Exactly Phillip. That habitat specialisation produces odd
results given the method used in the BA atlas and such products. You are
guaranteed a WFC on any visit to many spots on the Vic coast, but if the visit to
the cell does not include the right habitat it will not be reported. This
gives the impression that the heartland is certain Bass Strait islands where there
are not a lot of land birds to see except White-fronted Chats. Much local
atlassing suffers from a similar fallacy, which is why I am not a whole-hearted
contributor.
From: Philip Veerman
[
Sent: Tuesday, 12 May 2009 11:52 PM
To: 'John Layton'; 'Canberrabirds'
Subject: [canberrabirds] White-fronted Chats
Certainly the answer to your question is yes, but that fully
depends what are your distance limits on "elsewhere". They are a
species that I have encountered huge numbers of times around SE Australia
generally, but not often in the ACT region. In the ACT region, those spots I
recall have been Googong Dam foreshores, Tuggeranong Lake, before the lake was
there, and Bungendore Sewage works. That is hardly surprising, when you look at
the habitats they most prefer, there is not much of it in the ACT Region and
what there is is quite marginal.
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From: John Layton [
Sent: Tuesday, 12 May 2009 4:55 PM
To: Canberrabirds
Subject: [canberrabirds] White-fronted Chats ???
Are there any reasonably reliable places at Stromlo Park or
elsewhere where we may see the mythical White-fronted Chats? Been there thrice,
but the White-fronted have not fronted. As Elder Brat remarked, "They're
fig birds, figments of a birder's imagination." Such quaint cynicism may
stem from the fact she's an Arts/Law sophomore.
