Mass flooding throughout inland New South Wales will save a number of endangered wetland bird species, according to wildlife experts.
Up until last summer, the Australasian bittern had not been seen in Lake Cowal, in the Central West, for twenty years.
However, the nocturnal bird was once again seen this summer at the same site, a sign its population is recovering following eighteen-months of ideal conditions.
"The bittern are estimated to live generally for only five years and with that low breeding success it does make the species and the population vulnerable," Joanne Lenehan, a senior environmental water manager with the Department of Primary Industries, said.
"It is really exciting for us when we have successive records of breeding behaviour at the same site, so that indicates there is some resilience being built into the population.
The Australasian bittern is classified as endangered throughout Australia, with only 2,500 remaining.
Dr Lenehan said the destruction of wetlands over the past twenty years and increase in predators has caused the decline in their population.
"There has been draining of natural areas, development on natural areas, disruption to flooding plains, and the fragmentation of their wetland habitat," she said.
"They are also a ground-dwelling bird so they are more vulnerable to predators; we have seen the population of pigs, foxes, and cats also respond to these boom periods.
Lake Cowal booming with birds
Lake Cowal, located in the Central West, has seen tens of thousands of birds descend over the summer.
The manager of the Lake Cowal foundation, Mal Carnegie, said the migration of magpie geese from northern Australia to the wetlands shows how healthy the river systems are.
"With all these wetter seasons it is not just about the water, it is about the broader landscape being in good condition because a lot of these waterbird species actually feed well out from the wetlands," he said.
"I am sure people would notice that they are seeing a lot more birds flying around the paddocks, feeding.
Relief rather than hope
In the Macquarie Marshes, north of Dubbo, Joanne Ocock, a project conservation officer with National Parks and Wildlife said they have seen an increase in the number of blue-billed ducks.
"It is amazing to see them back and not just to see one, to see two of them and then you go around a corner and you see another pair," she said.
"You don't see them every year but at the moment they are popping up in larger groups than I have seen for the past few years."
The blue-billed duck is listed as vulnerable in Australia, with only 12,000 remaining across the country.
However, Dr Ocock knows the rainfall alone is not enough to stop the decline of waterbird species.
"The trend for waterbird species is declining and these years when the flooding is large enough it just gives them a little bounce that we hope can keep them from declining even faster."
