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Hello all,
Julian Bielewicz reported on 18/4/2000 that his first sighting of Spangled
Drongo in his area for this year had occurred that morning.
I responded (20/4/2000) that my first record this year had been on
12/2/2000. I also queried what the season for drongo was.
My reason for asking that question is contained (I hope) in the following
and is asked out of genuine interest and is not intended to infer criticism of
anyone or anything:
Julian and I both live in suburbs of Redcliffe City, a somewhat mysterious
(mythical to some news media reporters) place bordering the north-east perimeter
of Brisbane.
I live in the south-eastern suburb of Woody Point and Julian lives in the
north-western suburb of Kippa-Ring.
As the crow flies, Julian is (when we are both at home) less than 3km
slightly west of north from me.
(I don't see drongos flying in a straight line very far or very often so I
have used the 'crow' analogy in this case.)
The two suburbs are basically residential areas with the main differences
being:
Kippa-Ring reaches on to Deception Bay, contains a
significant wetlands and has some light industry;
Woody Point has water frontage onto two bays, Bramble
and Moreton, and, although smaller in area, is probably more densely
populated.
Woody Point is almost entirely developed for residential
living and is the older suburb.
I have lived in Woody Point (my property was considered to be in Clontarf
Beach when I was a child) for a long time (over 50 years) but have only been
keeping detailed sightings records for the area for a few years now. Since April
1994 I have been keeping written weekly records of species recorded in and
around my backyard, i.e., a list of each species seen at least once each
calendar week.
The following table lists the week (and day in some cases) of my first
Spangled Drongo record for each year (except 1994, records start in April '94)
and the months sightings were recorded for the years 1994 to present:
1994 Records in: April, May, June, July, Aug, Sept,
Oct.
1995 First record in week commencing 29/1/95
Records in: Jan to
Dec.
1996 First record in week commencing 14/1/96
Records in: Jan to
Oct.
1997 First record in week commencing 16/2/97
Records in: Feb to
Sept
1998 First record in week commencing 15/2/98
Records in: Feb to
Nov
1999 First record 14/2/99
Records in Feb to
Oct
2000 First Record 12/2/00
Records in: Feb,
Mar, April..........
My records from that period do show that drongo is more obvious in the
winter months as Julian points out. However, during the years 1995 to 2000, the
first drongo had arrived in my backyard by mid-Feb and regular sightings (almost
every week) were made until Sept with the odd sighting during Oct, Nov and Dec
in some years.
Unfortunately, following a computer upgrade, my bird database has become
unworkable and sifting through older records is very time consuming. However, a
record in Mar 1982 (around about when I first began to write down any of my
records) and another in Feb 1988 may indicate that sightings so early in the
year may not be a recent phenomenon.
Graham Pizzey in his 1980 edition of his "Field Guide to the Birds of
Australia" comments that Spangled Drongo is a winter visitor to the Moreton Bay
area.
The records of Julian, myself and others show that numbers are highest
during the winter months but my records show that drongo regularly arrives (from
the south?) in Redcliffe in obvious numbers during the last month of summer.
Although those same records show that drongo can be seen during Oct to Jan, I
would suggest that those birds are just 'passing through' - possibly to or from
breeding areas in NSW.
As I don't consider a sighting of Spangled Drongo in February to be
'unusual' I did not think of reporting to (QOSI) BIRDLINE. Sorry!
I guess I should have reported the 4 drongos harassing a Collared
Sparrowhawk for 15 minutes over my backyard on 12/4/00??
Until that day (and since) I had only seen single birds this year.
Obviously there are more drongos in the area than I had realised.
Incidentally, I may be missing out on a few Spangled Drongo records as the
ones around my place regularly mimic the calls of Pied Butcherbird.
I am learning to take more notice of PB calls (which are quite common; the
afore-mentioned Collared Sparrowhawk was also being harassed by 12 PBs, 2
Magpies, 6 Blue-faced Honeyeaters and a rather timid Figbird!).
I think that 4 drongos together is the most I have ever seen so I am
extremely envious of Fran Guard with her experience of 20 to 30 at once.
Imagine 20+ 'character' birds with the 'attitude' and flying skills of
Spangled Drongo interacting in your space. That would be an experience of a
life-time!
Fran's comment that Spangled Drongo is absent from her area (100km north of
me and JB) during winter is interesting. Maleny, approx 500 metres higher in
altitude than Redcliffe, can be somewhat cooler than Redcliffe at that time of
the year. However, the Australian field guides don't mention altitudinal
migration; they do mention north and south movement after breeding (in eastern
NSW?) and suggest that drongo is both sedentary and migratory (along with -
resident, nomad, summer vagrant, winter vagrant).
Movement after breeding seems to be to both warmer and cooler climes.Could
it be that the 3 sub-species have different habits in that regard?
Not having recorded actual numbers with my records I can only make a
subjective assessment as to numbers in any given month.
My subjective assessment is that the 'core' part of the drongo season is,
for me, from May to August with high expectations of sightings between
February and September, inclusive. But.....sightings of Spangled Drongo in
South-east Queensland should not be treated with suspicion if reported during
the remaining months of the year.
Further proof of this are the following personal sightings in the
region:
Kin Kin (north of Sunshine Coast) 7/12/91
Nudgee (northern suburb of Brisbane) 22/12/91
Coal Creek (north of Ipswich) 27/2/93
All of this leaves me with the point-to-ponder:
What is it about the two suburbs described above that causes such a
difference in the impression of the 'season' for Spangled Drongo?
Bob Inglis
Woody Point, SE Qld.
Australia's premier Drongo holiday resort.
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