Fairy Tern breeding season starts this month.
www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/fairy-terns-to-make-new-mandurah-sanctuary-home-20171105-gzf65p.html
Sounds like there's a big involvement this year, with organised spotters.
If we're seen disturbing nests, some of our spots could get banned to us.
The best way at the pond is via the channel, walking through the samphire, could flush the parents away, and they don't come back.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
"...If we're seen disturbing nests, some of our spots could get banned to us..."
Given the emotion and 'guilty until proven innocent mentality' surrounding the 'swans photographs' incident in the pond, I would suggest the above should be changed to;
" If we are seen in the pond, some of our spots could get banned to us "
There are plenty of bird watchers with big lenses on the foreshore and at the Nairns hide at the moment, so it's not a question of 'if' you get shamed in the media, but more 'when'. Being seen/photographed to contravene the RAMSAR agreement would make it hard for the relevant authorities not to act, and make any representations we might have on access to protected waters altogether weaker. For example, Boombas is a gazetted nature reserve and covered under RAMSAR also...
I've seen fairy terns in the estuary all year round some don't migrate back to the north at all does this mean nowhere is alright just asking you know me and I even carry a bird book with me in my car and have done for years.
I think it's just nesting period Glen, what with there habitat being reduced by canal developers, animals scarring them off, high tides drowning them, they have a hard time reproducing. And apparently they're endangered, so there's a lot of emotion in the birdie community.
Select to expand quotefangman said..decrepit said..
"...If we're seen disturbing nests, some of our spots could get banned to us..."
Given the emotion and 'guilty until proven innocent mentality' surrounding the 'swans photographs' incident in the pond, I would suggest the above should be changed to;
" If we are seen in the pond, some of our spots could get banned to us "
There are plenty of bird watchers with big lenses on the foreshore and at the Nairns hide at the moment, so it's not a question of 'if' you get shamed in the media, but more 'when'. Being seen/photographed to contravene the RAMSAR agreement would make it hard for the relevant authorities not to act, and make any representations we might have on access to protected waters altogether weaker. For example, Boombas is a gazetted nature reserve and covered under RAMSAR also...
Agree, its definitely not worth risking broader restrictions. Pretty simple, sail somewhere else
Thanks to all who sacrificed their speeds today and didn't risk getting all windsurfing banned from the pond
Lunny, Woody, Johnski and I had a good time in Soldiers Cove today. It was probably a bit slower than the pond, But lunny still got a 39.
Here's my tracks.
Wind was quite square early, it would be much better with a bit more south in it
I'm not sure that all the information being presented regarding Fairy terns in the pond is correct guys. I have read the latest article regarding the newly established sanctury which is all the way over on breakwater parade in the marina. I have also looked up nesting areas for fairy terms and they nest within sand and not samphire so i highly doubt they are within the speed bank which would make a fairly poor site as it gets submerged with a high tide. Happy to be corrected as I'm certainly no bird expert but I've never seen any evidence of harm being caused to the wildlife from any windsurfing in the pond and I think soldiers cove is a poor replacement. I will stay out of the pond as I respect all of my teammates but I'm not really sure on a day like today it's all that necessary.
They don't nest in the samphire, but on the land/sand close to it. I agree, I'm fairly sure no windsurfer has actually done any damage, or affected the turns in any way.
But that's not really the point, we're never going to convince the birdies, that that's the case.
We won't be judged on what we do, but what people think we are doing. And those people have a lot of clout. Especially when the mayor is behind the Turn conservation effort.
There is a newly created sanctuary, sure, but Creery is the older one, that still attracts a lot of bird watches, and has a history of Turn nesting.
For those that came in late and don't know the history.
Here's where it all began
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Gps/Poo-over-hooning-in-the-Pond?page=1
It doesn't matter what we think it's what is perceived of our actions, it has to be remembered that it is a 8knot speed limit within 400m of the shore in the estuary which is currently ignored, this can be a trigger to have people stop ignoring it.
Think about what spots this would affect.
