Bayside Council agreed to ask Georges Riverkeeper to develop a shorebird protection plan that accommodates Bayside’s shore and migratory birds at a Council Meeting on Wednesday 26 May 2023.
There are 18 species of migratory shorebirds regularly found in Botany Bay due to the diversity of habitat and rich invertebrate foods.
Sandringham Foreshore and Dolls Point Beach intertidal mudflats are important feeding sites for migratory shorebirds including BarTailed Godwits (Commonwealth Status Vulnerable) and resident shorebirds including Pied Oystercatchers (NSW Conservation Status Endangered).
Botany Bay also supports nationally significant populations of Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew and Doublebanded Plover.
Bar-Tailed Godwits migrate to Australia every spring and spend more than 6 months a year here preparing for their annual migration to their breeding grounds in Siberia and Alaska. The Bar-tailed Godwit holds the record for the longest non-stop flight of any bird, with a 13,560km continuous flight from Alaska to Australia.
Some shorebird populations have declined up to 80% over the last 30 years, because of destruction of their habitats, hunting and disturbance.
Migratory shorebirds must feed on coastal mudflats and other wetlands to increase their body mass by up to 70% to gain sufficient energy to sustain them on migration.
Disturbances interrupt shorebirds’ limited foraging periods during low tide preventing them from foraging effectively and wastes energy stored for migration.
Georges Riverkeeper works with eight Member Councils including Bayside Council to look after the Georges River by undertaking activities to guide best practice management to protect natural resources and improve liveability along the Georges River.