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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11BirdLife Australia’s National Shorebird Monitoring program is a volunteer-led, twice-yearly survey of shorebirds at sites around the country. Volunteers identify and count birds, record field conditions and behaviour, and submit observations to Birdata. Repeated counts build the long-term information needed to detect population trends and guide habitat conservation.
You can participate independently or join a coordinated count. Bird identification and observation experience, plus reliable transport to survey sites, are listed prerequisites; identification workshops may help participants build confidence. The program is national, but individual counts are meaningful only when their coverage, timing and effort can be compared with other surveys.
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What the Australian Shorebird Monitoring program is
BirdLife Australia has coordinated volunteer shorebird counts since the 1980s, with the national program reinvigorated in 2007. Its database is described as the most complete shorebird count dataset available in Australia. The records support studies of population trends and conservation and management decisions. BirdLife explains the program’s history on its migratory shorebirds page and its Australian Shorebird Monitoring project page.
Australia receives about two million migratory shorebirds each year, and BirdLife identifies 37 migratory species that regularly occur here. These birds depend on coastal wetlands, estuaries, mudflats, beaches and inland wetlands for feeding and roosting. Because many species travel across the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, local habitat loss or disturbance can affect birds that breed thousands of kilometres away.
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BirdLife states the conservation reason plainly: “To conserve shorebirds, it is critical that we understand the factors that affect their populations. Continued monitoring is necessary to inform the best management practices to maintain shorebird populations in Australia.”
How the national counts operate
Two survey seasons each year
BirdLife’s volunteer information says national monitoring occurs twice annually: once in summer and once in winter. Seasonal counts help show how species use Australian sites at different points in the annual migration cycle. A summer count and a winter count are not interchangeable observations; the season, tide, weather and local conditions must be retained with the record.
A network of sites and people
The volunteer page lists 520 monitoring sites across Australia. BirdLife’s separate project page lists 530 key shorebird areas. These are different figures reported on different pages, and neither should automatically be treated as a definitive replacement for the other. A “monitoring site” and a “key shorebird area” may also describe different geographic units.
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How to volunteer, step by step
BirdLife’s National Shorebird Monitoring volunteer page is the starting point for current opportunities and participation information. The published requirements do not specify a single national sign-up form or guarantee a place at every site, so follow the contact or participation instructions shown there and confirm local arrangements before travelling.
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- Check the role and requirements. Read the volunteer information and make sure you can identify and observe birds at the level needed for a reliable count. BirdLife also lists valid transport as a requirement because sites are distributed across the country.
- Choose an independent or coordinated count. Decide whether you will survey on your own or join a group. Coordinated counts can provide local guidance and shared coverage; independent counts require you to arrange access, timing, safety and data entry yourself.
- Build identification confidence. Use any identification workshop offered through the program or local organisers. Be conservative when a bird cannot be identified confidently; an uncertain record is more useful when its uncertainty is documented than when a species is guessed.
- Confirm the site and timing. Verify which location you are counting, the expected summer or winter survey window, access permissions and any local instructions. If the site includes multiple feeding or roosting areas, clarify whether all of them are expected to be covered.
- Prepare a consistent field method. Bring your recording method, navigation and safety equipment, and plan how you will count without flushing birds. An optional pair of binoculars can make distant identification easier, but BirdLife does not state that a particular binocular model is required or endorse one.
- Survey and record conditions. Count the birds you can observe, identify species, note behaviour and document the date, time, tide, weather, observers and method. These details allow later users to judge how comparable your count is with other visits.
- Submit the record to Birdata. Enter the sightings and associated survey information in Birdata as instructed for the project. Review species names, totals and the site before submitting, and retain notes that explain unusual conditions or identification limits.
What a useful count records
A total without context cannot show whether a population changed or whether the survey simply covered fewer birds. Guidance reproduced in a Lee Point shorebird monitoring plan, attributed there to the Commonwealth’s EPBC Act Policy Statement 3.21, describes the kinds of information that make counts interpretable. The plan is a site-specific document, not a complete or independently verified current protocol for every Australian Shorebird Monitoring location.
- Coverage: survey all habitat thought to be used by the population, including feeding areas and roosts where relevant.
- Timing: choose timing that suits the local site and repeat roost counts near high tide when that is the appropriate way to bring birds into view.
- Biological observations: record abundance, species richness and behaviour.
- Survey metadata: record date, start and finish time, tide, weather, survey method, number of observers and observer experience.
- Habitat information: note useful characteristics of the habitat and any conditions that could alter bird distribution or detectability.
The plan is available as the Lee Point Shorebird Monitoring Program PDF. Use it to understand why these fields matter, while following the current instructions supplied for your particular BirdLife count.
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How counts become trend information
Repeated, comparable effort is the foundation
A trend is a pattern across repeated observations, not a conclusion from one visit. To compare counts, aim for similar site coverage, seasonal timing, tide conditions, survey duration and method. Record any departure from the usual approach. If one visit covers only a roost while another covers the entire wetland, their totals answer different questions.
Detection and identification affect totals
Shorebirds may be hidden by vegetation, spread across mudflats, displaced by people or predators, or absent from a roost while feeding elsewhere. Weather, tide height and observer experience can therefore change the number seen. Species identification confidence also matters, particularly for similar-looking small waders. A lower count does not automatically mean fewer birds, and a higher count does not automatically mean population growth.
