Hello subscribers,
I am forwarding this request from Rodney Falconer of the Goulburn Field
Naturalists Society (GFNS) - they would greatly appreciate if anyone could
give them a hand in identifying some of the waders that are being attracted
at the moment to the wetlands they have constructed to the S side of
Goulburn.
COG visited these wetlands in joint outings with GFNS in 2010 and 2011 and
an account was written up in the Gang-gangs of November 2010 and December
2011.
Note that the wetlands are actually just inside the COG area of interest
(AOI) in grid cell Z1.
So if anyone has some time on their hands during this weekend or over the
next week or so, particularly with expertise in wader identification, the
GNFS would greatly appreciate your help.
You can either respond with your identifications through me or directly to
Rodney at
Many thanks
Jack Holland
-----Original Message-----
From: falconer
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2012 2:15 PM
To:
Subject: Goulburn Wetlands waders ... help please
Hi Jack and COG members,
Up here in Goulburn we have been working away to do our best to protect
and enhance an ancient brickpit so that it holds water longer and
provides increased habitat for water birds. So far we have been quite
successful but have over the past couple of months come a real cropper
with waders. We have small numbers of a large number of species
continually moving through ... and we are finding them next to
impossible to positively identify. We would greatly appreciate your
assistance on this matter if possible. Due to a continued lack of rain
the wetlands are drying up and there are massive thickets of water
ribbons Triglochin procera submerged, emergent and mud-based, with
extensive pools. Since we raised the maximum water level to about 1.4
metres we have housed increasing numbers of hardhead, coots and grey
teal (as opposed to the previously dominant black ducks and dusky
moorhens). But now, as the water is dwindling and the weather is warming
up we are getting increasing visits by great egrets, great cormorants,
little pied cormorants, darters, white ibis, black-fronted dotterels and
now flocks of up to 55 wood ducks. Dusky moorhens, coots and
Australasian grebes have bred successfully, though heaps of turtle and
brown snake egg caches have been ripped apart, probably by Australian
ravens and foxes. Peregrine falcons, harriers, goshawks and
black-shouldered kites have regularly visited the site, but now they are
less apparent and starlings and mynas are beginning to move back into
the area.
We are in the process of converting 30 acres of Chilean needlegrass into
native grassland and we have had lots of sightings of waders. Last
Wednesday we counted 3 Latham's snipe in 30 minutes as well as what were
most probably sharp-tailed sandpipers, but there are others that dart
and weave explosively that make it very difficult for us to ID at all.
Please stop by if you can.
The Goulburn Wetlands are easy to find. The address is the northern end
of May Street, Goulburn. If you drive into Goulburn from Canberra, you
pass the new monstrous Bunnings and have to turn right. Don't turn left
into the main drag, but keep going to the T intersection and turn right
again, then sharp left under the railway bridge. Follow this road up the
hill into Eastgrove (a suburb of Goulburn) and turn left into May
Street. When you're there be aware that brown snakes and tiger snakes
are commonly sighted, some quite large.
As you enter the wetlands there is the obvious greater pool, but hidden
amongst phalaris and Carex are several drying pools and the old river
course. it is in the long grass around these pools that we have mostly
encountered waders.
Thanking you in anticipation, merry Christmas and a happy new year,
Rodney Falconer
GFNS (Goulburn Field Naturalist Society)
FROGS (Friends and Residents Of Goulburn Swamplands)
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