#191 Fifty Years of Mud, Sweat and Cheers: How One Volunteer Is Fighting to Save the Hunter's Shorebirds with Tom Clarke

For more than 40 years, Tom Clarke has been on the front line of shorebird conservation in the Hunter estuary, NSW. One of the most significant migratory shorebird habitats in the world.In this episode, Tom joins Dani to talk about decades of hands-on restoration work with the Hunter Bird Observers Club, the alarming decline in shorebird numbers over the past 20 years, and the mangrove-clearing program that's brought birds back to sites they'd long abandoned.Tom also shares how the club navigated early conflict with the fishing industry, the surprising conservation wins for threatened beach-nesting birds, and what volunteers are doing to prepare for the arrival of avian influenza on Australian shores.Plus, a look ahead to the Australasian Shorebird Conference, coming to Newcastle in September 2026.More Informationhttps://www.hboc.org.au/Far Eastern Curlew Photo Credit: Rod Warnock (2017)If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.