Waterbird Usage of Lake Arrow, an Arid Zone Wetland in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, Following Cyclonic Rain

Abstract

This paper reports the response to cyclonic rain of 16 species of waterbird on a small saline lake in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia during 1995. Seven species attempted to breed, but only one, the Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, successfully raised young that left the lake before it dried. This lack of breeding success at Lake Arrow is attributed to the small size of the Lake, and hence limited breeding habitat and only small numbers of broods which were very susceptible to predation by other birds, particularly raptors.