Day 5, Rockhampton to Birdsville
Photo: Counting on Lake Machattie
Survey details
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Date
Sunday 4 October 2025
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Author
John Porter
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Project
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Observers
John Porter (NSW DCCEEW), Heath Dunstan
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Pilot
Thomas Clark
Heading west on survey band 8 from Rockhampton, our first target is Callide Dam; there are moderate numbers of waterbirds, mainly Grey Teal, Black Duck, Pelicans, Egrets, and Cormorants.
After refuelling in Blackall, we survey the braided channels of the Barcoo, Thompson and Diamantina rivers – each with only traces of water in their deeper channels after flooding earlier in the year. They have low to moderate numbers of waterbirds, mainly Grey Teal, Black Duck, Herons, Egrets, Spoonbills, Pelicans and Cormorants.
Next up are the large freshwater wetlands of Lakes Machattie, Mipia and Koolivoo – these three lakes are teeming with waterbirds, and we count thousands of Grey Teal, Black Duck, Pink-eared Duck and hundreds of Pelicans, Hardhead, Stilts, Terns, Egrets, Herons and Cormorants. There are around 400 Pelicans breeding, with most of the chicks well advanced and nearly fledged.
Our final targets are Lakes Mumbleberry and Torquinnie – shallow saline wetlands that often support large numbers of waterbirds, and today is no exception.
There are thousands of waterbirds, mainly Grey Teal, Black Duck, Herons, Terns, Gulls, Avocets, Egrets, Spoonbills, Pelicans, migratory waders and Cormorants
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