Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences Centre for Ecosystem Science

Day 18, Goolwa to Goolwa

Richard Kingsford headshot Richard Kingsford
Aerial photo of many tiny white specs, that are actually pelicans nesting) on an island in a coastal lake with the ocean in the back ground behind the elevated edge of the lake.

Date: Wednesday 2nd November 2022

Project: Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey

Observers: Richard Kingsford & John Porter

Pilot: Tim Dugan

Today was the day for two counts down the Coorong and completing our second count of the two big lakes, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert. 
Aerial photo of coastline, ocean and land. Waves are breaking far out into the bay indicating a shallow coast. There are towns on the points on the coast. The sun is shining on the clouds and there are patches of clear sky.

Flying over the coast near Goolwa, before surveying the Murray Mouth and Coorong.

Thankfully the weather had improved slightly and so we didn't have quite the same threat of storms, despite the odd rain showers. We first surveyed the Murray Mouth followed by the North Coorong and then South Coorong.
Aerial photo of coastal lakes and islands vegetated with green low level plants.

Surveying the Coorong.

Once again it was the same sort of story with waterbirds. Hardly any ducks, apart from a few hundred chestnut teal, and hardly any Australian Shelduck. There were quite a few Black Swans and their cygnets, with quite a few Little Black Cormorants and Silver Gulls. 
Aerial photo of coastal lake edge consisting of a series of sand dunes with the choppy ocean in the background.

Surveying the western edge of the North Coorong.

Surveying the North Coorong.

There was lots of action on the islands of the South Coorong. There was one of the biggest pelican colonies that I had seen during all our surveys here, since 2007, perhaps 10-20,000 pelicans. 

Surveying the breeding colony of pelicans on the South Coorong.

There were also some silver gull colonies and a couple of tern colonies. Probably a few hundred in each.
Aerial photo of many white birds, some flying some nesting on the edge of the land next to a coastal lake, The land is covered in low green vegetation.

Breeding colony of terns on an island on the South Coorong.

Once we got to the end of the South Coorong, we went further south to survey the coastal lakes on the most western end of survey band two.
Aerial photo of coastal lakes on a sunny day. The planes shadow is on the surface of the water of the main lake in the picture. The land is green and vegetated with coastal plants

Surveying the coastal lakes south of the South Coorong, part of Survey Band 2.

We then surveyed the next north-south aggregation of wetlands below the dunes that are part of this system. We had expected these lagoons would have lots of water and many waterbirds. The only water was confined to the large drains moving water out of this area. Tilley swamp which seldom has any waterbirds, is also included in this area, and as usual it had none today. 

Surveying Tilley Swamp.
Aerial photo of a rectangular open water channel that has been cut into the land. There are smaller drains flowing into it that bisect a green vegetated landscape on sandy soil

Drain taking water from the wetlands and out to sea, part of the drainage program in the Southeast wetlands of South Australia.

When the water is here, the waterbirds are here in high numbers. But very few of these wetlands had any water today. 

It was then back to the South and North Coorong surveys, including the Murray Mouth.

Surveying the barrages separating the North Coorong from Lake Alexandrina, with hundreds of cormorants.

We then finished the day surveying the South Coorong for a second time and Lakes Alexandria and Lake Albert again. 
Aerial photo of a coastal lake with an island and near the island is a barrage with two black blobs that are seals resting

Surveying Lake Alexandrina near one of the barrages, where seals rest (two very small black blobs).
Aerial photo of part of a large lake filled with brown water and the surrounding landscape under a grey cloudy sky

Flying back over Lake Alexandrina.

We then returned to Goolwa to stay overnight again.