Today I learnt about the tragic recent passing of David Milton, a hugely influential figure in Queensland ornithology, and a highly valued collaborator of our research group over the past 10 years. I’ll leave others who knew him more deeply to write the full tributes and relate the stories of David’s achievements. But David was still very much a man in his prime, recently retired from a successful science career at CSIRO and enjoying a richly deserved series of world birding trips to some of the most exotic locations out there. As well as being a tragic loss to his family and friends, David’s passing is also a huge blow to the Queensland Wader Study Group, in which David has been a central figure for decades. His knowledge of shorebirds and their habitats, and his tireless dedication to their conservation was a true inspiration to those around him, and right until the end he was working closely with the Queensland Government to ensure data on shorebirds is being effectively used in decision-making processes around the state. We owe it to him to continue his wonderful work and to reflect his legacy in effective shorebird conservation in Queensland and around the flyway.

David has worked closely with our research group over the last decade, and was critical to establishing a productive partnership between the University of Queensland and the Queensland Wader Study Group. As well as brokering several collaborative projects, David worked directly with us on five publications, and I list them at the end of this post as a recognition of his contribution. We are currently working on another paper on Moreton Bay shorebirds on which David is a co-author, and we will dedicate the piece to his memory. Rest in peace mate – cut short in your prime, with plenty more birds still to see.

David Milton in action on 28th January 2018, attempting to encourage some shorebirds to move toward a cannon-net set at the Port of Brisbane.

Studds CE, Kendall BE, Murray NJ, Wilson HB, Rogers DI, Clemens RS, Gosbell K, Hassell CJ, Jessop R, Melville DS, Milton DA, Minton CDT, Possingham HP, Riegen AC, Straw P, Woehler EJ & Fuller RA (2017) Rapid population decline in migratory shorebirds relying on Yellow Sea tidal mudflats as stopover sites. Nature Communications, 8, 14895.

Hansen BD, Clemens RS, Gallo-Cajiao E, Jackson MV, Maguire GS, Maurer G, Milton D, Rogers DI, Weller DR, Weston MA, Woehler EJ & Fuller RA (2018) Shorebird monitoring in Australia: a successful long-term collaboration between citizen scientists, governments and researchers. In Legge S, Robinson N, Scheele B, Lindenmayer D, Southwell D & Wintle B (eds) Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities. CSIRO, Canberra.

Choi C-Y, Rogers KG, Gan X, Clemens RS, Bai Q-Q, Lilleyman A, Lindsey A, Milton DA, Straw P, Yu Y-T, Battley PF, Fuller RA & Rogers DI (2016) Phenology of southward migration of shorebirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway and inferences about stop-over strategies. Emu, 116, 178-189.

Clemens RS, Rogers DI, Hansen BD, Gosbell K, Minton CDT, Straw P, Bamford M, Woehler EJ, Milton DA, Weston MA, Venables B, Weller D, Hassell C, Rutherford B, Onton K, Herrod A, Studds CE, Choi CY, Dhanjal-Adams KL, Murray NJ, Skilleter GA & Fuller RA (2016) Continental-scale decreases in shorebird populations in Australia. Emu, 116, 119-135.

Wilson HB, Kendall BE, Fuller RA, Milton DA & Possingham HP (2011) Analyzing variability and the rate of decline of migratory shorebirds in Moreton Bay, Australia. Conservation Biology, 25, 758-766.

With no year ticks today, my year list remained on 246 species. I spent 0 hour 0 minutes birding, walked 0 km and drove 0 km.