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White-throated Needletail Final report for 2009/10 season

To: Michael Tarburton <>
Subject: White-throated Needletail Final report for 2009/10 season
From: Alan McBride <>
Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 11:33:32 +1000
Thanks Mike,

I spend my days looking upwards so it's a nice reward to get a report. 

I'm staggered some people had 20 + + sightings, I guess they must be laying on 
the deck or by the pool;-) You too? Do you compile this outside;-)

Very best, great stuff and here's to Spring arrivals ... in more ways than one.

Alan


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Alan McBride, MBO.

Photojournalist | Writer | Traveller |  +
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Regional Representative Australia: Neotropical Bird Club

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On 20/05/2010, at 11:10 , Michael Tarburton wrote:

White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) Report for 2009/10 Season.


The 1004 records I have obtained so far are 420 more than the previous season.  
Thank you so much for making a great effort this year & for sharing these 
records.

The first Australian sighting for the season that I know of, was made on 18 
Sept 2009, in NSW and is 24 days earlier than the first reported sighting for 
last season, and is more like the average timing in previous years. It was of 
25 birds seen at Bundjalung NP (S of Evan Head) by  Bob Moffatt.   Bob saw 
another one there the following day then Michael Cheers saw four at Sawtell on 
27 Sept.

The first record from Qld was from “Tiddalac” Upper Lockyer, where Mick Atzeni 
saw 25 on 3 Oct.    The first group observed in Victoria was of four birds seen 
at Genoa (4 Nov) by Nick Day & Andrew Weggoner.    The first reported 
observation from ACT was of 1 bird on 8th December, seen by Peter Miller at 
Hackett.  The first SA record was made at Millicent where Adrian Boyle’s 
parents saw 15 birds 31 Jan. The first record for Tasmania was made by Eric 
Woehler at Baker Beach (somewhere on the Central N coast), where 15 birds were 
seen on 18 Feb.

There were no reported records from the NT or WA this last season.   There were 
5 records from TAS,  6 from SA, 8 from ACT, 190 from Qld, 179 from Vic,  & 380 
from NSW.

This season there were four sightings of a thousand or more birds.  Three were 
in NSW made by Martin Chard, Ian Kerr & Bob Moffatt.   One was in Qld, made by 
Tom Tarrant.  There were 14 sightings of 300 or more birds: 7 from Qld, 5 from 
NSW, and 2 from Vic.

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 Tasmania.

The average flock size this season was 48 compared to 37 for last year.

The last sightings were 5 birds at Maramingo (Princes Hwy just S of NSW border, 
Vic) 10 April obs by Ron Becker, 2 obs at Tolderol GR in SA 21 April.  Then 
Marlene Lyell  saw 7 birds just North of Axedale nr Bendigo in Vic on 19 May.  
These last birds would be considered as probably over-wintering birds (my  data 
in Table 1 of HANZAB Vol 4, p1074 )

