birding-aus

Willie wagtail migration [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

To: 'martin cachard' <>, "" <>
Subject: Willie wagtail migration [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]
From: "Perkins, Harvey" <>
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 05:44:51 +0000
Martin

The following link provides information on the Willie Wagtail in Canberra based 
on data in the Canberra Ornithologists Group database. They are certainly 
present in Canberra throughout the year, but are recorded less frequently in 
winter. The graphs in the data sheet show reporting rate rather than numbers of 
birds. More detailed information is available in the Annual Bird Reports, also 
available in the COG website. Overall there are probably about half the number 
of birds present in winter as in summer, suggesting the species is a partial 
migrant.

http://canberrabirds.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Willie-Wagtail.pdf


Harvey


Dr Harvey Perkins
CRC Programme Liaison Officer
Phone +61 2 6213 7472
Email:  




-----Original Message-----
From: Birding-Aus  On Behalf Of 
martin cachard
Sent: Monday, 15 June 2015 3:19 PM
To: Rob Reed; 
Subject: Willie wagtail migration

Hi Rob,

Well that's very interesting indeed.

It would be well worth having a look around your area now Rob to see if there 
are any Willie Wagtails still hanging around.

Do you recall if these 2 adult Willie Wagtails that you saw in May there in 
Bamaga seemed particularly large birds to you??

If they did appear like big Willie Wagtails to you, then they could be either 
birds from the north of you (ie the larger race 'melaleuca' from Torres Strait 
islands & PNG), or they could have been visiting migrants from southern 
Australia of race 'leucophrys'.

If they just appeared about the same size as birds that you would see, say 
around Cairns for instance, then they were probably likely to be of our local 
northern race 'picata', which is a noticeably smaller bird than the southern 
latitudinal migrants 'leucophrys' that we have been discussing here on this 
thread.

What makes it hard is that all 3 races look pretty much the same, apart from 
the size. I get to see our Cairns locals all year as they breed here 
extensively, and they appear generally quite a bit smaller than the southern 
birds that winter in the inland of Qld. I just wonder how far north these 
migratory 'leucophrys' actually travel when wintering in normal non-drought 
years.

But Rob, I suspect that the birds that you saw were indeed most likely visiting 
southern 'leucophrys' - it is a very dry year all round & my bet is that they 
get up as far as you in Bamaga in these very dry times.

Also, I've never seen a Willie Wagtail of race 'melaleuca' but from what I 
read, they must appear significantly larger than our local breeding northern 
birds of race 'picata', and also a bit larger than the southern birds as well.

Lots of questions need to be answered, but Lloyd & Greg are most definitely 
onto something pretty significant here in having found that this species does 
seem to have a major latitudinal migratory population - well, at least a fair 
proportion of the nominate race 'leucophrys' anyway.

Does everyone down there in the southern Australia (say in Sydney, Melbourne, & 
Adelaide), see Willie Wagtails in the months of May, June & July??

I'm just putting it out there - as they say...

cheers,
martin cachard,

trinity beach, cairns.




> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 11:31:02 +1000
> From: 
> To: 
> Subject: [Birding-Aus] Willie wagtail migration
>
> Hello All,
>
> I found this topic of interest for a lonely birder way up north here
> at Cape York "Tip" at Bamaga. On May 7th I submitted the following to
> Eremaea
> Birdline:
>
>
> *Willie Wagtail Bamaga Hospital Grounds and Surrounds 10 53S 142 23E 1'
> Cell, Queensland, AU*
>
> *2 adults. First records for the Tip of Cape York since 8/1995 (at
> Pajinka Wilderness Lodge) and 1909 (McLennan who spent June and July
> in the area and saw a single specimen - published in EMU 1911).
> Another record 8/2011 at Capt. Billy's landing turnoff approx. 120km
> south. I note there was an e-bird record 2 days ago at Mission River
> approx. 230km south perhaps indicating northward migration. Draffan
> (1983, EMU) reports that they are found on NW Torres Strait Islands
> (presumably resident and race melaleuca of PNG). Atlas has 1 record
> for ?Torres Strait and HANZAB has CY Tip as blank. eBird checklist
> <http://ebird.org/ebird/australia/view/checklist?subID=S23281674>*
>
> *Rob Reed 7/5 #223170*
>
> Even non-birders, including those that have lived locally since birth,
> have enquired whether it is unusual to see this bird so far north and
> no one has even seen it here in the past (on casual observation).
> I don't know if I have missed them in my prior 6 years here, an
> unusual year or it a sign of things to come?
>
> Grey fantails do venture this far north each year but only for a few
> weeks every June/July. Huge numbers seem to arrive all at once, then
> all gone a few weeks later.
>
> Rob Reed, Bamaga
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