbers in comparison to the 2012 count.

Region 12 – Princetown to Warrnambool, VIC

Surveys in Region 12 resulted in good coverage (86%) in the span of 2.5 weeks, with

only part of Princetown Beach not surveyed. A total of 20 Hooded Plovers (including one

juvenile) were recorded, similar to the count of 19 birds in 2012. Red-capped Plover

numbers increased slightly since the last count, while the other species were present in

similar numbers in comparison to 2012.

Region 13 –Warrnambool to Yambuk, VIC

Surveys in Region 13 resulted in full coverage in the span of five days. A total of 122

Hooded Plovers were recorded, up from 98 adult birds in 2012 (100% coverage). This

increase is unlikely to be genuine, as it is suspected that birds from this region resided in

Discovery Bay in 2012 (see below). Furthermore, full coverage in 2010 yielded 124 adult

birds, indicating that the 2014 results are a return to normal population levels for the

region. Red-capped Plover and Pied Oystercatcher numbers increased slightly compared

to the 2012 count, while sooty oystercatcher number were stable.

Region 14 –Yambuk to Swan Lake, VIC

Surveys in Region 14 resulted in good coverage (73%) over three days, with only

Bridgewater Bay West not surveyed. Parks Victoria ranger Marcel Hoog-Antink and

volunteer Ric Ressom, again, single-handedly covered most of the region on quad bike.

The eastern end of Discovery Bay between Swan Lake and Cape Bridgewater was only

partially surveyed as a collapsed dune face prevented access by quad. In future counts,

the possibility of surveying this stretch on foot should be explored, as this route provides

11 km of suitable habitat and has now not been surveyed for several years due to

inaccessibility for the quad bike.

A total of 33 Hooded Plovers were recorded, down from 41 birds in 2012 (note that the

2012 report erroneously reported the presence of 33 birds in this region during that

count). A long term decline for this region has been suspected for some time (pers.

comm. R. Ressom, Mead et al. 2013). The 2014 count missed two pairs on beaches

known to have been occupied in late 2014 (Crumpets Beach in Portland and Whites

Beach in Discovery Bay, BirdLife Australia’s MyBeachBird Database), and therefore the

difference with the 2012 results at least is relatively small and possibly within the margin

23

of ‘error’ one might expect at a regional level for a census such as the biennial count.

Pied Oystercatcher numbers were slightly lower than in 2012, while the other two

species were present in similar numbers.

Region 15 –Discovery Bay, VIC

Surveys in Region 15 resulted in full coverage in the span of two days. Parks Victoria

ranger Dave Ryan once again undertook the entire count by quad bike.

A total of nine adult Hooded Plovers were recorded, substantially down from 33 adult

birds in 2012 (note that the 2012 report erroneously reported the presence of 41 birds in

this region during that count). Discovery Bay has seen remarkable fluctuations in

population numbers over the past years, possibly acting as a refuge area for

aggregations of (non-breeding) floaters in some years. No intensive nest monitoring

occurs within this park so that we do not know how many of the birds in this region are

breeding pairs compared to how many may be floaters. Pied Oystercatcher numbers

were slightly higher than in 2012, while the other two species were present in similar

numbers.

Region 16 –Southeast SA

Surveys in Region 16 resulted in excellent coverage (99%) over four days, with only

small sections not surveyed. A total of 47 Hooded Plovers (including two juveniles) were

recorded, which is fewer than the 64 birds in 2012. This decrease is related almost

entirely to one route, and when comparing survey effort, it appears that 20% less time

was spent surveying this route during the 2014 count. Compared to the previous count

Red-capped Plover numbers were slightly down, Pied Oystercatchers slightly up and

while no appreciable change occurred in Sooty Oystercatcher numbers.

Region 17 – Coorong, SA

Rangers from DEWNR surveyed nearly the entire Coorong in the span of a single day,

with only a section between 42 Mile Crossing and Tea Tree Crossing not surveyed. This

section is a heavily trafficked stretch of coastline (public car access points at both

crossings) and although it is patrolled several times a week, no sightings of beach-

nesting birds have been made for several years (pers. comm. C. Thompson). It is

therefore safe to assume no substantial amount of occupied beach habitat has been

missed during the 2014 count.

24

A total of 21 adult Hooded Plovers were recorded, exactly the same number seen in

2012. Numbers of the three other species were slightly down in comparison to 2012

(94% coverage).

During shorebird counts undertaken in early March 2015 in the Coorong– i.e. during the

post-breeding season – as many as 20 adult Hooded Plovers were recorded in several

flocks on mudflats and shingle banks in the coastal lagoons (pers. obs. J. Driessen).

Region 18 – Fleurieu Peninsula, SA

Surveys in Region 18 resulted in full coverage within 12 days. A total of 42 adult Hooded

Plovers were recorded, compared to 34 adult birds in 2012 (97% coverage), probably

largely as a result of the inclusion of a few beaches not previously counted. Intensive

monitoring of sites during the breeding season has revealed that the number of breeding

pairs on the Fleurieu Peninsula has actually declined in recent years, but there are quite

a few non-breeding individuals and floaters that use sites along this peninsula. Red-

capped Plover numbers were slightly up from 2012, while the other species were present

in similar numbers to the previous count.

Region 19 – Kangaroo Island, SA

Kangaroo Island was nearly covered in its entirety (98%), with the addition of a dozen

remote beaches with historical or potential Hooded Plover presence. Coordinator Jane

Renwick’s substantial efforts in mobilizing volunteers led to coverage being achieved

within 11 days, with only a few short sections not surveyed. Some restructuring of

existing routes took place to make surveys logistically easier for future counts.

A total of 200 Hooded Plovers (including 21 juveniles) were recorded, compared to 185

birds in 2012. Clearly the island remains a hugely important stronghold for the species,

with the relatively low human population density and the remoteness of many of its

beaches providing relatively undisturbed breeding habitat. In recent years, some nest

monitoring has been undertaken, and this is revealing that breeding success is not as

high as initially expected and further monitoring of breeding is recommended to

understand the pressures this population faces. Compared to the previous count Red-

capped Plover and Pied Oystercatcher numbers were slightly down, while no appreciable

change in Sooty Oystercatcher numbers has occurred since 2012.

25

Region 20 – Yorke Peninsula, SA

Prior to the count, BirdLife Australia held several workshops, sponsored by Natural

Resources Northern and Yorke Peninsula, to try and increase volunteer participation in

the count. A subsequent huge effort by Deborah Furbank (DEWNR) to maintain volunteer

engagement and to maximise coverage on the Pensinula yielded the highest coverage to

date, and the most comprehensive baseline for the area, as very few sections were not

covered.

A total of 248 Hooded Plovers (including 12 juveniles) were recorded, compared to 227

birds in 2012, largely as a result of increased coverage (95% total coverage). Of

particular interest was the nesting attempt of a pair of Hooded Plovers at Lister Lake, 13

km from the nearest ocean beach. Counts for the other three species were all higher in

comparison to the 2012 count, again likely related to increased coverage.

Hundreds of Caspian and Crested Terns were estimated to be breeding at the known

colony locations on Troubridge Island.

Region 21 – Eyre Peninsula, SA

By far, Eyre Peninsula is the largest region with the smallest human population, so that

good coverage is difficult to achieve. However, a concerted effort by coordinators

Rachael Kannussaar (DEWNR) and Jane Cooper (volunteer) achieved the near impossible

– resulting in nearly full coverage of all suitable habitat (97%), including several new

routes with breeding Hooded Plovers. As coverage has never been as extensive before

the 2014 count, results provide a high quality population baseline for Eyre Peninsula.

A total of 178 Hooded Plovers (including 13 juveniles) were recorded. Of particular

interest were several Hooded Plover breeding pairs on coastal salt lakes. The slight

difference in the numbers of the other three species compared to the 2012 count is a

product of shifting two routes on St. Peter Island to Region 22 for coordination purposes.

Fairy Terns were observed at several locations in the region, though only a single

breeding event was recorded: a colony of 15-20 pairs at a known breeding site.

Region 22 – Far West South Australia (Ceduna and West)

At the western edge of the distribution range of the eastern subspecies, Region 22 –

officially established in 2012, we still need to further determine meaningful count routes.

26

Travel distances are substantial and Hooded Plover densities are relatively low. It is

therefore possible that some suitable habitat may be being overlooked. Nevertheless,

Yasmin Wolf (DEWNR) led a substantial team effort, resulting in full coverage for existing

routes.

A total of 39 Hooded Plovers (including five juveniles) were recorded. The other three

species were present in larger numbers in comparison to the 2012 count, partially as the

result of adding a route previously part of Region 21 (St. Peter Island), and partially a

result of increased coverage.

A small colony of Fairy Terns was noted on St. Peter Island (eight active nests).

Region 23 – NSW South

As a result of the substantial efforts of Amy Harris (NSW government), the 2014 count

saw a substantial increase in the number of routes surveyed in Region 23, incorporating

a number of areas where Hooded Plover have historically bred. Coverage of suitable

habitat was therefore nearly continuous from the NSW border to Batemans Bay, with

only small sections in Croajingolong national park not surveyed due to access logistics.

A total of 24 Hooded Plovers were recorded, the exact same number as in 2012.

