Plumed Whistling Ducks of Bungendore (and elsewhere)

The Plumed Whistling Ducks have now occupied the various dams around Bungendore for 12 months running: the first year they have done this since first recorded there on 31 December 2009.

As was the case at this time last year they seem to have set up camp at a small dam off  Burrows Lane.  This makes them a trifle more difficult to count as there is long grass for them to merge into:

Before anyone decides to be helpful, I am aware that the bird in the top right hand corner is in fact an Australian Wood Duck rather than the topic of this post).  As well as the bunch stacking zeds on the bank, a few others were sheltering further along the waterline of the dam.

We still have a way to go to match Hasties Swamp at Atherton:

My estimate (OK blind guess) was that there were at least 5,000 Plumed Whistling Ducks there every day for at least 4 weeks.  On the way home we came across 2,000 more at Shanessy Park on the outskirts of Rockhampton.  Here is part of that flock.

I'd suggest their conservation status is "Of Least Concern".