If it’s good for the goose: Lakes around Bairnsdale attract rare visitors

Magpie geese have returned to the lakes around Bairnsdale for a second year, raising hopes they might make Gippsland’s ponds a permanent travel destination.

The birds are distinct due to their black and white plumage, yellowish legs and a characteristic knob on the crown of their heads.

Last year, three of the birds were spotted near Newry Creek before three more were then seen around Bairnsdale.

This year three were sighted around Bairnsdale in May.

Returning home

Sean Phillipson from East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority told the Monitor magpie geese were native to Victoria prior to European settlement but are now a rare visitor and listed as a vulnerable species in the state.

“The draining of wetlands and then over-hunting basically removed them from the Victorian landscape,” he said.

Today they are usually found on floodplains and in freshwater wetlands across coastal northern and eastern Australia.

Restoring Gippsland’s lakes

Phillipson said restoration works undertaken as part of the Love Our Lakes program, which includes pest control, weed removal and fencing, has helped restore the wetlands and make it a more hospitable habitat for native birds.

“We were excited about the sightings of these birds last year and thought it may be a one off, but to see them back again with three so far is very exciting,” he said, describing the current flock of birds as juvenile and thus not the same magpie geese as last year.

“As they get older, the little hump on their head develops and their beak turns from being a duller red to a brighter red.”