Great Sandy StraitThe Great Sandy Strait's sheltered calm waters, shifting patterns of mangroves, seagrass, sandbanks and mud islands, and its unusual ancient swamplands known as patterned fens, are exceptionally important as feeding grounds for migratory shorebirds and home to several rare and threatened species. Some 1.5 million shorebirds experience an endless summer, flying an annual round-trip migration of 25,000 kilometres from their northern hemisphere Arctic breeding grounds to the wetlands of the southern hemisphere continents. Even tiny birds weighing less than two 20 cent coins make the journey - whatever the weather. At least 40,000 birds choose the wetlands of the Great Sandy Strait as their summer feeding grounds. Some then stay for the southern hemisphere winter - especially the young and old - foregoing the breeding leg of their migration. Some of visitors from afarEastern curlew - while rare in Queensland the eastern curlew is Australia's largest shorebird and breeds in eastern Siberia and northern Mongolia. Whimbrel - similar to the eastern curlew, the whimbrel also breeds in north eastern Siberia. Bar-tailed godwit - breed in eastern Siberia and Alaska and are abundant in the Great Sandy Strait. Double-banded plover - this visitor from New Zealand arrives in February-April and departs around July-August. Red-necked stint - smallest of Australia's migratory shorebirds, this active surface-feeder breeds in northern Siberia and Alaska. |
