| Summary: | The Western Australian Naturalists’ Club owns a field station, the
Yunderup Naturalists Observatory, on Cooleenup Island in the
Murray River delta. Habitats in the area include open woodland
and shrubland, saline and freshwater swamps, ephemeral lakes,
and extensive sand flats on the western side of the deltaic islands.
Club members made detailed bird observations, conducted bird
banding and contributed to the Australian Bird Count. These records
are collated for 1967–2000, providing a comprehensive bird list
for the area. The records are of 149 species, including 38 species of
passerines and 111 species of non-passerines. They include both
resident and migratory land and water birds. The most frequently
recorded birds were Splendid Fairy-wren, Western Gerygone,
Broad-tailed Thornbill, Grey Fantail, Eastern Great Egret and Little
Pied Cormorant. Unusual birds include Red-tailed Tropicbird,
Pacific Swift, Elegant Parrot and Rock Parrot. Banding records
show Australian Pelican move from the Peel Inlet to the south coast
of Western Australia. It is likely that population pressure on the
area from the development of the city of Mandurah and the Shire
of Murray, changes to the Peel Inlet following the opening of the
Dawesville Channel in 1994 and warming and drying of the climate
will impact the bird population of the area in the future.
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