Intensive monitoring of Hooded Plovers through the NSW Threatened Shorebird

Recovery program means that there is already a strong understanding of the individual

birds and their territories in this area. The other species present saw slight increases

(Red-capped Plover, Pied Oystercatcher) or remained stable (Sooty Oystercatcher)

compared to 2012.

Breeding terns were recorded at three locations: Wallaga Beach occupied by a small

colony of Little Terns, and South Tuross Beach and along Tathra Beach to Mogareeka

Inlet occupied by mixed colonies of Fairy Terns and Little Terns.

Region 24 – NSW North

At the eastern edge of the Hooded Plover’s distribution range, the region’s population

has been under pressure for a number of years. Across Regions 23 and 24 huge efforts

are being directed towards monitoring and protection via the NSW Threatened Shorebird

Recovery Program. Since 2008 the overall NSW population has remained approximately

stable at 50 birds.

27

Full coverage resulted in a total of 28 Hooded Plovers (including one juvenile), compared

to 35 birds in 2012 (including five juveniles, 90% coverage). The other species present

saw a slight increase (Red-capped Plover, Pied Oystercatcher) or decrease (Sooty

Oystercatcher).

Hooded Plover Coverage and densities

When comparing regions, bird numbers are less informative than the proportion of

suitable habitat surveyed and the density values that can be derived from this. Table 2

represents the amount of habitat surveyed and the density of Hooded Plovers in each

region. Coverage of Hooded Plover habitat achieved in 2014 has been the most

extensive since the start of the biennial count effort in 1980.

Established hotspots for Hooded Plovers on the south-eastern mainland where densities

exceed 1 bird per kilometre and, in some cases, 2 birds per kilometre were: the coastline

between Warrnambool and Yambuk (2.44 birds/km), the Mornington Peninsula (2.08),

Kangaroo Island (1.4), the Bass Coast, between San Remo to Inverloch (1.63), Phillip

Island (1.19), Princetown to Warrnambool (1.14) and Venus Bay (1.04). The strong

variation in densities across the coast indicate that habitat for Hooded Plovers is not

uniform in quality, and that high density areas are likely to reflect high quality habitat.

Recent research into habitat quality and preference revealed that Hooded Plovers are

selective of particular habitat features, both terrestrial (amount of dune and foredune

habitat) and offshore (amount of intertidal and submerged rocks), as well as food

availability which is undoubtedly linked to these features (Cuttris et al. 2015; Ehmke et

al. in review).

Table 4. Regional habitat coverage and adult Hooded Plover density for the 2014 biennial count.

Region Habitat length (km)

Habitat covered

(km)

Habitat covered

Density (birds per

km, unweighted)

1. East Gippsland - NSW to Point Hicks 52 52 100% 0.54

2. Mueller River to Lake Tyers 113.9 102.8 90% 0.33

3. Lake Tyers to Seaspray 100 37.7 38% 0.13

4. Seaspray to Corner Inlet 83.1 80.4 97% 0.25

5. Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay 59.8 54.9 92% 0.91

6. Venus Bay 40.2 40.2 100% 1.04

7. San Remo to Inverloch 33.8 33.8 100% 1.63

8. Phillip Island 38.8 37.8 97% 1.19

9. Mornington Peninsula 32.9 31.7 96% 2.08

10. Queenscliff to Lorne 90 79.7 89% 0.51

28

Region Habitat length (km)

Habitat covered

(km)

Habitat covered

Density (birds per

km, unweighted)

11. Lorne to Princetown 47.7 44.5 93% 0.54

12. Princetown to Warrnambool 19.4 16.7 86% 1.14

13. Warrnambool to Yambuk 50.1 50.1 100% 2.44

14. Yambuk to Swan Lake 67.6 49.5 73% 0.67

15. Discovery Bay 37.1 37.1 100% 0.24

16. South East SA 212.1 210.9 99% 0.21

17. Coorong 173.2 173.2 100% 0.12

18. Fleurieu Peninsula 74.3 74.3 100% 0.57

19. Kangaroo Island 131.3 128.3 98% 1.40

20. Yorke Peninsula 332.3 315.8 95% 0.75

21. Eyre Peninsula 407.2 396.5 97% 0.42

22. Far West SA 133.6 131.2 98% 0.26

23. NSW south 104.9 102.2 97% 0.23

23. NSW north 58.3 58.3 100% 0.46

Victoria 866.3 748.9 86% 0.86

South Australia 1,464 1,430.2 98% 0.53

NSW 163.2 160.5 98% 0.35

TOTAL 2,493.5 2,339.6 94% 0.72

Comparison with previous years

When comparing data collection from 2010 onwards, 6% more habitat was surveyed in

2012 than in 2010 (an additional 116km). However, it must be noted that in 2012 there

was also 200 km added to the fixed routes as potentially suitable habitat (Table 5). This

is reflected by the increase in the total number of Hooded Plovers sighted in 2012, but a

slight decrease in density compared to 2010. In 2014, an additional 469km (a 25%

increase) was surveyed, with overall density slightly increasing compared to 2012.

Table 5. Comparison between Hooded Plover count totals and densities between 2010 and 2014.

Total HP

Fixed route length (km)

Actual habitat surveyed (km)

Density (birds per km, unweighted)

2010 1,231 2,134 1,755 (82%) 0.70

2012 1,248 2,334 1,871 (80%) 0.67

2014 1,412 2,494 2,340 (94%) 0.72

Difference 2010-2012 count

+17 +200km +116km (+7%) -0.03

Difference 2012-2014 count

+164 +160km +469km (+25%) +0.05

29

Breaking down the above total density values further by region reveals some major

differences between 2012 and 2014 counts (Table 6). However, because density is a

combination of number of birds sighted and length of coastline surveyed, a significant

difference in density may be a consequence of change in either of these values, or both.

Table 7 therefore separates the density values into their components, and then

compares these directly. This provides a better insight into why some densities appear to

have changed dramatically within only four years (between two counts), while others

have remained stable. Theoretically, for each count, if all habitat surveyed was suitable,

the difference in proportions between the coverage and the number of Hooded Plovers

should be negligible; in other words, surveying an extra 20% of suitable coastline should

yield approximately 20% extra Hooded Plovers, leading to a minor discrepancy.

Table 6. Hooded Plover densities in 2008 to 2014, ranked by highest percentage of difference between 2012 and 2014 densities.

Zone Region Density (birds / km)

Difference (%) (2012-14) 2008 2010 2012 2014

22 Far west SA * 0.32 0.14 0.26 86%

1 NSW Border to Point Hicks 0.58 0.36 0.4 0.54 35%

10 Queenscliff to Lorne 0.43 0.41 0.4 0.51 28%

6 Venus Bay 0.9 0.97 0.89 1.04 17%

18 Fleurieu Peninsula 0.68 0.7 0.5 0.57 14%

21 Eyre Peninsula * 0.41 0.37 0.42 14%

24 NSW north * 0.73 0.42 0.46 10%

13 Warrnambool to Yambuk 1.6 2.9 2.26 2.44 8%

7 San Remo to Inverloch 1.76 1.91 1.58 1.63 3%

8 Phillip Island 1.04 1.1 1.18 1.19 1%

17 Coorong 0.46 0.18 0.13 0.12 -8%

12 Princetown to Warrnambool 1.24 1.04 1.25 1.14 -9%

5 Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay 0.75 0.98 1.02 0.91 -11%

9 Mornington Peninsula** 2.83 2.83 2.41 2.08 -16%

19 Kangaroo Island 2.03 1.69 1.67 1.4 -16%

4 Seaspray to Corner Inlet * 0.29 0.3 0.25 -17%

14 Yambuk to Swan Lake 1.07 1.13 0.82 0.67 -18%

3 Lake Tyers to Seaspray 0.51 0.15 0.16 0.13 -19%

20 Yorke Peninsula * 1.02 1.05 0.75 -29%

11 Lorne to Princetown 1.24 0.77 0.77 0.54 -30%

23 NSW South * * 0.34 0.23 -32%

16 South East SA 0.36 0.28 0.34 0.21 -38%

2 Mueller River to Lake Tyers 0.25 0.3 0.59 0.33 -44%

15 Swan Lake to SA border 0.47 0.36 0.92 0.24 -74% * Insufficient information available for analysis of densities. **2014 density for the Mornington Peninsula based on pair monitoring data, not the biennial count results

30

Table 7. Comparison between coverage and the numbers of Hooded Plovers in 2012 and 2014, by region. The ‘Difference in Coverage’ column shows how much more or less coastline was surveyed in 2014 than in 2012, e.g. a negative value indicates less coverage in 2014. Similarly, the ‘Difference in HP total’ column compares 2012 and 2014 totals of Hooded Plovers, e.g. a negative value indicates fewer birds in 2014. The ‘Discrepancy’ column shows the difference between these two values which should, theoretically, be very small if the routes surveyed in that region are similar in quality. The

regions are ranked according to this ‘Discrepancy’.

