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Eurasian coot at Walka Water Works 3rd Oct 2014. |
Pacific black ducks,
Chestnut teal,
Grey teal,
Swamp hens,
Eurasian coots,
Little grebes,
Clamorous reed warblers,
Superb blue wrens,
Magpie-larks,
Australian ravens,
Indian mynas (introduced),
European starlings (introduced),
Domestic geese (introduced).
Rock doves (feral pigeons).
On a strange note, I observed around 8 short necked tortoises during my half hour visit. This is quite unusual as only Long-necked tortoises are native to the area, and I didn't see a single Long-necked tortoise. This may indicate several things; for example, perhaps the Long-necked tortoises are more cryptic. The weather is only now starting to warm up, so perhaps they are still in aevestation etc, etc, etc.
One thing for certain - it indicates that people have probably removed the short necked tortoises from their natural range, (west of the Great Dividing range), and released them at the dam. They have probably been happily breeding there ever since, or maybe not - our Australian tortoises are very long lived. There is also very slim chance that they may be a naturally occurring population of short-necked tortoises, but given the centuries of heavy disturbance at this site I feel that is the least likely possibility.
Australia, like many countries has a problem with illegally imported Red-eared sliders being released in public waterways. Typically this has happened in the inner cities, which I find a bit odd. Maybe there are fewer predators remaining in the inner cities and so the foreign species are more likely to get a toe-hold. The exotic disease risk is very real with imported fauna. For example, Australia now has both IBD & OPV established in hobbyist snake collections due to the illegal importation - of all things, the "European starling" of the herpetological world - Corn snakes. Red-eared sliders are a renowned invasive species all around the world. I would really hate to see them become established in this country.
It brought memories of watching half a dozen MASSIVE Silver perch brazenly cruising around a dam in broad daylight at Blackbutt Reserve near New Lambton, NSW. I cannot help but wonder what sort of native fish may also have been deliberately translocated to the WWW. I'll have to keep an ear out for crashing surface strikes as the spring weather warms and the cicadas begin to deafen me once again. Watching ducks with their new brood of tiny ducklings stretched out behind them might become a rare sight. Who knows, there might be something very interesting living here . . .
One thing for certain - it indicates that people have probably removed the short necked tortoises from their natural range, (west of the Great Dividing range), and released them at the dam. They have probably been happily breeding there ever since, or maybe not - our Australian tortoises are very long lived. There is also very slim chance that they may be a naturally occurring population of short-necked tortoises, but given the centuries of heavy disturbance at this site I feel that is the least likely possibility.
Australia, like many countries has a problem with illegally imported Red-eared sliders being released in public waterways. Typically this has happened in the inner cities, which I find a bit odd. Maybe there are fewer predators remaining in the inner cities and so the foreign species are more likely to get a toe-hold. The exotic disease risk is very real with imported fauna. For example, Australia now has both IBD & OPV established in hobbyist snake collections due to the illegal importation - of all things, the "European starling" of the herpetological world - Corn snakes. Red-eared sliders are a renowned invasive species all around the world. I would really hate to see them become established in this country.
It brought memories of watching half a dozen MASSIVE Silver perch brazenly cruising around a dam in broad daylight at Blackbutt Reserve near New Lambton, NSW. I cannot help but wonder what sort of native fish may also have been deliberately translocated to the WWW. I'll have to keep an ear out for crashing surface strikes as the spring weather warms and the cicadas begin to deafen me once again. Watching ducks with their new brood of tiny ducklings stretched out behind them might become a rare sight. Who knows, there might be something very interesting living here . . .
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A snotty-nosed Pacific black duck at Walka Water Works 3rd October 2014. |
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