Surprising deep-blue find in COG's AOI - Forest Kingfishers

["martin butterfield" <>]

Muriel

An intriguing record.  

I have looked at the two Atlasses of Australian Birds to see where the species has been recorded, and they only show one record South of 32degrees.  That was a Melbourne record in the first Atlas.  That Atlas also comments that in the Southern part of its range it is found in the lowlands (below 200m).  So on that basis this pair are lost in two dimensions!

HANZAB gives a somewhat larger list of records down to the Sydney region although spread very infrequently over the previous century.  One of the records cited there was from Orange - again more Southerly, more inland and higher than 'normal'.

Martin

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 9:38 PM, Muriel Brookfield <> wrote:

On Jan 3 2009 out on our block in the Tinderry area I saw a pair of deep blue kingfishers on a bare branch near the Queanbeyan River about 13 kms SSE of London Bridge. This is an area where Sacred Kingfishers return each year, and where these have been vocal since spring. No, these newcomers were not Sacreds or Azures or Red-backed, but a satisfyingly deep-blue pair of Forest Kingfishers.

They sat still for quite a while, then made short sallies to nearby trees, returning to the same perch. The female took a quick look at a small hole in one tree - but may have been just collecting an insect. Certainly there are no arboreal termite mounds to interest them. I saw the female alone the next morning, flying more determinedly.

Of the usual field guides, Pizzey is the only one I have that mentions under 'Range' that Forest Kingfishers can be 'casual' in the SE.  Steve Wilson's Systematic List does not mention them. So I am wondering what other observers have seen in COG's AOI since the list was published, and where, and whether the data base has any information?

It was a very good start to 2009.

Muriel Brookfield
Muriel Brookfield

(02) 6251 2934



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