The Warrego River and its associated wetlands, including the Western Floodplain, occasionally host a suite of international migratory waterbirds. These birds are seasonal vistors who make epic journeys across the globe to visit Australia, and they depend on healthy wetlands to do so. There is lots to learn about migratory birds. Where do they come from and why? How do they navigate? And how often do they execute mammoth migrations between the north and south poles?

If you stand in just the right spot on the bank of Boera Dam in the Toorale State Conservation Area (SCA) and look to the trees in the east, you will spot a very large mass of twigs and sticks neatly curated into a large bowl shape. When our bird expert, Steve Debus, spotted this mass his interest was piqued. He raised his binoculars to have a good look and immediately identified a white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) nest. This is the furthest west in NSW that Steve had ever seen or heard of a white-bellied sea eagle nest with a breeding pair. Given that Steve is a raptor expert with about 40 years of experience, this observation is probably unique.

Floods that hit the Gwydir catchment in late March, 2021, brought a mixture of devastation and life to the communities and ecosystems that depend on the catchment's rivers. As the entire Gwydir catchment was doused with heavy rainfall between March 22 and March 24, downpours quickly translated into a significant, widespread flooding event. We tracked this event, including its volume and extent, as it moved throughout the channels in the Gwydir system and beyond.

Delivering flows to maintain water quality in remnant pools is vital to maintain habitat quality and provide refuge for iconic species such as Murray Cod and Golden Perch. However, there are a number of inherent risks with delivering water through a dry system and we want to tell you all about them. 

The year that was 2020 put a lot of things out of whack for the majority of us. While the...