At 12:58 17/01/1997 +1000, Karina Bull wrote:
>Can anyone help me with information on non-wading birds that migrate between
>Western Australia and SE Asia? eg: bee eaters, raptors, cuckoos, tree martins,
>wood swallows (?), wag tails, king fishers etc etc.
I can think of the Dollarbird, Rainbow Bee-eater, Sacred Kingfisher? and
some cuckoos (Channel-billed, Oriental, Pallid?, Brush?, Horsfield's
Bronze-?, Shining Bronze-, Common Koel) (but many of these would not move
far into SE Asia), and swifts (Fork-tailed, White-throated Needletail).
Apart from irregulars, occasionals and vagrants, the principal passerines
would be the Yellow Wagtail and the Barn Swallow.
>Are there any sites that we are assured of seeing any of these birds at
>predictable times of the year?
Yellow Wags can be seen at Broome (and, no doubt, many other places in
northern WA and NT) in the summer and autumn. I saw lots of YWs on the
Broome Oval during March 1990, often in the company of Little Curlew. Many
of the other birds mentioned above can also be seen in Broome, Derby or
Kunanurra. But check with BBO for up-to-date details.
>And have there been papers on the migration of
>these species and the weather systems they may use to hitch a ride to
Australia?
There has been some work on weather systems with waders, and I imagine that
other summer migrants would be affected by the same systems.
>I'd appreciate any info people could send me. Any suggestions as to
contacts or
>sources I'd be grateful for.
Broome Bird Observatory: tel: (091) 93 5600, fax: (091) 92 3364; the new
Wardens there are Chris Hassell and Janet Sparrow. The Observatory has also
published a book on the birds of Broome, which would give you an idea of how
likely you would be to see any species there.
Apart from the passerines, all the birds mentioned above are now being
written up for HANZAB Vol.4, which will comprehensively cover all relevant
literature on each species, including what is known of movements and
distribution. This will be published probably early in 1998, but it may be
possible to discuss some of the information earlier with the section
editors, if you have specific queries.
Cheers, Hugo.
Hugo Phillipps,
RAOU Conservation & Liaison,
Australian Bird Research Centre,
415 Riversdale Road,
Hawthorn East, VIC 3123, Australia.
Tel: +61 3 9882 2622. Fax: +61 3 9882 2677.
Email: <>
The Virtual Emu: http://www.vicnet.net.au/~raou/raou.html
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