Zone Region State Difference in

Coverage Difference in HP

total Discrepancy

1 NSW Border to Point Hicks

VIC 4% 33% 29%

10 Queenscliff to Lorne VIC 4% 28% 24%

13 Warrnambool to Yambuk VIC 13% 20% 20%

22 Far West SA SA 67% 85% 18%

6 Venus Bay VIC 8% 21% 13%

21 Eyre Peninsula SA 42% 53% 11%

18 Fleurieu Peninsula SA 9% 19% 10%

5 Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay

VIC 9% 15% 6%

7 San Remo to Inverloch VIC 12% 16% 4%

8 Phillip Island VIC 3% 4% 1%

12 Princetown to Warrnambool

VIC 9% 5% -4%

17 Coorong VIC 6% 0% -6%

19 Kangaroo Island SA 14% 8% -6%

9 Mornington Peninsula VIC 7% -8% -15%

11 Lorne to Princetown VIC 33% 18% -15%

4 Seaspray to Corner Inlet VIC 1% -20% -21%

14 Yambuk to Swan Lake VIC -1% -24% -23%

20 Yorke Peninsula SA 31% 8% -23%

24 New South Wales North NSW 0% -25% -25%

23 New South Wales South NSW 30% 0% -30%

2 Mueller River to Lake Tyers

VIC 55% 25% -30%

16 Southeast South Australia SA 10% -36% -46%

3 Lake Tyers to Seaspray VIC -132% -180% -48%

15 Discovery Bay VIC 4% -267% -271%

AVERAGE +10% -8% -18%

Seven of the 24 regions had greater than a 20% difference in coverage between 2012

and 2014 counts – an improvement over 2012 when 11 regions fell into this category.

Six of these seven regions had 30-67% more coverage due to:

31

o suitable habitat still being discovered (Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, Far

West South Australia);

o the incorporation of historically occupied beaches into the regional set of

routes, so as to search this coastline for any re-occupancy (NSW South);

and,

o improved coverage in 2014 compared to relatively poor coverage of

existing routes during the 2012 count (Lorne to Princetown, Mueller River

to Lake Tyers).

The single region with strongly decreased coverage (132% less) compared to 2012 –

Lake Tyers to Seaspray – was only covered to a very limited extent due to logistic

issues.

Twelve of the 24 regions had greater than a 20% difference in Hooded Plover numbers

between 2012 and 2014 counts. Six of these regions involved increases, the remaining

six related to a decrease in numbers.

Taking the difference in coverage and bird numbers into account, large discrepancies in

Table 7 can be interpreted as either:

1. there has been a real change in the local numbers of Hooded Plovers; or

2. unsuitable habitat is being surveyed for areas where habitat coverage has

increased.

Between the 2012 and 2014 Counts, a major decline in population numbers is not

expected and would be cause for great alarm. The average discrepany of -18% is, at

first glance, a major note of concern. However, although the current method of

assessing change over time through separating out coverage and bird numbers is useful

as an approximate indication of population trends, it is also very sensitive to large

changes in both these parameters and therefore requires careful interpretation.

An average decrease of -18% in a count year with the most extensive coverage in the

history of the project and with a substantial increase in counted Hooded Plovers

compared to 2012 is counter-intuitive. However, results are heavily biased towards

several regional extremes:

- very poor coverage in Lake Tyers to Seaspray, resulting in a very large %

difference in coverage (-132%) and counted birds (-180%). Note that this region

32

has the lowest number of Hooded Plovers across all three states, supporting up to

7 pairs in recent years. Such small numbers strongly affect relative change;

- approximately stable coverage, yet a decline in birds in South East South

Australia. This difference appears to have been affected by lower bird numbers on

a single key route, where less survey time was spent in 2014 compared to 2012.

Local volunteers are not aware of a substantial decrease in the region (pers.

comm. M. Christie);

- approximately stable coverage, yet a huge decline in birds in Discovery Bay. The

region saw a drop in numbers from 33 Hooded Plovers in 2012 to nine birds in

2014. However, long term counts in the region show that the latter count reflects

the status quo since at least 2004, with relatively low numbers of birds present.

The spike in the 2012 count coincided with a decrease in the Yambuk to Swan

Lake and Warrnambool to Yambuk regions, possibly as a result of poor weather

conditions early in the 2012/13 breeding season (Mead et al. 2013), meaning that

birds from these regions may have been flocking in the Discovery Bay region. The

2014 count resulted in a return to ‘normal’ levels for the Warrnambool to Yambuk

region, at least partially explaining the apparent exodus of birds from Discovery

Bay. It is possible the region provides a refuge area during certain times of year.

There is an urgent need to launch a monitoring effort in this part of Far West

Victoria;

In addition, several areas returned to good levels of coverage after relatively low

coverage in 2012. Regions such as Mueller River to Lake Tyers support moderate

numbers of Hooded Plovers at low densities, requiring long range survey efforts to

collate an accurate dataset. Despite an increase in bird numbers, increase in coverage is

higher still, leading to a substantial discrepancy %, further affecting the average

discrepancy for the 2014 count as a whole. In New South Wales South, an effort was

made to include beaches with historic presence of Hooded Plovers, similarly affecting the

average discrepancy.

On the Yorke Peninsula, it appears that increased coverage is probably including some

unsuitable or sub-optimal Hooded Plover habitat given the large increase in coverage

and the corresponding modest increase in bird numbers. A review of beaches on the east

side of the Peninsula in particular is needed.

Results of concern are where large negative discrepancies occur: Yambuk to Swan Lake

had the same percentage of habitat surveyed between counts, but there was a

significant decrease in Hooded Plovers (24% fewer). This signals that an actual decline in

33

birds is likely in this region. In fact, the region has previously been flagged as one of

concern in relation to Hooded Plover numbers (Mead et al. 2013, pers. comm. R.

Ressom) and should therefore be prioritised in terms of future monitoring. The apparent

decrease in NSW North is possibly due to chance (detection probability) as there is no

sign the species has significantly decreased in this region since 2012.

Encouraging signs from the 2014 count relate to genuine increases at NSW Border to

Point Hicks and Queenscliff to Lorne and the Fleurieu Peninsula where the difference in

coverage was minimal, but the discrepancy between Hooded Plover numbers was

positive. In the Queenscliff to Lorne region, pair monitoring supports this indication of an

increase. On the Fleurieu Peninsula, pair monitoring reveals that the number of breeding

pairs has actually decreased, however, there appear to be extra individual birds that

float between sites.

Evidence of breeding

Volunteers were asked to record evidence of breeding when it was observed. Of

observed Hooded Plovers, 23% were recorded as showing evidence of breeding

(compared to 32% in 2012). Several people noted nests with eggs, abandoned, washed-

out or old nest scrapes, as well as adult behaviour that suggested breeding (e.g. leading,

distraction displays). However, overall there were low numbers of chick sightings (Table

8).

A large-scale census is seldom useful for accurately assessing breeding activity, as

Hooded Plovers are adept at hiding their nests and chicks, and because observers must

cover a lot of ground during the survey, there is little spare time for observers to spend

watching the birds’ behaviour and searching for nests. This is why volunteers within

various organisations (e.g. BirdLife Australia, Phillip Island Nature Park and NSW NPWS)

embark on regular monitoring of breeding pairs in Victoria, South Australia, and NSW.

Pairs are visited regularly and volunteers become proficient at recognising when the

birds have nests or chicks. The data collected through this method of monitoring enables

us to quantify breeding success, to devise more accurate threat profiles based upon

multiple visits to breeding sites, and for us to make comparisons between areas with

regard to breeding output, guiding us in our conservation efforts for the species.

34

Table 8. Evidence of Hooded Plover breeding recorded in each region during the 2014 count.

Region Scrapes Nests with eggs

Suspect nest

Chicks Suspect chicks

Nesting stage not specified

Victoria 1. NSW Border to Point Hicks - 2 1 2 - -

2. Mueller River to Lake Tyers - - - - 1 1

3. Lake Tyers to Seaspray - - - - - -

4. Seaspray to Corner Inlet 1 - 2 - - 2

5. Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay - 1 2 - - -

6. Venus Bay 1 2 1 - - -

7. San Remo to Inverloch 7 1 1 1 - 1

8. Phillip Island 1 1 1 - - -

9. Mornington Peninsula 2 6 - - 1 -

10. Queenscliff to Lorne - 3 3 - - 1

11. Lorne to Princetown - 4 - - - -

12. Princetown to Warrnambool - 1 - - - -

13. Warrnambool to Yambuk 10 13 - - - 1

14. Yambuk to Swan Lake - - - - - -

15. Discovery Bay - - - - - -

VIC Total 22 34 11 3 2 6

South Australia 16. South East SA - 1 - 2 - 1

17. Coorong 1 - 1 - - -

18. Fleurieu Peninsula - 7 1 1 - 2

19. Kangaroo Island 2 6 1 2 - -

20. Yorke Peninsula 1 8 11 3 3 7

21. Eyre Peninsula 2 3 1 6 - 1

22. Far West SA 1 - - - - -

SA Total 7 25 15 14 3 11

New South Wales 23. NSW South 2 2 - 1 - -

24. NSW North - 1 - - - -

NSW Total 2 3 - 1 - -

Grand Total 31 62 26 18 5 17

Values represent the number of pairs recorded within each nesting stage. Scrape: a small depression in the sand which does not contain eggs; nest: scrape containing eggs; suspect nest: based on adult behaviour (leading, false brooding, bobbing) although a nest with eggs is suspected but never sighted; chicks: flightless chicks between 1-35 days old sighted; suspect chicks: based on behaviour of adults (distraction displays, vocalisations); nesting stage not specified: data received stated adults were breeding, but did not specify which stage the pair was at.

Threat assessments

Maps of threat scores for each region surveyed are presented in Appendices 2, 3 and 4.

