Whilst common to northern and central Australia, in the Murray-Darling Basin Hyrtl’s tandan is only present in the Warrego, Paroo (PaaRu) and Condamine Rivers. The preservation of Hyrtl’s tandan in the Warrego River is aided greatly by the contribution of Commonwealth water for the environment.
Did you know that there are over 300 species of dragonfly in Australia? These species are divided into eight families, two of which (Hemicorduliidae and Aeshnidae) occur within the Gwydir Wetlands State Conservation Area. We study these as part of our Food webs indicator because they can tell us a lot about the health of our waterways. In Issue 34 we explain the importance of invertebrates and the dragonflies lifecycle.
Deb Bower has been out on Toorale’s Western Floodplain checking out the Murray River turtle’s interaction with the floodplain, and she shared her findings in an interview with Bourke’s Outback Radio 2Web and an article in Bourke’s Western Herald Newspaper.
The rainbow bee-eater (Merops ornatus) is classified as a significant migratory land bird species in the Flow-MER program. It is one of the bird species that is recorded at Toorale National Park and the Warrego Western Floodplain.
The Flow-MER program monitors the water, plants and animals of the Warrego-Darling/Baaka Selected Area to understand the influence of water for the environment. This issue explores what we study for each of the indicators and what some of our main findings were in the 2021-22 water year.
University of New England masters student Razzaq Sarker’s scientific paper on the effect of inundation on frog behaviour and chorusing has been published and is now available to be viewed. Razzaq studied the patterns between inundation and frog breeding of species within the Gwydir State Conservation Area (SCA) and surrounding wetlands.
Kevin, our Warrego-Baaka (Darling) Cultural Advisor, shared with us this song by Leroy Johnson. It delivers a powerful message from Leroy about the Baaka – the lifeblood of the Baakandji people. No Baaka, no Baakandji. Take a listen here
The Gwydir River Selected Area Flow-MER project monitors six scientific ‘indicators’ to help us understand the impact of water for the environment on the landscape, plants, and animals. These include hydrology, waterbirds, fish (diversity and movement), vegetation and food webs. This article covers how we study these indicators and what some of our findings were for the 2021-22 water year.
Have you ever wondered how the Gunambaay (Waterbird) surveys get done, or even what the experience is like? That is what I wondered before I got the chance to go out to the Gwydir Wetlands State Conservation Area in March for the end of the colonial waterbird mass breeding event. May you get a taste for the marvel that are the Gwydir and the Gunambaay that breed there.
We are lucky to work in special places like the Toorale State Conservation Area. Here are some of our favourite photographs we’ve taken over the eight years of the Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) and Flow-MER programs in the Warrego Selected Area. We hope you enjoy!