Latest edition of one of world’s largest and longest nature surveys counts 95,306 birds, third lowest tally in almost four decades of tracking
Consecutive wet years have boosted breeding colonies of waterbirds in eastern Australia but not enough yet to increase total bird numbers, according to the latest edition of one of the world’s largest and longest nature surveys.
Researchers on the annual survey, now in its 39th year, flew 38,360km – or almost enough to circumnavigate the globe – to track the abundance in more than 2,000 wetlands of about 50 bird species, from Queensland down to Victoria.
Even though parts of inland Queensland registered record rains and many rivers have lately been in flood, rainfall has been patchy, with areas such as north-western Victoria still relatively dry. Years of severe drought as well as large-scale water diversions for irrigation have also taken their toll.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...te-breeding-boost-from-wet-years-survey-finds
Consecutive wet years have boosted breeding colonies of waterbirds in eastern Australia but not enough yet to increase total bird numbers, according to the latest edition of one of the world’s largest and longest nature surveys.
Researchers on the annual survey, now in its 39th year, flew 38,360km – or almost enough to circumnavigate the globe – to track the abundance in more than 2,000 wetlands of about 50 bird species, from Queensland down to Victoria.
Even though parts of inland Queensland registered record rains and many rivers have lately been in flood, rainfall has been patchy, with areas such as north-western Victoria still relatively dry. Years of severe drought as well as large-scale water diversions for irrigation have also taken their toll.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...te-breeding-boost-from-wet-years-survey-finds