It is interesting to note the spread of green (low level of threat) versus orange, red or

purple sites (high levels of threat) and their proximity to population centres or areas of

high recreational use.

35

Table 9 below provides a summary of the percentage of sites falling within the different

threat categories where threat assessments were carried out. Of all observations of

beach-nesting birds, 89.7% of sightings included threat assessments. Purple was a new

threat score created in 2012 to distinguish those areas which are subject to extreme

levels of threats.

Out of 2,277 observations of beach-nesting birds where threat data was collected, no

threat of any kind was observed at 34% of these (774 observations). Sixty percent of

these were recorded in remote areas in SA (Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula and Far

West SA). In Victoria there were few areas with no threats associated with observations

–18% of data originated from Discovery Bay, East Gippsland, Wilson’s Prom and

Seaspray to Corner Inlet, all among the more remote parts of the state’s coastline.

Table 9. The percentage of sites with beach-nesting birds falling within each threat score

category in 2014, by state.

Green (1-3) Yellow (4-8) Orange (9-13) Red (14-23) Purple (24+)

VIC 29.7% 33.5% 25.4% 11.4% 0%

SA 19.6% 37.7% 25% 14.5% 3.3%

NSW 17.8% 19.8% 39.6% 21.8% 1%

ALL SITES 14.5% 23.4% 17.2% 9.4% 1.5%

There have been some concerning changes between counts in the presence of threats on

beaches recorded. Mead et al. (2013) raised concern about an increase of threat rating

on the Mornington Peninsula between 2010 and 2012. It was concluded this was likely

due to the increased presence of foxes, dogs, people and dune use since 2010. Only

limited threat data was recorded in this region in 2014 (n=18 observations, three of

which were without threats present). The remaining observations indicated up to 33%

yellow threat rankings in 2014 (39.4% in 2012), but an absence of red categories, which

had increased substantially between 2010 and 2012. However, given the recreational

pressure on the Peninsula this is unlikely to be a realistic development in threat trends.

In fact, intensive pair monitoring reveals that threats are increasing, such as the number

of off-leash dogs sighted in the park between 2013/14 and 2014/15 breeding seasons.

This serves as an example of the importance of collecting this type of data consistently

and systematically between counts.

Another example is the Coorong in South Australia. To protect the Hooded Plover, the

ocean beach track north of Tea Tree Crossing is closed to vehicles from 24 October to 24

December every year. This closure applies to the beach from Tea Tree Crossing to the

Murray Mouth.

36

During the 2012 biennial count, 100% of beach-nesting bird sightings had evidence of

vehicles, whereas the 2010 data showed that only 29.5% of sightings had evidence of

vehicles. In 2010, 63.2% of threat categories were within the green (low) threat

category, whilst in 2012, 97% of sites were in the higher, yellow category and now some

sites were falling into the red category (there were no red threat categories in the

Coorong in 2010). This increase in the number of vehicles and the higher threat rating

for sites is cause for concern for the beach-nesting species along this stretch of coastline

and provides justification for targeted management. On the basis of 2014 threat data,

however, no red category sites were observed, with only 3.3% of sites in the orange

category and 80.3% in the yellow category. Such differences clearly show that inter-

annual variation in remote areas can be substantial, depending on fluctuations in

recreational pressure during certain times of year. Furthermore, context is of importance

- in the case of the Coorong an apparent prevalence of relatively low threat levels in

November reflects the pre-summer holiday season in South Australia. The area is

subjected to very high levels of 4WD vehicle traffic during the peak of the summer

season (pers. comm. C. Thompson), something which the biennial count – timed to mid-

November – cannot register. In conjuction with ongoing erosion of beaches, concern for

the fate of populations of beach-nesting birds in the Coorong remains.

Table 10 shows the percentage of difference between the 2012 and 2014 threat scores.

Comparing these shows an approximately stable green category (low level of threat), an

average decrease in yellow threats and an increase in higher impact threats - orange

and red. The highest threat level (purple) appears approximately stable.

It is considered that the increase in orange and red in South Australia and New South

Wales could at least in part be explained by the much higher coverage in certain parts of

these states. NSW South surveyed a substantial amount of ‘new’ beaches on which

Hooded Plovers have historically bred, a large number of which are adjacent to human

settlement. On the other hand, coverage in Victoria was very similar compared to 2012,

and therefore the increase in the orange threat category is likely to represent a genuine

increase in threat levels.

Table 10. The percentage difference between spread of threats of sites between 2012 and 2014, by state.

Green

Difference (%)

Yellow

Difference (%)

Orange

Difference (%)

Red Difference

(%)

Purple

Difference (%)

VIC +0.7 -10 +10.4 -0.3 -0.8

SA +2.1 -9.7 +6 +1.5 +0.2

NSW -7.8 -19.2 +12.8 +13.3 +1

ALL SITES +0.2 -10.1 +7.7 +1.9 +0.1

37

An indication of what beach-nesting birds are up against during the breeding season is

presented in Figure 6. Percentage occurrence of key threats (dogs, vehicles, people and

predators) within 100m distance from observations for all four beach-nesting bird

species are shown (n=2,277 observations, 2014) in Figures a to d. The same information

is presented in relation to Hooded Plovers only (n=587 observations, 2014) in Figures e

to h.

Based on 2014 data around a quarter of beach-nesting species territories are exposed to

the threat of dogs or vehicles during the breeding season (Figures 6a and b). Fourty

percent of all territories had evidence of the presence of people, whereas one in five

showed evidence of predator presence (fox and/or cat; Figures 6c and d).

When considering the Hooded Plover specifically it becomes clearer still that the pressure

on the species is substantial. Taking into account the size of the mainland population

(eastern subspecies) – around 1,400 adult birds – it is particularly concerning that half of

all territories recorded during the biennial count showed evidence of people or dogs

within 100m distance, whereas 19-25% had evidence of the presence of vehicles or

predators, respectively.

38

Figure 6. Percentage key threats witin 100m from beach-nesting species’ territories (a-

d, all species) and Hooded Plover (e-h).

27%

73%

Dogs or prints present

No dogs

25%

75%

Vehicles

No Vehicles

a. % dog presence/absence, all species b. % vehicle presence/absence, all species

40%

60%

People present

No people present

16%

1%2%

81%

Fox present

Cat present

Both present

No signs

c. % people presence/absence, all species d. % predator presence/absence, all species

49%51%

Dogs or prints present

No dogs

19%

81%

Vehicles

No Vehicles

e. % dog presence/absence, Hooded Plover f. % vehicle presence/absence, Hooded Plover

51%49%People present

No people present

25%

75%

Fox/cat present

No signs

g. % people presence/absence, Hooded Plover h. % predator presence/absence, Hooded Plover

39

Invasive weeds

Weeds, such as Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria; deliberately introduced from Europe

for dune stabilization purposes), Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias; originating from

Europe and presumably introduced in shipping ballast water), and Sea Wheat-grass

(Thinopyrum junceiforme; native to Europe and deliberately introduced for dune

stabilization purposes), have been identified as key species that change the structure of

beach and foredune habitats (Cousens et al. 2013). These structural changes in turn

alter the resources available (foraging, nesting etc) to Hooded Plovers, leading to either

direct impacts (increased predation, mortality or abandonment of beaches) or to more

indirect impacts such as reduced breeding success in sub-optimal habitat.

The density of vegetation estimated during the biennial count revealed that the majority

of Hooded Plovers (60%, n=537 observations) were sighted within habitats with sparse

vegetation or no vegetation, which is their preferred nesting habitat. The remainder were

present in heavily vegetated areas. Areas of concern are those which had a higher than

average proportion of Hooded Plovers in habitats with heavy vegetation, in particular Far

West Victoria – Yambuk to Swan Lake (73%, n=15) and Warrnambool to Yambuk (52%,

n=46), as well as Queenscliff to Lorne (53%, n=19). This is in line with Cousens et al.

(2013) reporting that the most extensive Marram Grass infestations occur in western

Victoria, where along many beaches, the dune is completely unavailable as nesting

habitat and nesting attempts are instead made in lower lying areas vulnerable to high

tides. This was also demonstrated in Mead (2012), where it was found that of the 18%

of nests across Victoria which were lost to tide, most were in far west Victoria.

Elsewhere, high percentages of Hooded Plover observations in heavily vegetated habitats

were prevalent on Kangaroo Island (59%, n=49) and NSW North (46%, n=13

observations).

Overall, the three key invasive weeds (Marram Grass, Sea Spurge, Sea Wheat-grass)

occurred in 66% of all observations. Marram Grass is rated as being of greater threat to

the Hooded Plover than other weeds due to the species showing strong avoidance of

Marram vegetated dunes, whilst at low to moderate densities of Sea Spurge and Sea

Wheat-grass infestation, Hooded Plovers still place their nests amongst these weeds in

the foredune and dune. These are however still weeds of serious concern, as once

established at high densities, these too prohibit successful use of the foredunes and

dunes by breeding Hooded Plovers. See Appendices 2, 3 and 4 for maps of dominant

vegetation types, and the distribution of vegetation density (heavy, sparse, none)

present on the foredune/dune.

40

Volunteers

The 2014 biennial count attracted 426 volunteers, 89 more participants than in 2012 and

169 more than in 2010. Workshops and training were provided to new volunteers in a

number of locations. People with limited experience are coupled with experienced

mentors to develop a solid understanding of species identification and behaviour of

breeding birds.

