Lake Cowal Birds and Bino’s Bus Trip

An Aussie Backyard Bird Count Quest

Lake Cowal Birds and Bino’s Bus Trip

An Aussie Backyard Bird Count Quest

Reaching Out -

LLCI011–038

The issue

Often community members do not have the opportunity to access private property or remote locations to view different bird life communities.    

The solution

For national bird week and the occasion of the Aussie backyard bird count surreys, a bus trip was organised for local community members to visit Lake Cowal 30kms from West Wyalong. The main purpose was to spend a leisurely, October day, surrounded by like-minded people learning about nature in a first-hand experience.   However, a “twitchathon” was on for those more competitive bird lovers, and the group of keen “twitchers” strolled along the lake front with binoculars ready to record sightings for the national citizen science project.

The impact

This was a  real eye-opening experience for many who had never seen quite so many birds in one place. The 18 people attending, went to two different sites along the lake with quite different habitats. The western side, in the shallows, hosted species like sharp-tailed sandpipers, back-fronted dotterels, masked lapwings, and straw-necked ibis. The eastern side in the deeper water, pelicans were seen in the hundreds, as Lake Cowal is currently home to 2500 pelicans.

Key facts

  • 18 people attending
  • 3 surveys submitted
  • Over 22 species
  • Over 1700 birds counted

Project Partners