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Hi all,
Migrants are coming and
going at the moment here in Cairns.
Most of the Pied Imperial
Pigeons seemed to head north about the end of February/beginning of March but a
flock of 86 flew over on 19/3.
A few Buff-breasted
Paradise-Kingfishers (the names almost as long as the tail!), are still hanging
around.
Wader numbers have dropped
off with many Lesser Sand Plovers, Greater Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden Plovers,
Bar-tailed Godwits and Great Knots in full or Partial breeding colours. Most of
the Sharp-tailed Sandplovers and Marsh Sandplovers have gone.
Numbers of Sacred Kingfishers are beginning to build up,
records over the last four years show that they are absent during November and
very few records in December-February. The months of most numbers have been
April-May and August.
Metallic Starlings finally
left one of their nest sites two weeks ago. They started building nests at the
end of August and had been continuously breeding raising at least two and
possibly three broods.
White-faced Heron 1st sighted 2 on
12/3
Australian White-Ibis 1st sighted 8 on 18/3, 39 on
24/3
Intermediate Egret 1st saw 3 on 19/3
Gull-billed Tern 1st sighted
1 on 21/3
Little Egret 1st sighted 1 on 24/3
Great Egret 1st sighted 2 on 24/3
Straw-necked Ibis 1st sighted 4 on 26/3
These birds have presumably returned from their
breeding colonies.
Keith & Lindsay Fisher
PO Box 2209,
Cairns QLD 4870
E-mail:
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