Spring Salutations Shorebirders!
Please come join this celebration of Toondah's tidal tapestry on Saturday 21 September 

Thank you Redlands 2030 for your efforts to save Toondah and organise this special annual event. See you there!

Moreton Bay is an important habitat in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, an international chain of wetlands which ensure there are safe and convenient stopover points for shorebirds to rest and feed along their ‘endless summer’ between the Arctic north and the warm south. (Qld Dept of Science & Env't -https://bit.ly/2lXtOlv

When they arrive in Brisbane, many will have travelled 13,000 kilometres. Approximately two million shorebirds visit Australia during spring and summer, with over 40,000 arriving in Moreton Bay each year. 32 species out of 42 international migratory shorebirds visit the Moreton Bay region. (Brisbane City Council -https://bit.ly/2lXtOlv

The Moreton Bay Foundation states the Moreton Bay Ramsar site supports more than 50,000 wintering and staging shorebirds during the non-breeding season.
(https://moretonbayfoundation.org/

According to the Queensland Wader Study Group, Moreton Bay supports all the threatened species of migratory shorebird listed under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) The Bay has one of the largest populations of the ‘Critically Endangered’ far eastern curlew in Australia, and is now one of the last major strongholds in the world for this rapidly declining. Their full summer survey in 2016-17 (6 low tide counts) within the Toondah development area during low tide feeding. Six migratory shorebirds made use of the site for feeding at low tide. In particular, the two threatened species, the Far Eastern Curlew and the Bar-tailed Godwit were widely dispersed across it. (https://bit.ly/2jVxF1M

Non-breeding shorebirds typically feed on invertebrates that live in or on intertidal habitats, mostly within soft sand and mud in Moreton Bay (19, 20). As the tide comes in and covers feeding habitats, birds move to high-tide roost areas, where they often gather together in large numbers to rest, preen and sleep, and supplement their feeding if the opportunity arises.

Moreton Bay’s wetlands are classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. Let's keep It this way and welcome them back every year!