I drove through western Queensland (along the Barkly Highway) on my return
to the NT about two weeks ago, and there were few raptors of any kind.
However, Black Kites were moving into some areas to feed on the grasshoppers
that appear after rain. I imagine rat numbers would also be rapidly
increasing at such a time of plenty and so wouldn't be surprised if
Letter-winged Kites followed.
And on the grasshoppers - compared to the numbers I saw at this time two
years ago, especially along the Tablelands Highway, there were very few this
time. There were also fewer birds - no Little Curlew for instance. They
were present in the thousands two years ago. Neither could I find Little
Curlew in Palmerston this year - they are generally quite common on nearby
lawns and ovals. Can anyone tell me what numbers were like on the east and
west coasts this season?
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
PO Box 3460 NT 0832, AUSTRALIA
Ph. 61 08 89 328306
Mobile: 04 386 50 835
Birdwatching and Indigenous tourism consultant
PhD Candidate
http://www.denisegoodfellow.com.au
http://www.earthfoot.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baby-dreaming
http://www.ausbird.com
http://birderstravel.com
on 18/1/10 8:24 PM, david taylor at wrote:
>
> Ive read a couple of articles recently ( see one link below) reporting a
> current major rat plague in far western Queensland with huge numbers of
> raptors including Letter-winged Kites present.
> Ive read many times in field guides etc that after these rat plagues die out
> that the Letter-winged Kites will often disperse to areas far beyond their
> usual range.
> Not sure where the plague is currently at but its worth birders being aware of
> the possibility of this irruption occurring at some point.
> Would love to think we might get some reports in or close to
> Brisbane./Sth-east Queensland!!
> Does any one have any updated information on the current situation with the
> plague?
> http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26472903-3102,00.html
> cheers,
> David Taylor
> Brisbane
>
>
>
>
>
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