Hello All,
At approximately 9:00 am, 10/04/2001, I observed what I believe to be a South
Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO), Heamatopus finschi, at Woody Point on the
Redcliffe Peninsula just north of Brisbane, SE Queensland, Australia.
There appeared to be only one SIPO amongst a group of about 6 (Australian) Pied
Oystercatchers (which are now often called OZPO), Heamatopus longirostris.
I was able to obtain about 25 minutes of good quality video recording of the
SIPO as it loafed and preened on the water's edge.
The equipment used to obtain the video recording was a Sony Digital8 Camcorder
using the standard 25x zoom lens supplemented with a 2x Sony teleconverter.
Unfortunately I was unable at that stage to obtain any video recording of the
bird in flight but I did observe the bird from the rear as it eventually flew to
another part of the shore-line.
I have extracted some still shots from some of the frames of the video recording
and they can be viewed at: http://www.powerup.com.au/~inglisrc/sipowp_page_1.htm
The pictures are currently arranged on 3 pages which can be accessed by
following the links at the bottom of each page.
The pictures presented at this stage are ones I extracted from a small section
of video and I will be looking for more (perhaps better) pictures for future
viewing.
Why I think it is a SIPO:
- the unusual bill: extra long and sharper than OZPO.
- short tibia and tarsus
- smaller than the OZPOs nearby
- much whiter under-wing than OZPO
- wing-bar seemed longer than on OZPO
- more extensive white on back; this feature is not so easy to see in the
current batch of pictures but was very evident when observing the bird in
flight.
Anyone wishing to visit this location should refer to the Brisbane UBD Refidex
Map 91, N19.
Look between the jetty and the boat ramp.
If the bird is not in this area try the area to the east of the jetty Map 91,
N20.
Another area worth trying is around the boat ramp at F18, Map 91.
Probably the best time would be an hour or two either side of high tide.
I would welcome any constructive comments on my ID and/or the pictures.
Please be aware that I have been checking the Oystercatchers in this area
regularly for quite some time and this is the first time I have observed any
that could be IDed as a SIPO.
So don't be surprised if you don't see it the first time you visit the area.
But then again...... most of you are probably luckier than I am!!
Good luck,
Bob Inglis
Woody Point
SE Queensland
Australia.
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
