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  Double-banded plover-Charadrius bicinctus

  In Australia, the Double-banded Plover is found both along coastal shores, bays, estuaries and inlets. Their inland habitat tends to be large lakes with salt or brackish water, such as the White Lagoon wetland system, often seen on the edges eating insects and other invertebrates. After breeding in New Zealand the Double-Banded Plovers arrive in Australia during January and February. Between August and January the Double-banded Plovers fly back to New Zealand to breed.

  Red-capped Plover-Charadrius ruficapillus

  The adult male Red-capped Plover has a bright reddish chestnut crown (centre of crown can be grey-brown) and nape, and grey-brown mantle.

  The Red-capped Plover is widespread throughout Australia.

  The Red-capped Plover is found in wetlands, especially in arid areas, and prefers saline and brackish waters.

  The Red-capped Plover is resident. Movements are poorly known, but it may move between the coast and inland wetlands.

  The Red-capped Plover may be seen foraging for molluscs, small crustaceans and some vegetation, on mudflats, sandy beaches and salt-marshes.

  Red-kneed Dotterel-Erythrogonys cinctus

  The Red-kneed Dotterel is a small, plump wader with relatively long legs. It has a black cap covering the eye that reaches from the upper bill to the lower hind neck.

  Red-kneed Dotterels are found throughout mainland Australia and southern New Guinea.

  Red-kneed Dotterels are found in wetlands, lagoons and swamplands, preferring fresh water and areas prone to flooding.

  The Red-kneed Dotterel is resident but probably moves long distances to find wetlands.

  The Red-kneed Dotterel feeds on aquatic insects, larvae and seeds. It probes the mud along shorelines, as well as wading and sometimes swimming while feeding.

  The Red-kneed Dotterel is secure. However, human disturbance, urban development and even cattle trampling over the eggs has had an effect on breeding in some areas.

  Black-fronted Dotterel-Elseyornis melanops

  The Black-fronted Dotterel is a small wader with a distinctive black face-mask and breast-band and prominent chestnut scapulars (shoulder feathers). The Black-fronted Dotterel is widespread throughout Australasia and is found on temporary water systems and thus is nomadic for this reason.

  The Black-fronted Dotterel is found in the shallow margins of wetlands, lakes, rivers, sewage farms, storm drains and marshes. It is normally always near freshwater and is not often seen on the coast.

  The Black-fronted Dotterel eats small molluscs as well as aquatic and terrestrial insects. Often found on the edge of Rush Lagoon in pairs or singular.

  Hooded Plover-Thinornis rubricollis

  The Hooded Plover is found along coastal areas of southern Australia. There numbers have been in decline over the past few years, maybe as a result of increased coastal use of beaches by man and loss of habitat. Hooded Plovers are often seen in paddocks over Stranrar, especially during the winter months.

  Whiskered Tern- Chlidonias hybrida

  The Whiskered Tern is a small, tubby marsh tern with a slightly forked tail. The Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage has a black crown and white cheeks and sides of neck. The Whiskered Tern is also known as the Marsh Tern or Black-fronted Tern

  The Whiskered Tern prefers shallow terrestrial freshwater wetlands, freshwater swamps, brackish and saline lakes, floodwaters, sewage farms, irrigated croplands and large dams.

  Whiskered Terns are migratory and nomadic. In Australia generally, they are found on the coast and the interior, but are only vagrant in Tasmania. Large numbers of Australian birds migrate into Indonesia and South-East Asia, mainly via the top end.

  When they arrive at Rush Lagoon they can be seen dipping to the surface catching aquatic insects in small groups. This is evident during the late spring and early summer period.

  Cape Barren Goose-Cereopsis novaehollandiae

  The Cape Barren Goose is a very large, pale grey goose with a relatively small head. Its stubby triangular bill is almost concealed by a very prominent greenish-yellow cere (skin above the bill). The Cape Barren Goose is found on the south-eastern coast of Australia, the southern coast of Western Australia and in south-eastern Victoria. It is locally dispersive and has been introduced to Kangaroo Island.

