PHOTO CREDITS: PREVIOUS PAGE, SIMON CHERRIMAN. THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GETTYIMAGES; COURTESY PETER ROWLAND; SHUTTER
STOCK; PETER ROWLAND
SCIENTIFIC NAMES, CLOCKWISE: CLADORHYNCHUS LEUCOCEPHALUS; PELECANUS CONSPICILLATUSSeptember. October 33TAS
WATCH WHALES
MIGRATE, SOUTH-
EAST OF HOBART
A series of vantage points along
Great Oyster Bay and Frederick
Henry Bay off Tassie’s east coast
are great for spotting humpback
whales migrating from warmer
climes back to Antarctic waters in
September–December. Southern
right whales can also be spotted
on their journey south, and may
linger in September–October.
More info: call Tasmanian Travel
and Information Centre on
03 6238 4222; visit
hobarttravelcentre.com.auIn the Australian outback,
spring is a great time to enjoy
wildlife during the day before
intense summer heat sends many
creatures into hiding. Find roos
en masse in the valleys of Ikara-
Flinders Ranges National Park,
and look for yellow-footed
rock-wallabies around cliff faces
and gorges. More info: call
Wilpena Pound Visitor Information
Centre on 08 8648 0048; visit
environment.sa.gov.au/parksSA
FIND K ANGAROOS AND
ROCK-WALLABIES,
FLINDERS RANGESM
OST OF THE TIME Australia’s inland
is dusty and dry. Almost 20 per cent
of the continent is true desert, receiving
less than 150mm of annual rainfall on
average. Despite its harsh dry nature,
Australia’s arid inland supports more
than 200 bird species. Some exhibit
large fluctuations in population numbers;
many are highly nomadic, travelling great
distances in search of new food and
water sources; while others stay within
a short flight of farm dams and other
artificial water sources.
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, in the
north-east of South Australia, is the
lowest natural place on the surface of
the continent (about 15m below sea
level), and is Australia’s largest salt lake.
It is located within the 1.2 million sq.km
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin, which can
be arid for consecutive years.
The unusually heavy rains that fell
across inland Queensland and
south-eastern Northern Territory earlier
this year have travelled thousands of
kilometres to the lake, topped up by
recent average or above average rainfall
over much of the basin.
The predicted depth of
more than 2m in the
deepest part of the lake
(Belt Bay) is well below
the 1974 record of 6m.
Nevertheless, this rare and
unpredictable phenomenon
has triggered a mass breeding
event of monumental proportions
(see Taking the Eyre, AG 151).
Millions of waterbirds will
breed here, including freckled
ducks, black swans and
banded stilts. But the largest
congregations will belong to
the Australian pelican.
This stocky black-and-white
bird with a large,
pouched bill
is Australia’s only
pelican species.
More than 200,000
individuals will breed
in the Kati Thanda-
Lake Eyre Basin before
the floodwaters subside.Adult pelicans lay up to four white eggs.
Chicks hatch after 32 days and take a
further three months to fledge. This peli-
can baby boom is a huge gamble for
some: sadly, chicks that are not inde-
pendent by the time the lake’s supply of
fish and crustaceans drops too low to
sustain them will die of starvation.
Although more often associated with
coastal waters, Australian pelicans will
breed opportunistically on larger inland
lakes. But how do such large numbers
know when the normally dry Kati
Thanda-Lake Eyre receives enough water
to support them? We don’t really know.
What we do know is that pelicans
soar at about 3000m above the ground,
circling effortlessly on thermals and are
able to cover vast distances in this way.
Perhaps they use a combination of
smell and sight to locate large
wetlands from these high
altitudes, or maybe flocks
simply fly over the
region and take
a look.
However they
do it, those of us
who witness this
incredible sight
will never, ever
forget it.Now in its sixth year, the Aussie
Backyard Bird Count (21–27 Oct)
is a citizen-science initiative that
allows you to help estimate bird
populations across Australia.
More info: download the app
aussiebirdcount.org.au/
And don’t forget to find out how
you can help protect our native
wildlife on National Threatened
Species Day (7 Sept). More info:
environment.nsw.gov.au.AUS
COUNT BACK YARD
BIRDSBird
Nerd
Soon after Australia’s inland
waterways flood, they ripple
with breeding birdlife.BOOM AND DUST
FOLLOW Peter on
Twitter: @_peterrowland
and Instagram:
_peterrowlandwith Peter RowlandBanded stilts are nomadic waders that are
oft en seen on the coast but only ever breed
on fl ooded inland lakes.Southern right whale.Pelicans fl y at
up to 56km/hr
to reach fl ooded
inland waterways
to breed.