Yellow-tailed Thornbills

[Andy Burton's Bush Tours <>]

> Can anyone tell me if they see these on a regular basis inside the
> greater
> Sydney area? Are they migratory?
>
> Regards
>
> Ralph Reid
> Sydney

> Hi Ralph,
>
> Have just checked my records (30000+)
> for the County of Cumberland (greater Sydney) for the past six years.
> Most of my birding in this area is in its north.
> Found 46 observations of Yellow-rumped
> Thornbills 22 of which were in 1994 (don't think this is
> significant).
>
> I believe the local birds to be
> sedentary and my observations were in all months except
> May.
>
> It appears that the further west one
> travels the more common they become. In the Windsor area, for
> instance, they can be seen quite readily and most of my observations
> are from the western half of Sydney.
>
> Closer to the city centre they are rare
> although in the 50s they could be found eg. at the primary school on
> the Pacific Highway in North Sydney, only a short walk from
> the Harbour Bridge (Ern Hoskin pers. comm.) They are now long
> gone.
>
> They can probably still be found at the
> following places in the east of the region.
>
> Centennial Park 33°
> 54.0´  151° 14.0´ - still resident in small
> numbers
>
> Hitchcock Park, Barrenjoey Rd,
> Whale Beach.ie sports ovals bordering Careel Bay and Careel
> Creek.
>
> Lake Park Rd., North Narrabeen;
> playing fields bordering Narrabeen Lakes
>
> Bicentennial Park, Homebush
> Bay
>
> Boat Harbour and Metromix Swamp
> at Kurnell in the south.
>
> There is possibly a small population
> remaining at Macquarie Univerity. They were there until
> relatively recently and there is still appropriate
> habitat.
>
> There are bound to be other sites but
> these birds can no longer be considered common in the eastern half of
> suburban Sydney. With the huge amount of development underway in
> north-western Sydney the future for this and other species does not
> look bright in the region.
>
> Hope this is of interest,

regards, Andy Burton

--
Andy Burton's Bush Tours

21 Karabil Cr
Baulkham Hills
NSW 2153
Australia

Phone: 61 2 9686 4610

email:

To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to

Include ONLY "unsubscribe birding-aus"
in the message body (without the quotes)