  The Cape Barren Goose lays eggs in a nest in the tussocks of open grasslands. The nest is built by the male and lined with down. Each pair establishes a territory in autumn, prepares a nest and defends it noisily and determinedly against other geese. This species is monogamous, and pair-bonds are life-long. The female incubates the eggs and the young are brooded by both parents equally.

  By the 1950s, numbers of the Cape Barren Goose were so low that biologists feared they may be close to extinction. Various initiatives have been taken which have increased the goose population to a level where they are no longer considered to be in danger. However, they remain one of the world’s rarest geese.

  These are a protected species on Kangaroo Island however, they can be destructive from an agricultural point of view, as they are a grazing bird, by eating pasture and planted crop. Lucerne production at Stranraer can see damaged crops especially during the summer when feed is limited. On any given day through the summer, flocks of 200-300 birds can be seen on lucerne paddocks at Stranraer. With both Rush Lagoon and White Lagoon, Cape Barren Geese flock to the area in large numbers. The Cape Barren Goose is a protected species in Australia.

  Sharp-tailed Sandpiper-Calidris acuminata

  The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is a medium sized wader with a straight black bill that has an olive-grey base. It has a chestnut crown and nape, a white eyebrow, and reddish brown upper parts, with each feather having a black centre. The rump and tail are black, with white outer margins visible in flight. This species is commonly seen with other waders during its migration from northern breeding grounds and is also one of the most abundant waders migrating to Australia each year.

  The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper prefers the grassy edges of shallow inland freshwater wetlands. It is also found around swage farms, flooded fields, mudflats, mangroves, rocky shores and beaches.

  It is strongly migratory, arriving in Australia in August, returning to Siberia in March, with greatest numbers in south-eastern Australia.

  The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as worms, molluscs, crustaceans and sometimes, seeds. It is often found in large flocks, often with other waders, foraging in shallow waters.

  Black Swan-Cygnus atratus

  In adult Black Swans the body is mostly black, with the exception of the broad white wing tips which are visible in flight. Black Swans are found throughout Australia with the exception of Cape York Peninsula and are more common in the south. The Black Swan has been introduced into several countries, including New Zealand, where it is now common and is a vagrant to New Guinea.

  Black Swans prefer larger salt, brackish or fresh waterways and permanent wetlands, requiring 40m or more of clear water to take off. Outside the breeding season, Black Swans travel quite large distances. Birds fly at night and rest during the day with other swans.

  The Black Swan is a vegetarian. Food consists of algae and weeds, which the bird obtains by plunging its long neck into water up to 1m deep. Occasionally birds will graze on land, but they are awkward in their walking.

  Black Swans form isolated pairs or small colonies in shallow wetlands. Birds pair for life, with both adults raising one brood per season. The eggs are laid in an untidy nest made of reeds and grasses. These can be seen during the spring period in certain areas of the farm, especially in the paddocks around Rush Lagoon that are low lying and become quite wet. The Black Swan will construct a nest that protrudes out of the water. The nest is placed either on a small island or floated in deeper water. These nests can be found across the farm. The chicks are covered in grey down, and are able to swim and feed themselves as soon as they hatch.

  Black-winged Stilts and Black Sw
an on Rush Lagoon in January, 2013, as the water dries up in the summer months the bird concentration is high on the remaining water.

  Yellow-billed Spoonbill-Platalea flavipes

  The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is a large, white waterbird with a yellow face and spatulate (spoon-shaped) bill, and yellow legs and feet. The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is found across Australia in suitable habitats, particularly in the north and well-watered inland areas, but is less common in coastal regions.

  The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is found in the shallows of freshwater wetlands, dams, lagoons and swamps and sometimes in dry pastures, but rarely uses saltwater wetlands. It can use much smaller areas of water than the Royal Spoonbill. The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is nomadic and tends to feed in shallow water day and night preying on water insects. With their large bill they are able to sweep 120 degrees to collect insects on the water surface.

