Lake Seppings wetland birds record successful breeding season in many years despite bin chicken threat

Bird colonies at Lake Seppings have had a successful breeding season, despite facing threats from invasive ibis. From January 2007 to January 2023, avian ecologist Steve Elson has been conducting population studies on the lake’s birds, counting 165 species breeding in the lake over that time. Mr Elson said the recent breeding season, from June to January, was one of the most productive in several years, with some species producing additional broods. However, the species must also contend with an increasing population of ibises. “The problems with that ibis colony is it’s flattening vegetation and what that does is it takes away critical habitats for more threatened species,” Mr Elson said. “And the other problem is you’ve got that nutrification of the water, which is basically the build-up of all the excrement within the water. “It causes algal blooms, it can cause so much damage to the to the water quality.” Ibises are also able to breed in more extended seasons than the other species, as they also gain food resources from suburban parks, gardens and rubbish tips — scavenging behaviour which has earnt them the nickname “bin chickens”. The data Mr Elson has collected will be collaged into a field guide to the birds of Albany that will be released in the coming months. He hopes the field guide will highlight the less common species that call the area home, such as the blue billed duck. Mr Elson recently counted 30 adult birds in Lake Seppings, a positive sign since the populations in Perth are facing several pressures. “If some of those more permanent wetlands up north continue to dry, through climate change, drought and through the misuse of water, then those northern populations could become locally extinct and then all we’ve got left is the ones in the southern region,” Mr Elson said. “You could say (Lake Seppings) is like an oasis in the heartland of Albany because of the number of bird species. “It’s not just the lake itself, it’s actually the bushlands and the adjacent vegetation zones around the lake that increase the bird diversity. “Most people that go around that lake will see the birds that are quite dominant, like the ibis, the pelicans and the black swans but what we’re trying to do is highlight the importance of those birds that are not often seen — and it’s those birds that are in trouble elsewhere.”