When?

From Monday 25th to Thursday 28th April Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) and the Victorian Wader Study Group (VWSG) will be at WTP catching and satellite tagging Straw-necked Ibis & Australasian Shoveler with GPS transmitters. With the assistance of the VWSG, both species will be caught using the cannon netting technique.

Where?

These species will be caught in pasture paddocks close to the bird-watching route along Paradise Road and Beach Road (see map below). The bird-watching route will remain open for these activities, but please ensure to drive slowly near these areas, and avoiding stopping, to allow the teams to conduct their activities without disturbance.

Why?

Both Straw-necked Ibis and Australasian Shoveler are a Ramsar listed value, with the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar site supporting >1% of the total populations of both these species.

Straw-necked Ibis

Melbourne Water purposefully irrigates over 400 hectares of ‘Terrestrial Margin’ pasture paddocks at WTP specifically to provide foraging habitat for Straw-necked Ibis. ARI will be aiming to catch and satellite tag 23 individual ibis to better understand their movements within WTP, and what habitat factors influence those movements. This information will help improve on site management actions for this species.

Australasian Shoveler

WTP hosts a substantial percentage of Australasian Shoveler, with 2,866 individuals counted in our most recent Winter survey – the highest since 2011. There is a lack of knowledge surrounding the habitat breeding requirements of this species, with wetlands in northern Victoria regularly surveyed by ARI showing a lack of breeding evidence. At WTP, ARI will be seeking to catch up to 30 individual birds in their non-breeding season to track their movements and determine where the birds breed. This will help water management authorities and wetland managers better understand the habitat breeding requirements for Australasian Shoveler and shape management actions for this species.

If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to contact us via email [email protected] or telephone 131 722.