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Missing Pardalotes Central Victoria

To: <>, Birding Aus <>
Subject: Missing Pardalotes Central Victoria
From: Fiona Anderson <>
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2009 13:59:59 +1000
My daughter saw one in a park she frequents quite often in Coburg, an inner 
Melbourne northern suburb.  This is the first for ages she has seen in this 
area and in the adjoining suburb of Brunswick where she has lived for many 
years.

> Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Missing Pardalotes Central Victoria
> Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 11:39:40 +1000
> From: 
> To: ; ; 
> CC: 
>
> A couple of random comments. On Birdline (Vic) there have been some
> recent postings about unusual Spotted Pardalote sightings in inner
> suburbia, which may be a reflection of the species moving out of its
> more typical range (in search of food presumably) and hence less
> sightings where they might be expected. I'd also make the suggestion
> that it is a species which is quite vulnerable to prevailing conditions.
> I remember finding many dead pardalotes around the eastern suburbs of
> Melbourne in the wake of the droughts of the late sixties and early
> eighties. I think there may be a paper somewhere on this phenomenon? As
> for feeding on the ground; I was surprised recently to see a small flock
> of Striated Pardalotes working their way along the nature-strip in the
> main street of Tanunda (Barossa Valley), quite Sparrow-like. Never seen
> this behaviour before.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
>  On Behalf Of Sean Dooley
> Sent: Monday, 6 July 2009 11:22 AM
> To: ; 'birding birding-aus'
> Cc: 'Marlene Lyell'
> Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] Missing Pardalotes Central Victoria
>
> Hi Bob, Jenny and others,
>
> Perhaps many pardalotes could have been lost in the fires but I suspect
> there may be more going on with the lack of pardalote sightings in
> (particularly Central) Victoria. While there has been little flowering
> of
> eucalypts, particularly in the box-ironbark woodlands due to the drought
> (although I am not sure we can call this a drought anymore as this is
> the
> thirteenth year of below average rainfall in much of Victoria- thirteen
> years of both El Nino and La Nina weather patterns; we currently are
> supposed to be in a "good" year yet it has been our driest first six
> months
> in a year ever) more importantly for pardalotes, there has been very
> little
> lerp activity. Lerp are the sugar-rich casings of insects that bury
> themselves in the leaves of eucalypts, and constitute a major part of a
> pardalote's diet. Interestingly, Swift Parrots have virtually abandoned
> Victoria this year- another species that can feed extensively on lerp.
>
> Whether the pardalotes have moved out of the state or died off, I guess
> we
> will only know once we have another good, wet year (which feels at the
> moment like we will be waiting for a long time.)
>
> I recently also had a pardalote experience at Long Forest, though not in
> the
> league of Jenny's thousand odd birds. But two weeks ago while there I
> came
> across a feeding party of 20+ Spotted Pardalote and at least a single
> Striated (probably of the substriatus race). The unusual thing was that
> they
> were all feeding on the ground. I couldn't determine what they were
> eating
> but suspect that as they weren't feeding in the trees there was no lerp
> about.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
>  On Behalf Of Bob Cook
> Sent: Sunday, 5 July 2009 10:31 PM
> To: birding birding-aus
> Cc: 'Marlene Lyell'
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Missing Pardalotes Central Victoria
>
> Hi all
>
>
>
> I am wondering whether anyone else has observed the "disappearance" of
> Pardalotes, both Spotted & Striated, from Central Victoria over the last
> few
> months. Here at Axedale, between Bendigo & Heathcote, Pardalotes have
> been
> constant residents and active breeders (especially Striated) ever since
> we
> have been here - now 3 years. We have not seen any Striated since March
> and
> only one or two sightings of Spotted in April. We would regularly see
> up to
> 25 Striated Pardalotes around the house and perhaps 3 rounds of breeding
> (in
> especially placed boxes) during 2008. I am wondering whether it has
> anything to do with either the aftermath of the Vic bushfires, or just
> generally a very dry start to 2009, or what??.
>
>
>
> We are about 30 kms North of the bushfire at Redesdale and 25 kms East
> of
> the fire in Bendigo, so I don't really see how that could be a reason.
>
>
>
> Has anyone else noticed a significant change in Pardalote presence??
> Any
> explanation suggested?
>
>
>
> Bob Cook
>
> Axedale
>
> (now a lot wetter since reasonable rain starting in May)
>
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