RFI - Song Thrush in natural habitats, SE Australia

[Lawrie Conole <>]

Sorry to anyone who doesn't find Song Thrushes in Australia interesting
....

I'm intrigued by their under-representation in the Atlas of Victorian
Wildlife, and the general lack of 'regional' records outside Geelong-Melbourne.
 There is I believe I for Ballarat, and the Strzelecki Ranges record mentioned
by Mike Mules will be in the atlas database somewhere.  I await the new national
atlas with interest (for this and other reasons).

Back in the mid 1980s I recorded a Song Thrush in coastal scrub at Cumberland
River, just west of Lorne in the Otway Ranges.  I recorded another single
bird between Marengo and Apollo Bay in 2001 - well into the Otway Ranges
landscape.  These occurrences are approximately 70-100km west of better known
haunts in Geelong.  No others in natural or semi-natural habitats for me
- mostly a metro garden bird.

Has anyone any un-atlassed Song Thrush records from the countryside to
'fess up at this point?  I'd be most interested to hear about them, and encourage
you all to:

• keep contributing to the ongoing atlas, and 
• to always include the ferals as well!!

Will they ever become rampant ferals here like they are in NZ?  They've
been in Australia as long as most other ferals, but have always been somewhat
contained in distribution.  Even the Tree Sparrow has covered more ground
in Australia.


-- 
=================================
Lawrie Conole
Senior Ecologist
Ornithology & Terrestrial Ecology
 
Ecology Australia Pty. Ltd.
Flora and Fauna Consultants
88B Station Street
FAIRFIELD VIC 3078 Australia
E-mail: m("ecologyaustralia.com.au","lconole");">
Internet: http://www.ecologyaustralia.com.au/
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