Life undercover

Hidden deep in the wetlands of Sydney Olympic Park are secretive, shy creatures living quietly under cover of reeds. 

These wetland residents are notoriously difficult to monitor because their populations can be small, and they tend to live alone or are active at night. They are seldom seen or heard.

The Life Undercover project aims to increase understanding of where they occur and help manage wetlands for their benefit. Motion sensor cameras have been placed in the freshwater wetlands of Sydney Olympic Park where they can’t see or hear us but we can see and hear them!

Come and have a look…

The Latham’s Snipe is a migratory bird, appearing in our wetlands during summer. They are a long-distance athlete, flying from their summer breeding grounds in Japan and southern Russia each year chasing an eternal summer. They land quietly in our local wetlands to feed mostly at night by probing the mud with their sensitive bills. With large dark eyes, a comically long beak and short legs, Latham’s Snipe are a cute, but unassuming wading bird.

To see a crake usually needs patience. Crakes and rails are notoriously hard to see as they rarely venture far from cover, preferring to creep around the margins of wetlands. The Australian Spotted Crake is a particularly beautiful bird and is probably a common resident at Sydney Olympic Park if only we could see it! The camera caught this bird picking insects and vegetation from the mud and showing its distinctive undertail colours – a big upside down white ‘V’. Weighing the same as a tennis ball (approximately 60g), this bird may fly to inland wetlands when conditions are favourable.

Common birds are important too. The tiny Black-fronted Dotterel is a resident on the open muddy margins of our wetlands, protected by their camouflaged feathers and unwavering watchfulness for danger. A strategy to protect their young or nest is to pretend an injury to lure away any predators. Watch the video to see a dotterel pretending to have a broken wing as Purple Swamphen adults and chicks race by.

Not all species are a welcome sight. The cameras also show that several introduced predators are also prowling through the wetlands – foxes, cats and rats. These animals are a threat to the survival of native species. Unfortunately, the cameras showed this clearly when a fox was filmed carrying a Purple Swamphen. The Park has a feral animal control program and you can help by keeping your dogs on a lead and out of the wetlands, and your cats inside and away from wildlife.