Birds of a feather flock back together at priority wetlands
Promising results have been recorded from bird surveys conducted at various Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin (HCHB) On-Ground Works sites, with Lake Hawdon North, Teringie Wetland Complex and Tolderol Game Reserve all seeing phenomenal results and large numbers of birds returning to the sites almost immediately after completion of their respective HCHB on-ground works projects.
Lake Hawdon North
Waterbird monitoring was undertaken by Nature Glenelg Trust, with support from Friends of Shorebirds South East and other volunteers, on behalf of the Department for Environment and Water at Lake Hawdon in November 2025. Encouragingly, shorebirds were utilising areas where HCHB had implemented habitat modification works to return large areas of overgrown lakebed to open pan mudflat.
Despite water levels being higher than preferred by shorebirds during the surveys, nationally significant numbers of Latham’s snipe and sharp-tailed sandpiper (a target species) were still recorded. The critically endangered curlew sandpiper and a rare painted snipe were also sighted during the surveys.
Habitat modification works involved removing sections of dense Melaleuca halmaturorum (South Australian swamp paperbark) shrubland that had created unsuitable habitat for most wetland birds, including migratory and resident shorebirds. Survey results demonstrated the effectiveness of these works, even in areas with remaining woody debris.
Lake Hawdon North survey highlights
- 1,204 sharp-tailed sandpiper
- 387 red-necked stint
- 21,485 grey teal
- 219 Latham’s snipe
- A rare Australian painted snipe
Teringie Wetland Complex
The improved management functionality of the Teringie Wetland Complex achieved through the Healthy Coorong Healthy Basin program, has helped facilitate the delivery of environmental water, enabling the flow of water from the north basin into the east basin for the first time in decades.
The expansion of habitat has supported thousands of waterbirds, predominantly swan and duck species, as they respond to improved water quality, emergence of both aquatic vegetation and charophyte species, consolidation of the wetland bed and the exclusion of invasive large-bodied common carp.
While only small numbers of shorebirds have been recorded in the 2025-26 shorebird season, an increased presence is expected from both migrant and resident shorebird species as they continue to respond to improving conditions across the complex.
The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board continues to work closely with the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Raukkan Community Council, Department for Environment and Water and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to enable Teringie Wetlands Complex to become an example of best-practice wetland management incorporating Ngarrindjeri knowledge, practices, objectives and visions.
Tolderol Game Reserve
Infrastructure upgrades at Tolderol Game Reserve have significantly enhanced water delivery and basin management, enabling more efficient water delivery to support crucial foraging habitats for both migratory and resident shorebirds during the shorebird season.
Since construction was completed in July 2025, monthly waterbird surveys have consistently recorded between 2,500 and 3,000 migratory waders utilising the wetland. In addition, Tolderol provides diverse habitats for a variety of waterbird species, with recent observations documenting up to 10,000 birds across the reserve. The primary targets of the project at Tolderol are migratory shorebirds, particularly- sharp-tailed sandpiper, red-necked stint, and curlew sandpiper.
Water level management at Tolderol is coordinated by the Tolderol Working Group, whose members collectively possess extensive expertise in water delivery, machinery operation and land management, as well as in-depth knowledge of waterbird habitat requirements. This operational knowledge is invaluable in ensuring water delivery decisions remain highly responsive to changing conditions so that each bay produces optimal foraging habitat when possible.
Surveys are expected to continue annually.
