You may be surprised what you find under Stockton Bridge. It’s a popular spot in the Spring and Summer with visitors from as far away as the Arctic Circle. The visitors are of the feathered kind and include Bar-tailed Godwits, Pacific Golden Plover, Red-necked Avocets and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. Stockton Sandspit provides valuable habitat for these migratory waders and shorebirds for feeding and resting before embarking on their long journey home.
Stockton Sandspit is managed by the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project (KWRP) and is part of the Hunter Wetlands National Park. KWRP was initiated in 1993 to compensate for the loss of fish, shorebird and other wildlife habitat in the Hunter estuary caused by 200 years of draining, filling and land clearing. It is a project of the Hunter-Central Rivers CMA and has been successful in restoring more than 1590 hectares across the estuary.
KWRP has restored Stockton Sandspit to a much more inviting place for migratory birds. Of the 200 species of bird species that live in or visit the Hunter Estuary about 45 of these are shorebirds and 34 are migratory shorebirds that come to the estuary from August to mid April. During this time they visit the Stockton Sandspit and lower Hunter wetlands before returning to Siberia, northern Asia and Alaska to breed. The Hunter Bird Observers Club conduct regular monitoring of the site to record the numbers of birds each season.