NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)

Reports from dedicated volunteers combined with strong community support has helped the South Coast's endangered shorebirds achieve a great breeding season.

NPWS Shorebird Recovery Coordinator, Jodie Dunn, said today that local shorebird volunteers and NPWS staff have been working very hard over the summer to protect shorebird nests and chicks on South Coast beaches.

"Awareness is growing about the beautiful beach nesting birds of the South Coast and volunteer numbers are growing. Due to all these hard working shorebird volunteers, the birds are getting more frequent monitoring and protection with great results.

"We also really appreciate the cooperation this year of responsible beach goers and dog walkers who kept clear of the shorebird nesting areas over the summer and let the birds have a little space to nest and raise their chicks on the beach. It is all about 'Sharing the Shoreline', and there's obviously growing awareness of just how we can all help these birds survive," Ms Dunn said.

"With less than 50 'Hoodies' left in NSW, and after a decade of nest protection work through the NPWS South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program, it is very encouraging for volunteers and staff to start seeing a slight increase in breeding pairs nesting on the beach and also fledgling numbers.

"The critically endangered Hooded Plovers have had one of their best seasons on record.  We usually only have 7 or 8 breeding pairs producing 6 to 7 fledglings, however last season we had a record of 9 breeding pairs and 17 fledglings and this season we observed eleven fledglings along the south coast from 11 breeding pairs."

"The endangered Little Tern has also had a great breeding season on the south coast with the largest and most successful colony on record at Lake Conjola. Over the summer months around a hundred pairs nested on the spit at Lake Conjola Entrance producing a record 106 fledglings for the site. Little Terns also nested at Lake Tabourie for the first time since the 1950's.

"Four pairs recolonised the site and nested successfully to fledge seven chicks. Disappointingly, however, Little Terns did not nest at the Windang site (Illawarra) or at Lake Wollumboola (Nowra). Despite this, the south coast Little Tern overall still had its best season on record!

"The endangered Pied Oystercatcher also had a good breeding season with 15 pairs monitored on the estuaries of the south coast producing 12 fledglings. This species needs more attention with the recent upgrading from Vulnerable to Endangered status in NSW. Nests are often difficult to monitor due to their locations around the banks and islands of lakes and rivers, meaning kayaks and boats are often needed," Ms Dunn said.

The NPWS South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program (SCSRP) has been running for a decade. The program recruits and trains volunteers to watch over their local threatened beach nesting birds. This involves a team working together on  finding threatened shorebird nests and chicks, installing protective fences and signs, identifying and managing threats (e.g. see fox tracks then install nest cage and call in the fox trapper) and monitoring the success of the eggs and chicks over the breeding season.

"Notwithstanding this promising progress, we need ongoing help to conserve the threatened birds of the south coast. You can do as little or as much as you like and every bit is appreciated. It is very rewarding to see a little endangered chick take its first flight!", said Ms Dunn.