With the discussion last week about Oystercatchers I decided to check the
Victorian (Australia) distribution of Pied Oystercatchers (Haematopus
longirostris) from the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife data.
As expected, 99% of all records are within 10 kms of the coast. A few 10
minute gridcell records were within 20 km and a single 10 minute record
(from RAOU Atlas data) was from the Kerang Lakes area in 1977. The Atlas
has this record as six birds "confirmed" between the observation period of
1/9 and 30/11/77. I could not find any further details, but presume this
is not a mistaken identification.
Is this the furthest any Oystercatchers have been recorded from the coast
in Australia? I wonder what the environmental conditions were that
prompted the birds to travel this far inland?
Martin O'Brien
Executive Scientific Officer
Scientific Advisory Committee
Threatened Species Program
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
4/250 Victoria Pde.,
East Melbourne, 3002
AUSTRALIA
tel: +61 3 9412 4567
fax: +61 3 9412 4586
e-mail:
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