Publications & documents

VWSG Bulletin

The VWSG produces a bulletin once a year in August. The publication of the bulletin is timed to coincide with the Annual General Meeting.

All previous VWSG bulletins are freely available for download. Visit VWSG Bulletins index page

VWSG Training Resources

A new interactive induction has been developed for VWSG volunteers which can be accessed on SWAY. The original text-based Induction Manual is also available below.

Banding and flagging summaries

The VWSG has accumulated a significant amount of banding and flagging data over the last four decades. Marcel Klaassen and other members of the VWSG scientific committee have been working hard to pull together all that data together and providing some summaries of key findings. They have also produced some summaries of AWSG banding data, much of which has also been collected by VWSG members over the years.

The following summaries are now available to view:

• VWSG banding data summaries
• AWSG banding data summaries
• Overview of plain leg flagging
• Sanderling tracking project – resightings

The chart below shows the current leg flagging colour scheme used in the EAAF. You can click on the link below to download a copy of the chart or check out the EAAFP website for more information.

Research Publications

Below is a list of the five recent research papers from produced using VWSG data and / or resulting from collaborations with VWSG members. If there are VWSG publications missing from this list, please email us.

• McQueen, A., Klaassen, M., Tattersall, G.J. et al. Thermal adaptation best explains Bergmann’s and Allen’s Rules across ecologically diverse shorebirds. Nature Communications 13, 4727 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32108-3
• Wille, M. and Klaassen, M. 2023. No evidence for HPAI H5N1 2.3.4.4b incursion into Australia in 2022. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 17: e13118
• Wille, M., S. Lisovski, D. Roshier, M. Ferenczi, B. J. Hoye, T. Leen, S. Warner, R. A. M. Fouchier, A. C. Hurt, E. C. Holmes, M. Klaassen. 2023. Strong phylogenetic and ecological effects on host competency for avian influenza in Australian wild birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.290: 20222237. doi: http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2237
• Galtbalt, B., Lilleyman, A., Coleman, J.T. et al. 2021. Far eastern curlew and whimbrel prefer flying low – wind support and good visibility appear only secondary factors in determining migratory flight altitude. Movement Ecology 9, 32. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-021-00267-5
• Hoye, B. J., Donato, C. M., Lisovski, S., Deng, Y. M., Warner, S., Hurt, A. C., et al.. 2021. Reassortment and persistence of influenza A viruses from diverse geographic origins within Australian wild birds: evidence from a small, isolated population of Ruddy turnstones. Journal of Virology, 95(9), 10-1128. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.02193-20

You can view more publications on the VWSG publication list page. You can also download a list of older publications. Please note this list is not complete.

For International Wader Study Group publications go to the Wader Study journal.

Conferences

Society for Conservation Biology Twitter Conference #scbmelb20 (30-31 July 2020)

Michelle Wille – @vwsg_web Forty years of citizen science monitoring reveals insights to the extraordinary lives of waders.
Through 40 years of cannon netting, banding and recently use of geolocators, the VWSG has revealed insights into the lives of waders. Specifically, habitat use, migration strategies longevity and survival, which all contribute to advancing wader science and conservation.

International Shorebird Twitter Conference

VWSG Forty years of citizen science monitoring reveals insights into the extraordinary lives of waders https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1314135994887671809.html

Uncovering virus diversity and potential disease pressure on shorebirds -Michelle Wille https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1314113311466692609.html

Shorebirds like to stay low – wind support appears secondary factor in migratory flight altitude – Batbayar Galtbalt https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1314138423117012992.html

1^st East Asian Australasian Flyway Shorebird Science Meeting November 3-5, 2020 (web conference)

Ken Gosbell, Victorian Wader Study Group: Insights from 10 years of geolocator studies in Australia with particular reference to changing migratory behaviour of Ruddy Turnstone

Marcel Klaassen, Deakin University: Survival of long-distance migrants evaluated from 40 years of Australian banding data

Other documents

If you wish to make a request for access to VWSG data, please contact the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee. The VWSG data access policy is available via the link below.

If you wish to make a request for access to VWSG data, please contact the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee

Beach signs and maps for South Australia

Below are eight beach signs from SA – maps and information on protecting the shorebirds (2012).