Recharge Farms important in a drying landscape

Over recent months we have all witnessed perhaps one of the driest starts to winter we’ve ever experienced in the south east of South Australia. The well below average rainfall has impacted all aspects of the landscape. The impacts have been felt by all people managing land, whether farming livestock, growing crops or commercial plantations, re-vegetating, or managing wetlands and bushland for conservation purposes. A Recharge Farm Project can provide a solution, keeping water in the landscape when rainfall is low.

Properties like Mt Burr Swamp demonstrate that conservation and production can coexist, offering a unique mix of green pasture for grazing of sheep and cattle, but also a large water body suitable for all manner of aquatic life. This has been achieved through a project which allowed us to hold onto water and keep it in our local landscape by back-filling drains and preventing most of the surface water from leaving the property.

You can read more about the Recharge Farm project and how it progressed at Hutt Bay and Mt Burr Swamp during 2022-2023. Mark Bachmann reported in December 2023 about how successful this project was proving to be, but I think the last few dry months leading into winter and the encouraging rains we are receiving now has meant Mt Burr Swamp one of the few properties in the district with surface water in wetlands in June 2024. Sit back and enjoy a four minute video showing Mt Burr Swamp and all its birdlife, filmed in late June 2024. This video was inspired by the SBS series called ‘Bamay’ showcasing wonderful landscapes and wildlife scenery, enjoy!

The local BirdLife Australia group – BirdLife South East SA held an outing recently which included a visit to Mt Burr Swamp. The group of 15 participants including BirdLife Australia CEO Kate Millar were treated to not one, not two, but four Australasian Bittern (the highest we’ve observed at the swamp since 2020), plus a host of other waterbirds which were busy exploring and foraging the 50ha wetland which is still half-full of water.

Our regular bird monitoring program has recorded over 83 species of waterbirds and other bushbirds associated with the area – check out the results from our monitoring in a summary presentation given to Millicent Field Naturalists in December 2023.

Thanks for watching!

The Recharge Farm Project at Mt Burr Swamp Restoration Reserve is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board.