Waterbirds in the Heart of the Murray Mallee

124 South Australian Ornithologist 35 (5-6) December 2008 125 METHODS relevant to the purpose of the study are Waterbirds in the heart incorporated. The previously unreported of the Murray Mallee The River Murray is a major flyway enabling occurrence of two kingfisher species in the waterbirds to move easily through otherwise study area is also included. unfavourable country. In recent years evaporation basins placed within reasonable Description of sites JOHN ECKERT distance of the river at Noora, Stockyard Lameroo has the largest sewage system Plains and Murray Bridge have attracted with two main ponds, each about 1 ha in Abstract Goolwa, the Lower Lakes and Coorong. numerous waterbirds, which are probably extent with two long narrow shallower A series of brief surveys was conducted over Though many regard the Murray Mallee easily visible to birds flying along the river at ponds between. The eastern main pond the period December 2001 to December 2007 to more narrowly as east and south of the River an altitude of a few hundred metres. These takes sewage and the westernmost takes gain information on the number and status of Murray, south to the “Ninety-mile Desert” wetlands have therefore been disregarded stormwater. The latter occasionally overflows waterbirds likely to reach the parts of the Murray (upper southeast), an area originally covered as too obviously influenced by the river and into a 2 ha pond to the north thereby Mallee only accessible by a lengthy flight over dry in mallee scrub but now largely cleared. effort is made to focus on waterbirds that providing a shallow muddy area. There are country. Comments are also made on the Red- An example of the anomalies that can might reach the heartland of the Mallee viz. virtually no reeds at Lameroo. The town’s backed Kingfisher, Todiramphus pyrrhopygius, the result from this uncertainty is the statement Pinnaroo, Lameroo and Karoonda. The area previous sewage ponds have been remodelled Sacred Kingfisher, T. sanctus, the Australian Reed- in Parker, Eckert and Ragless (1985): “no chosen for study is bounded in the east by the since the 1980s as an ornamental stormwater Warbler, Acrocephalus australis, and the Little records (of the Black Swan, Cygnus atratus) State border, in the west by longitude 139°50’, basin termed Lake Roberts, which seems to Grassbird, Megalurus gramineus. Including the from the Murray Mallee, the interior of Eyre and north and south by latitudes 34°45’ and have little attraction for waterbirds, at least above, 45 species are shown to visit the study area Peninsula etc” even though the publication 35°40’, thereby encompassing Karoonda, during the daytime visits of this survey. and 13 to have bred there. This indicates a greater acknowledged the presence of large numbers Billiatt Conservation Park and that part of presence of waterbirds in the heart of the Mallee frequenting the River Murray districts. Parker Ngarkat Conservation Park north of Box Flat The main sewage area at Pinnaroo has than was previously reported. (pers. comm. to author) was perturbed by respectively. This is considered to be remote two ponds, each less than 1 ha in extent. the absence of records of ducks from the from river influence and should indicate the The western pond receives the sewage INTRODUCTION more-narrowly defined Murray Mallee area species most likely to venture some distance and overflows into the eastern, the latter and, despite protests that most species of across dry country. fluctuating considerably and becoming dry Although the Murray Mallee might be ducks visited the area in wet seasons when at times. The western pond has a reed fringe regarded as a well known entity, its precise extensive surface water was available, Following the discovery of a good variety of along half its banks and the eastern has a definition is not always clear and can be preferred to draw attention to the lack of waterbirds at Lameroo on 14 December 2001, sizeable reed-bed over almost a quarter of prone to misinterpretation. In defining bio- published records in the hope of encouraging surveys were conducted of all birds seen at its western end. Seepage from these ponds geographical areas of South Australia, Laut observers to produce substantiated sightings. sewage ponds at Lameroo (30), Pinnaroo (28) has formed an additional reed-bed and some et al. (1977) placed the western boundary of This has not occurred. and Karoonda (17) over the six years to 11 small pools along the south side. At the the Murray Mallee along the eastern foothills December 2007. During this time all seasons northern edge of the town the North Ponds of the Mt. Lofty Ranges and included the The poor documentation of mallee waterbirds were covered and both dry and moderately comprise three small ponds together totalling extensive mallee vegetation north of the is confirmed in the