We carried out the survey last Friday, 1 Nov. The weather was good, the lagoon was full and there were plenty of waterbirds to be seen - 142, by far the largest number in recent months - Jul 26, August 44, Sept 78. It will be interesting to see whether the upward trend continues into the warm months. There were some notable sightings - a Nankeen Night Heron and a first for the surveys, a Pied Cormorant (big cousin of the little Pied Cormorant). There were still two Hardheads, presumably the same pair that we recorded last month and a pair of Back Swans. Chestnut Teals (32) and Eurasiasn Coots (50) were present in good numbers.
THE COUNT
Little Black Cormorant 19
Little Pied Cormorant 4
PIed Cormorant 1
Darter 1
Black Swan 2
Chestnut Teal 32
Grey Teal 2
Hardhead 2
Pacific Black Duck 15
Nankeen Night Heron 1
Australian White Ibis 3
Eurasian Coot 50
Dusky Moorhen 10 (two nests)
TOTAL 142 (13 species)
The next survey will be on Friday 29 November.
Grey Teal
The Grey Teal resembles the Chestnut Teal, but male and female Grey Teal are identical, unlike the Chestnut Teal where the sexes are very different. Australia wide, they are probably the most common duck, but we see them in only small numbers on both Manly and Curl Curl Lagoons.
Comments