Migratory birds make journey from Alaska to Adelaide for summer vacation

Updated

Thousands of birds have begun arriving at the salt marshes, mangroves and mudflats along Adelaide's northern coast as part of their annual migration.

About 27,000 birds call the area home each summer with many making the journey from as far away as northern Asia and Alaska.

The South Australian Government secured 2,300 hectares in the region in August last year, creating a 60-kilometre stretch from the Barker Inlet to Port Parham.

Proclaimed as the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, the Government has committed to invest $1.7 million in the project.

Birdlife Australia has been monitoring the shorebird population in the Gulf St Vincent with the support of the Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board for the past eight years.

Of more than 200 species in the area, 42 are migrants. Some 25 are regular migrants and 16 are rare.

Research and conservation officer Chris Purnell said there had been a staggering decrease in shorebird numbers over the past 45 years.

"We are seeing declines of up to 8 per cent a year in some of these species but it's not always to do with what is happening on our shores," he said.

"It's quite often to do with what's happening throughout the flyway in areas like China and Korea."

Many of the birds travel more than 11,000 kilometres to reach the South Australian coast, along the East Asian Australasian Flyway, and depend on the area to fatten up for the long journey back to their breeding grounds.

Mr Purnell said some of the birds had been tagged in recent years to track their movements.

"We saw the same bird two years running that we tagged.

"It was resighted by Australian researchers in China and then came back [to South Australia] to within 30 centimetres of where I saw it the following year.

"So they really do rely on these habitats."

The sanctuary has become the most important site in South Australia for many shorebird species following the decline of the Coorong in recent years.

But Mr Purnell said conservationists faced an up-hill battle in protecting the environment, particularly from damage caused by four-wheel driving enthusiasts.

"SA is a little bit behind in that it's one of the only states that doesn't have legislation banning beach driving of off-road vehicles," he said.

Birdlife Australia volunteers have been working on increasing fencing in the sanctuary to keep vehicles out.

They have also been reducing weeds, working on fox control and increasing the amount of bird-friendly vegetation.

Groups unite to protect bird population

Members of 30 different organisations have banded together to lead the establishment of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary.

The group, which goes by the name The Collective, consists of representatives from the Kaurna community, local and state government and the tourism industry, as well as bird experts, university leaders, school students and members of the Vietnamese Famers Association.

We're also using the festival as a bit of an educational tool just to kind of raise some awareness generally in the community about how amazing this place is. Arkellah Irving

Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary community involvement and planning coordinator Arkellah Irving said the group had its first formal meeting two weeks ago to outline its vision for the sanctuary.

"It isn't just about bringing community into decision making in Government projects but it's also about giving them a true voice in the direction and future shaping of the sanctuary," she said.

The group has helped organise Adelaide's first Flyway Festival, which will be held on St Kilda Foreshore on October 17 to celebrate the arrival of migratory shorebirds.

Ms Irving said the festival would have a strong focus on food, tying together the journey taken by the birds to South Australia to feed and the abundance of produce grown by local farmers on the Adelaide Plains.

"The birds come back to feed but also Adelaide really gorges on the food that comes out of that area as well so [we thought] why not celebrate the local businesses and food producers at the same time," she said.

"We're also using the festival as an educational tool to raise some awareness generally in the community about how amazing this place is."

The sanctuary also aims to raise the profile of Adelaide's north and eventually create jobs by turning it into an internationally recognised tourism icon.

"Especially with things like the Holden closure and other things that are happening that aren't really providing a lot of support for the local communities," Ms Irving said.

"I think there is a real opportunity there to open the eyes of, not just other Adelaidians but also people across the globe about how amazing the location of the sanctuary is and how pristine it is."

The group is also discussing the possibility of establishing camping areas within the sanctuary for avid bird watchers.

Topics: environment, environmental-management, birds, adelaide-5000, mallala-5502, elizabeth-5112, sa

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