Day 7, Dalby to Tibooburra
Photo: Dry water storage dam near Goondiwindi
Dry water storage dam near Goondiwindi
Survey details
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Date
Tuesday 6 October 2026
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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
From Dalby, we head south to survey band 6 and Lake Coolmunda reservoir. It is around two-thirds full, and there are moderate numbers of waterbirds; mainly Grey Teal, Wood Duck, Pelicans, terns, herons, cormorants and Coots.
Heading further west, we count over many irrigation storages and dams south of Goondiwindi. There are low to moderate numbers of waterbirds, mainly Grey Teal, Black Duck, Pelicans, cormorants, terns and Darters
Further west we encounter a checkerboard of shallow freshwater claypans. Our forward progress slows as we methodically work our way back and forth across the landscape, counting these wetlands. The abundance of waterbirds is highly variable, mostly low to moderate, with species including Grey Teal, Wood Duck, Pink-eared Ducks, Black-tailed Native Hens, Purple Swamphens, spoonbills, stilts and herons dominating our counts.
The Bulloo River floodplain is our next major target, and there is water in most of the deeper channels and billabongs, with moderate numbers of waterbirds.
Our final target is the Bulloo Lakes, which frequently support large concentrations of waterbirds
There are large numbers of Grey Teal, Hardhead, Wood Duck, Black-tailed Native Hen, Pelicans, egrets, herons, terns, cormorants and ibis
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