Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The Lake Warden System is a hydrologically complex system of saline lakes and marshes behind beach-front dunes just inland of Esperance in Western Australia. The IBA includes six major lakes (Lake Warden, Windabout, Woody, Wheatfield, Station and Mullet Lakes) and more than 90 nearby satellite lakes depending on the water levels. The system also contains some springs, which give rise to small, shallow, brackish wetlands such as those that occur at the eastern end of the IBA. Water in the lakes ranges from moderately to highly saline, and water regimes range from almost permanent (only drying out occasionally at the end of summer) to ephemeral. The lakes are driven to varying degrees by groundwater flows and surface inflows which, when combined with the varying salinities and permanences, result in a very high diversity of wetland habitats. The lakes of the system consist of open water with or without dead trees around the periphery. There is no emergent vegetation within any of the lakes, although trees and rushes grow on the shorelines. The adjacent Pink Lake is classified as a separate IBA as it is hydrologically distinct and supports different birds.
A combined total of at least 59 species of waterbird have been recorded in Lake Warden, Woody Lake and Mullet Lake Nature Reserves. More than 30,000 waterbirds were recorded in the system from 1981 to 1985 (Jaensch et al. 1988) and total numbers probably regularly exceed 20,000 waterbirds (Department of Conservation and Land Management 2003) but only 6000 in Oct 2006 (S. Halse in litt. 2008). Fairy Tern periodically occur in small numbers at several wetlands in the system (Australian Wetlands Database 2001) with up to 30 birds observed at Lake Warden in 1982 (Jaensch et al. 1988) but none in 2003 (Clarke & Lane 2003). Australian Shelduck occured in high numbers, including 5500 birds in 1985 and 5000 birds in 1986 at Lake Warden (Department of Conservation and Land Management 2003) but this species seems to have declined subsequently e.g. 2440 in 2006 (S. Halse pers. comm. 2008). Other notable counts at Lake Warden include 3500 Black Swan in 1982 and 160 Freckled Duck, 1400 Hardhead and 1200 Hoary-headed Grebe in 2003 (Department of Conservation and Land Management 2003; Atlas of Australian Birds database). A significant count of 210 Blue-billed Duck was made at Lake Wheatfield in 2003 (Atlas of Australian Birds database). The Lake Warden system has also supported regionally significant numbers of Chestnut Teal, e.g. counts of 300 birds in 1982 and 328 birds in 1991 at Lake Warden (Jaensch et al. 1988; Department of Conservation and Land Management Waterfowl Counts in the South-west of Western Australia). The surrounding bushland supports the restricted-range Red-eared Firetail and the biome-restricted Western Rosella, Red-capped Parrot, Western Wattlebird and Western Spinebill (Atlas of Australian Birds database).
Non-bird biodiversity: Sixteen species of invertebrate have been recorded in the Lake Warden System. The Western Trout Minnow, which is listed nationally as Critically Endangered, occurs in the area (Australian Wetlands Database 2001).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Monitor water quality and levels, and relate to management actions in catchment and bird numbers. Investigate ways of reducing saline water input from catchment (as initiated by the Lake Warden Catchment project). Exclude vehicles from shoreline areas used by Hooded Plovers.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
The Lake Warden Catchment project aims to decrease the volume of water reaching the wetlands at the bottom of the catchment each year and improve water quality, through a shift to perennial farming systems, protection of waterways and remnant vegetation and improved surface water management. The Kepwari Walk from Woody Lake to Wheatfield Lake has two bird hides.
The IBA overlaps four gazetted Nature Reverses - see separate section for details. There is also an overlap of 159 ha with the Esperance Protected Area which is being gazetted.
The IBA overlaps with four nature reserves managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation but also includes private land e.g. north of Mullet Lake.
Stuart Halse kindly commented on the nomination and provided data.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Warden System (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-warden-system-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.
