Clive Minton of the Australasian Waders Study Group has kindly provided the following information, which details the number of sightings of Australian flagged waders reported from each country participating in their flagging scheme (in the main, along the East Asian/Australasian Flyway).
It’s noticeable how as more observers have participated in the scheme, the number of sightings have grown to such an extent that the reports in the first four months of 2003 total more than for any of the entire years from 1990-96.
For more on the protocols used by members of the scheme go to AWSG Protocol.
| NZ | Japan | Korea | China | HK | Taiwan | Vietnam | Mongolia | Indonesia | Russia | USA | Total | |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1991 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1992 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| 1993 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 123 |
| 1994 | 23 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 83 |
| 1995 | 25 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 71 |
| 1996 | 43 | 58 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 145 |
| 1997 | 46 | 82 | 61 | 4 | 45 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 255 |
| 1998 | 68 | 50 | 77 | 6 | 159 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 362 |
| 1999 | 90 | 84 | 57 | 14 | 142 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 24 | 454 |
| 2000 | 112 | 75 | 37 | 14 | 105 | 34 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 405 |
| 2001 | 202 | 72 | 36 | 20 | 111 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 492 |
| 2002 | 354 | 25 | 39 | 41 | 73 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 608 |
| 2003* | 162 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176 |
| Total | 1184 | 507 | 319 | 105 | 799 | 169 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 45 | 76 | 3233 |
* to 1/5/03
Plus Brunei - 1 in 1992, 1 in 2002, Thailand - 1 in 1993, Singapore - 1 in 2000, Phillipines - 1 in 2000, PNG - 1 in 2001, Malaysia - 1 in 1995 and 2000, 2 in 2003.
In addition there are 1881 sightings within Australia of birds away (interstate) from their flagging area.
There have also been 224 sightings in Australia of waders flagged overseas.
As Clive writes, "...the volume of movement data resulting from leg flagging is now some 10 times that which has resulted from banding recoveries (i.e. where the specific band number is known). Flagging therefore has been extremely beneficial in increasing the rate of data generation on migration routes and key stopover locations for each species within the East Asian/Australasian Flyway."
The majority of flag sightings made within Korea are from the Okku/Saemangeum area. In April 2003 we posted a report from Tim Allison of an Australian-flagged Black-tailed Godwit seen at Okku: correspondence with Clive concerning the dates that the majority of Black-tailed Godwits had left Australia and had then subsequently been seen in Korea proved that this bird had almost certainly made the 7000km flight without stopping - just how the appalling reclamation of Saemangeum will affect these long-distance migrants is all too obvious...
As always we are happy to pass on any flag sightings. Please send details of species, location, date, and flag colours observed to Birds Korea. Alternatively, email Clive Minton direct at mintons@ozemail.com.au, or complete the form on the AWSG website.