Site Arrival & Conditions
Step 1 — All starred fields required before proceeding
Step 1
Making Landfall · LearnWhy conditions matter before you approach
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Tidal height at arrival is the most predictive variable for roost occupancy. A tide above 70% of range concentrates birds on the platform — it is the only refuge available to them. Loading conditions before you leave the vehicle is not a bureaucratic step. It is ecology. Understanding what you are about to walk into before you walk into it reduces disturbance. GPS coordinates are your EPBC Act compliance anchor — they place you at this site, at this time, making this decision.
⚡ Tidal height >70% = birds on platform, peak risk
📍 GPS is your EPBC record — accept the prompt
📅 Date and time auto-populate — confirm before proceeding
📅 Date & Time
Loading…
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🌤 Weather
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Tap Load ↑
💨 Wind
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🌊 Tide Now
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Tap Load ↑
Tidal Projection — 24 HoursWorldTides API · Load conditions to activate
Tide height
Current time
High tide roost risk
Low tide feeding
📋 Job Details
👤 Person in Charge
🌊 Tidal Record
Person in Charge — Name
Signature
Time
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Initial Roost Scan
Step 2 — Binoculars required · minimum 5 minutes
Step 2
Making Landfall · LearnFive minutes before you record anything
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This is not bureaucracy — it is ecology. A 30-second scan misses alert behaviour. It misses the CE species sitting behind the tide wrack that doesn't move until you are fifteen metres away. The five minutes are for the birds to show you what is actually happening at this site. An alert posture at distance means the disturbance threshold is already being reached — by your approach. Three flush events in two hours means the site has exceeded its tolerance for the day, regardless of species. Both of those facts take time to observe.
⏱ 5 min minimum — protocol, not suggestion
⚡ Alert posture = threshold reached, do not advance
🌊 High tide = all birds on platform — peak occupancy
🔭 Scan Protocol
🌊 Tidal Significance for Roost Occupancy
High Tide (+70%)
Birds concentrated on roost. Peak disturbance risk. No alternative refuge.
Mid Tide (30–70%)
Transition phase. Rising = birds arriving. Falling = birds departing to feed.
Low Tide (<30%)
Birds on mudflats feeding. Roost likely low occupancy. Lower risk.
After thorough binocular scan — are any birds present on or within 100 m of the roost?
Timer:
00:00
Person in Charge
Signature
Time
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Bird ID & Count
Step 3 — Select all types visible · Enter count for each
Step 3
Making Landfall · LearnCategory, not species — and why that is enough
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You don't need to identify the species. You need to identify the category — and the category tells you the conservation weight. A large brown bird with a long downward-curving bill is a Far Eastern Curlew or a Whimbrel. Either way, you are looking at Critically Endangered. Use the BirdLife Australia Shorebirds booklet (V3.1, p.23) to confirm; use the card to decide. If you cannot match the bird to any card, select 'Cannot identify' and treat it as CE. The cost of misidentifying a CE species downward is categorically higher than the cost of unnecessary caution. Never guess down.
📚 Booklet p.23: Eastern Curlew vs Whimbrel
⚠ Cannot ID = Treat as CE (×3.0) — contact coordinator
📖 BTG note: booklet says VU — correct EPBC status is CE (2021)
☐
🐦Photo pending
LARGE BROWN BIRD
Long bill — curves down
Long bill — curves down
Far Eastern Curlew · Whimbrel
Tall · alone or small group · p.23
Tall · alone or small group · p.23
Count:
☐
🐦Photo pending
MEDIUM CHUNKY BIRD
Straight or upturned bill
Straight or upturned bill
Great Knot · Red Knot · Bar-tailed Godwit
Often in flocks · pp.19, 25
Often in flocks · pp.19, 25
Count:
☐
🐦Photo pending
SMALL GREY/BROWN BIRDS
Flocks · Sparrow-sized
Flocks · Sparrow-sized
Red-necked Stint · Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Grey-tailed Tattler · pp.14–15, 22
Grey-tailed Tattler · pp.14–15, 22
Count:
☐
🐦Photo pending
BLACK & WHITE BIRD
Bold orange bill · Pink legs
Bold orange bill · Pink legs
Pied Oystercatcher · Sooty Oystercatcher
Usually in pairs · p.31
Usually in pairs · p.31
Count:
☐
🐦Photo pending
SMALL PALE PLOVER
Rufous cap · Short bill
Rufous cap · Short bill
Red-capped Plover
Nests on ground — check Aug–Feb · p.10
Nests on ground — check Aug–Feb · p.10
Count:
☐
❓Cannot identify
CANNOT IDENTIFY TYPE
Bird present but cannot match above.
