Tuggerah Lakes NSW - Highest wader and Black Swan count in 14 years

["Alan Morris" <>]

Hi Birders,

As with Lake Illawarra as reported by Chris Chafer 18/11/02, Tuggerah Lakes on the Central Coast of NSW are also becoming very shallow because of the drought, and the exposed sea-grass beds and sand and mud banks are attracting many waterbirds. Unlike Lake Illawarra, the entrance to the Lakes at The Entrance is being maintained open through period dredging. Therefore there is a daily tidal interchange although the tidal influence does not extend beyond 1.5 km into the Lake from the sea.

 

Since 1988 I have been counting the waterbirds at 8 different sites around the Lake, consisitent with some counts carried out in the late 1970s by Ruello & Associates. The last time that the Lakes were this shallow was in 1991 when large numbers of both waterfowl and waders were recorded. In 2002, the duck numbers are not much higher than average, although the Black Swan count for November is the highest reported in recent times. Wader numbers however are higher than the Oct-Dec period in 1991. Set out below are the numbers counted mostly for the period 20-21 November 2002.

 

 

Black Swan                  3428        Previous highest 3233 in 1996

Grey Teal                       604        Highest count 2920 in Oct 1991

Chestnut Teal                 176        Highest count 2573 in Oct 1991

Australian Pelican           327

Great Cormorant               30

Little Black Cormorant     322

Pied Cormorant                82

Little Pied Cormorant       112

White-faced Heron            67

Little Egret                       17

Great Egret                      10

Australian White Ibis         16

Royal Spoonbill                12

Eastern Curlew                  2        Highest count of 17 in Feb 2000

Bar-tailed Godwit            146        Highest count of 505 in Sep 1991

Common Greenshank        6

Marsh Sandpiper               2

Ruddy Turnstone               1

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper  2834        Highest count ever

Curlew Sandpiper             44        Highest count of 1723 in Oct 1991

Red Knot                         12

Red-necked Stint            948        Highest count ever

Black-winged Stilt           219        Highest count ever

Masked Lapwing               34

Pied Oystercatcher             3

Pacific Golden Plover        14

Red-capped Plover             8

Caspian Tern                    16        Highest count 71 in Aug 1994

Little Tern                       110

Whiskered Tern               270        4th record, highest count ever

Gull-billed Tern                    1

Common Tern                    40

White-winged Black Tern      1

 

Additional waders are present on the Blue Bay Reefs and the Soldiers Point Reefs offshore. Crested Terns and Silver Gulls not counted.

 

Alan Morris

Central Coast Group, Birding NSW