At 18:03 27/08/2003 +1000, Michael Todd wrote:
I agree that it is amazing that dispersing birds seem to know where they
are going are at least have the knack of heading out to sea and finding
land. However, cattle egrets are relatively capable birds when it comes to
long distance flight.
What I think is truly amazing is how birds like rails (one of the most
successful bird families at dispersing to islands) have managed to do it.
The chance of one rail dispersing across a couple of thousand kilometres
of ocean and hitting land and surviving must be small. So how unlikely is
it that more than one rail can do it within a short enough timeframe for
them to be able to breed and start the seed of a new population and in
time a new species. This has to be one of the miracles of the natural
world...... well I think so anyway.
It has amazed me that Little Bittern and Little Grassbird are becoming
established in Kununurra since the late 1980's or early 1990's, a long long
way from the previous known location.
It looks like Masked Lapwings may be about to become established in the
south west, but perhaps this species travels in small groups? I would have
thought that Cattle Egrets may also travel in groups?
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