It can be difficult to engage volunteers in remote locations due to long distances

involved in getting to survey locations and perceived commitment levels. Being time

poor was one factor that many people indicated limits the likelihood they will volunteer

(Cullen 2012).

The biennial count is a key pathway through which we can connect volunteers to the

Beach-nesting Birds program and increase participation, particularly as it represents a

limited, once-off commitment in a count year. Table 11 presents the number of

participants in each region for 2012 and 2014 and the differences between years.

Table 11. The number of participants in the 2012 and 2014 biennial count.

Region 2012

participants 2014

participants Difference

Victoria

1. East Gippsland - NSW to Point Hicks 11 12 +1

2. Mueller River to Lake Tyers 4 7 +3

3. Lake Tyers to Seaspray 9 17 +8

4. Seaspray to Corner Inlet 9 6 -3

5. Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay 11 27 +16

6. Venus Bay 8 8 -

7. Inverloch to San Remo 8 6 -2

8. Phillip Island 17 22 +5

9. Mornington Peninsula 12 12 -

10. Queenscliff to Lorne 18 27 +9

11. Lorne to Princetown 8 5 -3

12. Princetown to Warrnambool 9 9 -

13. Warrnambool to Yambuk 10 12 +2

14. Yambuk to Swan Lake 4 3 -1

15. Discovery Bay 2 2 -

VIC Total 140 175 +35

South Australia

16. South East SA 12 10 -2

17. Coorong 3 5 +2

18. Fleurieu Peninsula 29 25 -4

19. Kangaroo Island 50 62 +12

20. Yorke Peninsula 46 46 -

21. Eyre Peninsula 14 35 +21

22. Far West SA 2 14 +12

SA Total 156 197 +41

41

Region 2012

participants 2014

participants Difference

New South Wales

23. NSW South 18 29 +11

24. NSW North 30 34 +4

NSW Total 48 63 +15

42

DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Biennial Count is imperative to understanding the extent of suitable Hooded Plover

habitat, population numbers and detecting changes in occupancy. It was the biennial

count data that provided strong evidence of overall declines in the eastern mainland

numbers of Hooded Plovers, and evidence for loss of occupancy which led to the recent

nomination of the eastern subspecies of Hooded Plover for listing under the EPBC Act as

Vulnerable. In addition, it was the breeding success data collected through targeted and

regular monitoring which revealed rates of recruitment that will spell future declines in

population numbers, and this more intensive monitoring allows us to carry out adaptive

management to mitigate threats and improve breeding success.

The future of the biennial count relies on the availability of future funding. The future of

BirdLife Australia’s Beach-nesting Birds Project continues to face uncertainty as there is

no source of secure funding. Without funding to secure the project, continuation of the

biennial count, which started 35 years ago in 1980 – remains difficult.

Several recommendations were considered by Mead et al. (2013) with a view to have

those implemented in the project. These are considered here:

Improving methodology

Although much has been achieved in creating and maintaining a standard set of routes in

each region, there are still a number of questions relating to the methodology that have

not been answered adequately:

Habitat coverage

1. Is all of the coastline that contains suitable Hooded Plover habitats being covered

by our current set of routes? Mead et al. (2013) concluded that this was the case

in Victoria and some regions in South Australia (Kangaroo Island, Fleurieu

Peninsula and The Coorong). The same authors highlight two regions — Eyre and

Yorke Peninsulas — where much suitable coastline remained unsurveyed due to

lack of volunteers. The 2014 count has made major progress in both those areas,

with coverage vastly improved and in fact near total. It is considered that the

current spatial extent of routes covers the vast majority of the mainland Hooded

Plover population, probably in the order of 95% or more. A recent study in

habitat suitability (Ehmke et al. in review) could refine route extent further once

lidar data becomes available for much of the coastline.

43

Unsuitable habitat

2. Are there any routes being surveyed that aren’t suitable Hooded Plover habitat?

Mead et al. (2013) pose this important question as having inappropriate routes

not only takes volunteer attention away from ‘actual’ routes, but it also artificially

deflates density values. After using a standard set of routes for a number of

counts it will become evident if any routes do not contain Hooded Plovers, in

which case they could potentially be removed from the set in future. Care must

be taken, however, since if Hooded Plovers in the surrounding area are

successfully breeding then these routes may contain sub-standard habitat that

may be occupied by juveniles in the future. For example, in recent years,

breeding pairs of Hooded Plovers have re-occupied beaches in Victoria which were

formerly occupied in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The 2014 count has provided us with the largest spatial coverage since the start

of the project in 1980, covering the vast majority of the mainland population.

Clearly, the current dataset provides a unique opportunity to refine existing

routes. It is considered that several routes in Far West South Australia and on the

Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas would benefit from a review of habitat suitability and

historical presence of the species. Some of these routes have their origin in

simultaneous Shorebirds 2020 survey efforts, and thus may not always overlap

wholly with suitable habitat.

In Victoria and NSW, routes are largely focused on suitable habitat, though areas

such as 90 Mile Beach (Lake Tyers to Seaspray region) support very few beach-

nesting birds of any species, while requiring vast volunteer resources to achieve

coverage. To maintain local involvement and to continue collecting data in a

targeted fashion, it is considered crucial to review the inclusion of such areas.

3. Are the lengths of routes accurate? In 2010 the lengths were determined using

the ruler function in Google Earth, which is problematic for curved stretches of

coastline. In 2012, the add path function was used, which allowed the curved

coastline to be more accurately measured. In addition, some routes contain

discrete stretches of suitable habitat with unsuitable patches in between, and this

may not have been taken into account when measuring some route lengths.

After the 2014 count, a further improvement was made, whereby all standard

count routes were digitized in GIS. This enables future coordinators to identify

spatial accuracy, identify routes that consist of several stretches of suitable

44

habitat, interspersed with unsuitable habitat, and enables better replication over

time. In addition, all surveyed routes were digitized separately and linked to the

Access database, allowing for count data to be queried and analysed directly in

the GIS environment.

In most cases this approach only resulted in minor differences between route

lengths used for analysis of past counts and those derived for the 2014 counts.

Several routes along more complex coastlines turned out to be longer, at times

substantially, when measured in GIS. Future count and trend analysis will have to

take such changes into consideration, preferably through reworking historical

survey data.

4. Do we accurately know whether the populations of Hooded Plovers and other

species of shorebirds surveyed have changed over time, and if so, can we identify

the significance of a decline or increase? With a set of routes now established it is

timely to revisit previous count data to determine which routes and what

proportion of habitat were surveyed, and then convert that data so that it is

directly comparable to counts undertaken between 2010 and 2014.

Although the biennial count report provides an approximate indication of

population variation over time, the scope of these reports tends to be on the

immediately preceding count, and thus at a temporal scale that cannot detect

population change. Given the amount of data that has been collected since 2010

and the last large scale analysis (Victoria only) including only data up to 2006

(Glover 2008), it is timely to analyse state and regional population trends over

time.

In addition, a huge amount of information has been collected on Pied

Oystercatcher, Sooty Oystercatcher and Red-capped plover, providing a baseline

for detailed population trend analysis for all three of these species. It is clear from

current and past biennial count results the pressures on these species are huge

and unlikely to abate any time soon given likely population and recreational

increases over the next decades.

Development of an online data portal

An online Hooded Plover data portal was first launched in September 2012 with the

priority for Phase 1 being a centralized database for reporting sightings and nesting

records of Hooded Plovers. This has been a huge success and has seen several new

45

developments. However, the data portal in its current form does not support the

requirements of the biennial count, as the portal is set up on a site by site basis and not

on the basis of routes. It is intended that a future phase of the current portal will be

developed especially for the Hooded Plover Biennial Count, subject to funding.

Volunteers currently experience a substantial disconnect between the actual survey and

the final report as it tends to take upwards of 6 months for the latter to be finalised.

Data entry is the most time-consuming aspect of this project, especially chasing up

missing data and coordinates and physically entering observations (e.g. amounting to

over 2,500 records in 2014). The introduction of a portal would greatly speed up biennial

count data management and would allow for a much shorter time frame to publication as

well as maintaining momentum and enthusiasm within the volunteer community.

The value of data

An important point regarding threat assessments: volunteers are asked to complete a

great deal of paperwork when they conduct a survey, and some may think this is

excessive. However, as the count involves visiting beaches in three states — covering

thousands of kilometres, often in areas for which the count is the only platform on which

data is collected — this is a rare opportunity to collect important information such as

threats. Every effort should be made to continue to educate all parties involved with

respect to the added value of such data.

What weed is that?

Participants of the 2014 biennial count were provided with a weed identification sheet as

part of the My Hoodie monitoring booklet. In areas where workshops were held

information on plant identification was provided. However, based on the count results it

is clear that more effort is required in training volunteers. Although important data was

collected during the count, many people indicated uncertainty in relation to recording

weed species and regularly opted to forego recording such information.

The 2016 count requires more attention for weed identification, both in terms of training

at a regional or local level, as well as further clarification in survey instructions and on

the datasheets.

46

Surveying remote coastlines

As always, the challenge is to source more volunteers in remote areas, such as far-

eastern Victoria, south-eastern South Australia, Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas, and Far West

South Australia. Perhaps, given sufficient notice, birding groups in other areas could

organise an ‘expedition’ to these areas.

