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Hi Birders,
Mike Simpson on 8/11/03 enquired
about the status of Lesser Frigate-birds off Sydney NSW. The following is the
information available to me from E.S.Hoskin's book "The Birds of Sydney" 1991
Surrey Beatty & Sons Pty Limited and from information published in
the NSW Bird Reports from 1970.
The precise identity of Frigatebirds
seen near Sydney in December 1932, March 1951 (3), and January 1983 was not
determined.
Records of Lesser Frigate-birds for
the County of Cumberland (=Sydney) are as follows:
Dee Why 24/2/1957 and again on 3/3/1957 and at that
time, possibly the same bird at Lion Island & Broken Bay
1 5km off Sydney Heads 26/2/1983
One over Curra Moors, Royal NP
5/3/1983
1 10 km off Sydney Heads
23/2/1985
However on 18/11/2001 one was seen on
the Wollongong pelagic to the south of Sydney and on 19/7/1959 a pair were seen
of Budgewoi Beach, on the Central Coast just to the north of
Sydney.
So to answer Mike Simpson's question,
Lesser Frigate-birds are rare birds in the Sydney Region with a minimum of 4
proven records and possibly eight records, therefore his report of 2 birds in
the early 1970s in Sydney Harbour would have been of interest at the time. All
up there are 39 records for Lesser Frigate-birds in NSW and 4 Greater
Frigate-bird records (the latter accepted by the NSW Records Appraisal
Committee). Most records for both species are for the far North Coast of
NSW.
Alan K. Morris
Birding NSW Records Officer
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