Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th October 2017.   Nhill Lake

Leaders Graeme & Helen Fernandes

A total of nineteen people took up the opportunity to do a birdwatching tour of Nhill Lake and adjoining Nhill swamp boardwalk.

On both mornings we left the Little Desert Nature Lodge in convoy to travel the 16 km into Nhill. Both mornings were fine and sunny with good light for bird watching.

We set off anti-clockwise around the lake which is a sanctuary right in the heart of the town.

Because the lake is small, birdwatching is relatively easy as the birds are never too far away and are used to frequent foot traffic. The lake  which surrounds a treed island was formed in  the early 1970’s to help with flood control and keep a Lake for swimming, fishing and limited access for boating.

About two thirds around the lake, the Nhill Swamp boardwalk which is approximately 1.5 metres above the ground leads away from the lake and passes through swampy lowland which has some magnificent River Red-gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis). We were lucky to watch a white winged Cough feed its one chick in its nest. The board walk returns to the entrance of the lake where we saw a Magpie Lark upon its nest and a Little raven`s nest high in the trees. On the other side of the lake we watched a Willie Wagtail on its` small nest.

We sighted a total of 44 birds with a highlight being two Nankeen Night Herons on the Island and two Black fronted Dotterels foraging upon the shore line.

After a very enjoyable walk we returned to the Little Desert Nature Lodge for lunch.

See bird list.

Nhill Lake 13th-14th Oct 2017

Australian Wood Duck                 Grey Teal                             Hardhead                               Pacific Black Duck

Australasian Grebe                       Great Cormorant                Little Black Cormorant       Darter

Little Pied Cormorant                  White-faced Heron            Nankeen Night Heron         Dusky Moorhen

Eurasian Coot                                Black-fronted Dotterel      Silver Gull                              Crested Pigeon

Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon (I)        Little Corella                       Sulphur-crested Cockatoo   Galah

Musk Lorikeet                                Crimson Rosella                 Eastern Rosella                     Red-rumped Parrot

Sacred Kingfisher                           Laughing Kookaburra     Brown Treecreeper                Spotted Pardalote

Brown Thornbill                             Red Wattlebird                 Noisy Miner             White-plumed Honeyeater

Grey Shrike-thrush                        Grey Fantail                       Willie Wagtail                     Magpie Lark

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike           Australian Magpie           Australian Raven              Little Raven

White-winged Chough                   Welcome Swallow           Tree Martin                        Common Starling (I)

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