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Date:ÌýMonday 7th October 2024

Project:ÌýEastern Australian Waterbird Survey

Observers:ÌýRichard Kingsford (UNSW),ÌýChris Sanderson

Pilot:ÌýThomas Clark

It was a beautiful morning, with the sun shining on the dunes, as we left Birdsville to go south and survey the rivers and wetlands all the way east to Kingaroy.

On the way to our first wetland to survey, we went over the dry floodplains of the Diamantina River. Ìý

First up, a survey of Andrewilla Waterhole, one of the many permanent waterholes on the Diamantina River. There were more Pelicans here than we usually see. Ìý

Andrewill waterhole, Diamantina River

These channels of the river are deep and are essential refuges for the fish that live in this river and this inevitably attracts large numbers of cormorants, Pelicans and egrets.ÌýÌý

Diamantina River

After the flood earlier in the year, there were a few shallow lakes on the Diamantina floodplain and you could see where water had dried back with the vivid greens and yellows as the plants had taken over. Ìý

Diamantina floodplain

Surveying a lake with water on the Diamantina, which had most of its waterbirds where it was drying back. Ìý

There was also a flooded claypan, with a few hundred waterbirds, mostly Pink-eared Ducks and Grey Teal but also Pacific Herons feeding in the shallow water. Ìý

Diamantina floodplain

Other than waterholes, the lake and the claypan, there was a shallow water swamp which had tried right but still held water with vigorous vegetation response. Ìý

Swamp on Diamantina River floodplain

There was also another reasonably large, flooded swamp area, providing great habitat for Pink-eared Ducks, Pied Stilts and Pacific Herons. Ìý

Then we headed east across the rugged and beautiful landscape between the Diamantina and Cooper Creek floodplains. Ìý

Cooper Creek floodplain

Most of the Cooper Creek floodplain was dry, except for the permanent waterholes. Ìý

Cooper Creek floodplain

There was water in some of the large waterholes on the Cooper but drying back. Here there were mostly Pelicans, Yellow-billed Spoonbills and Pacific Black Ducks.Ìý

We landed in Charleville after about four hours of surveying. It was much dryer than the last few years, with many of the farm dams less than half full and quite a few completely dry.Ìý

After we had refuelled at Charleville, we flew over more intensive agricultural country, first pastoral areas and then cropping areas where harvesting was in full swing around Mitchell. Ìý

We mostly focused on the small dams which dotted this agricultural area. Few of the natural lagoons had any water. Ìý

Agricultural country, near Mitchell

There was permanent water where a lagoon was dammed at Mitchell, creating a lake of water with a few egrets and Pacific Black Duck. Such permanent wetlands are not great waterbird habitat. Ìý

The large Gordonbrook Dam, just east of Kingaroy, had up to a thousand waterbirds, mostly fish-eating waterbirds, such as Pelicans and cormorants but also good numbers of Black Swans and Pacifiic Black Duck.

Perched in among agricultural areas on all sides, just north of Kingaroy. is a relatively large wetland which is rarely completely flooded. It had large numbers of Pacific Black Duck and small flocks of Pied Stilts. Ìý

The last wetland we surveyed on Day 6, was Bjelke-Petersen Dam just east of Kingaroy. It had hundreds of waterbirds, mostly Black Swans, Pelicans, cormorants, Grey Teal, coot and Hardhead. There were very large ‘rafts’ of coot. Such concentrations on dams is usually a sign that inland boom times have ended and waterbirds need to find whatever water they can.

Bjelke-Petersen dam.Ìý

Just coming in to survey the large Bjelke-Petersen dam.Ìý

We then flew to Dalby to park overnight.