| Birds
Ducks and Swans
The shallow, sheltered waters of the Bay provide
feeding and roosting areas for many waterbirds. In late summer,
large flocks of swans and ducks use the bay, especially in drought
years when inland wetlands are dry.
Back
Cormorants
Cormorants are diving birds. They swim through
the water hunting fish and other water animals. They often perch
on posts with their wings outstretched, warming themselves in
the sun.
Back
Herons and allies
Egrets, herons, ibis and
spoonbills may be seen all year round in the reserves. Ibis use
their long curved bills to probe for small animals in the mud.
Egrets and herons use their beaks like spears, chasing fish, while
spoonbills swish their spoon-shaped bills from side to side through
the water and soft mud, catching small animals.
Back
Migratory Shorebirds
22 Species of migratory shorebirds (waders)
visit the estuary between October and March each year. The migrants
that you are most likely to see are shown in the line-up below.
Endless Summer!
A Sandpiper's diary reads like a holiday brochure! They spend
the summer on lakes and beaches in Western Australia, then fly
north to catch the summer in their northern hemisphere breeding
grounds.
Shorebird Statistics
22 Species of migratory shorebirds (waders) visit the estuary
each year.
Weight: 30g (Red-necked Stint) -1.25 kg (Eastern
Curlew)
Lifespan: up to 18 years
Distance flown: up to 24 000 km per year
Breeding grounds: Northern Asia, Alaska
Stop-over sites: East Asia
Protection: International treaties (JAMBA Japan-Australia
and CAMBA China-Australia
Migratory Bird Agreements, RAMSAR Convention)
More information about migratory shorebirds
can be found at http://www.shorebirds.org/home.php
or at http://www.wetlands.org.au/shorebirds
Back
Australian Resident Shorebirds
Black-winged Stilts, Banded Stilts, Red-necked
Avocets and Red-capped Plovers live and breed in Australia. Pairs
of Red-capped Plovers often nest on bare, sandy areas in the reserve.
Flocks of stilts and
avocets are common at the Creery Wetlands Nature Reserve. All three species can
form a mixed flock, making identification difficult. Large flocks
of several thousand birds sometimes roost in the bay in huge black
and white rafts.
Back
Gulls and Terns
 |
Terns
- Dive bombers
Terns hunt from the air. They fly over,
scanning the water, then plunge down, stabbing small fish.
There are three common species:
Caspian Terns have red bills, Crested
Terns have yellow bills and Fairy Terns are smaller and
have yellow and black bills.
Fairy Terns nest
in colonies on sandy beaches in the Mandurah area. Fencing
and signposting helps people to know where the colonies
are so that they can avoid disturbing the birds and their
nests while still enjoying the beach.
|
Back
Bush Birds
Little Grassbirds move through the samphire
in small, family groups. Occasionally, one bird will perch near
the top of a bush but often they make their repetitive, four note
call from deep inside dense vegetation.
Other small birds such as White-fronted
Chats and Splendid Fairy-wrens hunt for insects amongst the samphire.
 Brown
Honeyeaters, Singing Honeyeaters and Red Wattlebirds feed in the
trees and shrubs of upland areas, finding nectar, pollen and insects.
Brown Honeyeater on paperbark
Back |
