White-throated Needletails in northern NSW

Hello all,
The needle-tails seem to be moving through northern NSW at the moment. last Wednesday (26th November 2003), 12km north west of Casino, I observed a very large and compact flock of approximately 1000 - 1200 birds over grazing/cropping paddocks. They were moving in a south-easterly direction. Around this flock were many more birds. These other birds were mostly feeding within 40m of the ground and across a wide area. I estimated (roughly) that there was another 100+ birds in this feeding group. The large compact flock moved through the area very rapidly and could not be seen after about 8 minutes.
The flock was searched for other species however none were observed during the relatively brief observation period. The birds were too close together so that getting a fix on an individual was very difficult. Now I know how a hunting raptor feels when confronted with such a large number of birds. Not and easy meal.
Regards
David

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