Sophie Conlon
Mount Gambier/ Berrin’s Jeff Campbell has been honoured for his work with shore birds by being awarded the Victorian Wader Study Group’s (VWSG) Clive Minton Medallion.
The medallion acknowledges great contributions to the group by an outstanding member and Mr Campbell said he was surprised and honoured to receive it.
“Clive was the instigator of the Victorian Wader Study Group (VWSG) in 1979,” he said.
“He was the principal leader of the group until stepping back from the leadership role in 2018.
“My involvement in the VWSG has been of great benefit to me, not just in learning more about shorebirds, it also led to me meeting the woman who became my wife and mother to our now fully fledged adult sons.
“Clive was MC at our wedding reception and a great friend so this recognition is very special to me.”
Mr Campbell has been involved with the VWSG for more than 30 years, was a foundation member of the Australasian Wader Studies Group (AWSG), and in 2005 he was the foundation chair person of the Friends of Shorebirds SE (FoSSE) group which runs in partnership with VWSG.
He said FoSSE was born to allow those interested in shorebirds and their conservation to get together.
“Since then FoSSE has gone from strength to strength, with involvement in many shorebird conservation projects, regular surveys of population numbers, organising public events such as Dog’s Breakfasts and preparing comments on shorebird habitat and species conservation,” he said.
Within VWSG, AWSG and FoSSE Mr Campbell has been a conservation officer, bulletin editor, bird count coordinator as well as many other roles.
In collaboration with SA’s Department for Environment and Water district ranger Ross Anderson Mr Campbell designed and reported on a project to assess the amount of disturbance shorebirds are subjected to on the Limestone Coast.
He also designed and published the study “The Importance of Beach-wrack for Migratory Shorebirds” Stilt 72 (2018).
Being involved in so many projects Mr Campbell said it was hard to pick a favourite.
“Personally I would have to say that getting out into the field and counting shorebird numbers is my favourite activity,” he said .
“I have counted shorebirds in many and varied places, ranging from the Mildura area to Eighty Mile Beach in north-west Australia and the Coorong.
“Just being out there amongst the birds, sometimes in their thousands, can bring a smile to my face.”
Mr Campbell said he was so passionate about shorebirds as he found them “endlessly fascinating”.
“In the case of the Australian resident shorebirds, species such as the Hooded plover amaze me with their tenacity to attempt to breed on our beaches despite all the odds thrown at them,” he said.
“They attempt to breed and raise young during the time when our beaches are busiest, their eggs and young are predated on by foxes, cats, dogs and birds such as ravens.
“They can be constantly disturbed and forced to leave their nests, leaving them open to predation and exposure to hot or cold conditions.
“A pair we were observing near Port MacDonnell in the last breeding season laid a total of 12 eggs in five different nests but most unfortunately failed to raise any surviving chicks.”
