CoralWatch Workbook 33

Bird Life

Captionphoto

BackgroundMany birds rely on the ocean for food, nesting materials and suitable breeding and nesting habitats of coral cays, coastal cliffs and sheltered beaches. You can tell a lot about a bird by looking at its body features, behaviour and where it lives. Birds will often nest in trees for protection if they live alongside ground dwelling foxes, pigs or snakes, while ground nesting is common for birds living on offshore islands, away from predators or human influence. Long legs and long beaks may indicate wading birds that enjoy plucking worms and crustaceans from the beach and reef at low tide. Webbed-feet are a giveaway for all seabirds that feed almost exclusively on small baitfish, jellies and squid. Disturbance to coastal habitat that disrupts bird populations can have ongoing effects in local and global food webs.

Some birds are only temporary visitors to an area, including those that have migrated over thousands of kilometres of the ocean surface to the areas where the seas are the most productive or warm enough to ensure the survival of their young. Migratory species of birds, mammals and some fish that can regulate their temperatures regardless of the temperature of the surrounding environment are known as endothermic. These animals move through the isotherms following the currents and the seasons.

The aim of this activity is to identify the variety of bird species on an island or coastal area

and to establish population distribution and dynamics. You will identify and estimate numbers of

birds in a coastal area and relate this to the type and amount of local vegetation, position of nests

and human presence. You will gain a greater understanding of factors that

influence coastal bird behaviour and abundance and how this

may affect local and remote ecosystems.

Time Approximately two hours

Dave

Loga

n

Tools• Map or chart of the area • Field guide• GPS• Results table • Pencil or pen• Binoculars• Digital camera

34 Coralwatch Workbook

Bird Life

N

Island / coastal birdlife map

Field activity1. Draw a diagram of the coastal area that you are surveying and use a GPS (if available) to plot your location.2. Decide on a direction in which you will walk to conduct the survey (usually away from the shoreline).3. Approximately every 10m (this can be altered depending on your coastal area) stop and make the following

observations of the area around you and record them in the ‘Bird life observations’ table: a. percentage groundcover (e.g. plants and shrubs, etc) b. ground substrate (e.g. sand, coral, dirt, etc) c. level of human disturbance (low, medium or high) d. species and number of birds on the ground e. number of ground nests f. species and number of birds in the trees and air g. number of nests in surrounding trees4. Use these observations to plot bird population densities in the area on the map.

! Teacher HintLaminate ‘Common

coastal bird species’ to take in the field.

CoralWatch Workbook 35

Bird Life

Arenaria interpres (Ruddy Turnstone)

Egretta sacra (Eastern Reef Egret)

Waders Ruddy turnstones, Spoonbills,

Sand pipers, Wimbrels, Egrets

Chris

Roe

lfsem

aCh

ris R

oelfs

ema

Haematopus fuliginosus (Sooty Oyster Catcher)

Dave

Loga

n

Gallirallus philippensis (Buff Banded Rail)

Zosterops lateralis (Silvereye)

Island birds Finches, Silvereyes, Kingfishers, Doves, Rails, Crows

Chris

Roe

lfsem

aDa

ve Lo

gan

Todiramphus sanctus (Sacred Kingfisher)

Dave

Loga

n

Common coastal bird species

36 Coralwatch Workbook

Bird Life

Sula leucogaster (Brown Boobies)

Soaring birds Frigates, Petrals, Albatros’, Boobies, Shearwaters

Haliaeetus leucogaster (White Bellied Sea Eagle)

Raptors Kites, Falcons, Sea Eagles

Tiffan

y Led

widg

e

Chris

Roe

lfsem

a

Phoebastria immutabilis (Laysan Albatross)

Glen

Tepk

e Mar

ine P

hotob

ank

Thalasseus bengalensis (Crested Tern)

Terns Crested, Noddy

Chris

Roe

lfsem

a

Anous minutusBlack Noddy or White Capped Noddy

Craig

Reid

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Silver Gull)

Gulls Silver, Large

Chris

Roe

lfsem

a

Common coastal bird species

CoralWatch Workbook 37

Bird Life

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38 Coralwatch Workbook

Bird Life

Questions 1. List the biotic and abiotic factors that determine the dynamics of the bird population.

2. Describe the relationship between the bird populations and human activity.

3. Is there a correlation between tree height and the number of nesting birds present? What are the reasons for this?

4. Where are the greatest population densities found and what might be the contributing factors?

5. Explain how we could establish a relationship between the productivity of the reef and the total bird population.

6. Which of the bird species that you have recorded are likely to be temporary visitors to the area?

7. Describe the physical and behavioural differences you expect to see when comparing waders and raptors.

8. Estimate the total number of birds on the island or coastal area based on your study and evaluate the reliability of the results collected in this particular way.

Research projects1. How could climate change impact the dynamics of the breeding bird populations on reef ecosystems?

2. What are the impacts of commercial fishing upon sea bird populations?

3. Investigate how far the migratory birds have travelled and where they have stopped along the way.

4. Identify conservation agreements or management plans that exist for migratory birds and their habitats in the countries they are travelling from.

ReferencesReid et al. (2009) Coral Reefs and Climate Change: The guide for education and awareness. CoralWatch, The University of Queensland, Brisbane (See Ocean temperature page 42 and Productive seas page 56)Simpson K, Trusler P and Day N (1996) Field guide to the birds of Australia (Ed. 5). Viking, Penguin Books Australia.Cayley NW and Chisholm AH (1996) What bird is that?: a guide to the birds of Australia (Ed. 4). Angus and Robertson,

Australia Bird DM (2004) The Bird Almanac: a guide to essential facts and figures of the world’s birds (Ed. 2). Firefly Books, Ontario.Congdon, BC, Seabirds, In: The Great Barrier Reef : biology, environment and management, eds Hutchings PA, Kingsford M,

Hoegh-Guldberg O, Society ACRS (2008b) CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, VicCongdon, BC, Erwin, CA, Peck, DR, Baker, GB, Double, MC, O’Neill, P (2007) Vulnerability of seabirds on the Great Barrier

Reef to climate change, In: Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef: a vulnerability assessment, eds JE Johnson & PA Marshall, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Greenhouse Office, Townsville,

Australia, p. 427-463 (Available online)

International Wader Study Group; www.waderstudygroup.org