Banded
Birds Banded
BirdsDuring the BAYBOCA outing to Mud Island, some birds were observed wearing leg bands. BAYBOCA member Charles Smith contacted the relevant groups, reporting our observations. He received letters in reply thanking him, and providing some information on the histories of the observed birds. What follows is a summary of the contents of those letters.
I have received your exciting news. This bird would have been banded in the Broome/80 Mile Beach region of NW Australia during August (about two months prior).
Clive Minton
"Reports such as these are a vital source of information to the ongoing study of the Oystercatcher population studies that the Victorian Wader Study Group have been undertaking since the late 1980's. In that time a lot of progress has been made in the understanding of the biology of this species which is unique to Australia and as there is a population estimate of only 10,000 it is very important that we understand as much as possible about the breeding and non-breeding behaviour of these birds."
The bird sighted at Mud Island is one of the early birds to be individually colour banded. It was originally banded at Werribee Water Treatment Plant, on the first of July 1989. At the time, its age was described as 1+. This means it was probably in its third year or older, and is now at least 9 years old. The oldest Victorian Oystercatcher is 18 years old.
In September 1989 this bird spent the rest of the non-breeding season at Altona. In the breeding season of January 1991 it bred or attempted to breed at werribee, but was not reported again until September 1996 when it appeared on Griffith Island. In January 1998 it was reported on Mud Island in the company of another Oystercatcher and their behaviour indicated that breeding was taking place.
"Two aspects of this bird are particularly fascinating. The first is the apparent prospecting and the final success at locating a satisfactory breeding site and the second is the discovery that like so many other Oystercatchers they have apparently abandoned a previously secure non-breeding site at Altona. Previously many pied Oystercatchers used this area but with the increase in building and other activities they seem to have abandoned this area, although small numbers still use the area during the winter."
Peter Collins and Dr Rosalind Jessop for the Victorian Wader Study Group
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