Migratory birds make journey from Alaska to Adelaide for summer vacation

Thousands of birds have begun arriving at the salt marshes, mangroves and mudflats along Adelaide's northern coast as part of their annual migration.
About 27,000 birds call the area home each summer with many making the journey from as far away as northern Asia and Alaska.



The South Australian Government bought the 60-kilometre stretch from the Barker Inlet to Port Parham, some 2,300 hectares, in August last year to turn into a bird sanctuary.

Proclaimed as the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, the Government has committed to invest $1.7 million to the project.

Birdlife Australia has been monitoring the shorebird population in the Gulf St Vincent for the past eight years to identify how best to protect the environment to ensure the 200 species continue to make the journey every year.

Research and conservation officer Chris Purnell said there had been a staggering decrease in shorebird numbers over the past 45 years.

Many of the birds travel more than 11,000 kilometres to reach the South Australian coast, along the East Asian Australasian Flyway, and depend on the area to fatten up for the long journey back to their breeding grounds.

But Mr Purnell said conservationists faced an up-hill battle in protecting the environment, particularly from damage caused by four-wheel driving enthusiasts.

Groups unite to protect bird population

Members of 30 different organisations have banded together to lead the establishment of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary.

The group, which goes by the name The Collective, consists of representatives from the Kaurna community, local and state government and the tourism industry, as well as bird experts, university leaders, school students and members of the Vietnamese Famers Association.

The group is also discussing the possibility of establishing camping areas within the sanctuary for avid bird watchers.

Birds Fall in Love Too, Speed Dating Experiment Shows

Birds and humans are often remarkably similar when it comes to mate choice and falling in love, finds a new study that suggests nature maybe have a romantic side after all.



Successful relationships among birds, as well as humans, are not just about the strongest, fittest and best-looking among us, but instead rely upon pairings based on compatibility and attraction to others.

Malika Ihle of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and colleagues wrote that “zebra finches choose mates on the basis of behavioral compatibility” and can’t stand being in a relationship that is “forced,” a/la an arranged marriage between a man and a woman.

Impressive Bird Flying Formations: Photos

For the study, Ihle and co-authors Bart Kempenaers and Wolfgang Forstmeier set up a speed-dating session for the little birds, allowing 20 females to choose freely between 20 males.

When the birds paired off, half were allowed “to go off into a life of wedded bliss,” the researchers said in a press release, while the other half experienced an intervention. Like overbearing Victorian parents, the scientists split up this second group of happy couples, and forcibly paired them with other “broken-hearted individuals.”

Bird couples, whether satisfied or somewhat disgruntled, were then left to breed in aviaries. The authors monitored what happened next.