Thousands of pelicans flock to NSW's central west as an 'extraordinary' event unfolds
More than 30,000 pelicans have descended on a river system in New South Wales, in one of the largest breeding events recorded in Australia.
A wet and wild summer across the state created the ideal conditions for the native species to breed at Lake Brewster, in the state's Central West.
"The health of not only Lake Brewster but the whole of the river system — the wetlands that are all part of the habitat — are all in very good condition," Mal Carnegie, from the Lake Cowal Foundation, said.
"Each day those chicks are requiring between half a kilogram and a kilogram of food, so you are looking at between 15 and 30 tonnes of biomass per day to feed the chicks and adults. It's an incredible amount of fish."
Mr Carnegie said it had been "extraordinary" to see the pelican colony develop over the past six months.
"We have been very fortunate, all of us involved in the monitoring and management of the colony to see a spectacle like that first-hand."
The Department of Planning and Environment's senior environmental water manager, Joanne Lenehan, said the scale of the breeding event was very rare.
"Most nesting events are between a few hundred to 6,000 to 8,000, particularly along the coast, so this event is at least twice what we consider a large or average event," she said.
Over the past six months, more than 15,000 nests have been recorded at the lake, surpassing the previous record of 8,000 in 2010-11.
Video courtesy of ABC Australia
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-08/pelicans-lake-brewster-breeding-season/101033032
A wet and wild summer across the state created the ideal conditions for the native species to breed at Lake Brewster, in the state's Central West.
"The health of not only Lake Brewster but the whole of the river system — the wetlands that are all part of the habitat — are all in very good condition," Mal Carnegie, from the Lake Cowal Foundation, said.
"Each day those chicks are requiring between half a kilogram and a kilogram of food, so you are looking at between 15 and 30 tonnes of biomass per day to feed the chicks and adults. It's an incredible amount of fish."
Mr Carnegie said it had been "extraordinary" to see the pelican colony develop over the past six months.
"We have been very fortunate, all of us involved in the monitoring and management of the colony to see a spectacle like that first-hand."
The Department of Planning and Environment's senior environmental water manager, Joanne Lenehan, said the scale of the breeding event was very rare.
"Most nesting events are between a few hundred to 6,000 to 8,000, particularly along the coast, so this event is at least twice what we consider a large or average event," she said.
Over the past six months, more than 15,000 nests have been recorded at the lake, surpassing the previous record of 8,000 in 2010-11.
Video courtesy of ABC Australia
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-08/pelicans-lake-brewster-breeding-season/101033032
