Shire Shorebirds Diary
Why dogs are not permitted on the Deeban Spit foreshore reserves
The issue of dogs on a beach is a naturally sensitive one and this blog is not a place for discussion on this subject.
This blog is an educational area showing there is a significant decline in shorebird numbers and gives a place for those people that may be seeking to learn how their actions may be contributing to the decline in shorebird populations.
If you feel strongly that dogs should be allowed on the Deeban Spit foreshore reserves, or any other beach, then that is an issue for you to take up directly with your local Council.
One of the birds that visits this area is the far eastern curlew. Their numbers have declined by over 80% in just 3 decades. This steep rate of decline saw them, in 2015, being declared critically endangered. They continue to decline at a rate of around 6% a year. The next listings after this are extinct in the wild, and then extinct. Once they get to extinct in the wild, then it is a very quick trip to extinct as these birds do not breed in captivity.
Like so many activities these days, it is the few doing the wrong thing that has ruined it for everyone.
Most beaches and many public areas do not allow people to take their pets. The NSW Dog Act of 1966 was amended in 1981 to specifically exclude dogs from public bathing areas, inclusive of beaches, unless posted otherwise. Sutherland Shire is lucky in that it has 3 beach areas that are dog friendly. Within the greater Newcastle/Sydney/Wollongong area there are few.
http://www.greatdogwalks.com.au/sydney-dog-friendly-beaches.aspx
Having some beaches posted as dog friendly either on or off lead, and having others posted as dog free, provides a balance for people and wildlife. In the Shire, those designated as dog free were so chosen because they still have remaining flora and/or fauna that international treaties requires them to protect.
Sutherland Shire Council has more beaches available for dog exercise than any other Council within Sydney.
Deeban Spit, being on the far edge of the Sydney metro area, is one of the last beaches, not declared as a protected nature reserve, that hosts shorebirds in the entire Sydney basin, inclusive of Newcastle and Wollongong. They were chased off from most other beaches before people realised how serious their decline had become.
The following website address provides you with times and dates within the Shire where dogs are permitted on beaches or there is a link to the left called "Dog Friendly Areas" that has a scroll down bar on the right of the link to find out where the beaches are that your pet is permitted.
http://www.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/Outdoors/Dogs-in-Public-Places/Dog-Friendly-Areas
The Deeban Spit area, inclusive of the beach that extends from Simpsons Bay through to an area off Constables Point and the sand flat feeding grounds that extends further through to the ballast heap off Red Jacks Point, are important to the shorebirds for feeding. Deeban Spit either side of high tide is important for resting. Nesting and resting on the beach area, feeding on the tidal sand flats, it requires a look at the tide charts before heading out to ensure both you and the wildlife can get the most out of the day.
Feeding for the birds on the sand flats takes place for as long as the birds are able to stand above water.
Both the feeding grounds and resting grounds are important because the migration flight can cause the birds to lose up to 70% of their body weight. If they don't put on enough flight muscle or fat reserves before migration, they may not leave. If the breeding instinct overrides their overall fitness they could die mid-flight.
Some off lead dogs have been seen chasing birds within this area. Owners acknowledge their dog can't catch a bird so they think that is ok. But it is actually the chasing of the birds which can spell their downfall, not the catching.
Constant disturbance, causing them to take flight, during the critical pre and post migration period can prevent them putting on the necessary flight and fat reserves necessary for survival.
A bird can't know which dog is of the bird chasing kind and which ones are just out for a stroll, so they fly whenever one comes walking. trotting or running, in their general direction, regardless of dog size.
Once your dog is off lead, then it can be chasing birds without you being able to gain control back quickly, no matter how well your trained your dog is.
Migratory birds have a long time in the air, over open ocean, meaning they can't just stop to rest and feed. When they run out of energy, during migration, they fall and drown.
During Spring, the beach nesting birds try to lay eggs straight onto the sand in a small hollow, called a scrape. A dog, or even a person, can easily crush the eggs or chicks if they don't know what to look for as the eggs and chicks are well camouflaged.
Here on Deeban Spit we are now looking out for when eggs are placed so we can set up a rope line perimeter to let people know that beach nesting is in progress plus we do letterbox drops to alert residents that nesting has started. The rope line perimeter is determined by best practice guidelines from Birdlife Australia and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
No-one wants to crush an endangered species egg with possible fines over $220,000 and/or two years in prison, which is why we have the fence line perimeters and signage to help people know where to walk. Deliberately disturbing nesting sites of endangered birds is when the big fines apply. This includes throwing balls for your off lead dogs to fetch inside the protection fence lines. During the 2016 nesting season this was done causing the birds to leave the nest and a raven took advantage of the situation and destroyed the eggs.
https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1995/101/part2/div1/sec6
The perimeter fence area seems large to some people, when they think it is just a bird, but not when you are a nesting oystercatcher. Oystercatchers have a very low tolerance for interference during nesting. What Council has done in terms of fencing and signs has left plenty of room for people to walk or have places to sit, fish or yabby pump. It is about setting a little space aside for the wildlife that can only breed on a beach. They are given only what is required according to the best practice guidelines mentioned above, no more.
People that have seen oystercatchers on other beaches say that most times they can just walk by, quite close, and the birds just let them pass. This is mostly true when the birds are not breeding. Behaviour totally changes once eggs are placed, however. Then they are more vigilant, moving away much sooner, trying to lead you away from a nesting site rather than sitting on the eggs, leaving the eggs or chicks exposed to predation by other birds, such as seagulls or ravens, or death by exposure (too hot or too cold/rainy).