  Glossy Ibis-Plegadis falcinellus

  The Glossy Ibis is a small dark ibis that looks black in the distance. At close quarters the neck is reddish-brown and the body is a bronze-brown with a metallic iridescent sheen on the wings. The distinctive long, curved bill is olive-brown, the facial skin is blue-grey with a bordering white line that extends around the eyes. The eyes, legs and feet are brown.

  The Glossy Ibis frequents swamps and lakes throughout much of the Australian mainland, but is most numerous in the north. It is a non-breeding visitor to Tasmania and the south- west of Western Australia.

  The Glossy Ibis is both migratory and nomadic. Its range expands inland after good rains, but its main breeding areas seem to be in the Murray Darling Basin of New South Wales and Victoria, the Macquarie Marshes in New South Wales, and in southern Queensland. Glossy Ibis often move north in autumn then return south to their main breeding areas in spring and summer.

  Glossy Ibis feed on frogs, snails, aquatic insects and spiders in damp places. They feed by probing the water and mud with their long, curved bill.

  Diversion of water flow into wetlands for irrigation and other purposes disrupts breeding by restricting areas of shallow water. The Macquarie Marshes have suffered greatly in this regard over many years, with the resultant failure of the Glossy Ibis to nest there.

  Banded Stilts-Cladorhynchus leucocephalus

  Banded Stilts are endemic to Australia, mainly in the south and inland.

  Banded Stilts are found mainly in saline and hypersaline (very salty) waters of the inland and coast, typically large, open and shallow.

  Banded Stilts are dispersive and movements are complex and often erratic in response to availability of feeding and breeding habitats across the range. Populations may move to the coast or nearby when the arid inland is dry, returning inland to breed after rain or flooding.

  Banded Stilts breed only in the arid inland when wetlands appear after rain or flooding and not much is known about their breeding habits. They breed on small islands in lakes, occasionally on sand-pits, bare patches of sandy clay or stony soil. The nest is a scrape in the ground, saucer-shaped or like an inverted cone. The nest is occasionally lined with dry grass or stems of samphire.

  There is plenty of samphire present on Rush Lagoon for feeding by the Banded Stilts.

  Black-winged Stilts-Himantopus himantopus

  Black-winged Stilts are related to Banded Stilts, Cladorhynchus leucocephalus, which have a broad chestnut band across the breast (absent in young birds) and lack the black on the back of the neck. Young Banded Stilts can be separated from young Black-winged Stilts by their all white back and black wings. The legs of the Black-winged Stilt are the longest of any wader and aid in the feeding process by allowing it to wade into deeper water. They are often seen on the edge of Rush Lagoon wading for insects and provides an environment suited to its feeding regime.

  The Black-winged Stilt is a social species and is usually found in small groups. Black-winged Stilts prefer freshwater and saltwater marshes, mudflats, and the shallow edges of lakes and rivers. Their movement is nomadic often travelling to new feeding grounds at night.

  Black-winged Stilts on Rush Lagoon, January, 2013, as the water dries up on Rush Lagoon in February the bird concentration increases on the edges of evaporating water.

  Red-necked Avocet-Recurvirostra novaehollandiae

  The Red-necked Avocet has a chestnut brown head and neck with a white eye-ring and a long, upturned, black bill. The rest of the body is white, except for two black streaks along the back.

  The Red-necked Avocet is found throughout mainland Australia, but breeds mainly in the south-western interior. Out of breeding season, it visits most of the rest of Australia, but is only an accidental visitor to Tasmania or the Cape York Peninsula.

  The Red-necked Avocet is found in large shallow freshwater or saltwater wetlands and estuarine mudflats, whilst their movements tend to be nomadic in small flocks.

  The Red-necked Avocet feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, crustaceans and seeds. It wades in shallow water, sweeping its bill back and forth just below the surface to catch prey.

