Another stray tropical seabird pushed down by
last week's low off Queensland and northern NSW
passed by Mistral Point, Maroubra today - a Black
Noddy. This follows Dion Hobcroft's Streaked
Shearwater and Dave Mitford's Brown Booby of the
last few days. It was a few hundred metres from
shore, but identification was fairly easy, as it
was flying along a current line close to some
Silver Gulls, and it was obviously and
considerably smaller. Also it's slender wings and
almost delicate shape was distinctive, as well as
its very dark body. Common Noddy and juvenile
Sooty Tern could be ruled out on size, colour and
plumage.
On another seabird, Long-tailed Jaegers have been
reported regularly off the coast here lately. In
almost every seawatch one or two pass by. I've
seen nearly 200 in the last four or five years,
with flocks up to 20+. Last year and this year
I've actually seen more LtJs than Arctic Jaegers.
Maybe some people are aware of the regularity of
LtJs: in the last few years at least they would
have to be classed as regular, scarce birds off
the NSW coast, rather than (sub-)rarities. On the
other hand, AJs seem to have become scarcer here
in recent years.
Rod Gardner
--
Dr Rod Gardner
Senior Lecturer
Department of Linguistics
School of Modern Language Studies
University of New South Wales
NSW 2052
Australia
Tel: ±61 2 9385 1454
Fax: ±61 2 9385 1190
CRICOS Provider Code 00098G
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