The 2014 count shows that extra efforts by coordinators and via BirdLife Australia

workshops can make a substantial difference – record coverage was achieved across all

states, and in particular on the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas and Far West South Australia.

This is a clear improvement over 2010 and 2012, but it is crucial to maintain that

momentum in years to come. Ongoing communication and advocacy efforts at regional

and local levels are required to ensure future commitment for the project.

Some concerns remain however, in particular for areas where a few stalwarts have

covered large areas for years – e.g. Eyre Peninsula, Far West Victoria and South and

East Gippsland. In such areas there is a clear risk of depending heavily on a few key

people. Here a long-term succession plan is required to ensure continuation of efforts

and an increase in local involvement.

Flagged and banded birds

Mead et al. (2013) emphasise the need to collect as much data on leg flags or bands as

possible. Much of the 2012 sightings were of the presence of orange leg flags – not the

actual engraved letters on the orange leg flag. This is useful for determining the

proportion of banded compared to unbanded individuals, but does not allow us to

individually identify birds. Volunteer efforts in 2014 reflect a growing appreciation of the

importance of that type of data, with a substantial increase in identified flags or bands

for Hooded Plover. A reasonable amount of information on Pied Oystercatcher and Sooty

Oystercatcher flags/bands was also received.

The movement of Hooded Plovers is something that is currently being researched and

the more sightings data we collect, the more information we gather about the

movements of individual birds. The biennial count is often the only time that many

beaches are specifically surveyed for Hooded Plovers and thus form an invaluable source

of information for recovering flagged birds that occur outside of pair monitoring areas.

47

Targeted surveys

This report highlights areas of concern where the decline in the number of Hooded

Plovers cannot be explained by lower coverage during the count. It is recommended that

targeted surveys be carried out in these stretches to better determine numbers along

these coastlines and to assess the areas for any potential threats which may be driving

this change. The following areas should be re-surveyed in the near future (e.g.

November 2015): Yambuk to Swan Lake, Discovery Bay and possibly a key section in

South East South Australia. However, as above, some of these coastlines are remote and

difficult to access, so that additional resources would need to be attained to assist with

this survey effort.

48

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to all the volunteers who participated in the 2014 Biennial Count. It is an

enormous feat to cover so many thousands of kilometres of coast within such a short

time frame, and getting this snapshot of Hooded Plover numbers is the best opportunity

we have to understand the status of the eastern mainland population. Few projects

worldwide can claim that nearly half the world population of a threatened bird species is

surveyed in a matter of weeks! The effort of our volunteers is something one cannot put

a value on and we cannot thank you enough for your outstanding efforts.

In particular we like to thank the regional coordinators, without whom none of this would

be possible: Amy Harris, Jodie Dunn, Tony Mitchell, Len Axen, Chris Healey, Jono

Stevenson, Scott Griggs, Steve Johnson, Jon Fallaw, Neil Shelley, Andrea Dennett, Barry

Lingham, Gary McPike, Kim Morton, Linda Avery, Toni Ryan, Ric Ressom, Dave Ryan,

Jeff Campbell, Chris Thompson, Emma Stephens, Jane Renwick, Deborah Furbank,

Rachael Kannussaar, Jane Cooper and Yasmin Wolf.

Thanks also to Parks Victoria, and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and

Planning (VIC), the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (SA) and

the Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW) who provided quad bikes, boats and staff

time and assistance.

At BirdLife Australia, organisation of the count and the subsequent collating, entering

and analysing the resultant data took a substantial amount of time, particularly as it was

undertaken part-time and without any funding. Many thanks to Grainne Maguire, Renee

Mead and Meghan Cullen for providing a great work environment, much hilarity and a

general sense of team effort.

An overview of volunteers for each region is listed below. Every effort was made to

compile a comprehensive list, although secondary observers were not always recorded

on datasheets, nor were observer names always entirely legible. We apologize if your

name has accidentally been omitted from this list.

NSW Border to Point Hicks: Allison Marion, Bob Semmens, Eileen Buckland, Jenny Mason, Kieran

Martin, Leonie Daws, Phil Reichelt, Phillipa Hamilton, Prue Wootton, Ross McGrath, Tony Mitchell,

Wendy Elsner

Mueller River to Lake Tyers: David McKenzie, Jacquie Axen, Josh Puglisi, Len Axen, Mike Irvine,

Tony Mitchell, Wendy Elsner

49

Lake Tyers to Seaspray: Camilla Maxwell, Chris Healey, Dot Owen, Gary Smith, Geoff Oke,

Heather Oke, I. Wright, Jack Winterbottom, Joan Price, Judy Smith, Ken Sherring, Linda Sherring,

M. Wright, Norman Rees, R. Wright, Tony Price, Wally Rees

Seaspray to Corner Inlet: Jon Fallaw, Jonathon Stevenson, M. Dodds, Prue Wright, Shany Blyth,

Stephen Voros

Wilsons Prom to Waratah Bay: Averil Nicholl, Bernice Dowling, Bill Hansen, Bob Beeson, Chris

Dunn, Deb Henry, Gayle Davey, Geraldine Richardson, Graeme Jenner, Jerry De Lang, Jonathon

Stevenson, Joris Driessen, Kiri, Kyle Matheson, Laura Bussolini, Linden Gillbank, Lisa Lawrence,

Mark Walters, Matt Hoskins, Mike Hitchcock, Olivia Gourley, Pat Beeson, Peter McFarlane, Ric

Halford, Rosemary Kidd, Rosemary Stayner, Valerie De Lang

Venus Bay: Chris Pritchard, Grainne Maguire, Jill Plowright, Jonathon Stevenson, Kai Barrett,

Lorraine Norden, Phil Barrett, Rob Pritchard

San Remo to Inverloch: Amaryll Perlesz, Anne Looney, Brian Martin, Geoff Glare, Stephen

Wilbourne, Steve Johnson

Phillip Island: Andre Chiaradia, Andrea Olsen, Andrew Dallinger, Anwyn Martin, Barry Castle, Bec

McIntosh, Brund Chene, Gary Matthews, Jarvis Weston, Jason Good, Jenny Skewes, Karl Dickson,

Kay Schroer, Laure , Leanne Renwick, Patricia Hunt, Paula Wasiak, Peter Cleary, Shannon Wooney,

Sophie Maddigan, Stefan Pou, Susan Spicer

Mornington Peninsula: Andy Cheetham, Belinda Hayball, Chris Willocks, Denis Goss, Dennis

Bertotto, Diane Lewis, John Franklin, L Wakefield, Lois Greene, Malcolm Brown, Neil Shelley, Val

Ford

Queenscliff to Lorne: Alison Watson, Andrea Dennett, Barry Lingham, Bernie Lingham, Bill

McKellar, Craig Morley, David Tytherleigh, Deborah Evans, Evelyn Jones, Geoff Gates, Jackie

Pallister, Jenny McKellar, Jenny Turner, Jess Parker , Jill Smith, John Bowman, John Newman, Jon

Duthie, Julie Riley, Kaye Traynor, Margaret Debra, Margaret MacDonald, Michael Skinner, Miles

Charlesworth, Phil Watson, Regina Gleeson, Will Smith

Lorne to Princetown: Gary McPike, Gary Summers, Judi Forrester, Mick Cannon, Tanya Pyk

Princetown to Port Campbell: Annet Van Dooren, James Simpson, John Van Dooren, Judy Spafford,

Kane Spokes, Kim Morton, Lynda Avery, Marg O’Toole, Maureen Fitzgerald

Warrnambool to Yambuk: Andrew Fawcett, Caleb, Chris Morris, James Smith, Joan Young, John

Hargreaves, John Young, Mick Quinn, Renee Mead, Robin Maguire, Robyn Bush, Toni Ryan

Yambuk to Swan Lake: Marcel Hoog Antink, Ric Ressom, Robert Farnes

50

Discovery Bay: David Ryan, Ric Ressom

Southeast South Australia: Barry Schriever, Catherine Bell, Helen Bawden, Holly Prest, Janet

Copping, Jean Hayward, Jeff Campbell, Maureen Christie, Roma Guscia, Ross Anderson

Coorong: Chris Thompson, Daryl Long, Joseph Koolmatrie, Michael Trebilcock, Ross McLean

Fleurieu Peninsula: Alyss Page, Andrew Jeffery, Angela Parker, Ann Turner, Ash Read, Bill Page,

Corey Jackson, David Thorn, Debbie Prestwood, Dylan Braund, Elizabeth Steele-Collins, Faye Lush,

Hilary Thompson, Janette Diment, Janice Haynes, John Cobb, Joyce West, Keith Jones, Lauren

Davis, Neville Hudson, Robert Brinsley, Ross Brittain, Sue Read, Wendy White, Winston Syson

Kangaroo Island: Aaron Macumber, Adam Pigott, Allison Currie, Andrea McLaren, Andrew

Schofield, Ann Lashmar, Anthony Maguire, Bev Maxwell, Bill Jenner, Bronwyn Foster, Carmen

McGowan, Caroline Paterson, Charlotte Atkin, Cheryl Casey, Chris Baxter, Colin Wilson, Craig

Wickham, Danella Currie, Dave Dowie, David Ball, David Welford, Deb Davis, Dennis Schofield,

Dennis Shearing, Drew Laslett, Graeme Casey, Graeme Possingham, Grant Brecht, Grant

Flanagan, James Barnes, Jane Renwick, Jay Schofield, Jeff Foster, Jo Davidson, Jude Alison, Kathie

