Two rare sightings of Magpie Geese have been confirmed on across the Gippsland Lakes catchment in both Maffra and Bairnsdale.
“We are excited about these sightings of Magpie Geese visiting Gippsland,” Sean Phillipson, senior NRM Advisor for East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, said.
The birds are found on floodplains and in freshwater wetland areas across coastal northern and eastern Australia but are a rare visitor to Victoria where their conservation status is listed as Vulnerable.
Passionate field naturalist Duncan Fraser, a resident in the Maffra-Newry area since 1945, spotted three birds near Newry Creek. A member of the public reported a further three Magpie Geese in Bairnsdale with East Gippsland CMA confirming both sightings and also that they were two separate groups of geese.
“Magpie geese were once widespread across freshwater wetlands of Gippsland and Victoria but historic over-hunting, draining of wetlands and intensification of agriculture changed this,” Mr Phillipson said.
“The birds in Bairnsdale looked to be sub-adults and could be using the area as a stopover refuge. Magpie Geese often form breeding groups of three – two females and one male.”
Magpie Geese need freshwater wetlands and aquatic vegetation to survive.
“These sightings demonstrate that wetlands and vegetation around the Lakes are acting as a refuge and that the right habitat can be an important place for our wildlife – no matter how small,” Mr Phillipson said.
“These rare visitors are something we can all celebrate and are a result of the combined effort to enhance and protect the health of the wetlands around the Lakes.”
