The Grey Plover is a special and unusual migratory shorebird that we know very little about. It is the largest plover we have in Australia. We know that they migrate an amazing  12,000km to breed in northern Siberia and Alaska during the northern summer and return to spend our summer in Australia. The Australian coastline hosts around 12,000 Grey Plovers from September to March each year. However nearly all the population in Australia is female which makes their migration even more mysterious. Why do females migrate to Australia, but males apparently don’t?

We aim to use satellite tracking to find out some of the answers to these questions.

Our plan is to follow at least three Grey Plovers using satellite tracking technology in the 2015/16 migratory season to answer the mysteries of Grey Plover migration. And you will be able to follow them too! 



A key aim of this program is to identify migratory routes and stopover sites. We can then build on this for further work to identify if these are regular habitats/routes used by the birds. The other key aim is to identify the breeding areas used by these birds.

Most migratory shorebirds leave Australia in March and April, travel in big numbers, and use well known routes and stop-over locations such as the Yellow Sea in China. But not the Grey Plover it seems. We believe they travel in smaller numbers, but the information from bird-banding studies and leg flag sightings is limited. We have no knowledge of where Grey Plover breed or any stopover sites for refuelling north of the Yellow Sea. We thus cannot assess the threats they face when they move north past the Yellow Sea. 


  















Grey Plover numbers in Australia are declining, so we need to identify these threats to their migration quickly. Their continued survival depends on these unknown but critical sites, but we cannot assess or improve the conservation status of these sites until they have been located.

With the arrival of light-weight solar powered satellite trackers we are now able to track the journey of the Grey Plover. Satellite tracking allows us to build knowledge and data in real time that will help inform what can be done to help them survive in the future.



And at the same time satellite tracking allows everyone to follow the migration tracks of the Grey Plovers from the comfort of their own home! Tracing their individual journeys on a global map on the web means we can all see for ourselves the impact of this research, the route these birds take and where their breeding grounds are located, all in real time.
 
We aim to get the project started as soon as Grey Plovers return to Australia in late 2015 and will follow their journeys throughout the 2016 migration and breeding season. Although we are planning to attach satellite trackers on at least three birds, if the funds allow it, we will increase this to up to five birds.


With thanks to Ady Boyle, Eugene Cheah, Maureen Christie, Ken Gosbell, Danny Rogers and Dan Weller for Grey Plover images and maps.

TOTAL BUDGET 

Transmitters – purchase and attach the minimum 3 trackers      =          $15,000
Costs associated with locating birds etc.    =                                        in kind/volunteer time
Web-based tracking map - Develop and maintaining so that
everyone can follow  progress              =                                                       $1000
Rewards fulfilment =                                                                                        $1000
Pozible admin fee (4% ) =                                                                                  $680
 
We’re setting our  target to cover costs for running three trackers, but ideally, we’d like to be running five trackers next season as this would provide an excellent dataset and guard against data failure if any of the trackers fail.

Any funds pledged beyond the target will be put to good use – we’ll be able to buy, attach and follow more trackers  which all goes to helping the birds' future.  

Catching Grey Plovers may present challenges. And although the satellite tracker technology we are planning to use is reliable and tested on many species around the world, trackers can fail or fall off birds. After release, there is a possibility of birds being predated or not departing Australia. The AWSG has members with extensive skills, knowledge and experience to provide this project with every possibility of succeeding. This is a species that has been previously caught, and locations of potential habitats in Australia are well known, increasing likelihood of successful catching and tracker deployment. Personnel experienced with satellite trackers will be fitting trackers on birds, ensuring they are properly fitted and working when the birds are released.