Day 12, Warrnambool to Naracoorte

Today we were in the areas closest to where the first Greater Crested Terns died from HPAI (avian influenza, H5N1 strain), near Robe. We were on the lookout for any sign that the waterbirds had been affected: potentially dead or ill birds. 

On the way south, we flew over Tower Hill Lake, an ancient volcanic lake (pictured above).

The video below shows us surveying our first wetland, just east of Port Fairy in Victoria. It had about 20-30 Black Swans.

The video below shows the surveying of Lake Bonney on the coast. It had hundreds of Grey Teal, Black Swans, Australasian Shoveler and Hardhead. 

The next video shows the surveying of Lake George; there were hardly any waterbirds. Lake George is a much saltier lake than Lake Bonney, and there was a big difference in terms of waterbird numbers. It only had a few waterbirds.

Lake Howden North, a freshwater wetland just to the east of Lake Eliza, was teeming with waterbirds. This is a restoration project which is delivering high diversity and lots of waterbirds.  Instead of freshwater going out to sea through a drain, the water is now restoring this wetland habitat. There were thousands of waterbirds. Eurasian Coot, Hardhead, Grey Teal, Whiskered Terns, Pied Stilts and Black Swans were the most numerous. 

The video below shows the surveying of Lake Howden North with its tens of thousands of waterbirds. There were also lots of Black Swans with broods or nesting on their island platforms. A fantastic part of the world. 

We then headed further east to survey the wetlands around Naracoorte. Much of this area was flooded, although not all the small wetlands had water. 

The video below shows us surveying the Bluff, a string of wetlands just north of Naracoorte. These had a few hundred Grey Teal and also flocks of Banded Stilts, which was a bit of a surprise. There were also large numbers of Hardhead. 

We then landed to refuel at Naracoorte. 

The afternoon meant heading south to the large wetlands, including Bool Lagoon. This looked from the air as if it was not extensively flooded, but when we got close, there were large areas of flooded vegetation. Diversity and numbers of waterbirds were really high. It was great to see Swans nesting in large numbers across the lagoon, but even more surprising to see Magpie Geese sitting on similar platform nests. Bool Lagoon is a hotspot for breeding. 

It was also great to see Straw-necked Ibis breeding in the tens of thousands. There was also a smattering of Australian White Ibis nests among the large numbers of Straw-necked Ibis. 

The final video below shows Bool Lagoon being surveyed.

We finished the day at Naracoorte.