White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) Report for 2008/09
Season.
The 518 records I obtained for the past season were 145 more than the
previous season & close to the number received the season before
that. Thank you so much for making these records.
The first Australian sightings that I know of, were both made on 12
Oct 2008, but one was in Queensland and the other in Victoria. The
Qld sighting was of an unspecified number of birds at Corinda
(Brisbane) and the Vic sighting was of nine birds in Park Orchards -
just out of Melbourne. Often the first WTNT are seen in September.
The first record from NSW was from Ballina just three days later.
Colin Driscoll saw another one in NSW three days later again. On 3rd
of December a sighting was made on Christmas Island (IO). Then just
to keep up our spread of Views Sean Dooley saw one bird on Norfolk
island some time in December. John Brannan reported the first
observation from ACT - 12 birds on 22nd December. The first SA
record was made at Myora Forest where Phil Barron saw 2 birds were
feeding over the edge of the pine plantation. The first record for
Tasmania was made by George Appleby as he paddled his Kayak across
Bass Strait. Doing this in February he hoped for a good number of
swift sightings but made only the one sighting of 6 WTNT on Cape
Barren Island.
There were no records from the NT or WA last season. Unless you
count the 3 records from Christmas Island (IO) as part of WA. There
were also 3 records each from TAS & SA, 8 from ACT, 99 from Qld, 146
from Vic, & 252 from NSW.
Only one sighting of a thousand or more birds was made. This was at
East Kurrajong, NSW where Matthew Stanton estimated a flock of a
thousand or more birds. They were using a thermal to spiral their
way to the NW. There were 9 sightings of 300 or more birds: one from
Qld, and four each from Vic & NSW.
These flock sizes are low compared with the records for say the
1957/58 season when nine flocks of more than a thousand birds were
recorded. Four of those came from Tasmania. The largest flock
recorded that season was 12,000 WTNT, and was seen at Antill Ponds in
Tassie.
The average flock size last season was 37 which is just above the
lowest for recent years.
Thanks again to all those who have taken the trouble to send me your
sightings.
Happy swift watching this season.
Mike
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Michael Tarburton
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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