G'day all,
Yesterday (Sunday 18th September) I saw large (200+) flocks of Woodswallows at
several different locations in the Bellinger Valley, near Coffs Harbour in
northern NSW. I have lived in the Bellinger for 6 years, but have never seen
flocks of Woodswallows here before. The Woodswallows were either Dusky or
Little. I am pretty sure they were Little (the wings weren't much paler than
the body; I saw some chestnut colouring underneath; and I couldn't see any
white leading edges to the wings, which would have indicated Dusky) but the
viewing conditions weren't ideal. They chirped continually in flight - a sound
a bit like a House Sparrow.
I made sound recordings of their in-flight calls - can anybody tell me if the
in-flight calls of Dusky and Little Woodswallows are much different? (I don't
have much experience of Woodswallows, as they're pretty scarce round here). If
indeed they were Little Woodswallows, they would be the first I have ever seen
in the Bellinger or nearby.
A hot air mass came over the valley from the west yesterday - I imagine this is
what the Woodswallows rode in on. There are still a few around this morning.
Brian Hawkins
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