Hi Birders,
This note is written in response to Timothy Dolby's
request for information on Oriental Plovers in Australia and New
Zealand.
The Oriental Plover in New South Wales
The Oriental Plover is on the Review List for the
NSW Ornithological Records Appraisal Committee and a such there is a good
summary of information available. My information is current to 1998. Altogether
there are 23 Accepted Records for NSW. These are as follows
1. Specimens collected at Sydney
in March 1880
2. As above October 1889 at
Randwick "Where is was unusually abundant..."
3.
Specimens collected at Campbelltown in September 1892
4. Specimens collected at Sydney
September-October 1892
5. Specimens collected at
Goulburn in 1895
6. Specimens collected at Sydney
January 1905
7. Specimen collected from
Randwick in April 1908 in breeding plumage.
8. Observations of 1 North Botany
Bay 11 & 25 January 1948
9. Observations of 2 at Red Rock
19 October & 9 November 1976
10. Observation of 2 at Comerong Island
23 November 1976
11. Observation of 5 at Tuggerah Lakes
October 1977
12. Observations of 6 birds at Bankstown
Airport (Sydney) November-31 January 19977-78,
13. Observations of 1 at Kooragang
Island 6 December 1980
14. Observations of 18 at Stockton
Bridge sandspit 6 January 1981
15. Observations of 1 Bonna point, Botany Bay
8-11 October 1982
16. Observations of 1 Nambucca Heads 15-16
October 1982
17. Observations of 2 Comerong Island 13
March 1983
18. Observations of 1 North Botany Bay 12
January-3 February 1985
19. Observations of 1 The Entrance 12
November 1988 (this could be the same location as "Tuggerah Lakes in 1977" as
the sandflats at The Entrance are at the entrance to Tuggerah
Lakes).
20. Observation of 1 Bombah Point, Myall
Lakes 12 September 1991
21. Observations at Peery Lake, Paroo River
14 October 1991
22. Observations of 2 at Woronora Heights
football oval (Sydney suburb) 1-8 October 1994
23. Observations of 8 Warri Gate, Sturt NP,
north-west NSW 8 October 1996.
To summarise. most records are for the period
September to March, with most records in October. Most records are for coastal
estuaries and lakes, with the exception of Warri Gate (a gibber plain), Peery
Lake(an ephemeral lake on the Paroo system) and Goulburn (this record could be
actually for Lake Bathurst, a nearby known wader site). Some records are for
playing fields and airports ie Bankstown, Woronora and Campbelltown. The Red
Rock birds were on recently burnt coastal heath. Occurs in small to medium size
flocks, max 18 birds.References are available if needed.
Alan Morris
NSWFOC Records Officer
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