Chapter 9 – Migratory shorebirds and the Australian Painted Snipe

Wet season surveys
Two wet season field surveys were conducted:
ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT
• four full days of surveying, from 21 to 24 February 2012, on foot using binoculars and a highpowered
telescope mounted on a tripod; and
• five full days from 5 to 10 March 2012 using the same method as for February with one of the days
spent surveying interior sedge marshes from kayaks.
With the exception of two short rain events the weather was relatively consistent through both survey
periods with temperatures ranging from 22°C to 33°C and partly cloudy.
Locations of the survey tracks, transects and points for each of the two surveys are shown in Figure 9-2
and Figure 9-3 for the February and March 2012 survey periods respectively.
The survey approach comprised three types of survey area:
• a complete survey of all open water areas;
• sedge marsh fringing the outer wetland perimeter and island shores; and
• interior closed sedge marsh.
Dry season survey
BAAM conducted a four day dry season survey from 26 to 29 June 2012. This survey comprised a 4 full
day survey and serves as an addendum to the BAAM 2012 technical report. The dry season survey
adopts the same methodology for migratory shorebirds as the wet season surveys.
The focus of the dry season survey was the main wetland basin. The open pan and coastal zones,
including the intertidal zone, were not surveyed.
The weather during the dry season survey was fine and mild, with gentle winds and no rainfall.
Locations of the survey tracks, transects and points for the dry season survey are shown in Figure 9-4.
ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA & OPEN LINES 9 - 8