Issue 17 Migratory birds in the Warrego: a home away from home

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?

Issue 16 White-bellied sea eagle nest spotted at Warrego River’s Boera Dam

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.

Issue 12 A turtle’s go with no flow

The Gwydir River valley is home to a diverse range of aquatic species that rely on flows of fresh water to survive and thrive. The 2019 calendar year was the driest on record and the drought saw record low rainfall which led to sustained periods of no flow. Very dry conditions combined with high temperatures and local bushfires had to place a lot of pressure on the plants and animals of the Gwydir. In this little story we’ll provide some insight into how the system responded.

Issue 11 When wetlands boom

Dr Sarah Mika is a lover of water and the life that teems in its presence. From water quality to microinvertebrates to macroinvertebrates, Sarah is passionate about the small things that make wetlands boom. In this story Sarah tells of this passsion; how it started while studying and playing in the coastal rivers of NSW and how it’s fuelled now by researching various wetlands of the northern Murray-Darling Basin for the CEWO’s Flow-MER Project.

Flow-MER x Lakkari Art

Lakkari Pitt is a proud Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay woman from Walgett, New South Wales. Lakkari’s art is a contemporary take on the knowledge that her Elders and significant people in her life have passed down throughout generations. Lakkari’s work explores the movement, essence and stories of Country.

Lakkari Art: Frogs

Frogs are a key player in aquatic habitats. They provide important ecosystem services through living as predator, prey and everything in between. We collaborated with Gamilaroi Yuwaalaraay artist, Lakkari Pitt, to help us portray the frogs that inhabit the aquatic ecosystems we study. We love the artwork and stories she produced.