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Date: Wednesday November 6th 2024

Project:ÌýEastern Australian Waterbird Survey

°¿²ú²õ±ð°ù±¹±ð°ù²õ: John Porter (NSW DPE), Richard Kingsford (UNSW)

Trainee: Shelley Thompson (MDBA)

±Ê¾±±ô´Ç³Ù: Thomas Clark

We always start this full day on the Lower Lakes and the Coorong very early. We were out before light to load up the plane and take off just as the sun came up. Our first flight was down the Murray Mouth and and along the western edge of the North Coorong.

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Western edge of North Coorong

There were hundreds of Pelicans in large flocks, mixed with the different cormorant species and regular flocks of hundreds of Grey Teal, mixed with occasional flocks of Chestnut Teal. Also, there were hundreds in flocks of different tern species, often mixed together, resting on a sandbank.

This part of the North Coorong also had large flocks of Australian Shelduck and many thousands of Black Swans, sometimes along the edge but often in the middle. As well there were a few PiedSstilts and even small flocks of Banded Stilts. Where the water was really shallow, there were also small migratory wading birds, in their hundreds, but not the thousands we've seen in past years.

We headed down the western edge of the South Coorong, all the way to its southern limit. It was surprising to us that the end of the Coorong was much less south than we have seen in previous years.

Western edge of South Coorong

It is one of the privileges to be surveying this amazing wetland system with flocks of hundreds and thousands of different waterbirds constantly coming up as you fly past. It is exhausting but also energising to see such a diversity and number of waterbirds.Ìý

We always anticipate the opportunity to visit Pelican Island to see how many pelicans are breeding. Today was not a disappointment with thousands of breeding Pelicans. A real sight to see.

Pelican Island, Coorong

This was not the only breeding rookery. There was also a rookery of terns, probably one of the crested terns with up to a thousand nests, on one of the islands.

Rookery of terns

There was also an island of breeding Silver Gulls. You always know when they are breeding because of the rigid spacing they maintain between their nests, all through the vegetation and on the ground on the island.

We finished the survey which included the Murray Mouth, North Coorong and South Coorong, which took us just over 4 hours to do twice. It is more than 120 kilometres in length. We were ready for a break and brunch.Ìý

Island of breeding Silver Gulls

Afterwards, we were off to survey Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert, a considerable length all around the perimeter. Early on we flew along the barrage separating Lake Alexandrina from the Coorong and keeping the former a freshwater lake. It is always along this barrage that we see a few seals resting.

One of the other regular spectacular sights on this part of Lake Alexandrina is a massive Pied Cormorant colony of several thousand. They always nest on a particular island, building platforms for their eggs.

Lake Alexandrina, Pied Cormorant colony

We then surveyed Lake Albert which has some spectacular cliffs right up to the water's edge.

Lake Albert cliffs

Lake Albert had a couple of rookeries of Straw-necked Ibis and Australian White Ibis, with no more than a few hundred nests, which is actually lower than we usually see at this time.

Lake Albert Ibis colony

Along the southern shores of Lake Albert, there were flocks of hundreds of Australian Shelduck. It was particularly windy and so sometimes they form large flocks.

Lake Albert, Australian Shelduck flock

We survey along the shore of Lake Albert, near the town of Meningie.

Meningie

It was then on to finish off the Lake Alexandrina survey. It had astounding numbers of Pelicans and cormorants in some flocks. They often rested together on the edge of the lake and then flew off as we surveyed them in their thousands.

As well, there were rookeries of Straw-necked Ibis on Lake Alexandrina. There were only a few hundred nests. It looked as if some of the birds were only trampling but had not started laying eggs.

Straw-necked Ibis, Lake Alexandrina

We finished up in the afternoon at Goolwa, completing another survey of the Lower Lakes and Coorong, a magnificent wetland system.