Oriental Pratincole at Seven Mile Lagoon

The Oriental Pratincole is a very rare visitor to south-eastern Australia, so the finding by Colin Trainor of five pratincoles at Seven Mile Lagoon, in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, on November 26 generated much excitement. The finding is all the more extraordinary since the birds were at the same spot that Chris Corben, Greg Czechura and I had a flock of 26 Oriental Pratincoles in November 1971 – 51 years ago! - and where another flock of 10 birds was located in November 1996 by Andrew Stafford. The 1971 record was the first for South-East Queensland; the 1971, 1996 and current records are the only ones for the region.

All three records of Oriental Pratincole were in the south-west corner of the lagoon, which is often dry but has had plenty of water in it recently due to good seasonal rains over the past two years. The lake was full for many months but the water level has receded more recently, exposing mud around the shore. Following Colin’s find, multiple visitors to the site at first failed to relocate the birds, so it was generally believed they had moved on.

I knew that on the previous two occasions when pratincoles were at Seven Mile, they hung around for several weeks so I decided to have a look on December 5 – 9 days after the initial discovery. I recognised from Colin’s images where his birds were, on relatively exposed mudflats. I located 7 pratincoles about 150 metres further to the south-west, close to the interface between the mud and lush aquatic vegetation (above). Unfortunately my birds were in the vegetation so didn’t show brilliantly for photographs. They flushed and flew high, circling for a short while before landing again some distance away. I decided not to disturb them a second time. Since then, the birds have been seen in the same area by many observers, with up to 9 birds recorded. The only other migratory shorebirds present during my visit were a few Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (below) and a couple of Common Greenshanks.

The lagoon was for many years leased cattle property but it has been acquired by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council. A canal connecting the lagoon to the nearby Atkinsons Dam is owned by SEQ Water. In a welcome boost for biodiversity conservation, the council is working on a management plan for the lagoon with the aim of retaining it in its natural state. The council advises me that there is not yet public access to the site without prior approval for surveys that may assist its management plans. The council said anyone wishing to visit the lagoon can seek permission by calling 1300 005 872.

Seven Mile Lagoon was unknown to the birding community prior to our 1971 discovery. My notes at the time say we had visited Atkinsons Dam, then a well-known birding site, but it was full so we drove on, stumbling upon a “fairly large lagoon just north”. Here, “our greatest expectations were surpassed”. Indeed. There were plenty of migratory shorebirds including Curlew-Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and then, two Pectoral Sandpipers - another regional rarity. Chris spotted the first of the flock of 23 Oriental Pratincoles in the same area where the birds are presently. Crop stubble and grassland were also bountiful: many Stubble Quail were seen including several pairs with young, along with numbers of King Quail, Little Buttonquail and Red-backed Buttonquail. A week later, we revisited the lagoon and saw 26 pratincoles. This time in the stubble we also found Red-chested Buttonquail. In 1996, Andrew found his flock of 10 pratincoles, again in the same part of the lagoon.

After my December 5 sighting of the current birds, I headed off to look for other birds, finding a flock of White-winged Choughs (above) – an uncommon species east of the Great Divide in southern Queensland – nearby. A pair of Black Falcons (below) were on the hunt at the junction of Esk-Gatton Road and the Warrego Highway near Gatton.

Nearby at Lake Galletly were six Blue-billed Ducks, including a pair up close. These birds have been here continuously now for a couple of years.

Plenty of smart looking Striped Honeyeaters were about.