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Hi Birders
David Geering on 22 January 2002 gave some
information about the southern distribution of rthe Brahminy Kite in NSW,
suggesting that the southern limits of range had been exdending in recent
years.
Arnold McGill (1961) Handlist of Birds in NSW
stated that they previously occured as far south as Sydney but the birds
were now confined to the North Coast to as far south as the Bellinger River. By
1981, Morris, McGill & Holmes Handlist of Birds in NSW,
stated that they occurred south to the Hastings River & sporadically to
Wallis Lake. Also recorded at Lake Macquarie in 1944; supposed records for
Sydney (Hindwood & McGill 1958 The Birds of Sydney: 53) probably
refer to Port Stephens.
Since 1981 there has been an
excellerated marrtch southwards and the number of breeding pairs in northern NSW
continues to increase.They have now been reported in Sydney twice, the Illawarra
once, 4 times on the Central Coast and regularly south to Wallis Lake the most
southerly breeding location, and occasionally to the Hunter
River.
So David Geering's recollections are
probably correct. I, along with many other people believe that the increase in
the breeding populations of Beach Stome-curlews, Ospreys and Brahminy Kites in
NSW and their spread south, probably re-establishing the past breeding
population, is because of the cessation of egg collecting in NSW and the general
public's belief in the 1960's and 1970's that egg collecting was
unacceptable behaviour. These three species were regularly targetted by egg
collectors in NSW up to that time.
Alan Morris
Records Officer, Birding
NSW
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