Helping to Farewell the Shorebirds

Posted on 22 April, 2014 by Connecting Country

The Red-necked Stint is the smallest and most abundant of the shorebirds that migrate to Australia. They can be found in large numbers in most costal areas. Considering its size, this species performs one of the most amazing migrations of all.

Every year from late March onwards, thousands of birds leave the shores of Australia to embark on their arduous 10,000km journey northwards to their breeding grounds in Siberia and the Arctic. To celebrate this incredible journey, BirdLife Australia is launching an exciting nationwide event, Farewell Shorebirds, focusing on the fascinating lives of some of the 35 species of shorebirds.

Farewell Shorebirds will run from mid-April until mid-May 2014, concluding on World Migratory Bird Day (10 May). BirdLife Australia has invited people to register online at farewellshorebirds.org.au to follow up-to-date news of this year’s migration, receive weekly webcasts, find out about local birding activities and enter a draw for amazing prizes.

For readers interested in waterbirds, Geoff Park’s site has had several posts on the abundant waders he has observed recently at Cairn Curran.