report of Harris (2001) wet years were experienced. less than 1 ha in area. Sewage gravitates River Murray. This definition is similar to which noted no record of the Pacific Black through the system and so the most northern that followed in the Bird Reports in this Duck, Anas superciliosa, in the previous 25 Since beginning the survey no season has of the three is often shallow or dry but the journal (e.g. Jenkin, Pomeroy and Richards years even though it is a breeding resident. been wet enough to provide large, long- others are mostly deep. There are no reeds 1964). With this interpretation the River Most observers are apparently loath to put lasting ephemeral pools that support frogs, but ephemeral vegetation overhangs the Murray flows through much of the area forward records of well-known species from shield shrimps and other aquatic life (pers. steep sides. At the end of the main street the and waterbirds, i.e. those birds dependent what they would consider to be a well-known obs.), but the existence of sewage ponds Railway Dam which receives storm water on open water and associated wetlands, area. This paper seeks to redress some of at the three major centres has ensured that only is less than 0.5 ha in area but is quite are recorded in abundance from riverland those errors of omission and shows that the some wetland habitat has been available deep and is surrounded by reeds that are localities. The Locality Index of the first area is visited more often by waterbirds than throughout. especially extensive at the intake area. 20 volumes of this journal gives numerous records suggest. references under ‘Murray Mallee’ to sites not Reports provided by other observers and The sewage ponds at Karoonda are relatively only from the riverland, but also from a few previously published observations small, about 1 ha in area. The eastern end has 124 South Australian Ornithologist 35 (5-6) December 2008 125 METHODS relevant to the purpose of the study are Waterbirds in the heart incorporated. The previously unreported of the Murray Mallee The River Murray is a major flyway enabling occurrence of two kingfisher species in the waterbirds to move easily through otherwise study area is also included. unfavourable country. In recent years evaporation basins placed within reasonable Description of sites JOHN ECKERT distance of the river at Noora, Stockyard Lameroo has the largest sewage system Plains and Murray Bridge have attracted with two main ponds, each about 1 ha in Abstract Goolwa, the Lower Lakes and Coorong. numerous waterbirds, which are probably extent with two long narrow shallower A series of brief surveys was conducted over Though many regard the Murray Mallee easily visible to birds flying along the river at ponds between. The eastern main pond the period December 2001 to December 2007 to more narrowly as east and south of the River an altitude of a few hundred metres. These takes sewage and the westernmost takes gain information on the number and status of Murray, south to the “Ninety-mile Desert” wetlands have therefore been disregarded stormwater. The latter occasionally overflows waterbirds likely to reach the parts of the Murray (upper southeast), an area originally covered as too obviously influenced by the river and into a 2 ha pond to the north thereby Mallee only accessible by a lengthy flight over dry in mallee scrub but now largely cleared. effort is made to focus on waterbirds that providing a shallow muddy area. There are country. Comments are also made on the Red- An example of the anomalies that can might reach the heartland of the Mallee viz. virtually no reeds at Lameroo. The town’s backed Kingfisher, Todiramphus pyrrhopygius, the result from this uncertainty is the statement Pinnaroo, Lameroo and Karoonda. The area previous sewage ponds have been remodelled Sacred Kingfisher, T. sanctus, the Australian Reed- in Parker, Eckert and Ragless (1985): “no chosen for study is bounded in the east by the since the 1980s as an ornamental stormwater Warbler, Acrocephalus australis, and the Little records (of the Black Swan, Cygnus atratus) State border, in the west by longitude 139°50’, basin termed Lake Roberts, which seems to Grassbird, Megalurus gramineus. Including the from the Murray Mallee, the interior of Eyre and north and south by latitudes 34°45’ and have little attraction for waterbirds, at least above, 45 species are shown to visit the study area Peninsula etc” even though the publication 35°40’, thereby encompassing Karoonda, during the daytime visits of this survey. and 13 to have bred there. This indicates a greater acknowledged the presence of large numbers Billiatt Conservation Park and that part of presence of waterbirds in the heart of the Mallee frequenting the River Murray districts. Parker Ngarkat Conservation Park north of Box Flat The main sewage area at Pinnaroo has than was previously reported.

Load more