birding-aus

Crake up a Tree

To: <>, <>
Subject: Crake up a Tree
From: John Graff <>
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:16:01 +1030
Richard,

I don't have easy access to HANZAB, but there is mention in Western Australian 
Bird Notes of a record of Spotless Crakes observed "feeding five feet above the 
ground in paperbark trees" at Lake McLarty, about 1.5hrs south of Perth, in 
March 2000. The full reference is;
Singor, M 2004, 'Kogolup Crakes', Western Australian Bird Notes, no. 109, 
pp.17-19

Cheers,
John Graff
Perth, WA> From: > To: > 
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:05:54 +1100> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Crake up a Tree> 
> By way of background:> > 1. There is a large waterside sculpture ("urban 
art") in Melbourne> Docklands consisting of a stylized cow up an equally 
stylized tree. It goes> by the catchy but somewhat unimaginative title of "Cow 
up a Tree".> 2. I visited Herdsman Lake in the western suburbs of Perth last 
Tuesday> morning (30/12) and to my surprise saw 5 Spotless Crakes at 3 
different> locations (first a swimming pair from the boardwalk, and then 3 
separate> single sightings around the lake edge). This was surprising in part 
because> on 15 previous visits at which I have kept records since April 2005 I 
have> seen no crakes at all (although Buff-banded Rail is not uncommon). [I am> 
aware that crakes are certainly present (other birders' records, presence of> 
calls, regular sightings at nearby Lake Monger, etc) but I have not> previously 
managed to see any there - this in spite of a bird-list for the> site which has 
now reached 87 species - and was 64 species last Tuesday.]> > However, what was 
most surprising was that the sighting of the fifth> Spotless Crake was of a 
bird flying out of a small lake-side Swamp Paperbark> (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla) 
into a larger WA Flooded Gum (E. rudis) where it> perched on a small branch 
around 6 metres off the ground for a few minutes> (hence "Crake up a Tree") 
until I inadvertently disturbed it, whereupon it> flew a short distance into a 
second small Swamp Paperbark (perhaps 2 metres> tall) and then disappeared - 
into the thick grass around its base I presume> (I could find no sign of the 
bird on quite close inspection of the tree and> its immediate surrounds). I 
have never before seen a crake of any type> anywhere in the world in a tree, 
let alone perching high in a eucalypt like> a song-bird. Has anyone else seen 
this entirely unexpected behaviour? Is it> reported in HANZAB, HBW or 
elsewhere? (I'm presently on holiday and don't> have access to my library. I 
could find no reference to such behaviour on> the Web - for Spotless Crake 
specifically.)> > Richard Nowotny> > > > > > ===============================> 
www.birding-aus.org> birding-aus.blogspot.com> > To unsubscribe from this 
mailing list, > send the message:> unsubscribe > (in the body of the message, 
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