Advice sought - on how to formally report occurrence of a Noisy Pitta - found
in Berrima, NSW.
On Wednesday 27 August I was contacted by a friend
of a friend about a "Noisy Pitta" which had presumably hit a window,
and had then been "picked up gently" by a Golden Retriever (thank heavens for
"soft mouthed" dogs).
The bird was alive.
Naturally I said all the usual things like - are you sure it's
not a Rainbow Bird, or even a Dollar Bird?
Stony response. No - It Is a Noisy Pitta!
This seemed highly improbable, given that its normal
distribution is only about as far south as Coffs Harbour, apparently, but
with odd records in the Hunter; and even Illawarra seems
possible.
But this is open farmland between Berrima and Moss Vale. NSW
Southern Highlands farming country.
No rain forest within 50 Km - on Macquarie Pass or Kangaroo
Valley.
Anyway, in due course the bird was handed over to local WIRES
people, but unfortunately it died, subsequently.
It seemed as if there was something wrong with its legs, or
maybe a more systemic problem, but it was eventually unable to stand
up.
It had apparently been given snails and insects to eat. No-one
actually witnessed it eating, but apparently it had,
either that or the snails had disappeared mysteriously from
the cat box the bird had been held in.
Anyway, subsequent to its demise, it is now safely wrapped,
with a cotton pad in the beak to catch and fluid leakage, and is now in the
freezer awaiting transportation to CSIRO, Canberra for their skin collection. (I
shall look up the contacts for the CSIRO museum provided previously by Mark
Clayton, and I have followed the general instructions for handling specimens
provided previously by Mark Clayton on this forum.
Anyway, apart from reporting this as an "out of area" (in
every sense) report on the COG Chat Line,
can someone please advise me
how I might formally report this occurrence?
The likelihood of it having been a cage-bird
escapee is considered too remote to warrant serious consideration.
I have a map position for where it was found, as well as
photographs.
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