8 May 2015 – Talk in Castlemaine by Shorebird Expert

Posted on 4 May, 2015 by Connecting Country

Pied Oystercatcher with eggs ©Brett Lane

We recently promoted a BirdLife Australia fundraising program for scientists wanting to learn more about a poorly known shorebird, the Grey Plover (click here). As a nice little accompaniment to this story, the guest speaker for the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club this month is giving a presentation about shorebirds.

The presenter is Brett Lane, who is the author of the book ‘Shorebirds in Australia’ and has worked for many years on the distribution, abundance and migration of shorebirds in Australia and Asia. Since then he has continued to work on shorebirds as a consultant to government and private clients, advising on the effects of development on these birds and their habitats and on practical mitigation and offset strategies. He established one of Victoria’s leading ecological consultancies, Brett Lane & Associates Pty Ltd in 2001 and is currently working on a number of shorebird impact assessment and offset planning projects in South Australia and Victoria.

Greenshank ©Brett Lane

Brett writes “[My] talk will be about a fascinating group of birds: the shorebirds. Over 60 species occur in Australia and they include some of the most accomplished long-distance migrants in the world. Millions of shorebirds migrate each spring and autumn from Siberia and Alaska to Australia and New Zealand. [I] will introduce this group of birds and discuss their distribution and abundance in Australia, as well as their habitats and feeding choices. [I] will also provide an overview of the current significant threats to shorebirds throughout the East Asia – Australasian Flyway and discuss the future for these now quite threatened birds.”

Ruddy Turnstone foraging ©Brett Lane

Details: Friday 8th May 2015. Arrive from 7pm for a coffee and chat, with the meeting commencing from 7.30pm.
Held in the Fellowship Room behind the Uniting Church, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine (next door to the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Museum)
No RSVP required. Members and Visitors welcome. Free.