  Royal Spoonbill-Platalea regia

  The Royal Spoonbill is a large white waterbird with black, spatulate (spoon-shaped) bill, facial skin, legs and feet. The Royal Spoonbill is most often seen wading in shallow waters, sweeping its submerged bill back and forth in a wide arc to find food.

  The Royal Spoonbill is found in shallow freshwater and saltwater wetlands, intertidal mud flats and wet grasslands. Both permanent and temporary inland waters are used when available in the arid zone. It will also use artificial wetlands such as sewage lagoons, salt fields, dams and reservoirs.

  The Royal Spoonbill will move with changing water availabilities.

  White-faced Heron-Egretta novaehollandiae

  White-faced Herons are the most commonly seen herons in Australia. They are found throughout the mainland and Tasmania, and most coastal islands. They also occur in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand.

  White-faced Herons can be found anywhere where there is water, from tidal mudflats and coastal reefs to moist grasslands and gardens.

  Normally only one brood of young is raised in a year.

  Australasian Grebe-Tachybaptus novaehollandiae

  The Australasian Grebe is found throughout Australia and throughout the Pacific region. It is also self-introduced to New Zealand.

  The Australasian Grebe is found in freshwater ponds or small waterways and is suited to the Rush Lagoon environment

  Latham’s Snipe-Gallinago hardwickii

  Latham’s Snipe is the largest snipe in Australia, with mainly brown, plumage. The bill is long and straight allowing it to feed into the water, the wings rather short and pointed and the tail is long. It has short legs and when folded, the wings project well past the tail, giving a pointed look. This species is also known as the Japanese Snipe.

  The Latham’s Snipe annual nesting occurs in northern Japan and they tend to leave by August. With their migration from Japan, Latham’s Snipe tend to reach Australia especially Tasmania in September/October. The entire world population of Latham’s Snipe enter Australia after mid-August. The return journey is carried out in March/April.

  Latham’s Snipe are seen in small groups or singly in freshwater wetlands on or near the coast, generally among dense cover. They are found in any vegetation around wetlands, in sedges, grasses, lignum, reeds and rushes and also in salt marshes and creek edges on migration. They also use crops and pasture for feeding.

  Common Greenshanks-Tringa nebularia

  Common Greenshanks are found both on the coast and inland, in estuaries and mudflats, mangrove swamps and lagoons, and in billabongs, swamps, sewage farms and flooded crops. The common Greenshank is the most widely dispersed of Australian migratory waders, frequenting fresh, brackish and saline waters, which draw this bird to the White Lagoon wetland system.

  Greenshanks arrive in Australia in August and numbers increase slowly until September, with larger numbers arriving until November. Following their arrival, they
normally remain in the same location with some local movement. Birds move north again in March and April, back to their northern Eurasian breeding grounds.

  Greenshanks feed mainly on insects, worms, molluscs, small fish and crustaceans, feeding both by day and night. They feed by picking from the surface, probing, sweeping and lunging at the edges of mudflats or shallows. They may walk along the shoreline and even chase small fish in the shallow water.

  Silver Gull - Larus novaehollandiae

  The Silver Gull has a white head, tail and underparts, with a light grey back and black-tipped wings. In adult birds the bill, legs and eye-ring are bright orange-red.

  The Silver Gull is common throughout Australia and is also found in New Zealand and New Caledonia. Most commonly seen along coastal areas of Australia.

  The Silver Gull is found at virtually any watered habitat and is rarely seen far from land. Birds flock in high numbers around fishing boats as these leave or return to the coast, but seldom venture far out to sea.

  With greater access to a wide range of dietary items, the Silver Gull has been able to increase its population in areas of human activity. Available nesting grounds appear to be the only limiting factor to population increases. The Silver Gull can be seen behind cultivation machinery in the autumn period.

  Little Grassbird - Megalurus gramineus

  The Little Grassbird is found across eastern Australia and Tasmania, inland to central Australia and in south-western Australia. It is also found in New Guinea.

  The Little Grassbird is found in swamps and marshes, preferring thick reed beds, and will occur in temporary wetlands after rains.