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Unusual White-throated Needletail

To: "'Chris Sanderson'" <>, "'Tom Tarrant'" <>
Subject: Unusual White-throated Needletail
From: "Chris Barnes" <>
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:21:16 +1000
Chris,

I don't think you saw Silver-backed in Sabah, they were Silver-rumped. Don't
think there are any records of Silver-backed there (according to Phillipps).

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: 
 On Behalf Of Chris Sanderson
Sent: Friday, 11 December 2009 10:40 PM
To: Tom Tarrant
Cc: Birding-aus
Subject: Unusual White-throated Needletail

Hi Tom,

It certainly looks like it could be an abberent WTNT.  Having just seen my
first Silver-backed Needletails in Borneo earlier in the year I can
definitely rule them out, as they are smaller, darker, more compact and have
a smaller amount of white on the rump than this bird.  I think the theory
that wet feathers from drinking is likely to be the correct one.

Regards,
Chris

On Fri, Dec 11, 2009 at 6:13 PM, Tom Tarrant <> wrote:

> Last weekend I was fortunate to witness an unusual event whilst birding at
> Kobble BBQ area, NW of Brisbane. In the late-afternoon Harry Zawacki and
> myself observed hundreds of White-throated Needletails drinking from the
> surface of the lake directly in front of us. This was probably a result of
> the high temperatures that day (35+ degrees celsius)
>
> After discussion of this with Brian Coates he decided to visit at a
similar
> time and temperature on Thursday (10 Dec 2009) and was fortunate to
observe
> them repeating the behaviour.
> Whilst perusing his photographs he noticed one bird with a darker throat,
> and immediately surmised whether it could have been a vagrant
Silver-backed
> Needletail (*Hirundapus cochinchinensis)*
>
>
http://orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=549&;
Bird_Image_ID=13908&Bird_Family_ID=83
>
> We have discussed the possibilities but feel that the bird is probably an
> aberrant White-throated Needletail (...and it can also be seen to be wet)
> it
> was also felt that other Australian birders would find it interesting so
> I've posted Brian's pics and my own images on the ABID (see
> http://www.aviceda.org/abid/newimages.php)
>
> Last week I noticed a large number of Fork-tailed Swifts and this week
> Brian
> found this bird so please check out all flocks of swifts,,,,,you don't
know
> what might be up there!
>
> Please feel-free to discuss......
>
> Tom
>
> --
> ********************************
> Tom Tarrant
> Kobble Creek, Qld
>
> http://kobble.aviceda.org
>
> http://picasaweb.google.com.au/aviceda/
> ********************************
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