Twitchers say $375m road's 80,000 cars a day will be bad news for birds

They come from Siberia to enjoy a slice of Australian bush wedged between housing estates and highways in the suburban sprawl of south-east Melbourne.

Twitchers say Braeside Park's unique birdlife is under threat.

The sharp-tailed sandpiper – an unassuming, small, brown bird – makes the long flight to feast on worms and insects during the warmer months on the grassy banks of the Braeside Park shallows.

They are among nearly 200 species to be found in the park – 296 hectares of woods and grassland where, if you can’t see the birds, it is quiet enough to hear them.

But bird watchers, conservationists and residents warn the planned Mordialloc Freeway will threaten the area and the animals that call it home.

Read the story by Timna Jacks from The Age - “Twitchers say $375m road's 80,000 cars a day will be bad news for birds.”