Thanks again to all those who have taken the trouble to send me your sightings. 
 Here is the alphabetically arranged list of contributors with their number of 
reported sightings in brackets: Peter Abbott (1), D Adams (1), Irene Allen 
(40), Robert Allen (2), John Allsop (10), Chris Armstrong (2), Michael Atzeni 
(15), Jacquie & Len Axen (10), Chris Barnes, (2), Peter Barrand (1), Tim Bawden 
(6), Ron Becker (4), Wilma Becker (22), Liz Benson (1), Tim Birch (1), Birds 
Australia Atlas (140), Blue Mtns Bird Observers (1), Greg Bortolussi (3), 
Adrian Boyle (1), Shane Brady (2), D Bright (1), Ian & Jill Brown (1), Warren 
Brown (3), Celia Browne (3), Ray Bryant (2), Lynda Bullen (2), Paul Burcher 
(4), Steve Burke (1), Martin Butterfield (1), Martin Cachard (1), Jim Caine 
(1), Margaret Cameron (14), Nev Capelll (1), John Carpenter (1), Michael Cheers 
(2),  Greg Clancey (38), Steve Clark (1), Debbie Colbourne (3), Henry Coleman 
(2), Bob Cook (1), Barbara Crighton (1), Peter Crow (1), Ben Darlow (1), Steve 
Davidson (7), Arron Davies (1), Nick Day (5), James Dening (2), Jill Denning 
(3), Paul & Ruth Dodd (3), Tim Dolby (2), Sean Dooley (4), Robert Dougherty 
(11), Paul Doyle (2), Tony Eales (1), Jan England (2), Len Ezzy (1), Far South 
Coast Birdwatchers (2), Rob Farnes (1), Mrs Alex Ferguson (2), L Field (1), 
Eric Finley (4), Trevor Ford (2), Dougald Frederick (1), Col Gibson (1), Tony 
Gibson (1), Matt & Cathy Gilfedder (29), Alan Gillanders (2), Gloria Glass (1), 
Jason Goodwin (2), Mark Graham (3), Chris Gregory (1), Phil Gregory (6), John 
Hamilton (1), Brian Hawkins (1), Bryan & P Haywood (3), Chris Healey (18), 
Frank Hemmings (3), Bastian Hensen (31), Liz Herbert (1), Robin Hide (1), Bas 
Hensen (24), Peter Higgins (27), Peter Horler (6), Matt Hughes (2), Michael 
Hunter (3), John Huchison (1), Carla Jackett (2), Gavin Jackson (3), Paul 
Jackson (1), T Jarman (1), Dick Jenkin (4), Andy Jensen (10), Barbara Jones 
(3), D Jones (1), Brian Johnston (1), Richard Johnston (3), Ian Kerr (2), Des 
King (2), Neil Kirby (1), David Kleinert (1), Laurie Knight (7),  John & Claire 
Kooistra (4), Russ Lamb (11), D Lambert (1), John Leonard (1), Paul Lester (1), 
Andrew Ley (12), Mark Ley (1), Greg Little (1), Noel Longergan (1), Marlene 
Lyell (1), Doug Lyons (2), Ian McAllan (1), Alan McBride (9), Steve McBride 
(1), Pat McConnell (1), Roger McGovern (1), David Mackenzie (1), Barry McLean 
(1), John McLennan (1), Max Markey (7), Ray Marston (4), Adrian Martins (1), 
Lee Mason (4), Clive Meadows (4), Lorna Mee (1), Rosalie Merigan (15), Maria 
Merkling (4), Peter Miller (1), I. Mitchener (1), Bob Moffatt (11), Bill 
Moorhead (3), Bill & Jack Moorhead (10), Alan Morris (3), Rob Morris (1), Colin 
Mulvogue (1), Troy Mutton (3), RG Nathan (8), Julie Neumann (1), Terrill 
Nordstrom (2), John & Beverley O’Brien (1), Paul Osborne (15), Des Palmer (2), 
Kay Parkin (1), Phil Penlington (5), Harvey Perkins (1), Stuart Pickering (4), 
Margaret Pointer (1), Carol Probets (10), Trevor Quested (3), Michael Ramsey 
(10), John Rawsthorne (2), David Redhead (1), J Reed (2), Colin Reid (6), John 
Reidy (2), Mick Roderick (16), Steve Roderick (1), Chris Ross (3), Chris 
Sanderson (1), G Santos (1), Colin Scouler (1), Bob Semmens (17), Merrilyn 
Serong (1), Ken Sherring (4), S Skelton (1), Jim Smart (9), Dennis Smith (1), 
Nicole Spillane (1), Jenny Spry (1), Mark Stanley (1), Matthew Stanton (6), 
Simon Starr (1), David Stowe (1), Wes & Norma Sturdee (1), Michael Tarburton 
(58), Tom Tarrant (3), Andrew Taylor (1), Jean Taylor (1), Warren Thompson (1), 
Dirk & Wulan Tomsa (2), Dave Torr, (3), Esther Townsend (1), Brian Tuney (22), 
Suzanne Tunks (1), Graham Turner (10), Edwin Vella (3), Brian Venables (1), D 
Waldon (4), K Waldon (1), Trevor Waller (1), Andrew Weggoner (3), Brook Whylie 
(1), Tom Wilson (3), Eric Woehler (1), Michael Wood (2), Russell Woodford (3), 
Arwen Ximenes (3), Harry Zawacki (1), Marnix Zwankhuizen (1),

Happy swift watching.

Mike Tarburton.

==========================

===================
Michael Tarburton

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