The Friends conduct regular bird counts of Bibra Lake, North Lake, South Lake, and Little Rush Lake. Waterbirds have been monitored on a quarterly basis since 1996 and the Friends continue to contribute important information to Birds Australia.
If you would like to know more about the records please contact Marion on 94178460.
BIRD WALK AT YANGEBUP LAKE FEBRUARY 16TH 2013
What a enjoyable walk it was, great company, calm, clear day. The lake was well populated by waders, black-winged stilts bobbing around the edge and two flying over; Australasian , Hoary-headed grebes, Pelicans, black Swans, Grey Teal, Pink-eared, Hardhead, Pacific black, Blue-billed, Musk ducks. Our walk ended with a wonderful sighting of a clamorous reed warbler close by in the reeds.
BIRD WALK AT WOODMAN'S POINT DECEMBER 15TH 2012
We encountered a black shouldered kite in the car park before we had even started. We were thrilled to see most of the birds we saw the week before at the Shorebird workshop organised by 'Birdlife Australia'. There were 6 Avocets, 2 pied cormorants flying and red-capped plovers, pelicans sited while walking to the point. What a joy when we arrrived as there was an abundance of birds hanging out on the rocks, crested, Caspian terns, Pied, little Pied cormorants and in amongst all these large birds were red-capped plovers and ruddy turnstones.
It was wonderful to have another successful day by the ocean with good company.
BIRD COUNTS FOR NOVEMBER 2012
Totals Nov 2012 Totals 2011
NORTH LAKE 273 380
inc 66 black wing stilts incl. 12 black wing stilts
15th Nov incidental sighting
red kneed dotterel
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SOUTH LAKE 188 165
85% Aust Ibis 85% Aust ibis
Thick vegetation lake edge
View obscured by typha
LITTLE RUSH LAKE 128 59
1 black wing stilt searching
for shallow water
4 raptors, Little eagle,
Whisling kite, Aust. Kestral
Swamp harrier
BIBRA LAKE 2012 BIRD COUNTS
MARCH 2187 JULY 1941 NOVEMBER 562 NOVEMBER 2011 - 512
The lake was full covered with 15% Typha. Pacific Black ducks (200) were the most abundant, grey teal (69) coots (43) Black Swans (52) Shelducks (33.
BIRD WALK TO NEW BIRD HIDE 20TH SEPTEMBER 2012
The new bird hide was officially opened last week at the Festival of the Lakes. Our Friends group visited the hide and were delighted to see two swan families with their cygnets that are almost the size of their parents. Four Great Egrets flew in and two in breeding plumage made their presence felt by aggressively interacting with each other. Other sightings were a Pacific Heron, a couple of Australasian Grebes, pair of Dusky Moorhens, Swamp Hen, couple of male Musk ducks diving and making their distinctive pinging call, numerous Coots, some Hardheads, lone Blue-billed duck, also a Shelduck flew onto the lake and a whistling kite hovered overhead.
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| Marion standing on the new board walk. | Lots of new growth on the BHP Billiton plantings. | Friends group bird watching. |
BLACKWALL REACH BICTON WALK 8TH SEPTEMBER 2012
This area is a hive of activity for both people and birds along the pathway and on the river. Cyclists, walkers, canoeists, kyakers, boaters, sail boarders, birds flying swooping, hovering, feeding, perching, singing. Wonderful, breezy, sunny day to be mixing with such active company.
There were 2 lots of Red-tailed black cockatoos flitting backwards and forwards across the river from North Fremantle, pair of Osprey surveying the river for their anticipated next feed, black-faced cuckoo shrikes perched on dead branches. Ubiquitious Lorrikeets using a parrot nesting box, sadly Port Lincoln parrots being pushed out. White-cheeked honey eaters and striated pardelotes merrily flitting in and out of the numerous flowering shrubs along with red wattle, New Holland and Brown honeyeaters.
Flying in were Shell ducks, Pied cormorants, a darter and well over 60 little billed Corellas furiously fluttering around while we watched a Whistling Kite fly in above the trees by the cafe.
