Waterbirds on the ponds in SC-update

Wildlife population update for the Pines and Palms Golf Courses, Sanctuary Cove: Waterbirds[1]

Rainer Ebel, 7114 Marine Dr E., Sanctuary Cove, QLD; graejay@shaw.ca

Thanks to Wendy Nelson and Stephen Macdonald for acting as recorders and keeping me in line.

Golf courses are unique landscapes.  Created and maintained for a very specific activity, golf course designers landscape their creations to appeal to human urban values and aesthetics.  While garden landscapes on golf courses are intended to provide obstacles, they inadvertently provide a diversity of habitat types that attract animals often appreciated by players but certainly used by a variety of animals.

To develop some understanding of the occurrence and distribution of waterbirds we commenced waterbird surveys on both golf courses in March – April 2012, and surveys were repeated January - April 2013 and again in 2014; the first count for the season occurred on 16 January.  All twenty-five ponds on the Pines and Palms Golf courses are visited once a week.  All birds associated with the pond are identified and counted. A list of 30-40 birds has been developed and subject to a future blog.

The objectives of this study are:

1)   To determine the species diversity, seasonal distribution and seasonal occurrence of waterbirds on the Palms and Pines Golf Course

2)   To determine the population size, local movement and general health for each species through surveying and banding/ringing ,

3)   To share the collected information as part of the out reach, and wildlife and habitat management requirements to maintain Certification Status With The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program For Golf Courses, Audubon International.  See news release

Methods and  Discussions

The survey is done by golf cart and usually takes two people 6 hours depending on the start time of the survey and the number of golfers on a particular fairway or course. Figure 2 and Figure 3 presents our findings for January 16, 23, & 28 and February 9 and 14 for the Palms and Pines Golf courses respectively.  Surveys are done every seven days or so.

In Jan 2014, we conducted three counts and determined that an average 4800 birds or 27 birds per hectare were present on both golf courses.  February bird numbers increased to an average of 5100 birds or 29 birds per hectare (Figure 1) .  These were compared with the same months January and February in 2013 but only in February 2012 since the survey program did not commence until the end of  January.

---

[1] Waterbirds are several different bird groups that are basically birds that use the pond for feeding, swimming, loafing, wading, breeding, and an escape venue from predators.  These groups include ducks, swans, pelicans, cormorants, divers, gulls, terns, herons, egrets, bitterns, shorebirds cranes, and their allies.

The February 2014  bird density of 29 birds/ha equalled the January 2013 Cyclone Oswald effect on bird life on the golf courses. In February 2013 the waterbird numbers drop rather significantly by  to a density of 19 birds/ha.   The January 2014 bird density was calculated at 27 birds/ha which represent the sought condition for the month.  The lowest bird density occurred in February 2012 (10birds/ha). All that can be said at this point is to wait and see what the subsequent surveys will suggest.

The average number of waterbirds for the various ponds on the Palms is presented in Figure 2.  These averages are compared to the first day survey that was undertaken on the 16 January 2014.  The averages for the Palms differ little from the initial count.  The smallish ponds on the Palms are relatively easy to survey except for the j7 and j8 ponds.  Both ponds are different to survey because of the size, orientation but often we compete with golfers, increasing our wait times to vantage points, which causes for some conservative estimations.

The story on the Pines or the private golf course for the Sanctuary Cove residents  illustrates a different picture than what we encounter on the Palms.  The average number of waterbirds for the ponds on  Pines is presented in Figure 3. This year the d1 and d9 ponds apparently had more appeal than the others on the Pine. Perhaps it is location. Both sites are closer to the Coomera River and are visually more open.

Again, I used the initial survey date of 16 Jan 2014 for a comparison. Not surprisingly, the Pines nor the Palms GC did not exhibit any extraordinary findings that cannot be explained. I think. 

This year for January and February water levels are lower than they were in 2013. As a result we have seen more Latham's Snipe, Black-fronted Dotterels Black-winged Stilts and Red-kneed Dotterels,  and the single Marsh Sandpiper which is new for the study site.  Waders in breeding and non breeding plumage such as the egrets, ibis and spoonbills are also present in more numbers than before.  Ponds j7, j8, a1,  a2,  RC and J5 are flush with bird numbers and a corresponding number of a species but species diversity does not vary greatly between ponds on the Palms nor on the Pines for that matter.. 

It is interesting that if one reviews the bird numbers between the golf courses one is in quick to surmise that most waterbirds are found on the Pines and very little on the Palms.  One would think, all ponds are created equal for water birds but that notion is indeed short lived.  Obviously one could argue that the shoreline is different between the ponds located on the Pines and Palms.  Not so.  Mowing practices will not allow there to be a difference.  The presences and density of trees could explain the more or less dichotomy but I am not total convinced.  Could water depth, water temperature, submergent vegetation, a food source for coots, moorhens and ducks or lurking underwater predators such as eels be instrumental in defining this difference.  I guess we will eventually find out when we start analyzing the species composition and begin understanding the dynamics for certain keystone species, their interactions between each other but more simply how each species in changing their behaviour to utilize and adapt to an urban environment.  So, stay tuned. There is a lot going  on the golf courses besides white balls.

LEGEND: Pond symbol and location on the Pines and Palms (old)  GC

Palms Golf Course Ponds               Pines Golf Course Ponds

a1: 7th and 8th Fairway             d1:       Club House 18th Fairway

a2: 4th and 5th Fairway             d2:       Wildlife Pond

j1:         1st Tee                         d3:       9 & 10th Fairway

j2:         1st Green                      d4:       8th Fairway

j3:         3rd Tee                          d5:       6 & 7th Fairway

j4:         10th Tee                        d6:       5 & 6th Fairway

j5:         11 & 17th Green            d7:       4 & 5th Fairway

j6:         11 & 12th Tee                d8:       17 & 18th Fairway

j7:         13 & 14th Fairway          d9:       11, 12, & 13th Fairways

j8:         16 & 18th Fairway         d10:    14 & 17th Green

j9:         14 & 15th Fairway         d11: 15th Tee

jj3:        3 & 10th Fairway            d12:    14 & 15th Fairway

                         RC:      Old Recreation Centre