Kalkadoon to Kermadec part 4 Lord Howe Is. non endemics and migrants
Many breeding landbirds on LHI are self-introduced, either before or
after settlement, either from the Australian mainland or New Zealand.
BUFF-BANDED RAILS are all over the flat parts, smaller, quicker and more
brightly coloured than Woodhens.We saw three PACIFIC BLACK DUCKS on their
own, plenty of MALLARD/PBD crosses,and a few of what looked like pure
MALLARD males. A few EMERALD DOVES wander around shady lanes, some were
invisibly cooing around Settlement. MAGPIE-LARKS at the airstrip. PURPLE
SWAMPHENS, MASKED LAPWINGS, and WELCOME SWALLOWS. Along rocky shores and
most paddocks, SACRED KINGFISHERS abound.
We spotlighted our very first MASKED OWLS at around 9.30pm on the
roadside fence south of the airstrip, another at the south end of Anderson
Rd., and heard another screeching at Pinetrees about 9.00 pm. all on
different nights. There is one near Milky Way.
Is this a tick?
They were introduced to kill rats but their main effect was to
out-compete the endemic owl to extinction, prey on young Woodhens and White
Noddies. National Parks control their numbers and will probably exterminate
the lot soon.
A PIED BLACKBIRD, heavily splotched all over with white, and a
completely white right primary wingfeather was near the airstrip terminal,
other EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS with white patches are on the Island (and common
among Blackbird populations elsewhere), maybe the "island isolation
phenomenon" is evolving a new White Blackbird? EUROPEAN SONGTHRUSH was also
introduced by early settlers, a comfortable fat cuddly heavily flecked bird
that I love, we only saw one, at dawn on the Somerset front lawn. Used to
see them when working in Somerset UK. EUROPEAN STARLINGS were in numbers
before Masked Lapwings introduced themselves and out-gunned the Starlings on
the paddocks and airstrip a few years ago, despite searching we saw none. An
endemic Starling was one of the extinguished.
Seasonal migrants surprisingly include CATTLE EGRETS and, to
feed on Masked Booby hatchlings, SPOTTED HARRIERS, from New Zealand says Ian
Hutton. We saw 25 BAR-TAILED GODWITS, 15 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS, 55
TURNSTONES, 12 WHIMBRELS, 12 DOUBLE-BANDED DOTTERELS on the airstrip,
others at North Beach, Whimbrels in most paddocks.One of the Dotterels was
all grey and white with no sign of a band, stood apart and looked like a
Lesser Sandplover in the scope .A single GREY TATTLER on North Beach, three
WANDERING TATTLERS on the rock-shelves around Roach Island, from the boat.
Finale Part 5 LHI Seabirds next.
Michael Hunter
Mulgoa Valley
50km west of Sydney Harbour Bridge
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