YANGEBUP LAKE BIRD WALK 25TH AUGUST 2012
What a stunning place to be, no wind, clear skies, cool to begin with then warming up to a plethora of bird activity. Australasian grebes, pacific black, shell, musk duck plainitively calling, two pairs of swans, one with four cygnets, a lone pelican and Australasian Ibis bobbing on the water; Tree martins mingling with Welcome swallows whizzing over the water.
Raptors seen were Whistling and a black-shouldered kite. We had a superb view of the black shouldered kite hovering, catching its prey and then dropping it close by .
We were also thrilled to see both red-capped and Port Lincoln ringneck parrots flying closely together.
NORTH LAKE BIRD WALK 18TH AUGUST 2012
It was a cool start although sunny the lake was misty at the far end. Most of the lake is covered with reeds, only two pockets of shallow water. It was initially very quiet then firstly four Pacific black ducks flew in and landed in the nearside pond, then eighty plus Shell ducks flew in and eventually landed on the far side of the lake. Other water birds seen were swans, pair with 4 four cygnets., Pacific black with 6 ducklings, swamp hen, grey teal, white faced heron, Pacific heron, Australasian Ibis, Black-winged stilts, Australian Kestrel.
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AUSTRALIAN KESTREL
November Waterbird Counts
Bibra Lake - The specials were 4 Crested Grebes, 13 Bluebill Ducks and one Coot's nest in front of the Typha at the Northern end of the lake.
December Waterbird Counts
North Lake - we were treated with a panorama of many mobile waterbirds. Over 200 Grey Teal, about 20 Shovellers, 3 Bluebilled ducks and at least 9 Pinkeared ducks. About 100 Pacific Black Ducks flew over, probably disturbed by a Swamp Harrier. There were a couple of Little Pied Cormorants, 9 White-faced Heron, 2 Yellow-billed Spoonbills, 2 Little Egrets and 1 Great Egret.
The most uncommon and exciting sighting was of a Nankeen (Rufous) Night Heron as it rose then disappeared into tall Eucalypts on the western side of the reserve.
Little Rush Lake - this bird walk seemed pretty ordinary, until near the end of our walk, we saw a Bluebilled Duck and a female Darter close to the northern shore and in low vegetation covering the northern side of the island respectively.
Comparisons of Waterbird Counts for November 2010 and 2011
Years 2011 2010
Bibra Lake 512 3530
North Lake 457 376
South Lake 165 124
Little Rush Lake 59 135
WATER BIRD COUNT BIBRA LAKE February 6th
Friends counted waterbirds at Bibra Lake for the Birdlife Australia Shorebird 20-20 project. We totalled at least 960 birds, at least 85% water coverage of the lake. Typha orientalis is well established at the northern end & is encroaching southwards.
Most numerous were Eurasian coots & Pacific Black Ducks, each 238; Australian Shoveler 91 & Grey Teal 89. 68 Black Swan were present with one brood of 6 cygnets. 26 Blackwinged stilts foraged along the southwestern & southeastern side of the lake. Of special note were 8 Glossy Ibis & 2 or 3 broods of Crested Grebe. Compare these results with those of 5th Feb, 2011 when only 5% of the lake was water covered. 178 birds were counted in total with 42 Pacific Black Ducks, 58 Silver Gulls, & 52 Blackwinged Stilts heading the list
FRIENDS OF COCKBURN WETLAND WATER BIRD COUNT 10TH MARCH 2012
FRECKLED DUCKS!
A total of 2427 birds were counted. There were Greenshanks, Glossy Ibis, Yellow Spoonbills, Osprey. However the most excitment was generated by the identification of two freckled ducks among the many birds present. We will have to go back through the records to see how rare this appearance is.
WATER BIRD COUNT 17TH MARCH SOUTH LAKE
A total of 36 birds were counted, Sacred Ibis being the most prominent. The lake is shallow, knee deep for the Ibis that were feeding by the edge.
