South East Adventure Day 1 - Brolgas of Bool Lagoon

My dad and I left home at 6AM this morning and headed for Bool Lagoon in South Australia's south east. The main aim of the trip was to seek out a lifer for me - Brolgas! Originally we were only going to go overnight, but then we thought we may as well make the most of it and visit another awesome birding spot - Salt Creek - so I asked a friend to cover my Wednesday shift and got a whole extra day for birding! 

We were in Naracoorte by 10:30AM, and from there it took about another half hour to get to Bool Lagoon. If you're planning to visit, you do have to pay for an entry permit ($10 per vehicle per day online through DEWNR), but if you're like me, it's worth it! This place is a huge (31 square kilometres) seasonal freshwater wetland, where over 150 different bird species have been recorded. It is recognised under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands as a Wetland of International Importance, and is an important habitat for migratory waders. The main lagoon is joined by Hacks Lagoon Conservation Reserve and Little Bool Lagoon. 

We visited all three areas today, but due to the vast extent of the wetlands it is impossible to see everything! Unfortunately when we got there the Tea Tree boardwalk was closed off due to a safety issue, but that didn't stop us from seeing hundreds of birds and having a great time. We drove slowly along the road viewing the main lagoon, seeing my first lifer of the trip Magpie Geese x 100 at least!!! At Hacks Lagoon Conservation Reserve we were greeted by a Brown Falcon, who was happy to sit on it's branch while I snapped away.

Brown Falcon, Hacks Lagoon Conservation Lagoon, SA

Brown Falcon, Hacks Lagoon Conservation Lagoon, SA

We saw some blue-billed and musk ducks, which was great for me as I haven't seen them much before, as well as many other water birds, and what seemed liked hundreds of straw-necked ibis!

Next we headed towards Little Bool Lagoon, where the brolgas had been photographed a week earlier, inspiring our trip. On our way north along Moyhall Rd we saw several large grey birds fly over and disappear along a water way, and my heart sank thinking we had missed them, and had no way to follow them. But then... a little further along the road I saw some more large grey birds hanging out in a field and yelled 

            "STOP STOP STOP THE CAR .... YES BROLGAS!!!!!" 

Brolgas, Moyhall Rd, Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, SA

Brolgas, Moyhall Rd, Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, SA

I leaped out of the car while it was still moving and ... OK no the car had stopped by the time I got my binoculars and camera untangled and my seat belt off. Anyway, I was able to view these beautiful birds for a minute or two before they took off, and it was fantastic!  

We headed around to Little Bool Lagoon after that, but by that point it had started raining, and I got soaked watching some shelducks and whiskered terns. We went for a drive as far as we dared go before the track got a bit rough looking and we began to worry about getting bogged. We drove back along the track in reverse for a while before finding a place to safely turn around, and even then we were thankful for the all wheel drive because we were on an awkward hill. Eventually we got back onto Moyhall Rd and thought we would have a look at some nearby ponds on the map, and Old Kingston Rd which had been recommended as another potential brolga spot by the original brolga photographer Luke Leddy. We stopped by a pond on Charlie Smith Rd and as I got out of the car a bird flushed out from the side of the pond. I managed to catch a glimpse and saw that it was a Latham's Snipe! I had a look around and found it nearby and was able to get a few photos.   

Latham's Snipe, Naracoorte, SA

All up it was a great first day on our mini birding trip to the South East. A total of 36 species, including 14 additions to my 2017 year list, and 3 additions to my life list. Year total now at 108 species, Life total for SA: 199, Aus: 266.

More Info on Bool Lagoon:

https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Limestone_Coast/bool-lagoon-hacks-lagoon#maps