Arabic version: رصد طائر الشنقب الأحمر الشائع النادر في مسطحات كيرنز الطينية
According to ABC News, birdwatchers Sally Sheldon and Martin Cachard spotted a common redshank during routine monitoring surveys at the Cairns Esplanade mudflats on Sunday. The migratory shorebird, identifiable by its orange-red legs, is believed to be only the second recorded sighting of the species in Queensland and the first since 1987, when two were seen at the same location.
Sheldon, from BirdLife Australia, said she had “mixed” feelings after finding the bird. She said it was unclear whether the individual would remain in Cairns for a time or continue further south for the summer. The adult redshank still had much of its breeding plumage, although its sex was not known. Sheldon and Cachard stopped their survey to properly document the sighting.
About 37 species of migratory shorebirds travel to Australia in the warmer months to feed, moult and replenish feathers after breeding in the northern hemisphere. The common redshank is not normally among them: after breeding in East Asia, it typically reaches only South-East Asia. Richard Fuller of the University of Queensland said small numbers usually migrate each year to northern Western Australia and parts of the Northern Territory.
Fuller described the Cairns record as highly significant for birdwatchers and said the individual would be studied carefully. If more common redshanks begin appearing in Queensland, he said, it could suggest the bird’s story is changing. The bird may resume its regular migration after replenishing its energy, or it could stay for years after becoming displaced. Fuller said many migratory shorebird species in Australia have suffered severe declines linked to coastal habitat loss, while the common redshank does not appear to have declined as severely.
The lone bird has been feeding on the Cairns Esplanade mudflats. By Monday, Sheldon said at least five birdwatchers had trained long lenses on it, after news of the rare sighting spread quickly through the birdwatching community.
