A review of 28 Years of beach-nesting Australian Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus Longirostris conservation in the Richmond River Area, New South Wales

The Australian pied oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris is a shorebird that is Endangered in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. This study reviewed data from the Richmond River Area Pied Oystercatcher Protection Program 1997–2013 and Richmond River Area Shorebird Protection Program 2014–2024, on the north coast of NSW. The increase in breeding population size from an estimated 25 pairs in 2000 to observed 37 in 2024 masks underlying concerns. Surplus production of fledglings indicates that population size is not limited by reproductive rate. Weak correlations indicate that population size is not sensitive to food resource. The step increase in population size at South Ballina associated with the closure of that beach to recreational vehicles on 31 March 2021 and the general ‘flight to safety’, where population size has increased largely at sites with fewer people, indicate that population size is sensitive to human recreation disturbance. A scientific approach to beach-nesting bird conservation is needed.