Rope lines are used on many NSW south coast beaches during nesting season, which still have beach nesting birds to protect, but are seen more often in Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. NSW has a lot of catching up to do. It is necessary for species survival on beaches used by many people to have fence lines and volunteers to help visitors learn how not to disturb the nesting birds.
Our community needs to be aware that our everyday actions are having an impact, which could result in four more species consigned to the history books or we can do something to put the brakes on, here, now, within our own little patch. It isn't about signing a petition or sending in money, it is real action patrolling beaches and passing the message along.
You can make a difference. Whales were right on the brink but with everyone's help are now recovering. Pandas also were listed as endangered but have now moved up the extinction line to now be listed as a threatened species.
Once eggs hatch, oystercatcher chicks are quickly mobile and from there it is 5-6 weeks before they are able to start to fly and up to 8 weeks before they can fly confidently. During this time they may be outside perimeter fence lines on the feeding grounds so it is important to keep an eye on where you walk. Try not to step on weeds or move driftwood.
Autopsies on some dead chicks, on other breeding beaches, has shown evidence of dog bite marks. in 2017 Birdlife Australia attached radio transmitters to some chicks to try and find out what was the major cause of death for chicks. In one instance they found a chick still with radio transmitter in a plastic bag (complete with dog poop) sitting in a bin. The dog, possibly thinking of the chick as a rolling tennis ball, accidentally scoops up the chick, crushing it in its jaws.
Sometimes, because the dog is so far in front of its human companion, the tragedy of dead chicks lies unnoticed until the site volunteers come to do their records.
It is incredibly heartbreaking for volunteers, who have spent so much time setting up fencing and signs, talking with people, doing the records, writing the brochures and letterbox drops, to find chicks lying dead on the beach, which happens on the breeding beaches along the entire eastern seaboard.
Our shorebirds, by instinct, see dogs as predators. There is no way to teach them differently. We, however, are able to adapt our behaviour when walking with our pets.
Some people say, "but what about the foxes?". All wildlife groups are trying desperately to find a solution for fox control in an urban environment but this shouldn't mean we don't try to protect our beach nesting birds in the meantime. Removing the human threat by employing rope lines significantly increases the chances that the eggs can hatch and chicks fledge.
We are trying to help the oystercatchers from going extinct by allowing them to again attempt breeding on Sydney beaches, like they used to. A population is only truly sustainable if there are links along the coast line, allowing populations to mix, rather than leaving them to inbreed in reserves. They are desperately trying. The site they picked at Taren Point Shorebird Reserve shows how desperate they are becoming in trying to find some space. Is three months of space too much for us, out of 12, to be able to offer?
Areas such as Bundeena and Maianbar, that used to predominantly consist of holiday makers, has seen a huge increase in population over the last two decades with people choosing to live full-time rather than just at holidays and weekends, with a consequent increase in pet population.
There is also a corresponding increase through the whole of the Port Hacking waterway that has a water vehicle (motorised or paddle) in order to visit Deeban Spit with their dog/s.
The Deeban Spit area is too small to be able to cope with the ever increasing number of people with dogs now living here, in what was still until relatively recently, mainly a holiday community. Once an area is declared dog friendly then it is open to everyone in Sydney not just the residents.
Any dog running on Deeban Spit that is seen by other visitors, leaves the idea that is ok for them to bring their dog too, one that may not be as well behaved as yours. We've seen people coming from all along Port Hacking, Menai to Bankstown, all thinking this beach is ok because they see dogs on the beach when they come. Not all dogs have owners that are responsible.
As there are so many dogs in the area now, with not all of them walking together, it can mean constant disturbance all the through the day, wearing the birds out.
The following website link shows how badly things can go wrong when an area is opened up to dogs. The word gets out and too many turn up. Just one dog doing wrong on a beach sets a bad example. The link is also available on the left hand side bar titled Dog Trials - Why they Don't Succeed.pdf. It shows how some dog owners can abuse where and when dogs can run on a beach and therefore why some beaches need to be totally closed to dogs when they are host to endangered wildlife.
https://www.parksleisure.com.au/documents/item/2354
There are many well behaved dogs and owners in the area but there are also many people not managing their dogs properly. They are not necessarily Maianbar locals.
During the 2015 and 2016 beach nesting season we were polling people coming through with dogs. Many claimed to not know the area did not allow dogs as they see them all the time. Some were saying they came to Deeban Spit because their dogs were anti-social so they couldn't go to Horderns. These dogs were off lead with the owner not even carrying a lead. Too many coming together could be pretty sad for both dogs, owners and any other person that happens to be in the way.
There is still a guy that arrives regularly in a zodiac, on the feeding grounds, with a red setter. He lets his dog run wild and doesn't even clean up the poop the dog drops. The dog does its thing, he has the headsets on and walks his own path. The dog is incredibly friendly, unfortunately loves to chase birds, and would be an ideal candidate for them to travel a little further to Horderns Beach. I've spoken with him, he came up with the standard excuse of "I am only here for 20 minutes" and then had to explain it isn't just his 20 minutes, but everyone else's too.
On the left side bar is our latest brochure called Residents Letterbox Drop that we will be handing out to beach users with dogs starting in Spring 2016. The second PDF is a puzzle game book for children that BirdLife Australia makes available through their website to teach kids about our shorebirds.
Special thanks to Sutherland Shire Council and BirdLife Australia for supporting our efforts.