Hi all,
Harvey Perkins posed the following questions regarding the Australian Alps:
>- what resources are there in summer?
>- What kinds of birds might make use of these resources?
>- what birds do make use of these resources?
>- what factors might inhibit other birds from making use of these resources?
This interesting discussion prompted me to look through my notebooks and,
going way back to 1989, found a list of birds I saw during a short stay at
Perisher during early February of that year. (I have made more recent trips
to the Australian Alps but couldn't easily find the lists.) I have copied
that list below to provide some examples of birds which use the high
country in summer. However I'm sure other members have more extensive
birdlists of that area than I do.
Harvey speculated that the alpine plants might be predominantly insect
rather than bird pollinated. From my limited experience of that area I tend
to agree. I cannot remember many nectar-rich plants in the high country.
And, although the insects can be obvious to the visitor, I wonder how the
total mass of invertebrates compares with a warmer, more bird-rich area
(which also usually has a taller and more complex vegetation structure).
One thing I find intriguing is the presence of Brown Thornbills in the high
country in summer, well above the winter snow-line. Do these normally
sedentary birds undertake seasonal movements in the Alps? I can't imagine
these tiny birds surviving in winter, at the locations I saw them.
Below are my lists from 1-5 February 1989. Sorry they are not in any
particular order, except probably the order I recorded them.
PERISHER VALLEY (1700m)
Little Raven
Crimson Rosella
Olive Whistler (breeding)
Brown Thornbill
White-browed Scrubwren
Silvereye
Flame Robin (breeding)
Brown Falcon
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo
Pipit
Striated Pardalote
Australian Magpie
Spotted Pardalote
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Crescent Honeyeater
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Goldfinch
Grey Fantail
Red Wattlebird
CHARLOTTES PASS (1760m)
Little Raven
Australian Magpie
Crimson Rosella
Flame Robin
Brown Thornbill
White-browed Scrubwren
Red Wattlebird
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Australian Kestrel
Japanese Snipe
Australian Hobby
Pipit
Cheers,
Carol
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