Actually presence of the species in Canberra gardens at this time of year is typical. Although John confined the context to “here”. Extract from page 64 of
The GBS Report as below: Note that abundance peaks in October.
Philip
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 via Canberrabirds
Sent: Tuesday, 12 October, 2021 12:43 PM
To: Canberra birds
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Sacred Kingfisher in Holt garden
Watched one perching and pouncing in our yard for five minutes before it moved on at noon today. Rather unusual to see them here in spring, usually see a couple moving
through during latter half of summer.
John Layton
Holt.
