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Hi Birders,
Andy Burton recently asked about the occurrence of
Wompoo Fruit-Doves in the Sydney Region following him hearing about a juvenile
seen on 30 October 2000 at Castlecrag, on Sydney's North Shore. He subsequently
saw the bird on 31 October 2000 off Edinburgh Rd Castlecrag. This record
comes fast on the heels of another juvenile Wompoo Fruit-Dove seen at
Ku-ring-gai Council Nursery at Mona Vale Rd St. Ives from 15 to 24 October 2000.
The locations are about 18 kms apart.
Wompoo Fruit-Doves are very rare in the Sydney
Region (County of Cumberland). Hoskin (1991) "The Birds of Sydney" records only
3 reports since settlement viz a bird collected that was feeding in a Loguat
Tree at Dobroyde (Haberfield )Gardens in 1865; one feeding on privet berries at
Wahroonga August 1942 and seen several times; and another seen at Collaroy
Plateau 11 Aug, 9 Sep and 15 Oct 1985. Since then 1 injured at East Chatswood 6
November 1996, then no records until 2000. There are therefore six records for
Sydney presuming that the St Ives bird and the Castlecrag bird are
different.
It is interesting to note that the species was
first described from Wollongong in 1821!. Note that all the Sydney records are
from the North Shore, as are usually the records for the Superb
&Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves, which although are only
slightly more common, usually turn up from March to
May.
In recent years there have also been two records
from out of the County in the lower Blue Mountains, with one at Kurrajong 8
November 1996 and 2 at Kurrajong Heights 29 April-5 July. These reports
represent an extension of range for the Wompoo Fruit-Dove.
Alan Morris
NSWFOC Records Officer
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