Chapter 9 – Migratory shorebirds and the Australian Painted Snipe

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Habitat ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT In Australia, Latham's Snipe occur in permanent and ephemeral wetlands (Chapman 1969; Naarding 1981). They usually inhabit open, freshwater wetlands with low, dense vegetation. However, they can also occur in habitats with saline or brackish water, in modified or artificial habitats, and in habitats located close to humans or human activity (Frith et al. 1977; Naarding 1983). These habitats are most commonly used when the birds are on migration (Frith et al. 1977). Latham's Snipe usually occurs singly or in small, loose groups of less than a dozen birds (Driscoll 1993; Higgins & Davies 1996; Naarding 1983). Feeding habitat and behaviour Latham's Snipe is an omnivorous species that feeds on seeds and other plant material and on invertebrates including insects (mainly flies and beetles), earthworms and spiders and occasionally molluscs, isopods and centipedes (Frith et al. 1977; Todd 2000). The foraging habitats of Latham's Snipe are characterised by areas of mud (either exposed or beneath a very shallow covering of water) and some form of cover (e.g. low, dense vegetation) (Frith et al. 1977; Todd 2000). The species is sensitive to disturbance (Driscoll pers. comm 2012). Individuals are shy and wary. If they are disturbed during the day they will initially freeze and then burst from cover, zig-zagging off with a very fast flight, with a 'crek' call, before dropping to cover again. This is often the first indication that they are present, as when still they are usually well camouflaged. Roosting habitat The species roost on the ground near (or sometimes in) their foraging areas, usually in sites that provide some degree of shelter, e.g. beside or under clumps of vegetation, among dense tea-tree, in forests, in drainage ditches or plough marks, among boulders, or in shallow water if cover is unavailable (Frith et al. 1977; Naarding 1982, 1983). Latham’s Snipe at the project site There are 36 records of Latham’s Snipe from the BAAM wet season surveys. Twenty seven birds were sighted on the first field trip. The estimated number of individuals was over double this at 63 birds. This raised estimate is commensurate with standard surveying practice for Latham’s Snipe and is considered necessary to account for the difficulties involved with surveying this species given their cryptic appearance and behaviour. Similar to the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, numbers of Latham’s Snipe at Abbot Point decreased from February to March as its preferred foraging habitat flooded during this time. The mosaic of habitat types at Caley valley wetland is conducive to Latham’s Snipe both in terms of it’s foraging and roosting preferences but also its cryptic nature. The sensitivity of the species makes the closed marsh area of the wetland important because the fringing sedges allow the birds to move and forage under cover. The species avoids foraging in open areas. Figure 9-10 and Figure 9-11 show the locations of Latham’s Snipe at the project site and confirms that while the species will move between the open and closed marsh zones, foraging in the areas of mud in each zone, the common element in both zones is the level of cover, in both cases low dense vegetation. ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA & OPEN LINES 9 - 24
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a small to medium sized wader. It is approximately 17–22 cm long and weighs approximately 65 g (SEWPaC 2012aa). Australian distribution Over 90% of the global Sharp-tailed Sandpiper population spends the non-breeding season in Australia. Small numbers arrive in northern Australia during mid-August, with large numbers in early September. Small numbers pass through the Torres Strait, and can occur on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in large numbers between September to November. After arriving in Australia, most birds move slowly south across the continent to south-east Australia. The distribution of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in Australia changes from year to year and depends in part on the availability of ephemeral inland wetlands. In Queensland, they are recorded in most regions, being widespread along much of the coast but in highest numbers on southward migration (QWSG records). They are very sparsely scattered inland, particularly in central and south-western regions (Higgins & Davies 1996). Habitat In Australasia, the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper prefers muddy edges of shallow fresh, brackish or saline wetlands, with inundated or emergent sedges, grass, saltmarsh or other low vegetation. Sometimes they occur on rocky shores and rarely on exposed reefs (Higgins & Davies 1996). Feeding habitat and behaviour The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is one of the most common migratory shorebird species in eastern Australia (Smith 1991) and has been observed in large flocks of >1, 000 birds. Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are opportunistic feeders. They forage at the edge of the water of wetlands or intertidal mudflats, either on bare wet mud or sand, or in shallow water. They also forage among inundated vegetation of mangroves, saltmarsh, grass or sedges. They eat seeds, worms, molluscs, crustaceans and insects (Higgins & Davies 1996). Sharp-tailed Sandpiper have been observed foraging in large numbers with smaller proportions resting and preening. Roosting habitat Roosting occurs at the edges of wetlands, on wet open mud or sand, in shallow water, or in short sparse vegetation, such as grass or saltmarsh. Occasionally, they roost on sandy beaches, stony shores or on rocks in water (Higgins & Davies 1996). They have also been recorded roosting in mangroves (Minton & Whitelaw 2000). An additional benefit arising for Sharp-tailed Sandpipers feeding in saltmarsh areas throughout the day is that they can use saltmarsh as night roosting habitat. Sharp-tailed Sandpipers need to feed almost continuously throughout the tidal cycle and often make extensive use of higher flats (Goss Custard and Moser 1988) or supratidal artificial wetlands (Masero et al. 2000; Masero and Perez-Hurtado 2001; Masero 2003) during high tides. By feeding in saltmarsh throughout the day, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers are able to limit any extra energy that would be expended travelling to and from a separate roost site. ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA & OPEN LINES 9 - 25
Page 1 and 2: Abbot Point Cumulative Impact Asses
Page 3 and 4: ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSES
Page 13 and 14: Figure 9-3: BAAM March survey locat
Page 21 and 22: Coastal water and estuarine (intert
Page 25: ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSES
Page 29 and 30: Feeding habitat and behaviour ABBOT
Page 41 and 42: 9.4 CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES ABBOT P
Page 43 and 44: Table 9-5: Areas of the Caley Valle
Page 45 and 46: 9.5.2 Indirect Impacts ABBOT POINT
Page 47 and 48: GROUNDWATER ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE
Page 51 and 52: DISTURBANCE RELATED IMPACTS Noise A
Page 69 and 70: 9.9 INTERACTION WITH CLIMATE CHANGE
Page 71: ABBOT POINT CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSES

Chapter 9 – Migratory shorebirds and the Australian Painted Snipe

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