Seaham Swamp
Written and compiled by Micheala Gilligan with thanks to
the research and writing of the late Brian Gilligan and the late Dr Max Maddock
“A small wetland gem” Dr Max Maddock
Seaham Swamp, about 11ha in area, lies on the floodplain of the Williams River near the bridge in Seaham. Previously common, most of the original permanent coastal wetlands of this type have been destroyed by drainage for either agricultural or floodplain mitigation purposes. Despite it’s small size the wetland is significant as waterbird habitat.
Some of the attributes which make it a valuable waterbird habitat are:
• A water level (mostly less than 1 m deep) is more stable than for most of the other remaining wetlands in the district. This makes it favourable and productive feeding grounds for wading and dabbling birds.
• A wide range of roosting and nesting sites including both mature and young paperbarks, and floating rafts of vegetation.
• A sheltered position on the narrow western floodplain of the Williams River.
Originally the swamp was Crown Land and a Permissive Occupancy had allowed for drainage and grazing in the late 1960s. In December 1971 the land was listed for auction. Following representations from local resident Brian Gilligan, the local state member Milton Morris, MLA, took the matter up with the Minister for Lands and the auction was cancelled at the last minute in January 1972. The NPWS gazetted the swamp as a Nature Reserve in 1975.
In 1976 – 1977 there were 38 waterbird species using the swamp, 15 of them breeding there. The littoral zone was the one most intensively used by most species. The swamp was used as a drought refuge by some inland species especially when drought conditions inland coincide with a dry period on the coast.
Thirty eight of the observed species are classified as waterbirds.
Latham’s Snipe
Seaham was a key habitat for snipe in the 1980s. This snipe is a migratory wader which breeds in Japan (hence it had earlier been called Japanese Snipe) during our winter and usually arrived at Seaham in August/September, and departed again for the breeding grounds by mid-March. It is protected under the Japan and China Migratory Birds agreements. In September 1978 Brian Gilligan “flushed 105 snipe in a 5 minute walk along 200 metres of the north-west edge of the swamp”… “this concentration was certainly exceptional”.
Magpie Geese
In 1987-1990 Shortland Wetlands Centre initiated a Magpie Geese re-introduction program. Numbers of these birds increased at Seaham as they made frequent visits from Shortland. Up to 40 birds were recorded at one time, most of them spending the day at Seaham after overnight roosting at nearby wetlands.
In recent years the birds have been mostly absent, often only single birds recorded. Loss of vegetation such as the birds’ favourite Water Ribbon has most likely caused the Magpie Geese to abandon Seaham.
Cattle Egrets
In the late 1970s Cattle Egrets were spectacular in quantity during winter at Seaham. They arrived in late February or early March and all had usually gone by early November for their migration to southern Australia. Their numbers continued to increase with more birds arriving earlier and staying longer. In 1978 for the first time some birds stayed through summer to breed at Seaham. In January 1979 there were 42 egret nests in use. The cattle egrets did not often feed at the swamp but rather split into groups of 15-20 birds which associated themselves with grazing cattle on farms several kilometres away. The groups flocked back at dusk to roost. The broad leafed paperbarks around the swamp provided the roosting and nesting sites.
The egrets at Seaham generated a great deal of interest for passing visitors who saw the magnificent spectacle of trees covered with white birds and stopped to wonder and admire
MAX MADDOCK
Seaham School, with a view over the swamp, was inspired to take on a stylised egret design for the school logo.
Max Maddock – Project Egret Watch
Max initiated Project Egret Watch out of the Shortland Wetlands Centre, the aim being to study the breeding biology, ecology and migration of the birds. Beginning in 1985. He led a team of volunteers from the Wetlands Centre and pupils from Seaham School who leg-banded and wing-tagged Cattle Egrets. This work enabled the recognition of individual birds and the tracking of the behaviour and movement over their lifespan. The results of the research have been published in scientific literature.
Observations at Seaham and in the nearby areas of the Williams Valley have provided strong evidence of the importance of our wetlands as part of an inter-dependent national network of migratory waterbird habitat.

Seaham Swamp
Seaham swamp circa 1970