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Lady Elliot Island

To: <>
Subject: Lady Elliot Island
From: "Robert Hewitt" <>
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 01:20:10 -0800
Dear Birders,
 
I returned from a recent trip to Australia and Lady Elliot Island was next to an atoll I visited for a day tour off the Queensland Coast at Bundeburg.  As I reflected on a recent tour of a lifetime that combined playing over 35s Rugby, watching the RWC and birding; that day was one of the highlights.  October 21, 2003.
 
Species List: Wedge-tailed Shearwater (80), Brown Booby(45), Great Frigatebird (5 overhead), Eastern Reef Heron (5+ out on reef), Buff-banded Rail (2-3 under colony), Pacific Golden Plover (1), Far Eastern Curlew (1), Ruddy Turnstone (2), Grey-tailed Tattler (1), Sooty Oystercatcher (Pair), Crested Tern (3) Bridled Tern (1000's nesting), Black Noddy (1000's nesting),
 
We snorkeled a little, observed a solitary clown fish dedicated to its anemone, enjoyed dolphins and turtles.  During my first experience of a tropical seabird colony we were on foot on the island for a few hours then back to the boat for the shearwater only show on the way back.  The visitor center in Bundeberg arranged this for almost 50 of our touring side.  They were so hospitable we even got to sign a rum shirt for them.  I can't quite recall the cost, but it was worth every penny.  Prior to our trip we had been kept abreast of developments by the resort on Lady Elliot Island, their web site is a lot of help, it even has a bird news section.  www.ladyelliot.com.au        .  Uninitiated birders kept asking me about the brown birds that were blue underneath.  It was the brilliant reflection of the water on their Brown Booby bellies.
 
Looking forward to coming back.
 
Yours Rob
 
Robert W. Hewitt
Director, LBJ Enterprises  
 
 www.birdjobs.com
1707 E Street #5, Eureka, CA 95501  USA
(707) 442-0339, fax (707) 260-0632, cell (707) 845-3189
 
Godwit Days Steering Committee 
 www.godwitdays.com  Arcata, California
April 16-19, 2004  9th Annual, 232 species cumulative.
 
 
    I am heading to Lady Elliot island in February with a bunch of
students and would be interested to know if anyone has a bird list for
the island. I have managed to collect a likely list from the birding-aus
archives, but if anyone has any further information I would be very
grateful.
    Any replies can come directly to me. Thanks.

Alistair

--
Dr Alistair G. B. Poore
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of New South Wales
Sydney, 2052
Australia

Phone: 61 2 9385 2154     Fax: 61 2 9385 1558
E-mail:
Web: www.bees.unsw.edu.au/staff/academic/poore/teaching.html
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