Treat as CE — contact coordinator.
Treat as CE — contact coordinator.
Count:
Count Summary
CE / Unknown
0
Endangered
0
Migratory
0
Resident
0
Total Birds
0
📊 Observation Summary
Bird Types Confirmed
Signature
Time
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Behaviour Assessment
Step 4 — Observe 5 min before recording
Step 4
Making Landfall · LearnBehaviour converts status into contextual risk
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The same CE species feeding on the mudflat and roosting at high tide with no alternatives represent the same bird in two very different situations. The behaviour multiplier captures that difference. Each flush event costs a bird approximately 4 grams of fat. For a Bar-tailed Godwit that needs to fly 11,000 km non-stop to Alaska, 4 grams is a meaningful fraction of its fuel load. The three-flush rule exists because the cumulative cost of repeated disturbance at one site, in one session, can be equivalent to a catastrophic single event. You cannot see the cumulative cost — the rule makes it visible.
💨 Each flush ≈ 4g fat lost — irreplaceable in season
🥚 Nesting check FIRST — eggs/chicks = automatic RED, all species
📊 3 flush events in 2 hrs = automatic RED, cannot override
Check This First — Before Anything Else
Eggs on ground · Bird sitting very flat (incubating) · Small fluffy chicks anywhere? YES = STOP ALL WORK. Withdraw to 50 m. Proceed to Decision — RED. Applies to ALL species. EPBC Act requirement.
YES — eggs/chicks → RED
NO — continue below
👁 What Are the Birds Doing? Select primary behaviour observed
Roosting / Resting
Standing still, bill tucked, sleeping. Not disturbed by your presence at distance.
→ Proceed to decision
Foraging / Feeding
Moving on mud, probing. Rising tide = birds moving toward roost.
→ Proceed to decision
Alert — Heads Up / Moving Away
Heads raised, moving to roost edge, calling. Disturbance beginning. Do not advance.
→ Likely AMBER or RED
Flushing — Taking Flight
Birds taking flight due to disturbance. Each flush is critical energy loss.
→ Likely RED — log below
📝 Flush Event Log — 3 in any 2 hrs = automatic RED
#
Time
Approx. birds
Cause
Returned?
1
2
3+
⚠ 3 or more flush events in any 2-hour period = automatic RED
📋 Observation Notes
Behaviour Assessment Complete
Signature
Time
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Decision & Authorisation
Step 5 — Your signature carries EPBC Act weight
Step 5
Making Landfall · LearnYour signature is the record — it shows what you knew
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The score is the tool's independent analysis of the ecological risk you have described. It does not make the decision — you do. But the score and your decision are both recorded. If they don't match, a flag appears in the Summary. In Field Practice and Senior Steward pathways, that flag is the training moment: you will be asked to write down your override reasoning as if reporting to a coordinator. A senior manager may have legitimate operational reasons to override a score recommendation — but 'I didn't know the score was HIGH RISK' is not a defence in a regulatory review. The tool makes sure that isn't a possibility.
🟡 AMBER requires all 6 checklist items initialled
🔴 RED = withdraw 50 m · call coordinator immediately
📊 Score vs decision mismatch is flagged in the Summary
Status: —
Behaviour: —
Total birds: —
GREEN
Proceed
When: No birds; small migratory birds roosting calmly; residents, no nesting.
30 m buffer. Monitor throughout.
30 m buffer. Monitor throughout.
AMBER
Proceed with modifications
When: EN species roosting calmly; medium chunky birds; CE not confirmed.
Complete checklist below.
Complete checklist below.
RED
Suspend & Notify
When: CE present; eggs/chicks; 3+ flushes; unknown type; birds in alarm.
Notify coordinator.
Notify coordinator.
Decision Authorised — Person in Charge
Signature
Time
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Site Stewardship
Step 6 — Does this site serve the birds AND the community?
