birding-aus

Rare species sighted on Broadwater Island, Gold Coast City.

To: Baus Aus <>
Subject: Rare species sighted on Broadwater Island, Gold Coast City.
From: david taylor <>
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 18:49:51 +1000
          Posted on behalf of Rod Bloss.

          regards

          David Taylor


On 31/10/2008, at 9:56 AM, BRISBOCA wrote:

Hi everyone,

I recently spent 6 days at my sisters residence at Deepwater Point Units, Labrador, which overlooks the Broadwater and Southport Bar on the Gold Coast.

I was able to set up my telescope and watch a large number of waders, seabirds and other waterbirds visiting the sandbank opposite, which has now got mangroves and grassed areas over it above the high tide mark. I observed a Beach Stone-Curlew, over a hundred Little Terns, two pairs of Pied Oystercatchers with two chicks each, amongst many other species which I will send to you in the usual manner in due course.

The purpose of this email is to notify you that at 12.15pm on Sunday, 26th October, 2008, I spotted three Eurasian Curlews in amongst a dozen or so Eastern Curlews feeding on the open sand flats of the island about 200 metres away. I was flabbergasted and immediately thought of who I could contact immediately and nearest to me to come and confirm the sighting.

It was the main Indy Race Day that day with F111's and Black Hawk helicopters flying round and round over or close to the island and it was making the birds jittery. I rang Judy Leitch at Runaway Bay who immediately jumped in their car with her husband, Bruce, and came straight over. I had the birds fixed in the scope as Judy entered the Unit and she took my place. It wasn't long before, with the help of our field guides, Judy confirmed the sighting. Judy had brought her camera with her which hadn't got the range to capture the birds and so she placed it over the eyepiece of the scope lens and took a number of shots of them. They have not come out perfect as everything that was white on the birds appeared fawny coloured in the images, but they show where the identifying features of the Eurasian Curlews are.

The birds were first differentiated from Whimbrels which have a similar white "wedge" on their rumps and white in the tail feathers. These birds were larger and had the predominant long curved bill of Curlews. They also did not have the black striping over the crown as the Whimbrels have. The pure white wedges on their rumps were quite clearly displayed as the birds moved their wings slightly and white outer tail feathers could be seen as they moved around. Comparisons of bill size were attempted but was difficult to guage but both Judy and I felt that the bills of the Eurasians where ever so slightly shorter but retained the long curve. This conclusion was made as one of the questioned birds stood in front of an Eastern Curlew, in more or less the same stance, where the Eastern's bill almost touched the sand and the Eurasian's was just short of the sand.

The final piece of the jigsaw was observed by Judy who had the scope at the time, when the birds took off heading north west through towards the southern Moreton Bay islands. Judy is adamant that she observed the clear white wedge and black and white barred tail, as the birds turned three-quarter on to change direction. No clear conclusion could be drawn regarding the size of the chevron markings over the birds plumage.

I have observed Eurasian Curlews on many occasions in the meadows in England before coming to Australia and am familiar with their appearance and differences to Eastern Curlews.

A more formal record sheet will be submitted, along with a disc of the images prepared by Judy Leitch, to BOCA, BA, GCCC, for their findings.

Cheers,

Rod Bloss
PRES/SEC
BrisBOCA
Ph/Fax: (07) 3287 4411
Mob: 0422 194 664


David Taylor
Brisbane







David Taylor
Brisbane





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