Day 8, Tibooburra to Marree
Today we search for waterbirds from the dry claypans of the Strzelecki Desert to the expansive flooded Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.
Photo:Â Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
Survey details
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Date
Wednesday 8th October 2025
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Author
John Porter
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Project
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Observers
John Porter (NSW DCCEEW), Chris Sanderson
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Pilot
Thomas Clark
This morning was partly overcast and still cool after yesterday's cool change. We head to the airport and start preparing our equipment. After a brief delay to resolve a potential mechanical issue we are on our way.
Our first objective is counting over the numerous claypans north-west of Tibooburra in the Strzelecki Desert dunes. Most of these fill from local runoff only so are dry but a few of the larger ones are full and support low-moderate numbers of waterbirds; mostly Purple Swamphen, Black-tailed Nativehen, herons, ducks and terns.
Strzelecki creek is drying back, but still has a few small wetland areas supporting low numbers of waterbirds.
Lake Hope can support tens of thousands of birds when it becomes salty but today its waters are fresh and there are low numbers of waterbirds, mainly Grey Teal, Pacific Black Duck, herons, egrets, terns, coot and Black-tailed Nativehen.
A series of large lakes and claypans that fill from Cooper Creek are our next targets.
With names like Walpayapannina, Killamperpunna, Killalpaninna and Puntawolona we need to speak clearly into our audio recorders!
Cooper Creek claypans. Most of these support only low or moderate numbers of waterbirds.
Cooper Creek channel
After some more counting along the channels of Cooper Creek with low to moderate numbers of waterbirds we arrive at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre which is about 60% full by area.
The vastness of the landscape is startling and the flat overcast sky and very still conditions accentuate this effect making the horizon seem to disappear, which is surprisingly disorientating.
The Lake has low numbers of waterbirds - a few hundred Banded Stilts, Whiskered Terns and Silver Gulls. Despite searching over most of the islands where there is standing water we see no evidence of any waterbirds breeding.
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