Stove, Ken Grinter, Kristian Peters, Lindsey McFarlane, Liz Melling, Margaret Conaghty, Mary Alice

Swan, Meredith , Michael Barth, Mike Barth, Mike Penhall, Neeltje Grootenboer, Nirbeeja

Saraswati, Pat Brooksby, Paulin Currie, Peter Hammond, Peter Hastwell, Pip Masters, Rebecca

Mussared, Ruth de la Lande, Sharlie Noble, Skye and Cad Currie, Sue Hoff, Sue Laslett, Tim

Williams, Tony Hoff, Wren Lashmar

Yorke Peninsula: Adam Furbank, Alana, Alfred Churchill, Andy, Ashley Kestle, Ashley Walker,

Barbara Hartley, Bernie Haase, Bronte Crisp, C.T., Celia Manning, Coral Johnston, Deborah

Furbank, Don Caldecott, Elouise Fehring, Fabienne Dee, G.N., Gary Wilson, Glenda Woodward,

Gordon White, Helen Shepherd, Janet Moore, Johann Jackson, John Halford, Julie Spry, Kathy

Underwood, Kent Treloar, Lyle Sansbury, Margaret White, Max Barr, Peter Langdon, Rick

Hawthorne, Ron Charles, Sarah Pearson, Scott , Shelley Fox, Steph Cole, Stephen Goldsworthy,

Stephen Jantke, Stuart Munro, Tam Friebe, Tony Smith, Tony Whillas, Vernon Thom, Will Menary

Eyre Peninsula: Aislinn O'Neill, Andrew Cooper, Bernadette Saunders, Brian Dandy, Brian Gould,

Chris Deslandes, Doug Clarke, Dyson Taverner, Geraldine Turner, I. Phillips, Jan Hetherington,

Jane Cooper, Jim Walford, John Grund, Kerryn McEwan, Lana Roediger, Leigh Amey, Lorraine

Walford, Michael Freak, Pat Walsh, Peg McAvaney, Peter Needle, Peter Wilkins, Rachael

Kannussaar, Richard Pearce, Rob Brinsley, Rochelle Berryman, Ross Scrase, Seb Drewer, Shelley

Harrison, Shelly Harrison, Sophie Keen, Steve Pocock, Tiffany Kimber, Trevor Cox

Far West South Australia (Ceduna and West): Aislinn O'Neill, Amanda Richards, Andrew Brooks,

Andrew Sleep, Daniel Bailey, Lachlan Duncan, Leah Kyriacou, Louise Mortimer, Nathan Williams,

Paul Gregory, Peter Wilkins, Seth Clark, Tamahina Cox, Yasmin Wolf

51

NSW South: Amy Harris, Ann Christiansen, Bill Nagle, Carl Swensson, Caroline Henry, Diane

Whittock, Gail Drury, Heather Stone, Helen Ransom, John , John Plumb, Julie Morgan, Kerri-Lee

Harris, Liz Allen, Mel , Melissa , Michael Mutch, Neil Robertson, Oung Niennaattrakul, Paul

Whittock, Peter Collins, Rachel McInnes, Richard Nipperess, Ron Mudie, Skye Etherington, Steve

Deck, Steve Dovey, Sue Swensson, Tristan Ricketson

NSW North: Ann Finkey, Bob Rusk, Brett Stevenson, Carol McBride, Cathy Stapleton, Charles

Dove, Chris Brandis, Colin Ashford, David Swarts, Debbie Stevenson, Eric, Evelyn May, Helen

Nelson, Jenny Bryant, Joan Lozergan, John, John Olsen, Maggie Mance, Marg Hamon, Margaret

Webber, Maxine , Mike Clear, Neville , Pam McGilrary, R. McTavish, Robynne Murphy, Rose Clear,

Rosemary Hales, Stan Brown, Sue Tolley, Sue Tooth, T. Napper, Terry McBride, Tony Carter

52

REFERENCES

BirdLife International (2015) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from

http://www.birdlife.org on 02/09/2015.

Cousens, R., Kennedy, D., Maguire, G. and Williams, K. (2013). Just how bad are coastal

weeds? Assessing the geo-eco-psycho-socio-economic impacts. Report to Rural

Industries Research and Development Corporation. The University of Melbourne,

Melbourne, Australia.

Crawley, M.J. (2007). The R Book. John Wiley & Sons.

Cullen, M. (2012). Volunteer Satisfaction Survey 2012. BirdLife Australia, Carlton.

Cuttriss, A., Maguire, G.S., Ehmke, G. and Weston, M.A. (2015). Breeding habitat

selection in an obligate beach bird: a test of the food resource hypothesis. Marine and

Freshwater Research. [online] http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/MF14213

Ehmke, G. C., Maguire, G. S., Weston, M. A., Bird, T., and Ierodiaconou, D. (In review).

An obligate beach bird selects sub and super tidal habitat elements.

Ewers, G., Esbert, N., Hardie, M., Ekanayake, K., Cullen, M. and Maguire, G. (2011).

Report on the 2010 Biennial Hooded Plover Count. Birds Australia.

Garnett, S., Szabo, J. K., and Dutson, G. (2011). The Action Plan for Australian Birds

2010. Birds Australia, CSIRO publishing, Collingwood.

Glover, H. (2008). Population Trends of Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis along the

Victorian Coast, Australia. Deakin University, Melbourne.

Mead, R. (2012). Clutch fate and success of the Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis).

Honours Thesis. Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.

Mead, R., Yarwood, Y., Cullen, M. and Maguire, G. (2013). Report on the 2012 Biennial

Hooded Plover Count. BirdLife Australia.

53

R Development Core Team (2014). R: A language and environment for statistical

computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-07-

0, www.R-project.org.

54

APPENDICES

Appendix 1

Unweighted regional densities (birds / km), standard errors and associated 95% confidence

intervals for all beach-nesting bird species. Note that the mean density for the Mornington

Peninsula is based on pair monitoring data for the 2014-15 breeding season, and not the biennial

count results. Standard error and confidence intervals are therefore not provided.

