From GJ Walter Park, just north of Toondah Harbour on the shores of Moreton Bay, Judith Hoyle gazes across the dappled water towards Cassim Island, a resilient stand of mangroves emerging from the mudflats several hundred metres offshore. Ferries from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) cruise past, barely causing a ripple.
From a spit of mud on the island’s southern end, a group of 100 or so bar-tailed godwits appear undisturbed. But the rising tide is rapidly consuming their roost. As the spit disappears beneath the waves, the godwits reluctantly move to higher ground, deeper into the mangroves. By high tide, they will be forced further inshore, where dogs are allowed off-leash.
