Not entirely sure how to comment on the mention of the clothes hoist but February is expected, this is the time of year that they move through. This
from The GBS Report.
Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus
This species shows the typical pattern of the breeding summer migrant with a warmer month peak but with a trough in the middle. Arrival of first birds in September and numbers peaking rapidly in October as birds move
through the urban areas before mostly settling in woodland or continuing on their migration south. Followed by a slight decline to December and January,
then an increase in February as birds start moving north again or independent young start dispersing. The birds are noisy when they arrive and even more so when breeding. However when the young have become independent and they
move through the suburbs they are generally silent. Numbers have declined, being twice as high for the first year as for any subsequent years. Other than that they had a dramatic decline from Year 8 steadily down to less than one tenth that number in Year
13 and staying low. Breeding records are inspecting hollow in early December and dependent young in late January in Years 1 & 5 at Sites 14 & 22 only.
Graphs on page: 96, Rank: 61, Breeding Rank: 63, A = 0.01117, F = 19.51%, W = 15.5, R = 1.046%, G = 1.07.
From: Canberrabirds [
On Behalf Of John Layton
Sent: Monday, 8 February, 2021 9:09 AM
To: Canberra birds
Subject: [Canberrabirds] The old Sacred Kingfisher routine
Yesterday morning I watched a Sacred Kingfisher land on the clothes hoist, hop this way and that for a few seconds before sitting still for some 30 seconds then flying
to nearby power cables where it hopped about and sat doggo again before spearing off towards the north east. Interestingly, my little black birder’s book records that same sequence in the same location three times during the past 14 years and all incidents
were during February.
John Layton
Holt.