Since soldiers cove is more in view to the public, say someone takes a snap shot of a windsurfer charging down wind with a bird in the background doing more than 30 knts within 400m, Where to next? Might need camo sails
Is R-soles the same??
Soldiers Cove is a little different. Oddly, the outer samphire/weed speed bank is not part of any listed nature reserve that I could find, possibly because it is regularly inundated by king tides. 
The foreshore at Soldiers Cove is a listed reserve, and is grassed, with multiple entry points to the cove itself. The speed bank and adjacent wetland, does not seem to provide birdlife with a suitable haven, in part due to urbanisation, inundation, landbased predation and lack of physical protection from the elements, especially during storms. On either side of the speed bank there is access and indeed jetties/ moorings for power boats. As such there could be little argument raised for a negative impact when using the area for windsurfing. The last time I read my maritime rules for the area, (Please correct me if I am wrong) the speed limits applied to powered craft only and therefore do not apply to sail powered vessels. From the birdies/conservation perspective, Samphire Cove (fenced) directly opposite on the western foreshore is of far greater importance, and the Creery Lagoon/wetland (fenced) is the jewel in the crown.
While I agree perception is definitely a problem, I feel that sailing in Soldiers Cove is unlikely to raise the ire of any birdwatchers/conservationists. In the past, the only problem we have experienced is the Police being called because a resident thought we required assistance/rescue as a result of sitting in the water at the top of the cove, waiting for the wind to pick up. 
At soldiers cove we have had rangers, come and warn us not to walk through the reeds, as for some reason that's part of RAMSA protection. There's a few locals looking out the window, to check we do nothing wrong. Us sailing in there doesn't seem to worry them.
In a westerly or WSW, there is a small gap in the reeds just south of the Southern most jetty, we've been using that so far without incidence.
But there is a path in beside the jetty, if that becomes a problem. It's just a longer wade to get clear of the obstacles, and there are big boulders just under the water, where you are wading.
As Ross says, this won't have anywhere near the emotional charge that the lagoon has.
If I have my geography correct, the shore around R-soles is used in summer by the land-yachts and blo-kart fraternity. As such I would guess that its use by windsurfers would be no problem.
Select to expand quotefangman said..
>>>As such I would guess that its use by windsurfers would be no problem.
Only if you have a 4WD trolley that doesn't overturn when side on to the wind, and doesn't get bogged in the sand. And you don't break your ribs in a hell gust blowing you into the chop. Or you "discover" the car bodies, fridges and other junk on the bottom.
It's name is very apt!
The only bird life I've seen nesting in the soldiers cove sandfire is seagulls I launch my ski there and they nest all along there from about the second half north but that's from spring and they aren't endangered!
How's this its not a fairy tern but a tern all the same my mates wife she took it back on the 2/4/18 on the mandurah foreshore the whistling kite sure is boss!
So that's how it was named!
So on an epic day 30-40knts enter/exit the pond via the channel, respect the wildlife, avoid access to the banks?
I first sailed chook pond in May 2017 we didn't quite have the wind that day, but I remembered the run and thinking with the right wind this place has massive potential, i think in total I have sailed there three times I would hate to think that is all.
Select to expand quotestroppo said..
How's this its not a fairy tern but a tern all the same my mates wife she took it back on the 2/4/18 on the mandurah foreshore the whistling kite sure is boss!
Similar, Your just hunting bigger prey.
Select to expand quoteWindzup said..
So that's how it was named!
So on an epic day 30-40knts enter/exit the pond via the channel, respect the wildlife, avoid access to the banks?
I first sailed chook pond in May 2017 we didn't quite have the wind that day, but I remembered the run and thinking with the right wind this place has massive potential, i think in total I have sailed there three times I would hate to think that is all.
but not during September to February, which is fairy tern breeding season. Any sailing in Creerys Lagoon during that time will upset the birdwatchers (if not the birds) and is likely to have repercussions for us.
Decrepit has suggested we stop using Creerys from August, to allow a margin of safety for the birds (and us).
