Migratory Shorebirds
Every year Australia is visited by a spectacular array of migratory shorebirds that travel for over 10,000 kilometres to the coastal shores and wetlands for the warmer months of August to April. These birds breed in the Northern Hemisphere in places like Siberia, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. The migratory route they travel is known as the East Asian Australasian Flyway.
Finding these birds in the wild is very dependent on the type of environment you are in. For example, some species prefer mudflats to feed, whilst others like sandy beaches.
Over a dozen species of shorebird have been recorded on the Mornington Peninsula, from species that form large flocks numbering up to the tens of thousands to solitary birds. Western Port Bay to the east of the peninsula is a recognised RAMSAR wetland due to its importance to these shorebirds. On the Mornington Peninsula, some of the best places to encounter these birds are on the shores of Western Port, although most shorebirds inhabit the eastern side of the bay and French Island. You can also find luck at Flinders Ocean Beach with Red-necked Stint and Ruddy Turnstone being regular summer migrants at that location.
Migratory species on the Mornington Peninsula include:
Bar-tailed Godwit - uncommon on MP but regularly present in Western Port.
Common Greenshank - cerberus, regularly present in Western Port.
Common Sandpiper - uncommon, typically solitary.
Curlew Sandpiper - uncommon on MP but regularly present in Western Port.
Eurasian Whimbrel - uncommon on MP but regularly present in Western Port.
Far Eastern Curlew - uncommon on MP but regularly present in Western Port.
Great Knot - rare.
Latham's Snipe - common inland wetlands - Balbirooroo, Tootgarook and Devilbend.
Red Knot - uncommon on MP but regularly present in Western Port.
Red-necked Stint - common, ocean beaches eastern side of peninsula.
Ruddy Turnstone - common, Flinders.
Sanderling - rare.
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - uncommon on MP but regularly present in Western Port.
