>A Kelp Gull has been sighted in Townsville last Tuesday and Friday. It is
>thought to be a first sighting for North Queensland, and that it was
>probably blown off course on it's way from NZ. I went for a look yesterday
>along the Strand and the usual nearby freshwater bathing pools frequented by
>gulls and terns, but no luck. It got a mention in the paper with a photo of
>the spotter (Frank Harrison, grinning) and the gull flying just next to his
>head.
According to my notes I saw a Kelp Gull on the Cairns waterfront on February
28, 1973. My notes say that the same bird had been present there for years;
it must have been seen by many people.
Unless this bird was not accepted as a valid record (or there has been some
sort of taxonomic split here that has escaped my notice), I do not see how
the Townsville bird can be a first for North Queensland. Or could my bird
have been a Lesser Black-back? Does anyone remember this critter?
--
Ronald I. Orenstein Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
International Wildlife Coalition Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116 (home)
Home: 1825 Shady Creek Court Messages: (416) 368-4661
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 3W2 Internet:
Office: 130 Adelaide Street W., Suite 1940
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5H 3P5
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