Black Swan

Description:

It's a long time since I've seen black swans, particularly in large numbers. This is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions. It has mostly black plumage and a red bill, and broad white wing tips which are visible in flight. It is a monogamous breeder, with both partners sharing incubation and cygnet-rearing duties.... The black swan is fully protected in all states and territories of Australia and must not be shot. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Wikipedia)

Habitat:

Spotted on freshwater Lake Broadwater, which forms part of Lake Broadwater Conservation Park.... https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/lake-... This is a very flat area in a region known as the Darling Downs. NB: Just a little over 12 months ago and this lake was completely dry due to the massive drought that Australia experienced. It's wonderful to see how the lake and bushland has recovered. Birdlife was abundant, and surrounding bushland vegetation was green and lush.

Notes:

I spotted three groups of swans at different locations around the lake, and each consisted of between 8-12 birds. I'm assuming they're all members of a larger single flock, but they were all super-cautious of me. I doubt I got within 100 metres of any of them. Black swans are usually sedentary when fresh water is abundant, but they can be a nomadic species when water is scarce and they are forced to disperse in search of it. Now that the lake has been replenished after the drought, waterbirds have returned in large numbers, including these swans. They could have come from anywhere within the country, but it occurred to me that they weren't accustomed to people. There are campsites in the area, but come the warmer months and people will be here with their watercraft - tinnies, sailboats, jetskis. Waterbirds will have little choice but to retreat to the restricted swamp areas, and thus will be harder to spot. They certainly won't be on open water, particularly when careless humans are afloat!