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I'm a bit confused by Marnix and Philip's consensus regarding the
altitudinal movements of the Little Raven viz:
"So its basically a 'reverse' altitudinal migrant. That is the majority
of
birds move to lower elevations in summer from higher elevations in
colder
months."
Herewith some abbreviated quotes from Wildlife of the Australian Snow
Country By Ken Green & William Osborne. Incidentally, I don't have the
COG ACT Bird Atlas Philip mentions and, there are more extensive
references than G &O's are available e.g. a quick peek at HANZAB reveals a
detailed description of Little Ravens' movements which appears to me to
basically reflect G & O's comments. Also, G & O nutshells my own
observations of Little Ravens in the high country, albeit my obs weren't very
extensive compared to the those of far more informed naturalists.
So over to G & O: "A common and conspicuous bird found throughout
the mainland snow country.Common breeder in subalpine woodland. During summer
months, Little Ravens move into the snow country, when Bogong Moths are abundant
in rock outcrops in the alpine zone. When bogongs are less common, many Little
Ravens migrate away from the mountains. However, some remain and feed on
grasshoppers and other grassland invertebrates, which are common in late summer.
In winter, the few Little Ravens that stay, feed on insects on the snow and take
scraps from around [ski] lodges and huts."
Look, I may have misinterpreted Marnix's comment. If so, I stand corrected.
My name's John Layton, not Jon Stanhope.
Cheerio
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