Day 6, Windorah to Charleville

Date: Monday 9th October 2023

Project: Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey

Observers: John Porter (NSW DPE), Shannon Dundas (NSW DPI)

Trainee: Chris Sanderson (Qld DES)

Pilot: Thomas Clark

Lake Machattie was almost full of water and was teeming with waterbirds, it is genuinely a spectacular sight to see this lake when it’s booming! There were thousands of Pelicans, Pink-eared Ducks, Grey Teal, Hardhead, cormorants, terns, herons and egrets. Hundreds of Great and Pied Cormorants were nesting in the trees and there were hundreds of Whiskered Terns, Gull-billed Terns and Silver Gull.

Surveying Lake Machattie part 1

Surveying Lake Machattie part 2

Lakes Mipia and Koolivoo also had water and were around two thirds full with thousands of birds spread across their warm shallow water, we mainly observed Pink-eared Ducks, Grey Teal, Hardhead, terns and egrets.

Further west on the edge of the Simpson Desert are two of our favourite desert lakes, it's not often they hold water but when inundated from the Mulligan River and Eyre Creek, Lakes Torquinnie and Mumblerry can support tens of thousands of waterbirds.  We found them around 75% full and also teeming with waterbirds, with thousands of Black Duck, Grey Teal, Pink-eared Duck, Hardhead, avocets and terns as well as hundreds of Freckled Duck, migratory waders, spoonbills and Whiskered Terns.