the Yerrabi coots

[Michael Lenz <>]

John,

the forthcoming issue of Canberra Bird Notes (available  later this month) includes an article (by myself) that discusses the recent goings and comings (or 'stayings' in case of the breeding coots) by waterbirds and some landbirds in our area.

Michael Lenz

On 19 January 2017 at 12:22, John Harris <> wrote:

Thanks Bill, 1,000 indeed. Saw them this morning myself. So the big questions are where did they go and how come they are back so soon? The main opinion circulating was that they had gone to the western NSW floodplains to breed in the unusually suitably wet condition. A related opinion, which I shared, was that the huge numbers in Yerrabi pond and elsewhere were a result of Coot numbers building up during the El Ninjo decade, and that Canberra had then been a kind of oasis for waterbirds. I certainly observed that build up myself.  So some of the theories including mine were wrong.  So now my questions are: did they go away to flooded wetlands to breed? If so how are they able to return so quickly? Are these returning birds the same birds? 

I have an interesting related observation which I have made before on this chatline. In 17 years of visiting Yerrabi pond, I never saw  a breeding event among what eventually became 1000 coots.  Once the mass evacuation occurred, the ONLY coots I saw anywhere were invariably breeding, one or two breeding pairs with chicks on Valley Ponds, Crace Pond, Gungahlin Pond, Ford Pond, Gungahlin Pond etc

So what is going on here?

From: B&RGraham <>
Date: Thursday, 19 January 2017 at 12:04 PM
To: chatline <m("canberrabirds.org.au","canberrabirds");" target="_blank">org.au>
Subject: [canberrabirds] the Yerrabi coots

Yerrabi Pond today.

From 6.20am to 7.40, 29 species. Most of the former extensive algael bloom ( how to you spell it?) has gone, Reeds around the pond in very poor state only about 25% of good years so Reed Warblers way down.  Eurasian Coots 880 probably closer to 1,000 as it was overcast and some still sheltering near banks, 20 Black Swans, 50 Pacific Black Ducks,  11 Hard Heads and a high of 65 Dusky Moorhens including many immatures and 19 Australasian Swamphens including 1 immature. It looks like back to normal.

Bill Graham

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