This was a thread last week but I was in the field and since then have
something new to offer.
I witnessed Sydneys heavy hail and even saw pigeons take flight during
the most violent part, probably scared off their building ledge by the
noise or hail itself. The end result of their flight was not observed.
However on the following Sunday I observed a Silver Gull wandering
around Shark Island in Sydney Harbor (just off Rose Bay) with a broken
wing. While this injury may have been due to another incident it could
likely have resulted from the storm of the previous Wednesday.
Last Wednesday I was having a lunch break on the boardwalk of the Nelson
Bay marina on the southern edge of Port Stephens (NSW Mid North Coast)
when a storm cell of some intensity hit. This storm was made up of
driving rain, intense hail (Golf-ball size) and very strong winds. From
where I was sitting, sheltered from the direction the storm was
approaching, I had a good view of the marina water.
The hail was causing the water to almost boil with the explosive force
of the ice raining down. Amongst all of this 2 or 3 Silver Gulls
floated low in the water (probably as a result of the disrupted water
tension). They remained relatively motionless, not attempting to swim
under the dock area, but they had their heads tilted backwards over
their backs with their beaks pointing directly upwards. I lost view of
them after a minute or so and was not able to see how long this pose
continued. The storm cell passed by within 2-3 minutes, leaving hail
banked up against objects on the ground.
I imagine that the birds were forced to the water as flying was not
possible, the broken water tension would have made any takeoffs even
harder. The water would have been their safest option as to be grounded
on land would have a whole range of dangers. The head posturing may
have been to give the hail a small a target as possible while the birds
were so vulnerable (but I couldn't actually make out if their eyes were
scrunched shut, awaiting the possible impact!).
Cheers
Nicholas Carlile
NPWS
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