Region Species Mean density Standard error 95%LCL 95%UCL

1 HP 0.538462 0.189869 0.362114 0.764395

2 HP 0.330739 0.334656 0.158385 0.597378

3 HP 0.132626 0.64825 0.026591 0.378616

4 HP 0.248756 0.497711 0.077685 0.575463

5 HP 0.910747 0.367659 0.401682 1.733026

6 HP 1.044776 0.209642 0.672103 1.534631

7 HP 1.627219 0.21569 1.032608 2.415199

8 HP 1.190476 0.255053 0.690057 1.88855

9 HP 2.08 NA NA NA

10 HP 0.514429 0.294878 0.271399 0.871507

11 HP 0.539326 0.317341 0.269497 0.947551

12 HP 1.137725 0.220076 0.714807 1.70137

13 HP 2.43513 0.152414 1.77822 3.236731

14 HP 0.666667 0.383547 0.282372 1.300545

15 HP 0.242588 0.628554 0.051666 0.674117

16 HP 0.213371 0.334369 0.102264 0.385242

17 HP 0.121247 1.186786 0.003065 0.655089

18 HP 0.565276 0.313986 0.284788 0.987807

19 HP 1.395168 0.181713 0.955415 1.952647

20 HP 0.747308 0.127905 0.575272 0.950614

21 HP 0.416141 0.225591 0.258198 0.628164

22 HP 0.259146 0.421173 0.099552 0.535454

23 HP 0.234834 0.366509 0.103864 0.446076

24 HP 0.463122 0.272753 0.257536 0.756605

1 PO 0.788462 0.215422 0.500652 1.169702

2 PO 0.992218 0.624886 0.213824 2.746649

3 PO 0.371353 0.404995 0.148822 0.748744

4 PO 3.00995 0.896402 0.257364 11.74722

5 PO 0.182149 0.481374 0.059523 0.411653

6 PO 0.124378 0.418836 0.048084 0.256104

7 PO 0.088757 0.759913 0.012375 0.293053

8 PO 0.42328 0.662104 0.081267 1.231829

9 PO 0.094637 0.842375 0.009886 0.346021

10 PO 0.037641 0.79331 0.004679 0.129667

11 PO 0.044944 0.791748 0.00562 0.154432

12 PO 0.11976 0.661002 0.023073 0.347898

55

Region Species Mean density Standard error 95%LCL 95%UCL

13 PO 0.698603 0.294779 0.36863 1.183273

14 PO 0.727273 0.306318 0.373227 1.255169

15 PO 2.884097 0.131322 2.204013 3.691139

16 PO 0.403035 0.636206 0.083897 1.13243

17 PO 0.62933 1.723311 0.000755 6.248871

18 PO 0.269179 0.425103 0.102346 0.559498

19 PO 1.332814 0.135211 1.010069 1.717871

20 PO 0.39582 0.180602 0.271727 0.552907

21 PO 1.044136 0.186758 0.707074 1.474261

22 PO 2.553354 0.53596 0.716084 6.2436

23 PO 0.812133 0.187513 0.549032 1.148192

24 PO 0.411664 0.230985 0.252275 0.627154

1 RC 0.788462 0.311129 0.399957 1.371516

2 RC 0.476654 0.725672 0.074539 1.50674

3 RC 0 NA NA NA

4 RC 0.920398 0.575853 0.229726 2.378965

5 RC 0.145719 0.520974 0.042642 0.348789

6 RC 0.024876 1.036375 0.00122 0.114048

7 RC 0.118343 1.023298 0.006134 0.534364

8 RC 0.396825 0.825498 0.044057 1.421651

9 RC 0.347003 0.617673 0.076441 0.951221

10 RC 0.677541 0.520165 0.198741 1.619873

11 RC 0 NA NA NA

12 RC 2.275449 0.797968 0.278424 7.883002

13 RC 0.798403 0.310482 0.405634 1.387218

14 RC 0.10101 0.228399 0.062267 0.153197

15 RC 0.134771 0.559191 0.035309 0.340276

16 RC 0.919867 0.40772 0.366069 1.862034

17 RC 0.386836 0.467407 0.131125 0.854098

18 RC 0.497981 0.342769 0.233747 0.911184

19 RC 0.374123 1.311851 0.005115 2.286737

20 RC 2.954402 0.175063 2.053134 4.087082

21 RC 1.69483 0.18757 1.145645 2.396389

22 RC 11.47104 0.251127 6.7104 18.07813

23 RC 0.772994 0.281941 0.420605 1.282156

24 RC 0.325901 0.401623 0.131765 0.653595

1 SO 0.153846 0.401276 0.062251 0.308425

2 SO 0.038911 1.307544 0.000544 0.236437

3 SO 0 NA NA NA

4 SO 0.012438 1.349876 0.000139 0.078595

5 SO 0.819672 0.360341 0.36825 1.541929

6 SO 0.497512 0.309499 0.253358 0.863071

56

Region Species Mean density Standard error 95%LCL 95%UCL

7 SO 0.236686 0.453491 0.083454 0.513365

8 SO 0.449735 0.917114 0.035573 1.797576

9 SO 0.44164 0.355763 0.200675 0.824794

10 SO 0.025094 0.617398 0.005533 0.068723

11 SO 0.022472 0.791748 0.002809 0.077221

12 SO 0 NA NA NA

13 SO 0.299401 0.497345 0.093618 0.692725

14 SO 0.060606 3.685557 NA 1.689087

15 SO 0 NA NA NA

16 SO 0.066382 0.427871 0.025057 0.138547

17 SO 0 NA NA NA

18 SO 0.121131 0.45173 0.042906 0.262037

19 SO 0.428683 0.351637 0.196822 0.795552

20 SO 0.243825 0.345662 0.113618 0.448252

21 SO 0.592686 0.395924 0.243187 1.178469

22 SO 1.234756 0.521341 0.360988 2.956931

23 SO 0.156556 0.31874 0.077961 0.275699

24 SO 0.651801 0.418307 0.252303 1.34091

Weighted regional densities (birds / km), standard errors and associated 95% confidence intervals

for all beach-nesting birds species. Note that the mean density for the Mornington Peninsula is

based on pair monitoring data for the 2014-15 breeding season, and not the biennial count results.

Standard error and confidence intervals are therefore not provided.

Region Species Mean density Standard error 95%LCL 95%UCL

1 HP 0.58689 0.08808 0.491314 0.694116

2 HP 0.162013 0.430685 0.060705 0.339599

3 HP 0.165809 0.358073 0.074913 0.310823

4 HP 0.175521 0.478294 0.057839 0.394716

5 HP 0.826714 0.32808 0.402405 1.477722

6 HP 1.05144 0.129192 0.80717 1.340561

7 HP 1.767543 0.158813 1.272897 2.376213

8 HP 0.884398 0.224452 0.550137 1.332481

9 HP 2.08 NA NA NA

10 HP 0.491256 0.28784 0.263577 0.822725

11 HP 0.517809 0.338242 0.245804 0.940696

12 HP 1.140164 0.148418 0.839829 1.504698

13 HP 2.574577 0.14247 1.920929 3.361888

14 HP 0.590825 0.053394 0.531132 0.654828

15 HP 0.222003 0.606476 0.050561 0.598584

16 HP 0.199045 0.202346 0.13017 0.288736

17 HP 0.041184 2.001911 6.50E-06 0.579748

18 HP 0.384143 0.291994 0.204079 0.647752

57

Region Species Mean density Standard error 95%LCL 95%UCL

19 HP 0.978912 0.141169 0.732426 1.275284

20 HP 0.740815 0.123216 0.576002 0.934396

21 HP 0.238428 0.216855 0.150907 0.354587

22 HP 0.232259 0.309055 0.118424 0.402673

23 HP 0.176178 0.297771 0.092303 0.299896

24 HP 0.420788 0.217548 0.265897 0.626565

1 PO 0.977744 0.089221 0.816576 1.158825

2 PO 0.714588 0.34015 0.337584 1.302001

3 PO 0.315674 0.473401 0.105432 0.705179

4 PO 1.095313 1.620957 0.002593 8.900695

5 PO 0.19422 0.467317 0.065953 0.42995

6 PO 0.161112 0.230381 0.098865 0.245175

7 PO 0.058348 0.973549 0.003701 0.249003

8 PO 0.280462 0.815923 0.032212 0.993075

9 PO 0.061228 1.070698 0.002597 0.291462

10 PO 0.046807 0.702754 0.007893 0.143623

11 PO 0.054421 0.705942 0.009078 0.167639

12 PO 0.152022 0.572605 0.038335 0.391426

13 PO 0.736361 0.275324 0.406986 1.208063

14 PO 0.560019 0.114443 0.443611 0.695178

15 PO 2.913854 0.105947 2.349879 3.561334

16 PO 0.370025 0.338049 0.175742 0.671999

17 PO 0.162834 3.303376 6.80E-11 0.114012

18 PO 0.729697 0.21932 0.459248 1.089801

19 PO 1.543238 0.112968 1.226267 1.910588

20 PO 0.324115 0.167712 0.228911 0.442622

21 PO 0.85262 0.133934 0.647931 1.096424

22 PO 1.558778 0.666203 0.295397 4.558987

23 PO 0.636032 0.204999 0.413486 0.926853

24 PO 0.48388 0.162075 0.345989 0.654266

1 RC 1.100457 0.146977 0.813108 1.448571

2 RC 0.210473 0.719594 0.033584 0.660127

3 RC 0 NA NA NA

4 RC 0.520025 0.622284 0.112902 1.432647

5 RC 0.172285 0.446124 0.061949 0.369571

6 RC 0.014216 1.415789 0.000112 0.095652

7 RC 0.084021 1.229648 0.001727 0.472654

8 RC 0.24511 1.018001 0.012986 1.099727

9 RC 0.380407 0.583126 0.092961 0.994283

10 RC 0.444449 0.597585 0.104023 1.18469

11 RC 0 NA NA NA

12 RC 2.079659 0.839012 0.219913 7.576072

58

Region Species Mean density Standard error 95%LCL 95%UCL

13 RC 0.955196 0.262656 0.543925 1.534556

14 RC 0.126514 0.089729 0.105549 0.150085

15 RC 0.124908 0.607401 0.028367 0.337224

16 RC 1.499989 0.289296 0.801961 2.518268

17 RC 0.294487 0.480373 0.09631 0.662563

18 RC 0.449746 0.31242 0.227447 0.783939

19 RC 0.222817 0.669338 0.041816 0.654413

20 RC 3.048463 0.14639 2.255335 4.008629

21 RC 1.508053 0.131919 1.150969 1.932258

22 RC 8.209245 0.273405 4.558101 13.42627

23 RC 0.762774 0.28371 0.413296 1.268898

24 RC 0.286585 0.419358 0.110626 0.59052

1 SO 0.083537 0.31833 0.04164 0.147005

2 SO 0.006154 3.383892 NA 0.153789

3 SO 0 NA NA NA

4 SO 0.004769 2.270295 8.79E-08 0.064823

5 SO 0.617373 0.387863 0.258634 1.212193

6 SO 0.478597 0.209856 0.307729 0.703258

7 SO 0.226389 0.396837 0.092667 0.450688

8 SO 0.152604 1.24102 0.002969 0.869207

9 SO 0.515902 0.267862 0.290204 0.836005

10 SO 0.02557 0.593107 0.006066 0.067736

11 SO 0.02721 0.705942 0.004538 0.083826

12 SO 0 NA NA NA

13 SO 0.219219 0.470514 0.073808 0.487639

14 SO 0.000671 35.23433 3.69E-54 1.73E-46

15 SO 0 NA NA NA

16 SO 0.049751 0.420917 0.019126 0.102752

17 SO 0 NA NA NA

18 SO 0.293282 0.220366 0.184144 0.438798

19 SO 0.26867 0.429591 0.100966 0.56228

20 SO 0.130577 0.391372 0.054212 0.257814

21 SO 0.432403 0.165823 0.306653 0.588547

22 SO 0.707269 0.683412 0.126891 2.116305

23 SO 0.13006 0.351705 0.059703 0.241379

24 SO 0.374272 0.626361 0.080295 1.038093

59

Appendices 2 to 4 are provided separately due to file size and can be found on the

BirdLife Australia website: http://birdlife.org.au/

Appendix 2

Victorian Maps of routes surveyed, species sightings, threats assessed and weed/habitat

density.

Appendix 3

South Australian Maps of routes surveyed, species sightings, threats assessed and

weed/habitat density.

Appendix 4

New South Wales Maps of routes surveyed, species sightings, threats assessed and

weed/habitat density.