I’ve received 146 blitz datasheets so far (98 hard
copy; 48 electronic). They have come from 43 named blitzers and covered 73 grid
cells. 142 species have been recorded, 70 of them breeding. To date, the most
unusual record has been the Channel-billed Cuckoo, a first for the blitz,
though the species has been recorded once or twice in the ACT or COG area of concern
in most recent years. Thus far, there have been no records of any crakes, rails
or quail, no bitterns or Glossy Black-Cockatoos. Last year’s influx of
White-browed and Masked Woodswallows was not repeated, and Jack’s
predictions of a dearth of arid zone species seems to be holding up. But there
are many datasheets still to come and the picture might change somewhat. If you
haven’t submitted them already, please make sure you bring your blitz datasheets
to the November COG meeting and deposit them in the red box in the tea room or,
if you can’t make the meeting, mail them to COG, PO Box 301, Civic Square ACT 2608.
Thanks, Barbara Allan, blitz coordinator