WATER BIRD COUNT 25TH MARCH LITTLE RUSH LAKE
There was still water in the lake albeit very suitable for waders. A total of 116 birds counted, 6 Avocets, 5 white faced Herons,
1 Shoveller 35 Pacific black ducks, 30 grey Teal, 5 Shellducks, 4 Australian Ibis, 11 straw necked Ibis 19 black winged stilts plus a few bush birds.
BIBRA LAKE BUSH WALK 12th MAY
It was a glorious day for walking in the bush. lovely to see plenty of flowering Banksia menzeii with Red wattle birds, Singing and New Holland honey eaters busily feeding of them. We saw a small amount of miseltoe but it is not yet flowering. The regular bush birds delighted us with their melodies, Magpies, Magpie larks, Willie wagtails, Rufous whistler and black- faced cuckoo-shrike.
We were delighted to see a significant amount of water in the lake with a strip of vegetation in the middle that supported over 100 black swans, a couple of shell ducks and a few Ausralasian Ibis. However at the edge of the lake were about 50 black winged stilts and 17 Glossy black Ibis all busily feeding. The glossy Ibis is smaller and more graceful than the Australasian and straw necked species and is seen more in tropical regions.
NORTH LAKE BUSH WALK MAY 19TH
The Friends group met at the gate to North Lake for a sunny but initially cool start to a mellifluous morning. A family of blue wrens were darting hither and thither close by frog swamp. Although the lake is completely dry, as the day warmed up it took on an ethereal quality with the mist delicately rising. The flowering Banksia menzeii trees are attracting Singing, New Holland and Red Wattle birds.
We saw numerous Ibis, Shell ducks flying and then to our great delight a flock of fifty six Carnaby Cockatoos noisily flew over us close to the pylon. A treat was waiting for us at the end of our walk for by the gate was a pair of crested Pigeons busily feeding.
YANGEBUP LAKE WALK 26th MAY
What a glorious day to be walking around a tranquil lake very close to the water's edge. A group of Splendid Fairy-wrens thought so too for they were bobbing in and out of the rushes close to the lake and also a lone Black -fronted plover ( Elseyornis melanops) was busily feeding close by the margin of the lake.
True to their name, three wood ducks were perched on old stumps of wood jutting out of the water, then several more flew in but alas no more wooden perches for them. In fact the lake was a dynamic scene of activity. A few Musk ducks and Australasian grebes continually engaged in diving in front of a significant number of resting water birds We were admiring the pink- eared ducks scattered among the grey teal, shovellers and shell ducks when in flew 20 more of them. More exitement came about when three swans make their entrance gracefully gliding into the water, then sixteen Glossy Ibis flew over. We saw a flock of seventeen Glossy Ibis at Bibra Lake on the 12th May bush walk and speculated as to whether the missing one decided on a sleep in! After enduring the racket from the ubiquitous rainbow lorrikeets ad nauseum we were delighted to see a Ringneck parrot flying over the bush area.
GLOSSY IBIS Plegadis falcinellus
The more northerly populations are fully migratory. They often nest in mixed species colonies often roosting nocturnally in flocks some distance from feeding areas. Thy feed in shallow water and nest in fresh or brackish wetlands in dense reeds, rushes, low trees or bushes around margins of lakes, or marshland. Their nest are platforms of twigs and vegetation above water in emergent vegetation or shrubs growing in water.
They are the smallest of the three species of Ibis in Australia, 50 - 53 cms long and a non- breeding visitor to Tasmania and South West Western Australia.
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JULY BIRD COUNTS 2012
2011 2012
BIBRA 767 1941 (14th July)
Pacific Black 293 735
Grey Teal 231 554
Pink Ears nil 38 to 67 (duplication?)
Hardhead 56 1 (many near western boardwalk on 19/7)
Black Swans 18 167
SOUTH 34 67 (inc 1 brood 5 cygnets with parents, 1Pacific Black up a tree)
NORTH 112 53 (inc 25 newly hatched Pacific Blacks, very dry, few large puddles)
6 swan nests 1 swan nest
LITTLE RUSH 16 51 ( very low water levels)
Marion Shaw estimated 98% water cover at Bibra Lake including that between dying Typha
2012/2013