December 2001 - Our World Class Wetlands
Issue 17 December 2001
A panoramic view of the wetlands from the bird hide and information display at Edithvale.
Mike Carter and Les Williams can well remember the meetings that began in 1974 after another section of the old Bangholme-Bangholme Swamp was earmarked for development - as Patterson Lakes.
Mr Carter and Mr Williams were among a group of concerned individuals and organisations who fought to preserve the last remnants of the extensive former swamp, which lay between Mordialloc and Frankston and was drained in the 1860s.
Now these 260-hectare remnants, the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands, have been named wetlands of international significance under the Ramsar Convention - and Mr Carter and Mr Williams are long-standing and active members of the Friends of Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands.
On a high: Little Pied Cormorants enjoy their perch above the water a Edithvale
The wetlands, which are surrounded by the southern bayside suburbs, are a haven for 190 species of birds, including migratory waders that fly from north-east Asia, Siberia and Japan.
The wetlands purify stormwater runoff before it enters Port Phillip Bay. As well, they provide an array of food, including crustaceans, worms, insects, invertebrates and some fish, for the birdlife.
About half the species of birds feed in the open water, reeds, other aquatic plants and muddy verges of the wetlands themselves, and the others feed in the vegetation in the buffers around the wetlands. The ephemeral nature of the wetlands - and an ever-changing quantity of water - is essential for food production.
An Eastern Grey kangaroo
Mr Carter, who is one the group's ornithological experts, said the international recognition confirmed that Edithvale-Seaford were one of Victoria's most important wetlands.
"Very few wetlands have such a rich diversity of bird species in such a readily accessible urban environment," he said. "We have always said that these wetlands have very high conservation values, and the Ramsar recognition supports our view."
Mr Carter and several of his colleagues do a monthly bird count, which takes about 12 hours. It is estimated that the wetlands are home to as many as 7000 birds at a time.
Mr Williams runs tours of the wetlands for schools, walking and other organised groups. Some 3000 people a year visit the wetlands, and a bird hide at the Edithvale end includes an information display (which is open and staffed by volunteers from the Friends' group from 1pm until 5pm each Saturday and Sunday).
The bird hide and information display at Edithvale
Bird enthusiasts from North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Africa have visited the site.
Among the star attractions are the Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers, which arrive from northern Siberia, and Latham's Snipe (formerly Japanese Snipe), from the northern islands of Japan.
Some 27 species of migratory waders have been recorded at the wetlands, arriving around August and leaving for the northern hemisphere in February/March. Some travel up to 24,000 kilometres a year.
Sharp-tailed Sandpipers
The wetlands also include an extensive walking and bicycle track and a mob of Eastern Grey kangaroos.
The Friends' group, which was established in 1988, has about 600 members, which includes families and corporations. Members collect local seed and plant indigenous vegetation in and around the wetlands. In the past three years alone, they have planted a total of 13,000 trees, bushes and groundcovers at the Seaford end.
The Lake Borrie wetlands at Western Treatment Plant, Werribee, are also Melbourne Water-owned wetlands of international importance.
