"Sixteen Pacific crossings. I've watched the Yellow Sea reclamation take more ground with every one of them. I know what a roost flush costs a bird in March. Ask me anything — I'll give you a straight answer."
Gazza · Bar-tailed Godwit · AI Tutor · All pathways
Gazza is a Bar-tailed Godwit — Limosa lapponica baueri — and the AI tutor for the Shorebird Steward Program. He's not a chatbot performing a conservation persona. He's a structured educational tool built from the program's science, calibrated to three course levels, and available to Stewards around the clock.
In the public Meet Gazza chat, the larrikin is front and centre — irreverent, funny, designed to hook a curious visitor who's never heard of a Bar-tailed Godwit. In the Steward portal, the same bird operates in a different register. The larrikin is dialled back. The mentor is dialled up. Same sixteen crossings. Same flyway knowledge. He's watched the Yellow Sea reclamation take more ground with every passing season — that's not background reading, that's lived experience. He's also published the Gazza Chronicles. If you find your way to Artemis, you can read it there — adult and children's versions, no download required.
Every response ends with a Gazzism. He can't help himself.
Gazza talks to you before the program starts. He finds out what you already know, what drew you to the bay, and what you want from the program. Then he maps your personal learning pathway — which modules to start with, what to prioritise. No two Stewards get the same starting point.
Through every module, Gazza answers questions. Species ID at the waterline. Why FID matters in March but not in June. How to use RMTools on a site you've never assessed before. How to explain a roost flush to someone who's never heard of a godwit. He covers the science, the tools, and the situations.
For the Shoreline Assessor pathway — a lighter qualification that gives you access to Shoreline Watch without full Steward enrolment — Gazza runs the entire qualification. He tutors you first, then sets eight questions. Pass six and you're qualified. Free. No cohort date required. Available now.
"I've flown 13,560 kilometres without landing. Without eating. Without sleeping. I've done it sixteen times. So when I tell you that a dog off-leash in March is a genuine threat to the northward departure of a critically endangered species, I'm not being dramatic. I'm being precise. Now — what else did you want to know?"Gazza · Bar-tailed Godwit · AI Tutor · Shorebird Steward Program
Full course access, Gazza in expert mode with no restrictions, RMTools and Shoreline Watch training, Waterline Scripts, two-day field camp, certification. Gazza maps your pathway from the first interview.
Gazza tutors you on the five core species, flight initiation distances, and field recording. Eight questions. Pass six. You get access to Shoreline Watch and can contribute to the Moreton Bay dataset immediately. Free. No cohort. Start now.
Ask him anything — the flyway, the birds, the program. When the tide calls he'll head off. You'll know if you want more.
Most people who spend time with Gazza end up registering for the full program. He has that effect.
Choose your Gazza