Step 6
StewardNow look at the same site through a different lens
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You have assessed whether it is safe to work here today. Now step back and look at this site as a community educator. The birds don't need people to love them — they need people to leave them alone. Social licence is what makes that happen at scale. A roost that the community values is a roost that generates political will for its protection. A roost that the community doesn't know exists can be lost in a planning approval without anyone noticing. Interpretive infrastructure, safe viewing positions, visible stewardship — these are not decorations. They are the mechanism by which conservation concern becomes conservation action.
📋 R-METT Q20: Education and awareness at the site
👥 R-METT Q24: Community input to management decisions
🌿 Social licence protects the roost when it matters most
1
Interpretive Signage
Does the site have quality interpretive signage that explains to a first-time visitor what this roost is, why these birds are here, and what the global significance of the site is?
0
No signage, or regulatory only — no ecological context for visitors
1
Basic signage present — species names or restricted access, limited interpretation
2
Quality interpretive signage — ecological context, flyway significance, visual content
2
Designated Viewing Position
Is there a dedicated or de facto viewing position that allows visitors to observe and identify birds from outside the Flight Initiation Distance of the species typically present at this site?
0
No designated position — visitors approach freely, routinely entering FID
1
Informal position exists — some natural screening, not marked or structured
2
Designated position outside FID — clear sight line, marked, suited to CE species present
3
Access Management
Does the physical site design and management effectively limit unplanned access to the roost zone by dogs, vehicles, pedestrians and other disturbance sources?
0
No controls — full unmanaged access; dogs and vehicles enter the roost zone freely
1
Partial management — some barriers or signs, but intrusion occurs regularly
2
Effective management — clear delineation, enforced access controls or regular steward presence
4
Community Awareness
Is there evidence that the local community — regular visitors, dog walkers, residents, recreational users — actually knows what this site is and why it exists?
0
No visible community awareness — site indistinguishable from any other beach area
1
Some awareness — occasional users know the site, signage occasionally read
2
Active awareness — community groups briefed, local media presence, events held at site
5
Steward Program Visibility
Is the Shorebird Steward Program — or an equivalent active stewardship program — visible at this site through signage, contact details, branding, or regular documented presence?
0
Program invisible — no reference to stewardship, no named coordinator, no QR code or contact
1
Partly visible — QR code or web link present, or occasional steward presence noted
2
Clearly visible — named coordinator, programme information at site, regular presence communicated
6
Site Condition and Presentation
Does the overall physical condition of the site — substrate quality, vegetation management, debris, signage maintenance — communicate to a visitor that someone actively cares for this place?
0
Poor — site appears neglected; debris, unmanaged vegetation, gives impression of abandonment
1
Acceptable — maintained but basic; nothing communicates active ecological management
2
Good — clearly cared for; clean, substrate appropriate, communicates active stewardship
Site Stewardship Assessment
Signature
Time
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Visit Score Summary
Screenshot this card for records — iPad: Side Button + Vol Up
Summary
📸 All data auto-compiled. Screenshot the card below for EPBC records.
Roost Maintenance Visit Record
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/12
Disturbance Risk Score
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Complete all steps to generate
Decision
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CE / Unknown
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Endangered
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Migratory
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Resident
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Total Birds
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Site
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Date & Time
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Person in Charge
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GPS
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Tide Height / Stage
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Weather
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Task
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Highest Status
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Behaviour
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Flush Events
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Tidal Significance
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Score Breakdown
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forshorebirds.org · Borys Daniljchenko, Environmental Educator (Retired) · Delivery Partners: REF Environmental, Jacobs Well EEC, BIEPA
Score vs decision mismatch — see debrief for analysis.
Site Stewardship Assessment
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/12
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Site stewardship indicators adapted from R-METT Q20 (Education and awareness) and Q24 (Local communities). Convention on Wetlands, Resolution XII.15.
Gazza — Senior Steward Debrief
© Borys Daniljchenko / forshorebirds.org · Shorebird Steward Program — not for redistribution outside the programme context
Photo Reference Library
Upload your field photos — appear in Bird ID cards
Photos
Large Long-billed (FEC / Curlew)
No photo
Medium Chunky (Knot / Godwit)
No photo
Small Stints / Sandpipers
No photo
Oystercatchers
No photo
Red-capped Plover
No photo
Unknown Type
? card — no photo needed
N/A