Site counts are not the same as population estimates
A site count measures birds detected at a location during a defined survey. A population estimate attempts to describe the number of birds in a broader population and depends on a larger body of data and modelling assumptions. Birdata records become more valuable when many observers use comparable methods over many seasons and sites.
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Key figures and what each one means
| Figure | What it describes | Scope and attribution |
|---|---|---|
| About 2 million | Migratory shorebirds visiting Australia annually | BirdLife Australia’s current project overview; the page is undated. |
| 37 species | Migratory shorebird species regularly occurring in Australia and covered by national conservation estimates | BirdLife identifies 37 regularly occurring migratory species; the Australian Government’s 2025 estimate revision covers the 37 species listed under the EPBC Act. |
| More than 1,600 people | People assisting the monitoring project | BirdLife Australia’s current project overview; the page is undated. |
| 520 sites | Monitoring sites listed for volunteers | BirdLife Australia’s National Shorebird Monitoring volunteer page; undated. |
| 530 areas | Key shorebird areas | BirdLife Australia’s Australian Shorebird Monitoring project page; undated. This is not presented as the same metric as the 520 monitoring sites. |
| 331 areas | Important habitat areas meeting government criteria | The Australian Government’s 2025 National Directory identifies 331 important areas for 37 migratory species, using 15 years of data from around 3,500 areas. |
How the 2025 habitat directory fits the monitoring network
The Australian Government’s 2025 National Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat is a habitat and conservation-planning resource, not a replacement for BirdLife’s volunteer count network. It identifies 331 areas that meet importance criteria for 37 migratory species. The analysis draws on 15 years of information from around 3,500 areas and includes a spatial tool and population estimates.
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- Monitoring sites or key areas describe places where observations or conservation work may occur.
- Directory areas are places selected because they meet the government’s importance criteria.
- Population estimates describe species-level numbers and are not simple sums of one day’s site counts.
A monitoring site can therefore fall outside the 331 directory areas, and a directory area can contain or combine more than one monitoring location. Do not use the directory total to infer how many BirdLife sites exist, or use the BirdLife site total to infer how many areas meet government importance criteria.
The government also warns that revisions to the 2016 population estimates do not necessarily indicate a real increase or decline. More complete data and improved methods can change an estimate even when the underlying population has not changed. The explanation and revised figures are on the 2025 revision of East Asian–Australasian Flyway population estimates.
Why the monitoring matters for conservation
BirdLife’s project overview reports that some shorebird populations have declined by more than 80% since the 1980s, with rates of decline reaching 8% per year. Its separate migratory shorebirds page describes some species as declining by up to 80% over 30 years. Those statements use different time intervals and should not be merged into one universal rate for every species.
Long-running counts can reveal where birds concentrate, whether use of a site changes between seasons, and which locations warrant closer investigation. Managers can use that evidence alongside habitat, disturbance and development information when deciding where to protect roosts, manage access, restore wetlands or schedule works. Monitoring does not by itself prove the cause of a decline; it shows the pattern that prompts investigation and management action.
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Using counts in impact assessment and planning
The Australian Government’s EPBC Act Policy Statement 3.21 guidance page helps assess whether proposed actions may significantly affect migratory shorebirds. It is policy guidance, not a finding that any particular development is lawful or unlawful.
For a planning or impact-assessment question, a defensible comparison should state:
- which habitats and locations were covered;
- the season, tide and time of each survey;
- how many repeat visits were made;
- the observers’ identification experience and effort;
- the survey method and weather or other conditions; and
- whether the result is a site count, a multi-site index or a population estimate.
Without those details, apparent differences may reflect detectability or coverage rather than a biological change.
Practical checklist for a first survey
- Read the current BirdLife volunteer instructions and confirm the local contact or group arrangements.
- Check that your bird-identification skills and transport meet the listed requirements.
- Confirm the exact site boundary, access permission and survey date.
- Learn the likely species and difficult identification pairs before fieldwork.
- Plan a method that avoids disturbing feeding or roosting birds.
- Carry a way to record species, totals, time, tide, weather, observers and notes.
- Record uncertainty instead of forcing an identification.
- Submit complete observations to Birdata promptly and check for transcription errors.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Calling one count a population trend
Problem: A single low or high total is treated as proof of decline or recovery.
Better practice: Compare repeated surveys with similar coverage and conditions, and describe the result as a count unless a suitable time series supports a trend.
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Problem: The 520 monitoring sites, 530 key shorebird areas and 331 directory areas are presented as one network total.
Better practice: Keep each figure attached to its definition and publishing organisation.
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Ignoring tide and weather
Problem: Counts made at different tide stages or in poor visibility are compared without qualification.
Better practice: Record tide and weather and explain how they may have affected detectability.
Overstating revised population estimates
Problem: A difference between the government’s 2016 and 2025 estimates is described as a confirmed population change.
Better practice: Note that improved or more complete data can account for the revision.
Disturbing the birds being counted
Problem: Observers approach too closely and alter the behaviour or location they are trying to measure.
Better practice: Use an appropriate viewing distance, follow local access instructions and record unusual disturbance in the survey notes.
What volunteers contribute
Every carefully documented visit adds another comparable observation to a national time series. The value is cumulative: records from many observers, seasons and habitats can show distribution and abundance patterns that no single survey could provide. By entering complete observations in Birdata and preserving information about effort and conditions, volunteers make their counts useful to scientists, land managers and conservation planners as well as to the local people who care for a wetland.
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